Elementary school's long gone, but we've still got recess

Senior traditions include harassing freshman, loud spirit at pep rallies, and… whiffle ball? A bit unusual, but the 2003 senior class has indeed begun a new Blair senior ritual: lunch whiffleball games.

The tradition commenced last year with founders Ben Field-Pickering, Chris Giovannelllo, and Michael Shields, who played the first game on the last day of the 2001-2 school year. Since that fateful moment, each day at 5B lunch, the seniors arrive to the secluded senior courtyard and pick teams.

The game of whiffleball is very similar to baseball, except that it is played with a light white ball full of holes rather than the traditional baseball. Also, in the Blair version, there are only two outs rather than three.

Today whiffleball has been taken to a new level; now including both boys and girls. Early in the lunch period, the girls challenged the boys to a decisive match to settle the issue of whether or not girls, too, can actually play the sport.

"Well, the girls came out today to try to prove that they can play, but we all know that girls cannot play sports," Giovannello catcalls across the courtyard. Angered rumblings greet his remarks as star female player Carlyn Vieria hits a home run.

The game comes to a stunning conclusion with the boys soundly defeating the dejected girls 6 to 1. "They crushed us," player Jen Syndall moans.

Despite their loss, the girls are determined to play again. One resilient player, Lily Hamburger, laughs off the defeat, offering her take on the new custom: "[Whiffleball] is the best lunch idea since peanut butter and jelly."