INTO Marshall hosted its Bubble Soccer event outside of the INTO Center Monday and invited students throughout campus to participate.

INTO Marshall English and fitness instructor Edwin Reyes said Bubble Soccer is played like a normal game of soccer with teams separated into “blue” and “red” teams. The challenge is increased by the bubble, which according to Reyes, is heavy and makes it difficult for those wearing it to see.

“You have to control yourself in order to not fall down,” Reyes said. “You have to be careful with people hitting you because you’re basically playing soccer, but in a bubble.”

The main differences come with rules, which Reyes said do not apply to Bubble Soccer.

“There’s no rules,” Reyes said. “It’s safe because the bubble protects you when you crash or fall down.”

Bubble Soccer is the culmination of INTO’s “Fitness” course, an elective international students can take to learn about exercising and proper eating. Reyes said Fitness teaches INTO students how to exercise, eat right and be healthy.

“They go to the gym, we have private classes, workouts, journals,” Reyes said. “They learn about diets and how to workout because you don’t just go to the gym. You have to work in form and do things right or you could go to the gym and get hurt.”

Reyes said he also incorporates learning the English language into his course.

“It incorporates English because, when you go to the gym, there are signs involved,” Reyes said.

Reyes said in the morning, INTO students from his “Fitness” course participated in Bubble Soccer but in the afternoon, they were encouraging outside students to participate.

INTO student engagement coordinator Kenneth Jones said holding Bubble Soccer outside and inviting domestic students to participate is a way to advertise INTO student activities to the Marshall student body.

“Having it outside as the students walk to class is a visual advertisement,” Jones said. “They get interested in it and want to see what it’s actually about.”

Jones said involvement from the student body is encouraged because it is another way for INTO students to interact with domestic students.

International business and Japanese double major Brittany Mabry and accounting and finance double major Nicholas Lawson donned bubbles and faced off in a game of Bubble Soccer. Both Mabry and Lawson spoke positively about the experience.

“It’s a good way to meet new people,” Mabry said. “But it is really hard to see in those things.”

Lawson shared Mabry’s sentiment.

“It’s a blast,” Lawson said. “It’s really fun to play and it’s good exercise.”

Jared Casto can be contacted at [email protected].