Water sputtered high into all directions of the air at the Student Recreation Complex’s pool as Battleship participants skirmished in the game’s heated first round.
This newly added intramural sport pits four teams of four students — two males and two females each — against one another in the SRC indoor pool. Each team is given a boat, buckets and some type of shield.
Their goal? Shovel as much water as possible into competing boats to sink their opponents, explained Matt Boyer, assistant director of leagues and tournaments in University recreation. The last boat floating wins.
Battleship filled its 16-team capacity quickly, and students unfamiliar with the game pressed against the glass window near the pool, eager to see what all of the splashing was about.
“We knew it was going to be a hit when people walking through the building inquired about it,” said Boyer.
After a conference at Oklahoma University last January where the UREC staff heard from other universities about the success of the game, the group decided a Battleship league would be a fun addition to LSU events.
“Mainly since Alabama was doing it, we figured we could do it too,” Boyer joked.
Matches are expected to run every other Sunday in September through November, which Boyer said will fall mostly on home game weekends during football season. While Sept. 4 marked the cutoff date to sign up, students will have another opportunity to play when the league starts back up for the duration of Homecoming Week.
Cameron Edwards, a graduate assistant in intramural sports, helped oversee the first matches of the game he largely helped bring to the University on Sunday. He said the game presents a different way to engage the SRC Indoor Pool, while creating a new and unique sport for the UREC.
“There wasn’t a whole lot in my mind that we had done with the pool,” Edwards said. “It was more based for free swim, and I said, ‘Why not bring something to the pool that changes things up?’”
In the spring, Edwards oversaw trial runs of the game where Intramural Sports staff members broke into teams organized by their departments. This allowed the staff to test the rules of the game while grabbing the attention of nearby students.
“We got a lot of attention that night, too,” Edwards said. “A lot of people were just ready to play right then and there. We knew it would be something we could jump on in the fall.”
While the game involves filling up opponents’ boats with water, it still engages participants in a strategic, team-oriented competition.
Col Erlandson, an Intramural Sports supervisor, explained it presents a different challenge with four teams starting in four corners of the pool.
Edwards said in the staff members’ game, some canoes stayed in their corners for protection, but others raced to the center of the pool on the offensive. While a female member of the team shielded their boat from water, Erlandson and his other teammates emptied water from the boat and threw some at opponents.
“I enjoyed having four [teams] competing against each other,” he said.
Edwards said the game should engage elements from various programs at the complex.
“It’s a strength and conditioning thing because it’s a long game, so you’re bringing in group elements and fitness elements,” he said.
Cali Bollier, a marketing sophomore and leader for one of the teams, The Black Pearl, said the game proved more taxing and strategic than she expected. Teams had to choose from different-sized shields and buckets to throw water while simultaneously propelling and steering their boats.
“It was exhausting, but fun,” she said. “It was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be. You had to judge what buckets were the best to use.”
