Kickball conjures up memories of a sport played in grade school P.E. class or at recess, but for the graduate students of Loyola Law School, kickball brings up thoughts of hot dogs, beer and charity.
This year marked the second anniversary of the Loyola Law Kickball Benefit, a charity event hosted by the Asian Pacific Law Student Association and co-sponsored by the Hispanic Law Student Association and Phi Alpha Delta, with the support of the Student Bar Association.
Last year, students raised money for the Haitian relief, through the charity Doctors Without Borders. This year, all proceeds were donated to the NOLA Japan Quake Fund.
The kickball tournament was open to the Loyola Law community as well as their friends and family.
Ashley Perez, sister of Daniel Perez, newly elected SBA President, drove in from Florida to be a part of the event. A psychology junior at Florida State University, Perez was persuaded to make the trip to New Orleans to “help support the cause.”
Perez cited her interest in Loyola as another motivation for attending the game. “I’m thinking about going to Loyola for graduate school and thought this would be a good time to visit the campus.”
Three teams played in the tournament: FaF, the Somebooodies and the Trophy Winners. The Somebooodies defeated FaF in the first game. Members of the Somebooodies refered to the game as a “blow out.”
The second game did not go as well for the Somebooodies, who faced off against the Trophy Winners. “The game started out friendly, then got cut-throat,” said Somebooodies team member Daniel Perez. “Our captain got hurt, but it was a close game at first.” Somebooodies Captain Ray Mouriz injured his hamstring during the first inning. TheTrophy Winners won with a final score of 14-6.
In the final game of the afternoon, the Trophy Winners played FaF. The scores were neck and neck until 3L student Matthew Montoya kicked the game-winning shot that put the Trophy Winners ahead in an 11-10 game.
By the end of the afternoon, Loyola Law students raised close to $250. Alex Yee, SBA treasurer, said that considering other events going on around town, the turnout for the game was what he expected.
“The day as a whole was a success. We were able to socialize with our colleagues outside of the school environment,” said Yee.
Scott O’Brien can be reached at
