Mud caked his face and oozed between his fingers. His shoes were invisible beneath a layer of brown slime. His clothes were stained beyond recognition. But undeclared junior Justin George was just getting started.
George – one of almost 200 students and faculty who played in the Oozeball tournament April 8 – was covered after only one game.
“The mud is it. I want everyone to take advantage of it. I want everyone to be brown. I don’t want to see any color but brown,” George said.
The all day event, organized and run by the Student Ambassadors, was more about squishing and oozing and less about winning and losing, said committee chair and senior interdisciplinary studies major Tim Hise.
“It wasn’t the Super Bowl or the World Series. I think the majority of the people were out there to have a good time,” Hise said.
Super Bowl or not, Oozeball crowned champion ZBT. In a battle for administrative supremacy, the UTD faculty and staff team beat the SGA squad.
The planned DFW-area tournament failed to materialize after teams from UT-Arlington and SMU decided not to participate.
Hise estimated that more than 800 players and spectators showed up, including almost 350 during the SUAAB sponsored halftime tailgate party.
Hise said the appeal of Oozeball lay in the fact that it gave students the opportunity to try something new and laugh at their friends at the same time.
“Plus, some people enjoy going SPLAT into the slushy, sloppy mud,” Hise said.
Undeclared freshman Colby May agreed with Hise.
“I don’t play volleyball unless it’s in mud,” May said.
Sophomore biology major Laura Unclebach said she enjoyed skipping her Thursday classes to attend Oozeball.
“It’s like being a little kid again and breaking the rules. It’s a lot of fun,” Unclebach said.
Senior biology and business major Susan Harding echoed Unclebach.
“We’re skipping our classes. Everyone’s skipping their classes,” she said.
“Even though UT-Arlington and SMU bailed at the last minute, there were plenty of activities to keep people busy,” Hise said. “Nobody seemed to have many complaints. Everyone seemed to have fun.”
“UTD should definitely continue the Oozeball tradition,” Harding said.