Students shake hands after a match of Oozeball on Sept. 25 on the corner of Summit Avenue and Greek Row Drive. The Oozeball tradition started in 1989.
Oozeball is an over three-decades-old tradition that Doug Kuykendall, the former assistant vice president and director of Campus Recreation, started in 1989.
Dax Kuykendall, Doug Kuykendall’s son and the current director of Campus Recreation, said he had never attended Oozeball until he stepped into his role at UTA.
“I was shocked. It’s such a unique event,” he said. “Everybody’s committed to being gross and having fun.”
He said the president during the first tournament was Wendell Nedderman, who broke his foot while playing, but the event continued into a long run.
Nathan Ha, assistant director of Sport Programs in Campus Recreation, said the event is a collaborative effort made whole by different departments, including student workers who perform various tasks, like setting up the tents and the courts.
The planning process of the game starts in May, after graduation, and all summer the departments make sure they have sponsors for it.
“This year, I believe, we have 76 teams,” he said. “The first tournament ever only had like two or three teams.”
Ha started with Campus Recreation in 2022 and has been working behind the scenes, especially with risk management. There are resources, like first aid and handmade showers, students can use during and after the game, he said.
Luz Becerra, a finance and marketing senior and a second-time Oozeball participant, said a key difference she saw from last year’s event was the food and beverage stands.
She encouraged others to partake in the game. She said she braided her hair, taped her shoes and wore undesired clothes.
“When you’re old, you get to tell your kids that you did volleyball in mud, so it’s fun, exciting,” Becerra said.
The winners of this tournament were the Ballwans.
Alumnus Shishir Bishwokarma said “Ballwan” means a strong team in Nepali.
“Last time we were third, and this time we finally won, so it feels great,” he said.
News editor James Word contributed to this story.
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