The crack of the bat when it hits a home run, the echoing sound of a crisp soccer kickoff, and the unmistakable swish of a three-point shot: it’s these iconic sounds that make sports not just a competition but a full sensory experience. For those who participated in this block’s Second Saturdays Tournament, you know that the sound of a perfectly placed beanbag slapping onto the wooden board deserves its spot among this list of sonic icons.
Cornhole:
With 12 sets of boards and 96 beanbags, the Worner quad tournament had no shortage of boards being hit with that oh so satisfying sound, notifying anyone in the general area that the long-awaited tournament was here, and heating up fast. It was a beautiful sunny day, and as the teams warmed up, Andy Obringer, assistant director of the Fitness Center, braced himself to read the brazen and suggestive team names out loud. “Corny Singles in Your Area” and “Two Corns One Hole”, among other teams, played three games each in pool play to decide which eight lucky teams would move on to the playoffs.
“I thought it was awesome, I’m so thankful the weather cooperated,” said Chris Starr, director of Recreation and Fitness. Starr and Obringer jointly organize the Second Saturdays tournaments, and Starr expressed that after the cardboard boat Regatta, this weekend’s cornhole tournament was her favorite Second Saturdays of the year. “We had a lot of people watch,” Starr said. These spectators included those passing by Worner on their way to Rastall’s brunch, Colorado Coffee, or to a life-saving call, in the case of an ambulance that happened to stop along Cascade.
By around 2:30 p.m., there were two teams left standing: Andrew Colgan ‘28 and Kole Petersen ‘27 competing under the name “Corn Job” and Tomas Mrsic ‘29 and Colton Roberts ‘29, as “Can’t Find the Hole.” After a high-level game, Roberts and Mrsic, two hockey players from British Columbia, walked away with the coveted t-shirt.
“We saw this thing last second and signed up about a day and a half ago, so it was good to do something and good to pull out the win,” Roberts said.
His team’s success stands as a testament to the time-honored proverb of practice makes perfect. “I do have some bags back home and I play probably once a day”, said Roberts.
The pair even has some prior experience playing in cornhole tournaments, but their near-perfect throws could not take them as far against a crowd of professionals who brought their own bags.
We wish you all a nice summer that offers you the chance to throw some bags, but be warned of the reigning champs who don’t plan to end their careers with just one Second Saturdays win.
“Yeah, we’ll definitely be back,” said Mrsic.
Broomball:
There’s not much in life sweeter than the brisk chill and slightly tangy smell of Ed Robson Arena at 10:15 p.m. on a Tuesday evening while all of your roommates, ex-situationship and block crush are at Tony’s. There are a few things better than packing up your (rented) Colorado College-embellished cornhole boards and bags at 5 p.m. while the sun is baking the East Campus quad, then running to the rink and slipping on a suspiciously damp helmet. While some might prefer the former, and some the latter, Broomball is suffering.
“Ice time changes definitely are not helping; there have been a ton of forfeits,” said supervisor Luke Flangel ‘27. Many teams have been canceling due to lack of participation, captain irresponsibility, and timing conflicts as the plethora of forfeits leads to constant scheduling changes to fill ice times. However, some teams are leveraging this weakness as part of their success.
“Some of the ice times have been really late, but I always pull through and show up for my team … [plus] I know a lot of people [will] lose focus in Block 8, and I’m hoping my team can use that to our advantage,” said Grace Langdon ‘28, a player for Broomsack. Langdon is a member of the CC Women’s Club Hockey team and says that hockey translates well to broomball- not only in skill but in overall vibe.
“Broomball culture is a little bit like hockey culture [for me and my team] but so much more special,” says Langdon, whose team is largely made up of both men’s and women’s club hockey players eager to be on the ice after their seasons have ended.
Langdon’s attitude is a refreshing change to the typical feelings around Broomball. A player who clearly prioritizes her team and her personal ice time – Langdon wants this championship badly. “This shirt would be a memorialization of one of my favorite parts of my college experience. It would always remind me of the team that I’m on,” said Langdon as she gazed out of her bedroom window towards Ed Robson Arena.
Inner Tube Water Polo:
Tucked away in the far corner of the gym instead of being prominently displayed on the quad, it’s easy to forget about the ruthless clashes that occur on a daily basis in Schlessman Natatorium. And as Block Seven draws to a close, the stakes have only gotten higher, as teams are now within reach of the finals, which are set to take place at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 10.
One such team is D3 Soakers, a group of players so talented in the pool that many have seen them and mistaken them for actual amphibians. The group consists of many ex-varsity basketball players, which gives them an edge both physically and spiritually. “Even though we’re not all basketball—especially this year, we have a lot of non-varsity athletes playing with us—I think all of us are used to playing team sports so there’s this collaborative environment that is brought into water polo even though none of us have ever played before,” said Alex Aronie, a senior on the team. “It shows through for sure.”
