By Jordan Liu, Web Editor
“Finally, no putting a player in the goal on free kicks,” said Social Studies Department Chair David Zimmerman. The crowd of eager FIFA players groaned and muttered. Nonetheless, the competition was on.
This year’s annual FIFA tournament took place on Monday, March 13. The tourney, which spanned from 6-9:30pm, was played in a bracket style, with 32 teams of two students each vying for the championship title. Teams had to pay a $20 entry fee, most of which was donated to the Starfinder Foundation, a Philly-based organization dedicated to helping underprivileged kids through soccer.
Zimmerman, who started the tournament in 2010, has never played FIFA, or any XBox games. Nonetheless, he sees the tourney as a good opportunity for students to get together and have fun.
“I think it’s just fun, friendly competition,” Zimmerman said. “People play the video game a lot and you don’t get the opportunity to test yourself with other people to see who’s the best. So it’s a cool event.”
Junior Harvey Howarth, who represented France in the tourney, enjoyed the experience. Despite losing, Howarth looks forward to next year’s competition.
“Although we didn’t win, it was still very exciting seeing other teams compete and get very enthusiastic about the game,” Howarth said. “I’ll definitely play next year but probably with a little more practice. That way I’m getting a more worthwhile experience.”
At the end of the night, only one team emerged victorious—Argentina. After several elimination rounds, the semifinals and championships, juniors Nick Jennings and Chris Donovan finally won.
Jennings appreciates the charitable cause behind the competition, as well as the opportunity to have fun with friends.
“The best part of competing in this tournament is that the proceeds go to charity, so it’s all for a good cause,” Jennings said. “I wanted to play in the first place because most of the soccer team plays in this event and it’s a good time to just hangout with some guys who have similar interests.”
[unitegallery fifa17]
Jordan Liu can be reached at [email protected].
