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Memorial YoungLife’s Annual Dodgeball Tournament Returns

By Keira Donovan, Memorial High School, School Buzz Reporter | February 27, 2024

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Sophomore girls team celebrates a win against junior girls in their first game. (Breleigh Hanagan, Hannah Heard, Brooke Kearns, Lauren Kohler, Addie Beckcom, Annabella Holiday, and Regan Siblik)

As new generations of students enter the hallways of Memorial High School, many old traditions remain prominent, one being Memorial YoungLife. YoungLife is a nation-wide organization dedicated to helping youths develop in their faith, and at Memorial High School, their presence is not ignored. Whether through Monday night clubs, or Wednesday night campaigners, Memorial YoungLife has played a crucial role in the development of community at MHS, and has provided a safe space available to all students.

Throughout the year, YoungLife holds many get-togethers including Eat the Menu, Dodgeball, and summer camps such as Crooked Creek Ranch and Wilderness Ranch. In addition, YoungLife hosts weekly clubs and grade-level devotionals which are dedicated to fostering bonds among students and with their leaders, who help them navigate the adversities of high school through a lens of faith and leadership.

Memorial YoungLife welcomes all students to their annual dodgeball tournament at Chapelwood Church on Monday night.

Furthermore, one of YoungLife’s most loved traditions is their annual dodgeball tournament. To begin, all Memorial students are given the opportunity to sign up with a team to compete. From here, teams select fun names and costumes to face their opponents. Typically, teams will go all out with different themes, names, and outfits to contribute to the fun. At the tournament, games are divided by gender, and the fierce, but fun competition begins. Games are played until there is one winning team left, and the tournament ends with two winners, one boy team, and one girl. While this may seem like all play and fun, these events allow students to take a break from the stress of being a teenager, and live in the moment, which isn’t often prioritized.

This year, Memorial Younglife’s annual dodgeball tournament was held at Chapelwood Church on Monday, February 26. In total, there were 10 boy teams and 8 girl teams signed up to compete, and many others were present to cheer on their classmates. Throughout the night, many highly competitive matches were held, eliminating teams one by one leading up to the championship. In the end, the team of sophomore girls and the team of junior boys took home the grand prize of a free t-shirt and burrito card from Cabo Bobs!