Diversity, Equality, and The Leveller called Dodgeball
No dodging love of the game
Bethel dodgeball team is a real hit
By RIDDI TRIVEDITribune Staff Writer
Tribune Photo/DAVID WITHAM
MISHAWAKA -- The eight people line up on two ends of the court.
Gabriel Wallis raises his hand and at the count of three, two players from each side make a mad dash for the two balls at the center line. One player from either side grabs it and the others . . . run.
Balls zip through the air as the teams jump and duck so as not to get hit. A battle rages for possession.
There is no referee. Each time a player gets hit, he walks off the court voluntarily. But the cheering continues from the sidelines and the noise and excitement do not decrease till the last player of either team is hit and eliminated.
There is pause before the next game. Then the noise and flurry of activity begins anew.
After the game, the guys give each other high-fives and plop down tired but happy and exchange stories and good natured banter.
The Bethel College Bombadeers are practicing hard.
They have a big dodgeball tournament in Illinois today.
"Teams from all over the world will be participating -- from India, Canada, Mexico and all over the place," Matt Kirsch said.
Kirsch and his teammates -- Brandon Greenwawalt, Matt Eaton, Joe Sabo, Shawn Maust, Nate Engbrecht, Gabriel Wallis, Zach Andrews and Ryan Stutsman -- all Bethel college students or recent graduates, feel strongly about their sport.
"I think it is stupid to ban dodge ball from schools," said Sabo.
For 19-year-old Sabo, dodgeball is all about, ". . . going back to my elementary school roots. It brings back those "'good ol' days" for me."
Andrews agreed. "They claim it doesn't teach the children anything. I challenge them to support that. I learned so many important lessons of my life here playing dodgeball with these guys -- camaraderie, honesty, teamwork." A philosophy major, no one quite recalls how and when he earned the nickname "The Piper" but Andrews claims it is because he is a natural leader and people follow him like they followed The Pied Piper of Hamlin in the children's tale.
Always cracking jokes and ready to break into a laugh he added as a jibe, "I think dodgeball also taught me survival of the fittest: Social Darwinism."
The venture started as an antidote to winter boredom and cabin fever. In March, Kirsch and another classmate, John Steiner -- who has now graduated and gone back home to Georgia -- decided to get some guys together and see if they could get a team to play. And the response was even better than they expected. "Some games we have 50-70 people show up and the we play with six or seven balls at a time. So you have people going for you from everywhere at one. You've got to be really quick and agile," explained Eaton.
They even had a girl play on the team for a while and a few professors joined in too. "She was actually pretty good," said Wallis. Maust remembered how they once had a couple of guys show up and sing the national anthem at the beginning and the end of the game, "and in tuxedos too," Eaton piped up.
The recent death of good friend Dave Slater, their residence-hall advisor, struck a sad note for them. "All of us have at one point or the other lived in Oakwood Hall -- Dave's dorm," said Eaton.
"In fact, our venture began from there. He was our friend, supporter and mentor."
Eaton was an RA for Slater. Many of them also lived with Slater at various points. "We are going to put up patches on our shirts for Dave," Kirsch said.
Team members also remembered how Slater had been with them when they planned their first all-nighter event. "We had it at Oakwood and we were out there all night; and Dave was with us - all night," said Engbrecht.
The team plays every Wednesday during the school year. At the end of the spring semester, they had their very own season-end blowout. They made team T-shirts from old polo and rugby shirts, made patches for the shirts, had their very own hall of fame and even gave out awards.
"We are a self proclaimed Division I Varsity Team and we challenge any other college or university to put out their own team and have a game with us," said Kirsch only half-joking.
But they cannot wait to have a go at real competition. After their team took shape, they found out about the tournament in Chicago from a website, www.dodgeballusa.com.
The website has information about the various kinds of dodgeball, its rules, event listings and much more. This year's national tournament -- the one in which the Bombadeers will be participating -- is at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.
But the Bombadeers are hoping to do more. "We talked to a couple people who want to start a collegiate dodgeball tournament here," Kirsch said "It has never been done before and if that gets the kind of support we have been getting from people, I am sure its only a matter of time before the game filters down once again to the high school and middle school or even elementary school level."
As for the upcoming tournament, "We don't care if we win or not. There will be plenty of good teams - some far better than us," admitted Kirsch. "But, we want to be known as the team that loves dodgeball the most."
Bethel dodgeball team is a real hit
By RIDDI TRIVEDITribune Staff Writer
Tribune Photo/DAVID WITHAM
MISHAWAKA -- The eight people line up on two ends of the court.
