On Wednesday, November 23, the miniTHON heads and their committees ran a volleyball tournament in hopes of fundraising for Four Diamonds. They raised $3400 during the tournament, which contributes to our end goal of $30,000 by the morning of miniTHON.

The tournament was headed by the Event Coordination Committee, led by committee head Andrea Mays. With myself included, this committee was tasked with sign-ups for the tournament, along with making sure everything went smoothly.

“The tournament was really fun and we encourage kids to participate so we can raise more money for the Four Diamonds foundation,” says Nandita Mahesh, member of the miniTHON Event Coordination Committee. This year’s tournament was so successful because of the sheer number of participants the were received. In total, there were 52 teams that competed with an estimated 300 players. This is only the beginning of the festivities that miniTHON has planned for bringing awareness to miniTHON and the Four Diamonds organization this year.

In addition, a Twitter costume contest was coordinated. Whichever team got the most likes on their costume picture on Twitter received a miniTHON “Swag Bag” which includes miniTHON gear such as sweatbands, clothing, and other accessories. Team Holly Jolly Volleyball won, receiving 118 likes. The goal of these fun activities such as the Costume Contest was to hype up the tournament and received as many participants and support possible.

Though the tournament saw incredible amounts of volleyball talent and ability, ultimately Team Science won in a captivating 25-21 victory over the White Owls. It was no surprise that Team Science won with their roster consisting of Mr. Zebo, Ms. Kistler, Mr. Marquis, and Mr. Hoburg, all very capable in their volleyball abilities.

miniTHON head Brady Warmbein is elated about the success of the tournament saying, “The tournament went a lot better than I expected. In our fiscal year of the tournament, we only had 36 teams and barely reached $2000. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that we reached 52 teams and raised more than $3000.”

He continues, saying that “The pacing of the tournament ran smoothly, no major problems arose, and overall, everyone appeared to be having a fun time. I am so happy we accomplished what we did, and this tournament helps confirm that any other miniTHON fundraiser we plan will have a positive outcome as well.”

Overall, the tournament definitely confirmed the fact that this year’s miniTHON goal for raising $30,000 for charity is not unrealistic.