Students with shovels hacked at the frozen sand of a Hayden Park’s beach volleyball court late on the evening of Feb. 13 to prepare a surface for Legion XII’s inaugural fight night.

Junior Frederick Woodward, the club’s president, said the event was an expansion of Legion XII’s mission to strengthen men in body and soul.

“We want to build men who are courageous, who are capable of renewing our generation, and pointing them to Christ,” Woodward said.

The fights were either wrestling or jiu-jitsu — no striking was allowed. This format enabled the club to build up the skillsets of newer members, according to Woodward.

“We’ll be doing another fight in a month or two, but we want to make sure everyone is safe and competent before we add the element of striking,” Woodward said. 

Junior Luke Waters co-founded Legion XII with Junior Andriy Pasichnyk in January 2024 as a men’s Christian club and nonprofit. Waters said the club meets on Sundays for prayer and activities like cold plunges in Lake Baw Beese.

“I’m really excited for the guys tonight to do something fun and different,” Waters said. “Conquering your fears and stepping into a place that’s challenging is so important for the development of these young men.”

Junior Luke Burmeister climbed atop a snowbank and recited Psalm 144 to begin the night.

“As men, we’re called to do difficult things,” Burmeister added. “We’re called to challenge each other, to push each other, and to grow closer in Christlike love. Let’s get ready to go!”

With a shout, the scrum of nearly two dozen men broke and formed a ring around the volleyball court. Rock music blared from a speaker and the fights began. Nearly every student present fought at least once.

After wrestling with each other, freshmen Ethan Haley and Moses Dong said interested students should try the fight night.

“It’s super intense and scary at first, but with the little bit of training I’ve done, it’s super fun. You just feel great afterwards,” Haley said.

Dong agreed. 

“It’s a great way to unwind,” he said. “When you’re out here, you kind of forget all the homework you have and you’re just having fun. You get a huge adrenaline rush. There’s nothing quite like it.” 

While the majority of the students in attendance were Legion XII members, Woodward said all interested students were welcome at future fight nights.

“This is very much an outward-facing activity. We want to extend a hand to all of campus, and we want to encourage everybody else to grow alongside us through events like this,” Woodward said.

Waters said the club prepares students to fight with a program that includes lifting weights, wrestling, boxing, and culminates with mixed martial arts. Woodward said about half the club also takes a jiu-jitsu one-credit class.

Freshman John Blaney said he’d never fought in a fight night before, but that it was a good time.

“I kind of feel like I just got my ass kicked — but I think I won. I’ll be at the next one,” Blaney said.