An annual tradition between UND law and medical students brought out the competitive spirits from both sides Friday night at the Malpractice Bowl, three weeks into their strict study schedules.

The two schools pulled together the best athletes they could find for each side of the field. Played like a traditional football game, nine on nine, all the rules remained the same barring the no-tackle rule, in place of which are flags. This doesn’t stop each side from dedicating the same passion on the field, though.

“Especially in the men’s game, it gets pretty intense,” Harrison Weber, third year law student and Captain for the men’s team said. “A lot of testosterone on one field can make for a few questionable plays from both sides, but out on the field, it’s down right smash mouth, grind-it-out football.”

Record keeping for the famed annual event is limited, but opinions regarding each team’s reputation are in no short supply. The consensus seems to be that the law school men’s team record edges the medical school men’s team. The law school men have taken five out of six games from 2009 to 2014, according to the Grand Forks Herald. Only seven losses were reported by the Dakota Student from 1970 to 1997 as well. Still, the mood out on the field remains mutual as do the players purposes.

“It is a great opportunity to compete and get to know your fellow classmates better. Also, it provides us the chance to build relationships with the law students through competition,” Chris Waind, second year medical student and linebacker said.

Women from the medical school, on the other hand, seem to have fared much better than their male counterparts over the years. Five of the past seven games between 2009 and 2015 have ended with the win for the women of the medical school. Even so, the attitude of these young doctors fails to wander too far from their life passion.

“I want to win obviously, but I also want to keep all of my teeth,” joked second year medical student Vanessa Miller during a pre-game warm up with her teammates.

For many of the players, the experience of such a rigorous study schedule and course outline is very new, just three weeks new, and the bowl provides an opportunity for those newly minted graduate students to wind down and find a well-deserved release from the books.

“We’re all busy med school and law students so it’s a great way for everybody to get together and have some fun. We want to win too, but just bringing everybody all together to play for a trophy is a great time,” Trevor Cantrell, second year law student said.

The law school ‘Rough Justice’ will be receiving an official record of their win on the newly initiated, two-year-old Malpractice Bowl trophy, beating the medical school 28-12. The women too will see their name forever next to 2016, taking down the medical school in a competitive 19-14 game.

While there may have been changes to the dynamic of the games as they’re played, the objective is still the same as it was 50 years ago, and students still come back for the same reasons.

“It’s all fun this year, there’s no pressure, it doesn’t matter how old you are … it’s really just a great tradition and an awesome way to get out and have fun with everybody,” Cantrell said.

Declan Hoffman is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]