The Organizational Scientist: Recreation

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Research, Classes, and … Dodge Ball? OS Students Relieve Stress, Have Fun

by Kate Frear

Oct. 24, 2009: Six Organizational Science (OS) students, who had signed up to represent the OS program in the first annual Graduate Student Dodge Ball Tournament, arrived—ready for battle. The team—consisting of Daniel “Latin Heat” Bonilla, Adrian “Malaysian Persuasion” Goh, David “Uni-Bomber” Askay, April “Black Widow” Spivack, and Greg “Patches” Berka—had anticipated this event for weeks. On the day of the tournament, several team members showed up early to get warmed-up for the big game. “I've been practicing for the last half-hour to 45 minutes, I'm almost too worn out to play already,” said Askay. To represent their team spirit and create a united front, all OS team members wore their honorary Organizational Science “T”-shirt, boasting the OS catchphrase: “Fostering Transdisciplinary Thinking.”

For the first game, the OS team lined up to oppose the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Masters students. “They better watch out for Adrian,” said Askay, “I've watched him warm up, and he's got quite an arm on him.” As soon as the referee blew the whistle the team experienced an unexpected turn of events. Before any balls were thrown, Spivack took a blow to the face from opponent, Richard Louie. “We both ran for the ball, sprinting, then I leaned back but she fell forward,” said Louie, “and her nose hit the side of my head.” Spivack, who was unavailable for comment until after receiving medical attention, did not incur any serious injuries.

Without Spivack the OS team was forced to disband and play on mixed teams with graduate students outside the OS program. “The teams were randomly selected and everyone had fun with it,” said Berka, “most people just played for themselves after that.” When asked about the mixing of teams, Bonilla responded, “It gave me a chance to meet grad students in other programs so it wasn’t so bad.” He added, “I’ve got a lot going on—sometimes I just want throw a big red ball at someone, regardless of their affiliation.”

All team members were optimistic when asked about playing again next year. “Dodge ball, or any intramural event, is a good way to exercise, socialize, and get your mind off school for a bit,” said Berka, “I hope we do more events like this in the future.” Even Spivack said, “Yes! I would definitely play again!”

For the benefit of the non-dodge-ball-savvy OS students and grad students around the world, we would like to poll the readers for other de-stressor tips and ideas. So, please tell us your thoughts. What’s the best way to relieve stress during grad school? (Please post your thoughts below.)

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