Kickball

By Stephanie Rutherford

Class of 2012

Louisiana State University 

At the onset, the fields were painted with a rainbow of uniforms of the teams pulled from every domain within the school. Students representing all four classes, boarded specialists, residents, interns, technicians, graduate students, and researchers alike found themselves, for a singular moment, on a level playing field.  Our own version of March Madness, anything can happen in the tournament, and there is always an upset or two on the road to the championship game.  The competitive spirit that got many students into vet school seems to resurface as the evening wears on, and the games get more intense.  Now, as the sun begins to set over the mighty Mississippi River, only the colors black and blue remain. This seems appropriate, considering the previous three hours have been spent fighting, clawing, diving, and crawling for every out and every run.  Now tired and bruised, both teams have to muster up enough energy to duke it out one last time.  The prize for 1^stplace:  A $100 gift certificate to Mellow Mushroom to fund the victory party, your team’s name on the official kickball trophy, and, most importantly, a year’s worth of bragging rights to the members of the winning team. This honor has now gone to the class of 2012’s “Balls in Your Face” 3 years in a row. 

The Annual Kickball Tournament is one of the most anticipated events at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.  The tournament is a time when former athletes, who chose to trade in their uniforms and cleats for textbooks and #2 pencils, get to relive the glory days of their youth.  The only scores that matter are the ones made at home plate, and no one can take off points for spelling. The joys of kickball are not exclusive to the players, though.  Deprived of football and tailgating for several months, the denizens of the LSU SVM who aren’t participating in the tournament still flock to the sidelines to cheer on their favorite teams and to spend some much needed quality time with their colleagues. As competitors are eliminated, they join the crowd, pick a new team to back, and enjoy the company and the final games.  For some, the tournament provides a much needed break from the monotony of lectures and studying.  For others, it is a way to release the tension and frustration that comes from being confined for too long.  One of the most important things I’ve learned in vet school is to never underestimate the ability of playground games to enrich the lives of students of all ages.