On March 19, senior George Ma lit up the PDS community with an electric Schoology post, welcoming Upper School students to partake in a massive Game Pigeon tournament. The winner would earn bragging rights as the “best Game Pigeoner in PDS,” a title evidently coveted by 64 ambitious students, eager to flex their Game Pigeon Archery and Mini Golf skills.

“I was playing Game Pigeon with some friends, and I wanted to play (with) more people,” stated Ma. “I thought it would be a great idea to create a tournament, and I figured that this was something that PDS community members would enjoy, so I decided to make it a ‘Council event.’” 

Many of the participants have been enjoying the tournament, and tensions are rising as students advance through the various rounds. Sophomore Anshika Virani claimed, “The games have been exciting and I really enjoy [the tournament] as a way to spend time during social distancing.” Freshman Lily Matthews agreed, noting she was “finding the Game Pigeon tournament very fun. I think it’s a great way to interact with our peers even when we’re separated.” Although games can get heated at times, PDS students have embraced the opportunity to have fun with their peers despite the physical separation. With the absence of Zoo games and pep rallies, a Game Pigeon competition is a unique and effective way to bring together the school community during this special  time. The small games that are usually played among friends are now uniting people who rarely interact with each other in school.

As of now, freshman Jai Kasera and junior Andrew Griesinger have gotten the farthest in the bracket, which is hosted on the Spokesman website for all who want to see it. It remains unknown as to who will take home the honor as the Best Game Pigeoner at PDS, but day by day the pressure is rising as the competition approaches its final stages!