Photo courtesy Recreational Sports (@tu_recreation)
This article is a part of the Trinitonian’s coverage of Trinity University’s response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here to read the rest of our coverage.
The hard part of social distancing is finding fun, creative ways to stay active. Trinity University Recreational Sports offered a solution to Trinity students looking for something to do: a Trick Shot Competition.
The competition had two major categories: Basketball Trick Shots and Miscellaneous Trick Shots. Participants were allowed to submit two videos max (either one in each category or two in the same one). The rules were simple: Give the camera “two thumbs up,” stay safe and, in the basketball category, use a regulation 10-foot hoop.
Kristen Harrison, the associate athletic director for Recreation and Sports Camps, organized the competition. Harrison said the idea originally came from the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA).
“Trinity University is a member of NIRSA Leaders in Collegiate Recreation, which is a national organization for campus recreation professionals, students and institutions. As a member of this organization, you receive a daily community digest email which includes open discussions amongst the members … virtually any topic that a member wants to share or discuss can be posted,” Harrison said. “Andrew Reddish, assistant director for Intramural Sports and Staff Development at California State University-Sacramento, posted this Trick Shot Competition challenging other institutions to do the same then have top videos compete amongst the institutions. I thought the challenge was brilliant and decided to run with it here.”
The contest was open to both Trinity students and faculty; however, all submissions came from students.
According to senior Peyton Brown, who submitted a trick shot in both categories, the competition was an opportunity to stay active and hopefully win some prizes.
“Well, I am home with my family with nothing to do outside of classes and homework. We have a park close by to my house, which our family has been going to during quarantine to get some exercise every now and then. When I saw the competition posted on Instagram, I thought it could be an easy way to win a gift card and a T-shirt while also getting some exercise. So my father, sister and I all went to the park to just shoot some shots and hopefully win one of the categories,” Brown said.
However, like any competition, time and effort have to go into preparing. Setting up a trick shot was not only time consuming but required creativity, according to sophomore Benjamin Abikhaled.
“I wanted to do something out of the ordinary and big. I got my brother to help me build and film the trick shot. We both kept adding ideas to the trick shot, and it got bigger and bigger. It took us about three to four hours to build and complete the trick shot, but it was worth it when it finally worked,” Abikhaled said.
Creativity, according to Harrison, was one of the key characteristics she was hoping to see in the trick shot submissions.
“For the different categories, I was looking for creativity amongst the submissions, and of course Trinity students did not disappoint. The videos included a bagel toss into a toaster, a ping pong ball bounced off pans, juggling a roll of toilet paper with their feet into a large domino-style trick down a flight of stairs and others,” Harrison said.
However, the participants’ creativity had to impress more people than just Harrison. The submissions were judged bracket-style on the @TU_Recreation Instagram story, with the account’s followers voting on which trick shots would advance to the next stage of the competition.
According to Harrison, the winners of each category will receive a $25 gift card and an Intramural Champion shirt in the mail as a prize. The winners will be able to choose a gift card from a few pre-selected options.
For any students that missed out on the trick shot competition or who are just looking for something to do while social distancing, there are other competitions to participate in.
TU Recreation is partnering with the TU Gaming Club to host a Pokemon Virtual Game Championship (VGC) Tournament on Friday, May 1. Participation in the VGC tournament will only be open to eight participants, and the winner, like the winner of the trick shot competition, will be awarded a $25 gift card and an Intramural Champion shirt. Students interested in the VGC tournament will be able to register via google form and should contact Chris Dailey at [email protected] for more information.
TU Recreation is also partnering with Special Olympics of San Antonio in their virtual and nutrition competitions. Students who are interested in participating should contact Kristen Harrison at [email protected].
