They jumped, ducked, swerved and blocked to save their lives as the crowd yelled in excitement.

Eighteen teams gathered at Barber Physical Activity Center for the Headquarters and Service Battalion Quarterly Dodge Ball Tournament on Feb. 7, 2014.

The finance team from Combat Development Company was undefeated and took the trophy with a 6-0 record.

“We came here expecting the trophy and now we get to take it home,” said Cpl. Daniel Quigley, a member of the finance team, the winners.

Two teams remained undefeated until the end, but when it came down to it, finance stood their ground.

“All of the teams had outstanding sportsmanship, but there can only be one,” said Capt. Joe Hardin, the Headquarters Company commander. “I’m looking forward to the next tournament.”

The tournament was more than just fun and games, it was an opportunity.

“I really hope the Marines saw that this was a noncommissioned officer driven event and that they have the power to organize whatever they want to do,” said Hardin.

Cpl. Brandon HarrisEl, an administrative chief for Tenant Activities Company, ran with an idea that was pitched to Col. Robin Gallant, the Headquarters and Service Battalion Commander, and put this tournament together.

“First Sgt. [Brock] Milford told me to take it and run with it, and that’s exactly what I did,” said HarrisEl.

Headquarters and Service Battalion hosted the event with Gallant as the guest speaker. The 18 teams that participated included Marines and civilians from all over the base.

HarrisEl said another tournament is being planned to take place in April. He said that responsibility will fall to a different corporal this time and they will put it together.

There is no doubt that Marines enjoyed themselves during this event.

“I wanted to make sure that Marines had fun with it rather than doing the same old PT every day,” said HarrisEl. “The most important thing was camaraderie among the Marines and that’s what it’s all about.”

The next scheduled activity is a basewide field meet on March 21, 2014, to mark the beginning of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society fund raiser.

Correspondent: sarah.a.garcia@usmc.mil