The RUMPUS weekend kicked off with high-energy dodgeball matches that brought together all six houses in a competitive start to the weekend-long event. Dodgeball, one of the first official RUMPUS competitions, set the tone with fast-paced games and loud student support.

Taking first place was TNT, a combined team of Thornwood and Neville Houses. TNT dominated the competition and won every game. Neville House senior Brent Bell and junior Lance Carroll played key roles in the team’s success. Carroll said the team selection process was thorough.

“We held tryouts with different rounds and games to see who would help the team most,” Carroll said. He felt a mix of “excitement, joy, relief and determination” throughout the games, despite moments of frustration when calls didn’t go his way.

Bell also called tryouts fun, though he admitted his early elimination in the first game was tough.

“Honestly, there wasn’t anything disappointing because we won every single game,” he said.

Senior Savannah Palmer, a member of the second-place team, the Jolly Dodgers of Cooper and Summerbell Houses, said dodgeball has been one of her favorite RUMPUS events since freshman year. She emphasized the importance of experience when selecting teams and admitted it was frustrating when opponents didn’t go out after being hit. Palmer noted that one of her mistakes was not watching the entire court, which led to getting hit from unexpected angles. While disappointed with the loss to TNT, Palmer was proud of her team’s performance.

Coming in last was Dream Team, consisting of Regester and Moser Houses. Regester freshman Anne Walker Ellington believed she earned her spot by throwing hard and getting several players out during tryouts.

“I thought I would be a good addition to the team because I could throw the ball hard, and during tryouts, I got a lot of the boys out.”