University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

A tradition of playing dirty

Members of the 2007 Efil Tneduts included, from left, Heather Schoff, Mike Lewis, Cate Schrum, Liz McGrath and Danielle Scibetta. Photo: JENNIFER WANTZ

By JIM BISCO

Published: April 1, 2009

Enjoying a hearty pancake breakfast together. Duct-taping uniforms to each other’s bodies. Putting on their game faces—a slather of sunscreen—before sinking into the mud pit to play competitive volleyball.

It’s a bonding—and binding—experience for the Efil Tneduts team—Student Life spelled backwards—at Oozfest. The UB office group has participated annually at this campus rite of spring, and its upcoming seventh appearance on April 25 is an auspicious occasion—the 25th annual Oozfest.

Run by the University Student Alumni Board, Oozfest is the largest double-elimination mud volleyball tournament in North America, according to Patricia Starr, assistant director for student and reunion programs in the Office of Alumni Relations and USAB advisor who has been coordinating the UB event for the past six years.

It began April 25, 1985, as a way to relieve pre-exam stress for students and to bring the university together. At the outset, there were only 16 teams playing on two courts at the site where the Commons now stands on the North Campus. Today there are 128 teams—six to eight members each—playing on 16 courts in a dedicated mud pit along St. Rita’s Lane near the Amherst bike path.

The majority of teams are made up of students, with about 30 percent consisting of alumni coming from all over the country, and nearly 10 percent staff and faculty.

“The students think it’s cool that we’re showing our support for a tradition, and they see us in a whole different light,” observes Phyllis Floro, assistant director of Student Life and a veteran of Efil Tneduts—which she named—since its was founding in 2003.

She says it was a learning experience in the beginning. “We didn’t realize this but because it was sunny our first year, as the mud is hitting you, you’re getting sunburned. So when you took a shower and washed it off, you had sunburn and then you had these white spots on your face from where the splatter was. We laughed once we saw our faces.”

That added sunscreen to the future checklist.

How does Efil Tneduts fare in this “down and dirty” competition? Team captain Jennifer Wantz, associate director of student activities, laughs. “Oh, we suck,” she levels. “We’ve won maybe a total of four games since we began, but we have a blast.”

Floro says the team has its traditions, like meeting for a pancake breakfast, followed by the preparation ritual. “The fun part of it is getting ready and helping each other,” she says. “You have to tape your clothes to your body because if you don’t, they get sucked off. If you fall, it’s not easy to just get up. You need to help each other.”

“I really don't remember how many games we won or lost, but I found out that I'm better at mud volleyball then I was at beach or regular volleyball, and had a great time,” says Elizabeth McGrath, Student Union assistant for Student Life. “I plan to keep playing as long as I am able to.”

According to Melanie Bentley-Cruz, Student Life’s leadership programming coordinator, the event presents an opportunity for staff to get together and share an experience outside of the office. “We get to see different sides of our co-workers and we actually get to use our survival skills,” she says. “It gives us things to continue to talk about weeks, months and years after the last pancake has been turned, the last ball has been hit, and the last mud is washed down the drain.”

Proceeds from Oozfest benefit student programs, such as the J. Scott Fleming scholarships, the only student-to-student scholarship award at UB. For this anniversary year, a portion of each team’s registration will be donated to Make a Wish of Western New York.

Team registration is open until 5 p.m. tomorrow. Non-muddy help is needed for the event. Click here to volunteer.