Five teams participate in the annual Kick Butts volleyball tournament
The tournament promotes a tobacco-free lifestyle through co-ed volleyball games
April 20, 2019
On Thursday, April 18 the 14th annual Kick Butts volleyball tournament was held for teams of six to compete and the team Spike Tysons came in first place. The tournament is a fun way to spread the word to live a healthy lifestyle by staying away from tobacco related products.
According to sponsor Amy McClure, the tournament provides students the opportunity to play volleyball and raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco products.
“Kick Butts day is a national campaign for tobacco prevention among teenagers,” McClure said. “It is an event that is held every year across the country.”
For junior Annie Bogart, she participates every year as a tradition with her friends.
“I chose to participate this year because when I was a freshman, my sister told me to get a team together with my friends,” Bogart said. “That progressed to a tradition with [junior] Bennett Doyle and our legacy has lived on as we made it to first place this year.”
As a part of the third place team, Need a Nugget, junior Jace Dewitte thought the tournament was a great way to have fun with others.
“The best part about the Kick Butt volleyball tournament was being there and messing around with friends,” Dewitte said. “We also did good as a team, but there was a lack of communication that ended up being the factor that kept us from not playing in the championship.”
Bogart’s team, the Spike Tysons, received first place and she believed it had to do with their team dynamic.
“Our strategy was to start with our same lineup in every game because we organized our players based on their specific strengths,” Bogart said. “We mostly just went out on the court and had fun and goofed around.”
Although the tournament is more about raising awareness, according to McClure, they also raise funds to donate.
“We raised 31 dollars and we are going to donate it to Relay For Life funding for next year,” McClure said. “It is only one dollar to participate, so having 31 people show up during all the spring extracurriculars is a good outcome.”
