Spikeball is a recreational phenomenon sweeping through the lawns and fields of America, and on Friday, November 10, PBA’s International Business Student Association (IBSA) and American Marketing Association (AMA) collaborated with the Rinker School of Business to host their first ever Spikeball Fundraising Tournament at PBA.
Fabrizio Parraga, president of the IBSA, and Frida Alsterhem, president of the AMA, were both excited for their respective organizations to host an event of this magnitude.
“The Spikeball fundraising event is, at its heart, a celebration of unity and generosity,” Parraga stated.
Parraga and Alsterhem were both invested in the service-oriented side of the event.
“The tournament not only allows our student body to participate in a spirited and competitive environment, but it also serves a noble cause,” Parraga stated. “The Giveback Community will receive 20 percent of the sponsorship package proceeds.”
The Give Back Community is a nonprofit organization founded and led by PBA alumnus Umberto Rosi. According to their website, it strives to join people together to “bring transformation and purpose to [the community] through consistent acts of generosity.”
The Give Back Community was conceived in 2020 when Rosi was inspired to minister to the community by handing out food to the homeless in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. That one small act developed into a global movement of generosity that impacts hundreds of lives on a daily basis. Today, 3,000 meals are served monthly over the span of eight cities globally.
In partnership with the Give Back Community, the tournament also featured a Workship opportunity. Students and volunteers assembled care kits of reusable bags stocked with water bottles, snacks and other essentials that the Give Back Community team members will distribute to those in need in downtown West Palm Beach.
The atmosphere of the tournament was charged with competitiveness as the participants prepared for their respective matches. Iridescent soap bubbles, courtesy of Froggy’s Fog, glided through the air as a hearty crowd of student spectators and supporters began to form.
Local small businesses, such as Pompano Beach’s New York Style Cookies, lined the Baxter Green, sharing their goods with the attendees.
The ensuing competition was heated, and juniors Jordan Bartelt and Noah Reusaw were crowned as champions of the Spikeball Fundraising Tournament at PBA.
Bartelt and Reusaw are no strangers to Spikeball, having won the intramural championship the past two seasons, and it was a love for the game that formed their tight bond three years ago. They jauntily shared how the match that they won to secure the tournament win was played on the same net they split the cost for in their freshman year.
“We’ve been joined at the hip ever since,” said Reusaw.
To learn more about IBSA, click here. To learn more about AMA, click here.
