While some students spend their lunches in the library or at club meetings, others have chosen to engage in games of handball.
Handball, introduced to the school in the past few years, has grown quickly in popularity due to the fact that the rules are simple, it is easy to get a group of players together, and the game is enjoyed by many students.
“With most kids it’s pretty popular,” sophomore Vidal Lopez said. “It’s something fun to do at lunch.”
The object of handball is to hit a tennis-sized rubber ball against a wall. Players allow the ball to bounce once before they hit it. Once a player fails to correctly return a hit, the ball bounces more than once, or the ball does not land within a marked rectangular area, a point is declared.
The handball courts are located at the back of the school. One court faces the weight room, and two adjacent courts face the tennis courts. The courts are all marked with rectangular boundaries.
Two to ten players can participate in a game, and rules, such as boundaries and bounces, can vary depending on the preferences of players. The adaptability of the game of handball makes it appealing to students.
“You can play one-on-one, or [multiple player] elimination,” junior Eduardo Martinez said.
When the sport caught on at the school and games became more competitive, P.E. teacher Jim Phillips decided to host the first handball tournament at the school. The tournament occurred last semester.
Phillips was pleased with amount of enthusiasm he received from handball players throughout the tournament.
“The tournament went well,” Phillips said. “There was a lot of student involvement and [the players] were really into it.”
Sophomore Vidal Lopez was the champion of the tournament out of a total of 20 players. Vidal was awarded a congratulatory $20 for his efforts.
“[The tournament] was fun; I think most people hope to see more,” Vidal said.
Due to the turnout he received, Phillips plans to organize another tournament in the near future.
“A lot of the kids can’t wait to do it next year,” said Phillips. “We’ll probably have it in [October and November] again.”
Until the next tournament, the sport remains the pick-up sport of choice at the school.
Whether it is a passion or just a way to pass by minutes of lunchtime, handball is important to many students at the school.