Omega Phi and Flickerball
The Greek leagues may have been exciting, but one of the most prominent Greek teams was comprised of members of Omega Phi. The Omega Phi team was very successful, not just in Flickerball, but in other IM sports as well. Sports were (and still are) integral to the men of Omega Phi. According to O-Phi alum Dan Monson, "[Sports] were expected of you and it was a part of our culture."
In the 1981 season, there Flickerball championship was won by members of Omega Phi. On the winning team were members John Griffes, Scott Tinker, Richard Wiliams, Jay Kipper, Kevin Arps, Lincoln Pratson, Ray Hinojsa, Derek Reading, Dusty Peck, and Mark Maness. In that year, those men beat the Bengal Lancers in the finals. Along with Flickerball, Derek Reading won men's IM doubles Tennis with his partner Larry Green, showing how O-Phis were a major part of Intramurals in the 1980s.
The big rivalry that was present in Flickerball throughout the 1980s was between the Omega Phi and Bengal Lancers fraternity. The finals throughout the years were very close and it seems as if only these two teams made it to the finals. According to Dr. Brown "the Omega Phis, from what I remember, were very competitve, and very good, at Flickerball." The Lancers seemed to have dominated football, according to Brown, but in Flickerball the O-Phis seemed to be equally matched with them. The 1987 issue of The Mirage shows that in 1986 the Flickerball championship was won by Omega Phi over the Bengal Lancers. In 1987 though, the tables were turned. In the final game between the Lancers and the O-Phis the Lancers came out on top. The unity in the Greek system is prevalent though because both teams were amicable after the game and were hoping to see each other in the finals next year. In a study done by Phipps et al, is was found that intramural sports and the active participation in it builds a strong sense of community.[1] Even though things may have been amicable the competitiveness did not wane. Monson said that "there were certain fraternities you didn't like... and we were going to beat them. If we could pound them into the ground scorewise we were going to pound them into the ground scorewise."The sense of community at Trinity has greatly expanded because of the participation of Greeks (and non-Greeks) in the sport of Flickerball, a sport that the Trinity community can rally behind as well.
[1] Examining the Relationship Between Intramural Sports Participation and Sense of Community Among College Students, Phipps et al.