Whitman’s campus is packed with athletic opportunity; in addition to club and varsity sports, Whitman has leagues in around 10 intramural sports, one of which is dodgeball. Dodgeball has gotten increasingly popular over the last couple of years; last year, 140 students registered on 17 teams. This week, we spoke to Julia Clapham and Sherwin Amsbaugh to talk about their involvement in the league and its impact on our campus.

Julia Clapham is a sophomore Environmental Studies-Economics major. Clapham got involved in the dodgeball league when she started playing last year with her friends:

“My friend Sherwin asked me to play IM basketball because they needed girls to play in the league, and then the same team decided to play dodgeball and then softball. I liked the group of people and thought dodgeball would be fun.”

Sherwin Amsbaugh is also a sophomore, however he is undeclared. Amsbaugh got involved in the league last year as well. However this year, his involvement has increased even more:

“Last year I was the captain of an IM dodgeball team and this year I will be responsible for the entire organization and implementation of dodgeball as a member of the IM Committee. I became involved in dodgeball because I really enjoyed my experiences with IM sports up until that point and had always loved playing dodgeball as a kid. I also saw it as a cool way to have a ton fun with my friends who also wanted to play.”

Amsbaugh says dodgeball has enriched his life on campus in these ways:

“By participating in dodgeball and other IM sports I’ve been given an avenue to create some fun memories with my friends. I guess you could say that because of dodgeball I decided to undergo the application process to join the IM Committee, which has been one of my favorite experiences at Whitman so far. Not to mention that a couple of the people on my team ended up becoming my close friends and the way we first started spending time together was through IM dodgeball.”

Clapham recommends dodgeball and other IM sports to anyone because, “it’s a good way to get to know people and it’s fun to play!” Amsbaugh also recommended dodgeball for similar reasons, but most importantly wanted to note that sign ups are coming up:

“Sign-ups will be coming out right at the start of next semester so make sure to grab your friends and make a team!”

If you’re interested in playing, make sure to check out the FAQ page on Whitman’s website (https://www.whitman.edu/athletics/intramural-sports/faqs) to learn how to get registered for any IM sport, as well as rules and regulations for each sport.