Student Life: Dorm Sports

The team huddles to discuss the next play's strategy. Should they try a long pass or muscle their way through the defense?

A young man kneels down, golf club in hand, to carefully study the lay of the land. Should he aim left and brave the potential hazard or aim right and hope the putt breaks right into the cup?

Are these images from the Super Bowl or the PGA tour? Hardly. They're of college students honing their athletic skills in the hallways of their dorms and apartment buildings. Better known as "dorm sports," these tests of dexterity and athletic ability are also showcases for creativity, as students not only adapt old favorites, but also invent new games.

"It's basically a boredom thing," stated Steve Quinn '03. "Sometimes you're just trying to get a five minute stretch break," added Mike Foley '03.

The hallway seems like a natural place for killing some time, according to Paul Keating '03. "You can't play in the room — too many hazards — and sometimes you're too lazy to go outdoors."

For many, the social aspect of the sports is also a motivating factor. "Everyone walks out in the hallway looking for someone to talk to or something to do," Erin Pearce '05 said. "It's a great way to get to know your neighbors," Foley noted.

Most of the sports played are hybrids of their outdoor counterparts. "We play field hockey," said Jaclyn Raffol '05. "I had my field hockey stick in the closet, and I'd just take it out and start hitting the ball around the hallway. Someone would always join in."

Foley, Keating, and Quinn all cited spontaneous games of soccer, golf, and wiffle ball breaking out in the dorms they had lived in. Wiffle ball seemed to be especially popular, despite some technical difficulties. "The bases are much narrower. You don't really have a lot of room," said Pat McCaffrey '03.

Wrestling was also popular with both sexes. "Definitely wrestling," stated Quinn, "because it proves we're men."

"Girls wrestle, too," Raffol added. "We're always trying to beat each other up."

Other sports, however, are popular despite their less than traditional origins. "Some guys down the hall from us invented a game using empty dip cans. I didn't really understand it, but it had some sort of point system. They rolled them down the hall for points," Foley said.

"Roisin [Quinn] gives Irish step dancing lessons in the hallway," stated Pearce.

Creating your own "signature" dorm sport has become such a cult phenomenon that websites dedicated to the practice have sprung up all over the Internet. "Dorm futball," promoted by lightning.prohosting.com, involves throwing a Nerf football at a middle target placed on a ledge while trying not to hit the two outside targets. A down is gained every time a player hits an outside target; after four downs, the ball must be turned over to the opposing team. A point is scored if the player hits the middle target without hitting the outside targets.

Putting practice, from www.livingspacenetwork.com, calls for golf (or tape) balls, clubs, and bottles. Players attempt to putt the closest to the bottle without touching it. By adding a laundry basket, students can practice their chipping skills, by seeing who can land as the most balls in the basket.

Other games require even less equipment. "Spiderman," another game from www.livingspacenetwork.com, requires students to place their hands against one wall, their feet against the other and see who can "crabwalk" to the top the fastest.

Although students may find hours of amusement in these newly created sports, Residence Life is not quite as enamored with the games. "The RA's don't like it," admitted Keating, "because sometimes people do break things. When I lived in McDermott the ceiling tiles were falling. [Res Life] told us that it cost $15.00 an hour for the labor to replace the tiles and $40.00 a piece for the actual part."

Despite these complaints, many of the students believed that dorm sports would continue. "It's where everyone is," stated Pearce.