Bubble soccer returns to warm welcome

Written By Dannys Marrero

Point Park’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) brought back its annual Bubble Soccer event to provide students with the opportunity to make new friends, relieve some stress and have fun wearing inflatable bubbles.

Students who took part on Nov. 29 formed two separate teams while constraining their movement through human-size inflatable bubbles. The winning team had to be the first to score two out of three goals.

Carmella Cuomo, a senior dance major and member of CAB’s Special Events committee oversaw the event this year. When asked about her expectations on the student turnout, she expressed optimism towards a large crowd.

“This is Bubble Soccer’s third year and each year it’s been getting more and more popular,” Cuomo said.

Once the doors opened and students were allowed into the gym, the crowd grew as the night continued with over 50 participants.

“I went to this event last year and it was really fun,” Christian Barker, a sophomore performances and practices major said. “I came in today and loved it. They should have it twice a year.”

As the matches wore on, the players clashed, bumped and stumbled against one another as the ball rolled through the gym and bounced against the walls. The students who weren’t playing, laughed and cheered for those who were.

“I had a lot fun last year when I did it, so I got really excited when I saw it was back.” said Tanner Knapp, a sophomore photography major.

The event also brought in a large crowd of Point Park athletes, mostly members of the Point Park men’s and women’s soccer teams.

“I saw the signs [CAB] had posted around campus, and I love soccer, so why not?” said Khalid Binnahidh, a freshman civil engineering major and member of Point Park’s men’s soccer team. “I really loved the chance to play this version of soccer with my friends and teammates. It’s for sure an interesting experience.”

Once the event concluded, many students asked when Bubble Soccer would be back, along with what and when the next CAB event would be.

“I think the event was a success,” Cuomo said. “[CAB] is here to build a sense of community among the students. It allows students to get together and build friendships and network outside of the traditional classroom setting; and I think the students see that.”

CAB’s next event will be Glow Roller Rink as part of their Point Park After Dark series of events on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 8-11 p.m. in the Student Center Gym.