If you enter Samuel Morris Hall this semester, be prepared to be greeted by shouts of “Bananas!” as a student sprints past the lobby couches with three people chasing him. Try not to be attacked by the Fllåhl or FluDgeon as you shelter behind Connor and Schully, the pillars making up The Pelvis.
It’s Floundation Ball season on Foundation.
A lesser-known floor tradition on campus, Floundation Ball is a dorm-wide game played by the Foundationmen of Sammy that combines elements of baseball with absolute chaos. Instead of bases on a field, players run to the end of three dorm hallways by any means necessary. Instead of a bat, the batter swings a plastic juice jug known as the FluDgeon. The ball itself is a soft yellow sphere known as the Fllåhl.
Once the McDohlmor, the pitcher, serves the Fllåhl to the batter through The Pelvis, the central supporting column of Sammy, and the batter hits it, the real chaos begins.
“There's no out of bounds,” junior computer science major Jake Scott, a Personnel Assistant on Foundation, said. “People can run up to the fourth floor, run across to their lobby, run down people, run all the way to Euler, around Euler, and then back to go to second.”
After the batter hits the Fllåhl, someone must yell “Bananas!” to signal that the Fllåhl is now in play. Players scatter through the building to find the Fllåhl, while the runner tries to make it from one hallway to the next.
Defenders attempt to stop them by blocking hallways with their bodies, while teammates try to block the blockers. Players can’t use their arms, tackle opponents, or hug people, but plenty of physical maneuvering happens.
“It’s organized chaos,” said senior politics, philosophy and economics major Garrett Vandermark, one of the founders of Floundation Ball.
Despite an elaborate rulebook and unusual vocabulary, Floundation Ball started in a much simpler way. Vandermark said the game began during J-term of his freshman year when he and another Foundationman, Connor, started tossing a yellow ball around the dorm out of boredom.
“It was snowing outside, and we were trapped. We didn’t want to go outside, but we also didn't want to sit around and just do nothing,” Vandermark said. “So we just started messing around. We added a bat to it, then we developed vocabulary. We start adding rules and naming things around the dorm. It just kind of developed from there.”
While the rules can be daunting to the faint of heart, they are also constantly evolving. According to Vandermark, players can amend the rules with a two-thirds vote from those present during a game.
“That’s one of the best parts,” Vandermark said. “It is a constantly developing game.”
Despite the chaos, the purpose of the game goes beyond simply scoring points.
“It's really about brotherhood,” Vandermark said. “It’s like a lot of traditions on the floor; it’s for the people to experience together.”
Though still a relatively new tradition, now in its fourth year, Floundation Ball has become a memorable part of life on Foundation.
Freshman biochemistry major Brandon Weber has yet to participate in a game of Floundation Ball but has had a lot of fun watching it.
“Compared to half the other traditions on our floor, only half of which I could even tell you about, this one isn’t that daunting,” Weber said. “It’s just a fun game.”
The warning at the beginning of the Floundation Ball rule book sums it up perfectly:
“This game is not for the faint of heart. This game will cause injury and possibly some sort of anger stirring in the hearts of the participating Foundationmen. This is normal and expected. This allows for the opportunity for Foundationmen to show their Christlike leadership and love towards the other players. Play smart and with consideration for your other Foundationmen, but above all, have fun and win.
