Southeastern is preparing to hold its annual tournament of Swamp Bowl for the fourth year in a row. Student Union Director Jonathan Ambrose is in charge of the event, and it will be put on by the Student Union. Swamp Bowl IV will be held Friday, April 15, beginning at noon in front of the Pennington Student Activities Center. Swamp Bowl is a regulation volleyball game in 12 inches of mud and a double elimination tournament.     

Other than the fact that the players will be standing knee deep in mud, the games are played just like a regular volleyball game. The rules are standard volleyball rules; Participants play until the first team scores 15 points. Things will be a little different than previous years.

“This year we plan to change up the bracket by splitting the teams up by female, co-ed and male teams with one single champion at the end of the entire tournament,” said Ambrose.

The team that wins the tournament will receive a three foot tall trophy with their team name engraved on it. The trophy is sponsored by Tau Kappa Epsilon, the winners of the first ever Swamp Bowl. The winning team will also be recognized at the Division for Student Affairs (DSA) convention on May 3.

Everyone in the Southeastern family, including faculty, staff and students are allowed to participate in the event. All are encouraged to participate in the event, whether it be by playing in the tournament, coming to support the players or just coming to watch and have fun. Swamp Bowl is a way for students to take a break from the world of academics and have fun through friendly competition.

“I love the Swamp Bowl,” said freshman business major Lauren Hotstream. “I’ve played in it before and it is so much fun and I can’t wait to play in it again this year and hopefully win!”

There is a $50 entry fee per team and each team is only allowed to have six to nine players. All teams must fill out the entry form that will be available on the Swamp Bowl Web page through the Office of Student Development. It includes a list of the players along with an understanding of the rules and regulations of the tournament. Also, all those who participate in Swamp Bowl get the official Swamp Bowl t-shirt, a design that has been the same since the first year of the tournament.

Swamp Bowl’s popularity continues to increase, as it is a fun and new experience for all who participate in it. Those who put on the event are pleased with its popularity and hope it continues to grow.

“The first year we had 16 teams, second year we had 25 teams and last year we had 37,” said Ambrose. “We are hoping for 50 teams this year.”