Intramural Sports | Where does passion live? Right here, in the hearts of IM players

Steve Buonfiglio Guest Writer

Where does passion live? This is a question that has seemingly been answered by the good folks over in Torino, Italy. We in Poughkeepsie (P-Town, the P possibly being for Passion) beg to differ. What can we offer to support such a supposition? See below, my friends, see below.

Ping-Pong—Everyone knows ping-pong players possess a plethora of passion. Ask any fan of alliteration if you doubt me. Last Sunday, we converted the Atrium of the Athletic Center into a ping-pong stadium. Luckily, Paula, the Atrium manager for whom the Smoothie is named, was not on duty—the pandemonium would not have sat well with her. However, it sat very well with Alex “Speak Softly, Carry a Big Paddle” Schiavo ’09, as he emerged victorious over Brendan “I put the Zing in” Zhang ’08.

And if that does not convince you, how about IM volleyball? Team Balls won an epic match over Tennis, 30-28, 18-25 and finally 25-18. “Diving” Dave Feldman ’07 called it the highlight of his life (well he might have if we had bothered to ask him, but I could tell by the look on his face. The Bomb Squad likewise won a three-set match over erstwhile Team Boot ‘n Rally—too much boot not enough rally, perhaps. The Bombers were sparked to the win by virtue of Assistant Director of Admissions Jen “Jen, Spike Again” Jun.

Still not on board with my hypothesis of where passion lives? Oh, ye who is difficult to convince. Son of a gun, I’ll sway you yet. Let’s try 3v3 basketball. WKYA is the only undefeated team in either the Competitive or Recreational League. Richard Bi ’06 is the adrenal gland of the WKYA body—continually providing that extra burst of energy that has yet to let them down.

Who could possibly beat WKYA? The answer is maybe Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place, as they have suffered but one setback on the season. They are led by Sebastian “Back in” Black ’07, the scourge of the Rec League.

Now I know that this is plenty of evidence for Poughkeepsie to supplant Torino, yet I also know there are always those who require more than what is necessary, so for that breed, I offer up IM indoor soccer. In Competitive action last Thursday, Feb. 23, The Rookies’ Albert “Mulli” Mulli ’09 scored not once, but twice, which ended up mighty nice, as his team defeated Rufio and the Lost Boys by a 4-2 score. But that was nothing compared to what followed.

The Replacements broke out on top of the International All-Stars via two first half goals. At that point, the All-Stars’ “Be” Aman Kalsi ’06 took matters into his own hands, and he scored twice to tie the contest. Kalsi did not stop there, as he assisted on two more goals, which enabled the All-Stars to take a 4-3 lead into the waning minutes.

Now, that should be enough for any of you who are still on the passion fence, but get ready for passion-plus: Andrew “Chip Off the Old” Block ’06 headed in a corner kick to tie the game with 90 seconds remaining.

There you have it, you can’t beat that, unless of course you are the International All-Stars’ Akshay “Awesome” Aiyer ’06, who drove the game winner past Dan “Lower” Zabar ’06 with nothing but a morsel of time left on the clock. Case closed.

What say you now?! Surely, you are convinced that this Torino passion play is but a wisp in the wind, a mere temporary state of passion compared to the weekly, dare I say daily, passion exhibited here at good old VC.

Yet for the Doubting Thomas that exists, I will once more go to bat. Or in this case, to bowl, as the VC IM Bowling Tourney was held this past Thursday. What I saw at the Hoe Bowl, well… it was like your birthday, New Year’s Eve anda lottery win on the same day. John “I Can” Read ’09 and Sara “I Can Too” Cornish ’09 arrived in identical outfits—hats, bandanas, jackets and, most especially, sunglasses.

There were approximately 200 bowlers at the alley and only our two wore their sunglasses at night.

They worked particularly well for Cornish, as she knocked down pins like she had a bazooka. “Thunder” Dan Rapoport ’07 bought into the splendor that is IM bowling, as he and Robert “Ten Pin” Shatzkin ’06 increased their score by 58 points between rounds one and two.

At times, our VC crew looked like a society dedicated to the preservation of bowling pins. At others, it was like living the Big Lebowski! Either way, lots of bowling faces were in evidence, from comedic to tragic, from the agony of defeat to the thrill of victory.

In the end, it boiled down to two pairs; Assistant Directors of Admissions Edgar “The Achiever” Thomas and Khambay “Spell Check Alliteration” Khamsyvoravong versus Sarah “Spare” Irving ’06 and Eric “Triple X” Theriault ’06. Khamsyvoravong’s strategy of never watching once she released the ball served her well, as pin after pin succumbed to her will.

The Miraculous Strike of ’06 will long be talked about by those who were there, as the electronic scoring system recroded a pin falling that stood its ground. Irving and Theriault displayed a never-ending variety of celebratory hugs, chest bumps and high fives—a veritable disco dance without a sparkly ball or leisure suit. And in the end, they put up a combined 306, which was enough to beat the rest of the pack.

The T-shirt ceremony was short but touching, and when asked to what they attributed their victory and the passion they displayed, the winning pair answered, “Huh?” Yes, that says it all. IM passion cannot be put in words.