While Dunster’s dining hall hosts varsity athletes for pregame meals and late-night hours throughout the week, the house boasts an athletic community of its own.
The Moose roster is not limited to just the likes of NFL legend Ryan “Fitzmagic” Fitzpatrick ’05 and former Crimson football stud-turned-movie-star Tommy Lee Jones ’69, but includes all of its residents.
Competitive energy even occupies Dunster’s courtyard on a warm day, where Spikeball nets are set up, and soccer balls are kicked about.
Many Dunsterites — like Jones’s former roommate, Albert A. Gore ’69 — exercise their love of sport against other upperclassmen houses through Intramural competition.
While every Moose’s athletic background varies, and higher-skill play might seem daunting to some, residents are able to contribute to IMs according to their own level of comfort.
“There’s definitely a big range,” senior Dunster Intramural Chair Carly Brail said. “The structure of IMs appreciates that because there’s basketball A, B, C, there’s volleyball A and B. You can really pick and choose how competitive you want it to be.”
Not only good for working up a sweat, Dunster IMs have also become a fun late-night chance to invest in the house’s community outside of one’s blocking group.
“You meet everyone from different houses, and you also get to meet and really form friendships with people in all grades from your house,” said Dunster’s other senior Intramural Chair, Catherine Mignone.
One of the highlights of IMs is soccer season – Dunster’s best sport, according to Brail.
“Dunster goes out for soccer playoffs every year,” Mignone said. “Those games are super fun because you have 30 to 40 people from your house at a soccer field at 9 p.m., 10 p.m., and we do that every week in the fall and in the spring.”
In spite of the massive turnout, everyone gets an opportunity to play and represent the house of the moose.
But, the Meese’s soccer wins are not enough to bring the House very far up the IM leaderboard. Now more than three-fourths of the way through the year, Dunster rose from dead last to ninth place and now sits at number 10.
“As ninth place, we’re not gonna win, but we’re gonna have a damn good time,” Brail said.
The current standings, however, haven’t deterred the house’s efforts to keep recruiting new members of the IM teams.
“We’ll get them early. We’ll get them their IM shirts immediately,” Brail said of the new freshmen.
Regardless of the results, participating in these events gives older and younger students alike the opportunity to become a part of something bigger than themselves.
“I think IMs work to capitalize on that connection aspect of the residential house system, because you’re meeting those 300 kids in your house at these games,” Mignone explained.
Beyond intramural sports, Dunster markets itself as a welcoming place for everyone.
When asked to describe the house in one word, Mignone said, “community, I think it’s an exciting place.”
“It’s an exciting house to live in,” she added.
—Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at [email protected]
—Staff writer Bennett Trubey can be reached at [email protected]