Page 4 | November 15, 2012

Community

Wallyball wins over Wesleyan

The Administration of Campus Recreation class is challenged to bring an unusual intramural sport to our campus community.
Rio Ziegler Community Editor

Wallyball players think fast as the offensive team sends a volleyball soaring over the net in hopes of it slamming against the walls of the racquetball court, leaving littleto-no reaction time for the opposing team. Wallyball is a college intermural sport that is similar to volleyball, but uses the a racquetball court to provide a more fast paced and challenging environment for players. Wallyball has made its way to Wesleyan as one of the latest and most popular intermural sports on campus thanks to the newly added course Administration of Campus Recreation, taught by Dr. Doug Kennedy. The goal of this course is to teach students how to plan, organize, and administrate a recreational sports program on their campus. Junior Angel Horowitz and senior Todd Lauver gave insight on how the class came to the conclusion to make Wallyball the sport of choice for the project. 2. We each took a list of different schools and looked at what they offered as intermural sports, said Lauver. We saw that Wallyball had a lot of great feedback from other campuses. The planning and organization of any campus event is a huge task, especially for a group of students managing other classes and extracurricular activities of their own. However, it seems that this semesters students are acing this course. Campus feedback has been positive with more than 24 teams signed up to participate in the Wallyball tournament taking place over the next five weeks. The Recreational Sports and Outdoor Activities Office (RecX) has teamed up with the class to sponsor the project. RecX contributed a budget for the students to work with, allowing them more revenue to market the event. Despite RecXs involvement, Jason Seward credits the success of the program to the class. They had free range of their themes and advertisement, said Seward. They set up the rules and referee. The course instructor Dr. Doug Kennedy, also commends the students for their dedication to the class. The students in the class are enjoying the practical learning opportunity to combine the classroom instruction with hands on challenges of managing an intramural sports program, said Kennedy. The participants are having a great time as well.

Thomas Mills/Marlin Chronicle Wallyball allows for participants to use a variety of ways to get the ball over the net. The students are excited about the impact that Wallyball has made on members of the campus community. Students are playing Wallyball on their own time, not just during the Wallyball tournament nights. It was nice to see it become big in our school, said Horowitz. We were surprised that a lot more people wanted to join the league and they were going out to play it themselves. The organizers were motivated to gain mass participation from a wide variety of students on campus. Different advertising techniques were put in place to encourage a positive response from students on campus, including attention getting e-mails with headlines like Sasquatch Spotted on Campus, themed nights that allowed players to dress up and win prizes for their creative costumes and free pizza and wings to enjoy while watching the teams play by the racquetball courts. There was a method to the advertising madness. We tried to get a variety of people instead of people that are just athletes or people that are super competitive, said Horowitz. That is why we did a lot of themes and prizes to get everyone involved. Now that the Wallyball intramurals have been set in place, students are bringing life to the idea that the class had originally planned. Enthusiasm for Wallyball has come from all directions even right down to the names of the teams. The creative team names are on the glass walls of the racquetball courts display names like Multiple Scoregasms, Team Hangover and Scared Hitless. Overlooking the typical college kid humor, it is hard not to admire the creativity. People try to get creative with their names, said Seward. Ive even halfway thought about giving prizes for the best intermural team name because they come up with some good ones. Players are ready to take on the other teams in the tournament, especially members of, Dominating Dominatrix, including senior Alysha Watson and sophomore Cara Donnelly. Its fun and it gets everyone together, said Watson It is a sport but an unusual sport so almost anybody can do it. And no one really dominates the game, added Donnelly. The sport brings together a combination of healthy competition and bonding among students of our campus. A few predictions have already been made as to who will take home the Wallyball championship title. I might blow up their heads a little, but I think Team Hangover, said Horowitz. That would be us! annouced Watson and Donnelly who responded quickly when asked who the champions would be. I think it is like football, anything can happen on any given Sunday, said Seward with a more unbiased approach. Wallyball has definitely made its mark on the Wesleyan community, and the anticipation of the championship title is still to come. You can join in on the excitement every Thursday from 8-10 p.m. by the racquetball courts. Come out for healthy competition and to support the Administration of Campus Recreation class in all of their efforts to send Walleyball soring into Wesleyan.

Thomas Mills/Marlin Chronicle With the creation and adoption of Walleyball on campus, students enjoy the new spiking, bouncing and kicking in the tournament provided by a recreation class.

Meet Tatyana: Our international Marlin

Russian native Tatyana Zvonareva describes her adjustment to college life at Virginia Wesleyan.
Brittany Todd Staff Writer

Living in a new country can be a terrifying, yet liberating experience, especially when you are a young teenage woman, traveling alone into new and uncharted territory. A new experience, a new home and a new dream. That is exactly what freshman Tatyana Zvonareva achieved as she sat down at her desk, curiously applying for the contest her high school in Russia had organized. The American government was looking for students from Europe and former Soviet Union countries that wanted to go to America for one year, stay with a host family, and go to a regular high school, said Zvonareva. Wanting an opportunity to study in America, she tried her best to win the contest, provided by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Days went by as she anxiously waited for the school to determine her fate for the next year. Watching the time slowly pass by, her eagerness motivated her to study as best she could. With the deadline approaching, Zovanareva worked hard to maintain her grades and keep a high academic standing. Soon after, the school finally announced their winner. I was excited when I found out I won the competition. I wanted to try something new, Zvonareva said. It sounded like a great opportunity and I was really good at English, so I wanted to try it out. Last year, she packed her bags and flew over 4,000 miles before she reached the United States. Starting in Sterlitimak in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Zvonareva traveled roughly twelve hours before she landed in Norfolk. When I first got here, I loved it! It was amazing, said

Zvonareva. And I loved my host family. I was so excited to meet them! After settling in and learning new customs from her host family, she made a choice on attending Cape Henry Collegiate High School in Virginia Beach. Her first day resulted in learning that this school significantly differed from her previous one. In America, you all get to pick your classes. In Russia, we dont get that option, said Zvonareva. We chose the area we want to study, but there are a certain amount of standard classes you have to take. Zvonareva enjoyed her stay in America and appreciated the freedom of choice. She appreciated it so much that she decided to continue her academic career in the United States. My family is in Russia still, said Zvonareva. I do get a little homesick at times, but I love it here! Applying to colleges was her next step. Though she longed for going home, Zvonareva was delighted to stay in the states to continue school. One of the first schools she researched was Virginia Wesleyan. The first thing I remember from my first day at Virginia Wesleyan was that everyone was so nice! said Zvonareva. The students and faculty on campus were like family. It drew me in and I really wanted to study here. Choosing Biology as her major, Zvonareva highly enjoys the scientific studies that Wesleyan has to offer. I like having a choice. Its nice to have the freedom of choosing my own classes, said Zvonareva. I love Russias education system, but its nice to study what you want and Biology is what I want to go into. Zvonareva intends to utilize Wesleyans Biology department in order to become a surgeon after college. What kind of surgeon, she has yet to decide.

Thomas Mills/Marlin Chronicle Tatyana Zvonareva enjoys her Wesleyan life.