In popular media, no high school experience is complete without a game of dodgeball.  

On Friday May 4, Schreiber hosted its first annual dodgeball tournament in the downstairs gym at the Landmark.  The event began at 6:30 p.m., and the admission fee was five dollars per person.  The pre-registration fee was four dollars per person, and only teams of three to five people were permitted to compete in the event.  

“[The dodgeball tournament] was something new that you don’t usually do in regular gym class, and it was fun,” said sophomore Adam Salzman, who participated in the event and played on the winning team.  

The tournament was organized by the Port Washington Youth Council’s Teen Center, more commonly known as the PiT.  Headed by Michael Donnelly, the PiT is funded by The Community Chest of Port Washington and The Town of North Hempstead, and the organization is based out of the Landmark building on Main Street.  Throughout the week, the PiT organizes safe, fun daily activities targeted towards Port Washington’s teens. 

The specific branch of the organization that planned the tournament is called the PiT Youth Council, which is made up of Schreiber students of all grades.   This sector of the Youth Council was a tremendous help in setting up the dodgeball tournament alongside the members of the normal Youth Council.  All Youth Council members planned the event over a number of weeks, and the council typically holds a special event on most Fridays.

Members of the PiT Youth Council volunteered with helping out at the event, and some of them participated in the dodgeball tournament itself.  The Youth Council members assisted with refereeing, announcing the games, overseeing admissions, and preparing for the event in general. Many were also in charge of publicizing the event and making sure that the word got out well in advance.

“I was primarily responsible for the publicity of the event and refereeing several of the matches,” said sophomore PiT Youth Council member Jack Lawrence.  “Everyone had a great time at the event and it was a success as a result of the many efforts made by my fellow youth council members.”

Three dodgeball teams participated in the dodgeball portion of the event. There was a team of freshmen named Team Apicos, a sophomore team named Team Cobras, and a team of seniors named Team Chimmy Chengas.  The teams that won the best of three games made it to the semifinals, and the final match was just a single game.  After a number of intense rounds, Team Cobras was on top after the final match against  Team Chimmy Chengas.  

“It was a really fun experience,” said sophomore Kevin Nadolne.  “I enjoyed playing dodgeball against the other teams with my friends.”

Team Apicos ultimately lost in their matches against both teams, but not without putting up a fight.  On average, there were about twenty spectators at the tournament. The PiT Youth Council members were happy with the outcome of the event, and many said that the tournament was a success.

“Lots of people showed up to play and watch,” said sophomore Cristian Riano.  “The event was a fun one, and it was effective in bringing the community together to participate in friendly competition.”