Gabriel Wallis raises his hand and at the count of three, two players from each side make a mad dash for the two balls at the center line. One player from either side grabs it and the others . . . run.
Balls zip through the air as the teams jump and duck so as not to get hit. A battle rages for possession.
There is no referee. Each time a player gets hit, he walks off the court voluntarily. But the cheering continues from the sidelines and the noise and excitement do not decrease till the last player of either team is hit and eliminated.
There is pause before the next game. Then the noise and flurry of activity begins anew.
After the game, the guys give each other high-fives and plop down tired but happy and exchange stories and good natured banter.
The Bethel College Bombadeers are practicing hard.
They have a big dodgeball tournament in Illinois today.
"Teams from all over the world will be participating -- from India, Canada, Mexico and all over the place," Matt Kirsch said.
Kirsch and his teammates -- Brandon Greenwawalt, Matt Eaton, Joe Sabo, Shawn Maust, Nate Engbrecht, Gabriel Wallis, Zach Andrews and Ryan Stutsman -- all Bethel college students or recent graduates, feel strongly about their sport.
"I think it is stupid to ban dodge ball from schools," said Sabo.
For 19-year-old Sabo, dodgeball is all about, ". . . going back to my elementary school roots. It brings back those "'good ol' days" for me."
Andrews agreed. "They claim it doesn't teach the children anything. I challenge them to support that. I learned so many important lessons of my life here playing dodgeball with these guys -- camaraderie, honesty, teamwork." A philosophy major, no one quite recalls how and when he earned the nickname "The Piper" but Andrews claims it is because he is a natural leader and people follow him like they followed The Pied Piper of Hamlin in the children's tale.
Always cracking jokes and ready to break into a laugh he added as a jibe, "I think dodgeball also taught me survival of the fittest: Social Darwinism."
The venture started as an antidote to winter boredom and cabin fever. In March, Kirsch and another classmate, John Steiner -- who has now graduated and gone back home to Georgia -- decided to get some guys together and see if they could get a team to play. And the response was even better than they expected. "Some games we have 50-70 people show up and the we play with six or seven balls at a time. So you have people going for you from everywhere at one. You've got to be really quick and agile," explained Eaton.
They even had a girl play on the team for a while and a few professors joined in too. "She was actually pretty good," said Wallis. Maust remembered how they once had a couple of guys show up and sing the national anthem at the beginning and the end of the game, "and in tuxedos too," Eaton piped up.
The recent death of good friend Dave Slater, their residence-hall advisor, struck a sad note for them. "All of us have at one point or the other lived in Oakwood Hall -- Dave's dorm," said Eaton.
"In fact, our venture began from there. He was our friend, supporter and mentor."
Eaton was an RA for Slater. Many of them also lived with Slater at various points. "We are going to put up patches on our shirts for Dave," Kirsch said.
Team members also remembered how Slater had been with them when they planned their first all-nighter event. "We had it at Oakwood and we were out there all night; and Dave was with us - all night," said Engbrecht.
The team plays every Wednesday during the school year. At the end of the spring semester, they had their very own season-end blowout. They made team T-shirts from old polo and rugby shirts, made patches for the shirts, had their very own hall of fame and even gave out awards.
"We are a self proclaimed Division I Varsity Team and we challenge any other college or university to put out their own team and have a game with us," said Kirsch only half-joking.
But they cannot wait to have a go at real competition. After their team took shape, they found out about the tournament in Chicago from a website, www.dodgeballusa.com.
The website has information about the various kinds of dodgeball, its rules, event listings and much more. This year's national tournament -- the one in which the Bombadeers will be participating -- is at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.
But the Bombadeers are hoping to do more. "We talked to a couple people who want to start a collegiate dodgeball tournament here," Kirsch said "It has never been done before and if that gets the kind of support we have been getting from people, I am sure its only a matter of time before the game filters down once again to the high school and middle school or even elementary school level."
As for the upcoming tournament, "We don't care if we win or not. There will be plenty of good teams - some far better than us," admitted Kirsch. "But, we want to be known as the team that loves dodgeball the most."
posted by Duebster95 at 9:49 AM
2 Comments:
I can't even find the words. That is so beautiful. I think I teared up a little. This is going to be a major motion picture some day. Or at least end up on YouTube.
For the women who are pushing boys away from dodgeball and the like, I have found a small province in a colonial french area of africa where I think that they should all be sent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Tampon
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