Published: February 26, 2009

Swing and a Miss, Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) intramural volleyball team, finds itself walking the fine line between the sweet smell of victory and the sour taste of disappointment.

Unfortunately, this is not a tale of Lincoln Center intramural sport domination or the usual story about how our campus has no athletic ability. This piece carries the weight of both worlds on its shoulders.

With a perfect undefeated record of 4-0, the members of Swing and a Miss doubtless feel proud to bring their accomplishments to the halls of Lincoln Center. However, there is dissatisfaction lingering over the heads of LC’s volleyball team members because none of these victories came from wiping the court with Rose Hill students’ blood and sweat.  These wins came from the heartlessness of Rose Hill competitors throughout the unsatisfactory intramural volleyball season.

Every week, the members of Swing and a Miss started their game-day journey to reign supreme on the court with a 45-minute Ram Van ride to Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. Upon their arrival each time, they were told they had won by forfeit because their weak and clearly undevoted opponents failed to show up. Technically, Swing and a Miss has brought an intramural championship back to LC. However, the team feels cheated out of its accomplishments.

“I am disappointed that we never got to play a real game. Winning due to forfeit does not make me feel like a champion,” said Adam Dexter, FCLC ’10. “I joined the team to play a competitive game, but the competition never came.”

The volleyball champs did play, and win, a game every time they went to Rose Hill, but the games were dubbed scrimmages since they played teams they were unscheduled to compete with. Their competition was off somewhere, cowering at the thought of a Lincoln Center powerhouse, while Swing and a Miss rode the Ram Van to a championship.

The problem may have been more than just a frightened Rose Hill volleyball team being beaten by LC.

“I think teams were scared when they saw us play, but because of the relaxed scheduling, I think most teams were disorganized,” said team member Stephanie Sollers, FCLC ’10.

Other Fordham intramural sports have had similar stories but none so drastic as Swing and a Miss’s. Both FCLC’s intramural softball and soccer teams have experienced forfeits before, due to scheduling conflicts,  which makes people wonder why it is so hard to organize a competitive event.

“I am skeptical about devoting my time and energy to a team who isn’t guaranteed to play some games,” aspiring intramural sport player, Jay Vyas, FCLC ’09, said. “It seems like a complete waste at a certain point. We shouldn’t spend nearly 50 thousand dollars a year to get this kind of [crap].”

The thousands of dollars Fordham students and their parents pay are to provide a pleasant learning and living experience. Although some may regard this problem as a waste due to sloppy scheduling, others view it as an opportunity to look beyond the gates of Fordham and seek fulfillment elsewhere.

“I am looking into NYC recreation leagues now,” Sollers said. “I haven’t played for three years, and their lack of interest only made me want to get more into it.”

Thankfully, Fordham’s disorganization has helped others find athletic satisfaction elsewhere. Lincoln Center students can lend a round of applause to our Rose Hill brothers and sisters for losing their competitive edge and igniting Lincoln Center’s passion for sports.