Teachers to students: "You just got served!"
This week, while students answered questions about farming and drove tractors to school during FFA week, a special event brewed down below in the sweaty depths of the competition gym. Student teams stood in formation to abuse a volleyball: punching it, swatting it, doing whatever it took to keep it from falling to the floor. Each team fought valiantly, but only one remained undefeated. This team played day and night, including at Spooky Nook. They had already assembled even before the tournament was announced, and their obvious prowess reared its majestic head out on the court, leading them to victory in the student finals.
However, the challenge was just beginning for this group of skilled athletes, for they still had to take on their toughest enemy yet: the teachers. Instructors from all over the school came down to crush the student team in front of an excited audience. Ms. Faith Cowell, physical education teacher and tournament coordinator, sent an email out saying that the students (juniors Ryleigh Lefever, Cole Reynolds, Colson Stoltzfus, Brady Stoner, Matt Paich, Josie Weaver, Josh Nolt, and Josh Mellinger) were better than any team she has seen in a long time, so the teachers would have their work cut out for them. The student may become the master during this match. So, the teachers selected some crazy powerhouses and gave their best effort.
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| An ineffectual block attempt follows a powerful swat from the teachers |
The game started off with a few warm ups. Teams practiced serves, bumps, and sets, while at the same time attempting to intimidate their opponents. Mr. Adam Titter obviously brought his A-game, with his lightning-fast serves and all-around eagerness to beat the competition, but each member of both teams knew that failure was not an option.
Then, it was time. The teachers started on the left side. Right away, most of the action took place at the net, with wild spikes and sets. The students constantly tried to drive the ball to the floor, but teachers including Mr. Scott Cantrell, Mrs. Bobbi Jo Garrett, and Mr. Brian Fisher helped block those haphazard attempts at scoring. Sadly for the students, none of their attempts really worked during this game, and the teachers won by a 14-point margin.
The students were not going down without a fight. They came into the next match with a vengeance, fury in their eyes and serves. This is the only time when they can fight their instructors, and they had no plans to lose in front of their peers. There were a lot of spills and close calls during this competition. The ball stayed in play for nearly two minutes, a rarity in amateur volleyball, as the gym classes know. The students started off with a very strong lead, but they could not hold the small victory for long. The teachers found their fire again, leading the teams into a tie that just could not be broken for the longest time. Once one team pulled ahead, the other would catch up again. However, the teachers managed to use their powerful players to their advantage, which brought them away from the tie and blazing ahead to the win. The students could not seem to start up again after the strong beginning, giving the teachers another victory of 25-14. The students did earn one point more during this match than the last one, but it did not have an effect in the ultimate outcome.
As the school day came to a close, the students and teachers congratulated each other. They did this for friendly competition, and both teams had fun during the game. Tempers may have flared, people may have garnered bruises and brush burns, but in the end, this was an entertaining way to blow off some steam and ease into the weekend.
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--Lillian Murr, LSNews.org School News Editor
Edited: BP
