Criminal Justice Club Hosts Dodgeball Fundraiser

JJC students and staff geared up on Nov. 19 at the school’s gymnasium for a dodgeball tournament. The event was sponsored by the Criminal Justice Club.

Randall Graves, Criminal Justice Club advisor, was a participant and coordinated the tournament as a fundraiser for the club.

Graves said the tournament was a way for students, staff and clubs to interact with one another while raising funds for the club.

The majority of the funds collected will go towards field trips, catering for events, and hands-on experiences with locals in the criminal justice field.

A total of six teams competed in the tournament with up to five members per team.

Some teams consisted of members from the Student Government and the JJC branch of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

Rules were introduced before matches by Dakota Sheetz and Dan Foremal, volunteer referees from the Joliet Park District. Boundary lines were established with cones set up around the gymnasium floor.

Six foam dodge balls were placed at the center of the court. Each of the opposing teams were allowed to take three of the balls at the start of each round.

Direct hits to any part of the body, except the head, would eliminate competitors.

Dodge balls could be deflected with a ball but a ten-second rule for holding a dodge ball was instated.

Those who were eliminated were capable of returning to play if another teammate was able to catch a ball that was thrown by the opposing team.

This, in turn, would eliminate the participant who had thrown the ball.

Whichever team eliminated all members of the opposing team won the match.

Two teams played a single match that would determine whether they would continue to the final round or competed for third place with other eliminated teams.

More than an hour of matches were played. The final round came down between three teams; “Not in the Face,” “Celery Sticks” and “One Blueberry.”

The tournament concluded with teams “Celery Sticks” and “One Blueberry” as first place winners. Those teams’ members included Jose Jaramillo, Carlos Diaz, Mike Walsh, Nick Chapman and Caitlin Wilson.

The second place winners were team “Not in the Face,” consisting of Graves, Jake VanDuyne, Casey Roth, Chris Luttrell and Mariella Rodriguez.

Third place was secured by team “Nerd,” comprised of Mike Loftis, Ray Buchanan, Joe Canniff, Kathleen Duong and Bianca Haro.

All three teams were awarded with medals, and pick-up games were created for the remainder of time after the tournament’s conclusion.