Last Saturday, Chimes soundly defeated student senate 3-0 in a best of five series of dodgeball games. The victory comes in the wake of last semester’s Chimes/senate soccer game, which Chimes also won handily. The dodgeball game took place in the Van Noord Arena side gym, an ideal location for the battle royale between the two student organizations.

The game, with glory, bragging rights and doughnuts at stake for the winning side, was important for both teams.

“We knew coming in that this was extremely important for us,” said Chimes sports editor Jacob Kuyvenhoven. “We executed our plan, executed our opponents and victory is sweet. If we hadn’t pulled this one off, I would probably have quit Chimes, and possibly also Calvin. So I’m glad we won.”

“In all honesty this was one sport where either side could have won,” said Alden Hartopo, Chimes campus news editor. “Senate tried their best but ultimately were no match for the athletic prowess of the Chimes staff.”

Some student senators were discouraged by the dodgeball debacle.

“This was a devastating defeat,” said Connor Schmidt, vice president of representation. “I thought that I was much better at dodgeball than this. But playing was incredibly fun and I had an amazing time.”

Student senator Maggie Van Winkle concurred with Schmidt’s sentiments.

“It was fun to get out of Commons Annex and have some competitive fun with the Chimes staff,” said Van Winkle. “Chimes brought the heat and beat us in the first three matches. It was fun to have another healthy competitive interaction with the Chimes.”

The historic battle of Calvin’s two most influential student orgs saw relentless throws and Matrix-esque dodges. Yet the intensity of dodging balls was too much for some players.

“The onslaught of dodgeballs coming from Chimes was too much for me to handle,” said Schmidt. “At one point, I dodged three shots in a row, but someone pegged me on the foot with a fourth and I fell defeated.”

In an attempt to even the playing field after Chimes’ 3-0 winning blitz, the players from both teams were split up. Chimes editor in chief Joseph Matheson and student senate president David Kuenzi drafted their picks to create two mixed teams of senate and Chimes players.

After two grueling matches, the team led by David Kuenzi with a majority of the Chimes staff emerged victorious.

“Now you have a taste of what it’s like to win,” joked Hartopo to Kuenzi, alluding to senate’s failure to win their soccer game against the Chimes staff last semester.

“To be honest, beating student senate is starting to lose its fun,” said Chimes editor in chief Joseph Matheson. “It’s a bit of a foregone conclusion at this point.”

Nonetheless both sides did enjoy bonding through several rounds of dodgeball.

“I was really impressed by everyone’s enthusiasm for the game,” said Chimes online editor Lauren DeHaan. “Everyone came with a great attitude which makes these events so fun. I look forward to beating senate again next year.”

For some players, winning was the only thing that mattered.

“Chimes clearly did well, because we won,” said Kuyvenhoven. “It’s not really important how student senate did, because they lost, and everybody knows winning is everything.”

While the dodgeball match-up possibly marked the end of athletic rivalry between the two teams, future competitions are expected to continue in the upcoming years.

“I hope the Chimes and senate continue to play dodgeball and soccer; it’s a lot of fun, even when you lose,” said Van Winkle.