32 student teams battled in the ASA spikeball tournament for the chance to win the top prize of $50 each. Friends of the competitors cheered them on.
Bright, yellow, circular nets were scattered over the grass as roughly 70 students piled into Grand Mesa Field. A large whiteboard displayed a bracket-style tournament made up of 32 teams. A Spikeball tournament, hosted by the Asian Student Association (ASA).
They advertised the tournament for about two weeks, having posted flyers all over campus, which even had a space in the Stall Street Journal. On the flyers, there was a QR code for teams to sign up before the event.Teams consisted of mixed or unmixed doubles, whose last names were listed as their team name on the whiteboard.
Before the gameplay began, Aaron Yamamoto, one of the co-coordinators of the Asian Student Association, gathered the players around the whiteboard to discuss the rules.
“The first round matches are on the board. The game goes to 21 points and you must win by 2; only do a gentleman’s serve. If there is a questionable call, just redo the point,” said Yamamoto.
Further discussion revealed that the winners of the tournament would win $50 each. Phrases like, “We got this” and “I don’t want to lose the first round,” were heard being murmured in the crowd.
As the matches started, there were bystanders cheering for their friends as the music got louder and strategy talk became intense. As the rounds continued on, the amount of teams on the field diminished.
Eventually, the final round began. One group fought hard to win against the other. Spikes were strong and saves were miraculous.
“I want students to participate and just know about our club– that you don’t have to be Asian to hangout and have fun. We’re just here to have fun,” said Yamamoto.
Based on the smiles and laughter of participants, the event was filled with just that. Yamamoto hopes to see an even greater turnout at future events.