Issue date: 10/6/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Casey Hilder

"It was invigorating and, well, muddy," Justin Terry said as he brushed off clumps of mud.

Terry, junior political science major at The University of Memphis, was just one of more than 150 students who participated in Mudball Friday afternoon.

Mudball, now in its 25th year, is an annual volleyball and tug-of-war competition sponsored by the Student Ambassador Board to raise money for the J. Wayne Johnson Memorial Scholarship foundation for selected seniors. SAB is a group of University students who help host U of M Alumni Association events, like Friday's activities.

Students gathered at "Tiger Beach" in the lawn behind Richardson Towers North at 1 p.m. to register for the games. Six teams competed in two volleyball courts 6-8 inches deep in mud walled in with hay bales.

The entry fee for each team was $120, and music, pizza and drinks were served to participants.

Justin Young, senior mechanical engineering major, said the mud made the games more challenging.

"It is hard to maneuver around the court when you're stuck in mud," he said. "The ball was coated in mud each time it came over the net and made coordination more difficult."

Twenty-six teams competed in 8-minute elimination rounds for the event, which had 24 sponsors this year. The teams were grouped into three divisions: fraternities, sororities and registered student organizations.

The winners of this year's competition received a trophy and bragging rights within their divisions. The winner of the fraternity category was Sigma Phi Epsilon, the winner of the sororities was Alpha Delta Pi, and the RSO winner was Residence Life. 

Physical Plant assisted SAB with cleaning up the area after the event and transporting the mud off-campus after it dried.

Kevin Park, member of SAB, said the fundraiser had the highest turnout in its history.

"This year we have had more teams and more sponsors than ever before, so - once we cut out the expenses - we anticipate a higher fundraising amount than last year," said the senior hospitality and resort management major.

All the funds will go toward the scholarship, founded by Johnson in 1960. Any full-time senior who has successfully completed 85 semester hours or more and has a 2.75 grade point average or higher can be nominated for the scholarship.

Terry, dripping with mud after a recent match, said the event was effective because it attracted students.

"Overall, it's just a great opportunity to raise money for a good cause and have fun while doing it," he said. "I think this event lets students know about the scholarship so they can be informed of it for their senior year."

Junior Rob Matheson, referee for the competition, said Mudball was "one of the best events The U of M has to offer."

"I think this year's Mudball was the best one yet and will only get better in years to come," said the finance and marketing management double major.

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