GA’s Relay for Life club, run by Zoe Hersh ’22 and Lilly Cannon ’22, hosted an epic Spikeball tournament. All proceeds from this event went directly to the American Cancer Society. Hersh said, “We wanted to do something fun that would benefit both the American Cancer Society and our GA community.” Since COVID-19, clubs ─ such as Relay for Life and CSO to name a few ─ have not been able to host notable events, activities, and fundraisers. The leaders emphasized the importance of bringing the community together to finally rekindle what the school year looked like before COVID-19.
In previous years, the club hosted a variety of events throughout the school year that served to bring the community together. However, due to COVID-19, the club was forced to pause all event planning. Both Hersh and Cannon missed the sense of community cultivated by previous Relay events.
In addition to bringing the community together, another purpose of the Spikeball tournament and other Relay events was to raise money. Cannon said, “Students pay a small fee to attend the Relay for Life events, and for Spikeball, it’s five dollars per person, no matter if they are participating or spectating.” All of the money from this event will be gathered and donated to the American Cancer Society, an organization that provides funds for families who are struggling to pay for cancer treatment as well as donating to cancer research. In addition, Cannon said, “It [was] nice to know that all of the proceeds are going to a charity that is important to all of us Relay for Life members.”
The game Spikeball was chosen because of its immense popularity, as well as the club’s desire to replicate the annual dodgeball tournament. Relay for Life’s dodgeball tournament has been very successful in the past, raising over four thousand dollars.
Throughout the planning process, Cannon and Hersh faced a lot of challenges. Cannon said, “This has been a huge hassle for us leaders. The thing we most struggled with is the financial organization, and a lot of other factors you wouldn’t think about when running a school event, such as security and technical setup.” In the end, however, Cannon, Hersh, and all of the Relay for Life members are appreciative of the experience. Cannon said, “We have been forced to take on a business mentality, and it has been a huge learning experience for everyone.”
The event consisted of eight rounds with sixteen people on the field at once. The number of rounds and amount of people on the field narrowed down until the final round, where the last game commenced with everyone watching and cheering the teams on. Some of the teams showed their school spirit by dressing up in fun outfits. One team of sophomores consisting of Isabella Casey ’24, Gianna Grosso ’24, and Gigi Ippolodo ’24 dressed up in onesies with funky accessories. Along with high spirits, the event included food, music, and fun. With help from Mr. Dence, the football coach, the club was able to acquire the football lights to light up the stadium. Amidst the lively atmosphere, teams were still able to remember whom this event was benefitting, and the Relay for Life group was finally able to get back to what they missed most.