On the physical aspect, any short person who has tried to mount a tube can attest that tall people do have a fairly significant advantage in the sport, due primarily to the fact that their limbs can more easily reach the water. Aronie acknowledged this as a strength of some members of her team. “They can get down the pool super fast,” she said. “So many people don’t have experience [so] being able to move fast is probably more beneficial in a way than having great experience but being slower.” The thoughtfulness of her comments almost hid the fact that she was evidently fighting the urge to say “court” instead of “pool” when discussing tactics in her interview.
Alex’s passion, skill, and overall love for the game is exactly the type of player that the Circuit is here to highlight. So without further ado, we present to you our second-ever The Circuit Athlete of the Week. Endless congrats and keep the goals coming!
Dodgeball:
Surely everyone who is reading this column has played at least one game of dodgeball in their lives, whether that be in PE class, summer camp or your Priddy leader trying a last-resort bonding activity. But few have considered how this sport, which has no system of scoring or a time limit, could translate into an intramural setting. The answer: a 40-minute long set time where two teams of six play as many rounds as possible, with each win counting as a point. It’s surprisingly exhausting to play, and unsurprisingly disheartening to lose multiple points in a row, considering with each loss you’ve also lost a shred of your dignity, running to the sideline screaming “I’m already out” as the other team tries to pelt you with yet another ball.
It’s common for teams to opt out of the game, calling it quits before the forty minutes are over. But Luke Best and his gang of fellow seniors are not a common team. The DU Pioneers, as they call themselves (a possible, yet unconfirmed, dig at the hockey team that frequents spring IM spaces such as dodgeball), were down 5-1, Best told The Catalyst in an interview.
“I turned to my team and I said ‘you guys want to quit,’ and they said ‘it’s up to you’ and I said ‘let’s play one more.’” The rest is history. Best, with a game-winning catch that was later shouted out by the dodgeball referees, led his team to a comeback 6-5 victory, the likes of which is rarely seen.
Softball:
The Twilight baseball scene: a true cinematic experience that includes lightning speed, cat-like agility, super strength, tough competition, and of course- a thunderstorm. Now picture this: the two varsity hockey softball teams go head-to-head in their first IM softball matchup of the season. You might think you know where this is going, but we’ll give you a hint- there was no thunderstorm… just a little overcast.
Master Batters (baby hockey) took on returning champs Big Sticks (adult hockey) at 4:30 p.m. on April 2; a game that was sure to be rampant with runs and chirps. As the teams arrived 15 minutes early, batting practice was soon underway.
“You know these games mean a little bit more,” said Brett Link ‘27, player for the Big Sticks.
Within the first couple of innings, the score was tight: Big Sticks held a narrow 4-3 lead. However, the more laughs that were had, errors that were made and ground rules doubles that slipped past the sidewalk on the way to Tutt Library, sticks finally tapped into the “championship culture” that both Link and Captain Riley Stuart ‘27 say is a crucial part of their team.
“That was one of the worst games we’ve ever played but we dogged them- usually we play and it [goes to] overtime or at least seven innings but no it ended in three,” said Link. That’s right, folks. We’ve got ourselves another softball mercy-rule.
Maybe we should have gone over this before, but this is how a softball mercy-rule occurs. The game either lasts for a typically regulated one hour or seven innings, but in the case of a mercy-rule, it is 10 run-rule after five innings, or as we saw in this game, 15 run-rule after 3 innings. So how were the Big Sticks able to play the worst game of their season, against their biggest rivals, and still walk away with a win in the third inning? “Our roster just has better depth from top to bottom. We’ve got better players,” said Link, grinning proudly.
It also didn’t hurt that Master Batters freshman Shane Kozlina played the outfield like he wished he was behind “Stu” in the batting order and not “Unger”. But who can blame him? Big Sticks are two-time returning champs who are eager to hit a three-peat. And as they continue down their path to success, they have their sights set on the aforementioned DU Pioneers, a team of antagonizing seniors also competing in softball. “We gotta take them down … [they’re] targeting us out there,” stated Stuart, who now only looks at the Master Batters through his rear-view mirror.
As we prefaced in our last column, we are not only avid intramural journalists, but also players. So to continue our pledge of transparency, we write this week’s softball column as two girls who are proud members of … the winning team.
While both hockey teams have been getting some throws in, the freshman team Sand Jobs has been stuck in the bullpen. As two weeks and 15 games of softball have flown by on Tava Quad, Sand Jobs have yet to participate in this spring classic as every team they have been scheduled to play has canceled.
“Every forfeit it’s a little tough to the heart,” said Sand Jobs player Izzy Dolan ‘29.
Dolan’s team has been utilizing these forfeits as a way to get in practice and to build team chemistry. “We’re ready for a shirt,” said Dolan.
On Monday, April 6, Sand Jobs lost to the Master Batters 8-1, who certainly needed the win.