Collin Urban

The Graduate Student’s Association, the organization best known for helping students who are very serious about their studies, took a break from their doctoral pursuits to have a sports tournament in the Campus Center game room.

Students who attended the event played ping pong, bowling, and pool (not to be confused with billiards, a completely different game, I’m told). While the entrant pool was of a medium size, and the prizes weren’t too stellar (A Visa gift card for the winner, and an NJIT T-shirt for the first runner up), there was an aura of seriousness that pervaded across the 3 tournaments.

The skill level was generally fairly high, especially in pool. Shots that might have been seen only on a professional level were being made. Each tournament was single elimination, 1 round bouts until the contestants reached the finals, where it was a best of 3. The sole exception was pool, where each round of the competition was a best of 3 affair. The primary reason for this was time constraints. The GSA might have been taking time off, but many participants had classes at 6 PM, and with the tournament beginning at 4 PM, time was of the essence. Luckily every game was played to it’s completion, and as contestants won and lost, the aura of seriousness that pervaded the game room as the competitions started gave way to cheer, friendship, and laughter.

These small games serve as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a good balance between hard work and leisure time.