Speedball, the combination sport of soccer and handball, has returned to Poolesville but is taking place in an alternate location. The tournament took place during lunch from April 1-4 in the auxiliary gym. This whole school event almost didn’t occur this year, as they didn’t have a large enough room to accommodate all interested students and staff.
Senior speedball player Carter Ortiz stated, “When I finally heard speedball was happening…It was so jubilating. We were already strategizing from that first moment.”
Started by former gym teacher and basketball coach Fred Swick in 1980, speedball tournaments have evolved into a beloved tradition. Previously, speedball was played in gym classes until the 2000s.
Initially, when the tournament was made to be a lunchtime event, they charged a fee to raise money for the school. The fee was $20 to be on a team and $1 to watch the games. This later was revoked, and it is now a free event.
Each team consists of four girls and four boys. Only 16 teams are allowed in the tournament. The games are single elimination, and two to three games are played during a lunch period.
Gym teacher Ms. Laurie Wohnhas enjoys watching the tournament.
“Each year, the teams are better and more competitive. We do play it in our classes, but it usually takes some time for the freshmen to understand the game. Once they have the opportunity to see the tournament and see the upperclassmen playing, they quickly understand why the game is so popular here.”
Unlike other years, students were not allowed in to watch unless they were on a speedball team. However, the games this year were streamed in all four hubs and live on the Falcons Speedball YouTube channel.
The 16 teams this year included Porky Pigs, WHAT THE MEHEK, The Invincibles, Tune squad, Super Seniors, The scoopers, Dub squad, Los Muchacos, Lucky Ducks, Stingers, The Unemployed, The Big 3 + Saharsh, Paw Patrol, Pookie Dookies, Leballers, and Le Pookies. Paw Patrol ended up winning the tournament. The team consisted of Seniors Alex Sosna, Amelia Goettsch, Kate Dacanay, Payton Short, Nico Marrtinez, Keefer Bowen, Nick Feys, and Vinnie Volpe.
