By Matt Fulkerson/sports editor
Although the turnout was too low for a dodgeball tournament on NE Campus Jan. 24, students still had a chance to blow off steam as they participated in several rounds of heroball.
“I wasn’t familiar with the game, but the guys really love it,” said Laura Bradford, NE health and physical education instructional associate. “It’s a chance for students to relieve some stress by hurling objects at each other really hard.”
For those unfamiliar with the game, heroball is similar to dodgeball with several key differences.
Players all enter one large square and attempt to hit fellow participants. Once players are hit, they must then exit the square and position themselves along the perimeter.
Unlike dodgeball, players on the outside continue playing by retrieving balls that leave the square. From this position, they attempt to hit players still located in the square.
When a player outside of the square hits a player inside, they switch places. If the player inside the square catches the ball, no change in position occurs.
Players can also save fellow participants who are hit if they can catch the ball before it lands on the ground.
The game continues without pause until one player remains in the square and is declared the winner, or hero.
“I love the ongoing aspect of the game. If you get hit, you don’t lose your chance to play,” said NE student Michael Logan. “It’s a lot more intense than dodgeball, with a totally different strategy.”
While few of the players were familiar with the game beforehand, they picked up on the rules quickly.
After completing several rounds, the group upped the difficulty by adding a second ball into play. Suddenly, attacks came from any direction and forced everyone to focus on their surroundings at all times.
Although students may have been disappointed in the low turnout at first, the fast-paced nature of the game was a worthy substitute.
“I just like throwing the ball and hitting people,” said NE student Jino Thomas.