Duck, Dodge, Dip, Dive and… Dodge
Dodgeball: A well kept secret.
By Taylor Hardwick
Here’s a personal tidbit about me: I hate sport. I’m unnecessarily competitive, but if the activity involves me putting on shoes, leaving the house, getting sweaty or losing my breath, chances are I do not want a bar of it. Fresh air in the great outdoors? Awesome! Fresh air, great outdoors, soccer? Nah, I’m good.
This harks back to the days of Little Tay, a child who just wanted to read, goddammit! I have minimal knowledge of the rules of most sports and even less interest in talking to someone about them, even with my tennis and AFL obsessed boyfriend.
But lately — well, for the past year and a half — I’ve become slightly obsessed myself. With a sport so unconventional that people usually laugh at me when I tell them that I play it. Competitively. Against other teams, and stuff, in a league.
That sport is dodgeball.
The aim of the game (which you’ll know if you’ve ever seen the film) is simple: don’t get hit, don’t get caught, and destroy the other team’s hopes and dreams by doing the above well. The team with the most players in at the end of a round (or the team that gets all players on the opposing team out first) wins a point for that round. Whichever team has the most points at the end wins the game. Pretty easy, right?
Wrong! A million tiny rules you’d never consider in your wildest dreams exist, and they become incredibly important at crucial times during the game. Tension levels get intense, testosterone takes over (even in the girls… Okay, especially in the girls). But no matter what, once we all shake hands at the end, we remember that we’re just there for fun.
Let’s go back to the end of 2012, when a friend of ours decided to put together a dodgeball team with the Melbourne Dodgeball League. Here, I’ll note that I am the least coordinated or intimidating person on the planet. So when the boyfriend roped me in, my efforts were half-hearted at best. But they needed me, dammit (because each team has six players on at one time, and two of those players must be girls). So, eventually, I rose to the challenge.
By golly, did we suck. We were so bad those first couple of weeks (read: months). But then we won our first game. And our second. Then I started playing for other teams when they were short on players. Then I started playing at a second location, making it twice a week (but usually upwards of four games). And then I got good.
Tyler Bowman, the founder of the MDL, wanted to create a mixed-league because really, it’s all about friends and having fun.
“Dodgeball is fun! Dodgeball offers an easy way for individuals to meet new people and create new friendships. MDL takes pride in providing a fun, good-natured, yet competitive experience for everyone,” he says.
Even more exciting is the all-girls team that we’ve just started, which is doing pretty swell (I’m proud to say).
No, I don’t enjoy sport. But I love dodgeball. Whether it’s every Thursday and Sunday night, with friends on the weekend, or during the monthly inter-league games that MDL offers, the vibe is awesome. I’ve met so many amazing people and regardless of skill or strength, I (as a petite girl with zero throwing ability) can hold my own against the dudes as well as anyone else.
If you and your friends are looking for a sport that’s a bit quirky with a vibe that’s a bit nuts, check out the MDL’s Facebook page or website. Alternatively, join as an individual player! You won’t regret it. Pinky swear.
What unconventional sports have you played? Let us know in the comments!