By Maegan Green
Dodgeball games are played on campus every Sunday evening during the spring semester. Games are played at Gambrill Gymnasium and anyone who would like to participate can play.
“Dodgeball began my freshman year at Hood in as an activity that our House Council started to get residents involved,” said Kevin Johnson (’12). “When I became president of Memorial in 2009 we made it a weekly event and we’ve done it every year since then,” he added.
The games are not really structured. Team rosters change constantly. There is no post season or tournament schedule. Wins and losses are never officially recorded. “On average, we have about 20 or more people come out on Sundays, from first-year students to seniors,” said Johnson.
Dodgeball gets extremely competitive. “Some players who have participated for years actually prefer to be on opposite teams of others so they can try to beat them,” said Johnson. “Earlier in the year we had a group of freshmen students challenge the upperclassmen. The freshmen won the first game, but the upperclassmen destroyed them every game after that. People show up to win, but it’s always in good fun.”
“I started playing spring of 2010,” said Chris Carmichael (’13). “I played flag football with Memorial Hall and Kevin during the fall semester and Kevin told me they would have dodgeball in the spring so I joined,” he added.
“I started playing my freshman year,” said Jimmy Baker (’14). “Dodgeball is a lot fun, so getting a chance to play has been great,” he added.
The rules are pretty simple. The games are played in rounds. Usually it is the best of five or seven. If you get hit, you are knocked out. If someone on your team catches a ball, you can come back in.
“It is slightly different from Mortar Ball,” said Carmichael. “The boundaries are different and once per round, you can make a three-point basketball shot using a dodge ball. If you make the shot, all of your teammates who were knocked out get to play again,” he explained.
It is a fun sport that gives a lot of people something fun to do before they have to get ready for the next week of classes. “I’ve been playing four years,” said J.C. Hickey (’12). “The most fun thing about dodge ball is hitting people in the face. The last game, I hit three people in the face. That was fun,” he added.
Dodgeball on Sunday evenings in the spring has become a tradition. “Everybody should play,” said Baker. “It is good fun and a great way to get a break from homework on Sundays.”
“The best part about it is getting different types of people on campus to come together for a common cause,” said Johnson. It gives students something to do on weekends and for some, dodge ball is an outlet to relieve stress.”
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