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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
The Observer

What would you fight for?

There comes a time in everyone's life where they are witness to something that violates everything they believe in. Whether it is racism, fascism, abortion, etc., we face a challenge to which we are summoned, summoned by some higher power to speak out, to rise against tyranny and oppression. This University pushes us to become leaders and stand up for our beliefs. They ask us every week, "What would you fight for?"

For the first time in my four years at Notre Dame, I have been challenged and refuse to go gentle into that good night. On October 11, Saint Edward's Hall will attempt to defend its honor and title as Interhall Dodgeball Champion, but a major rule change has set the dodgeball world ablaze.

Kerry Kemp, in his first year as Assistant Director of Intramurals, has decided to change one of the core rules of dodgeball. This season, when a player catches a ball, one of his teammates is not allowed to enter the playing field. This not only defiles the sport, but robs it of the emotion that goes into a catch. If a team is outnumbered, a catch provides a momentum swing which can fuel an epic comeback. The risk of attempting a catch is too great if there is no comparable reward.

The rule change is comparable to an interception in football being ruled an incomplete pass. As a student of the game I am outraged by the rule change and livid from Mr. Kemp's indignant demeanor. Kemp is ending a tradition. He claimed he was making changes in response to feedback from previous years and, in his words, preventing teams from cheating by allowing their best players to skip the line and come back in. However, the order of the line is the responsibility of the team, not RecSports.

Never in my three years has this been a problem. This is not first grade PE, this is collegiate dodgeball, a six-on-six test of pride and valor, and I will not stand by and watch it be debased by Kerry Kemp. I will fight for dodgeball.



Adam Fonseca

senior

St. Edward's Hall

Oct. 7
 


The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.