SLOUGHHOUSE, CA (MPG) - Cosumnes River Elementary School’s multipurpose room echoed with cheers, laughter and the thud of rubber balls on Jan. 10 as the school’s PTA hosted Legends & Their Ladies in a dodgeball tournament designed to give mothers and sons dedicated time to bond.

The “Game On!” event brought together boys from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade and the important mother figures in their lives for an evening that combined teamwork, friendly rivalry and plenty of fun.

The night began with mixed teams organized by grade level, allowing moms and sons to play side by side. As the evening progressed, the format shifted to head-to-head matchups dubbed “Legends vs. Ladies,” in which mothers faced off against their sons to loud applause from the sidelines.

After a dinner break, playful consolation games mixed age groups, before championship rounds returned to the original teams, culminating in a final showdown between sixth-grade boys competing for the title.

PTA President Courtney Reid said the idea behind the event was to create something active and inclusive.

“We always try to come up with a fun, memorable name for our events,” Reid said. “Since we wanted to include all mother-figure participants, we chose to use ‘ladies’, and ‘legends’ just seemed like the perfect complement.”

The decision to center the night around dodgeball came after considering several options.

“We knew we wanted an activity that was physical and allowed the moms and sons to work together,” Reid said. “After hearing positive feedback about similar events from parent groups at other schools, we settled on dodgeball.”

According to Reid, the concept exceeded expectations.

“It went better than I could have imagined,” she said. “When they weren’t playing, the kids were just as engaged watching and supporting their peers. It created great bonding not only between moms and sons, but also across grade levels.”

Food was intentionally kept simple so the focus could remain on the games. Pizza, cookies, chips and “dirty sodas” – flavored soda drinks served by local vendor Palm Tree Pop  – were offered during an intermission around 5 p.m., allowing players to refuel before heading back onto the court.

The event was organized by Reid and PTA Treasurer Christine Walker, with Mackenzi Berkheimer serving as day-of coordinator. Additional help came from PTA board members Michelle Mazzola, Meredith Wilkins and Brittany Bunnell, as well as school staff and parent volunteers. New principal Ashley Hannon and teachers Melissa Fite and Vandy Passmore attended to cheer on participants, while paraeducator Denny Elgin and several dads volunteered as referees. Dan Reid served as the tournament emcee.

The evening was also intentionally designed as a counterpart to another longstanding PTA tradition.

“This event is designed to be the equivalent of our Daughters & Dates Dance,” Reid said, noting that while many PTA events are open to entire families, these gatherings are meant to provide focused bonding time.

Reid said some of the most meaningful feedback came from mothers who were initially hesitant about the event.

“I think I had five different moms tell me they were kind of dreading the event because they didn’t love the idea of dodgeball … and then ended up loving it,” Reid said.

One comment, she added, stood out in particular.

“One sixth-grade mom said the only reason she came was that it’s her son’s last year at CRES,” Reid said. “She later made a point of finding me to say it was the favorite PTA mother-son event she’s attended in all seven years.”

That response helped organizers confirm that the combination of playful competition, teamwork and shared experience struck the right balance.

“After this dodgeball tournament, I think we’ve finally found an event that’s truly worth repeating,” Reid said. “It’s definitely our plan to hold it again next year.”