Sports Night

Each November Internations club celebrates Internations week where different activities are scheduled for students to share their cultures with the university community. On November 8th from 9-11pm in the Morrow Field house the Internations Club held a Sports night filled with different cultures and sports like cricket, badminton, pickle ball, basketball, soccer, table tennis and others. Internations club is for both international students and domestic students to get together to share about their cultures and have social events such as this.

 

The night provided food and drinks for their guests as well as music for enjoyment. The sports were open for anyone to engage in and even learn. It was very hands on and all the international students were very accepting as well as helpful when teaching others their cultural games.

When first entering the field house the sound of music and laughter filled the gym. Four different nets were set up in the middle for the students to play volleyball, badminton, and a shorter net for pickle ball. Pickle ball is a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. Two, three, or four players use solid paddles made of wood to hit a ball similar to a wiffle ball, over a net.

On the indoor track inside the field house ping pong tournaments were being played, as well as an Irish game called hurling. Hurling is a national sport in Ireland and is known as one of the oldest games in the world. The stick or "hurley" is curved outwards at the end, to provide the striking surface. The ball is similar in size to a baseball but has raised ridges.

Some of SRUs basketball players even attended playing other students in basketball. The games were not supposed to be serious; everyone was laughing and having a good time with no worries. On the other side of the basketball court was a soccer match. Soccer is known all over the world and it was interesting to see students from different countries come together to show their skills.

This night showed that people from all over the world can come together and have similar interests and fun. It made me think about studying abroad to get this experience that these students are having here at Slippery Rock University. I think everyone should expose themselves to different cultures and ways of life to open their eyes to the world around us.