Intramural Dodgeball offers students an outlet for aggression
Childhood favorite making a big comeback at Hendrix
Bekkah Sappington
Issue date: 12/3/04 Section: Sports
This past summer the movie "Dodgeball," came out and allowed people to reminisce about their dodge ball days in elementary school. Almost everyone can recall something about their elementary days some remember teachers, and others remember the activities that they played in their P.E. class. This year, the game has been reintroduced. Erin Saluta, the new intramural coordinator, decided to revive this childhood memory for many Hendrix students. She says that the game has been a success at other schools, and that is how she first got the idea to incorporate it into the Hendrix intramural events. Saluta said that dodge ball is, "a really fun way for people just to experience the fun aspect of intramurals as opposed to the competitive edge of intramurals. They're still out here to win, but it's more of a stress reliever." The teams that have been participating created names such as, the pirates, the penguins, what does it mean, and other creative variations. The names are not the only inventive form of expression. There are an array of teams that come dressed in Hawaiian shirts, tube socks, and short-shorts.
Dodge ball has basically the same rules that applied in our younger years but with a few adjustments. At the beginning of every game, each team is brought to the center and reminded of the rules. Stay in the boundaries unless you are going to retrieve a ball. If you get hit you are out. If you catch a ball, the person who threw it is out. And most importantly, no head-shots. The major change in the rules from the elementary days is that the games are "self-officiated." This is the one aspect that seems to cause the most controversy among the players. However, most teams are honest and abide by the rules.
Dodge ball has proven to be appealing to a variety of students. Saluta said she loves "the fact that it's a sport that anyone who wants to compete feels that they can. It's not as much of an elitist sport like football. I think a lot of people were intimidated to come out, but now we're seeing a lot of people in intramurals that have never come out before." Dodge ball has definitely shifted from a game played during the day to a game played at ten o'clock at night and generally ending around eleven thirty. But, despite the late playing times, Arian Story, a student at Hendrix says that "it (dodge ball) kind of brings you back to you your old-school days, elementary school. It was just so much fun then, why wouldn't it be now? Everyone played dodgeball, you had to." Arnie also commented "that adding dodgeball to intramural sports is a very wise decision. It's very popular and gets a lot of people involved."
The dodge ball season has reached the end of its term. However, Saluta is hopeful that the game will be brought back next year and is "talking about a one-day tournament in the spring."
Dodge ball has basically the same rules that applied in our younger years but with a few adjustments. At the beginning of every game, each team is brought to the center and reminded of the rules. Stay in the boundaries unless you are going to retrieve a ball. If you get hit you are out. If you catch a ball, the person who threw it is out. And most importantly, no head-shots. The major change in the rules from the elementary days is that the games are "self-officiated." This is the one aspect that seems to cause the most controversy among the players. However, most teams are honest and abide by the rules.
Dodge ball has proven to be appealing to a variety of students. Saluta said she loves "the fact that it's a sport that anyone who wants to compete feels that they can. It's not as much of an elitist sport like football. I think a lot of people were intimidated to come out, but now we're seeing a lot of people in intramurals that have never come out before." Dodge ball has definitely shifted from a game played during the day to a game played at ten o'clock at night and generally ending around eleven thirty. But, despite the late playing times, Arian Story, a student at Hendrix says that "it (dodge ball) kind of brings you back to you your old-school days, elementary school. It was just so much fun then, why wouldn't it be now? Everyone played dodgeball, you had to." Arnie also commented "that adding dodgeball to intramural sports is a very wise decision. It's very popular and gets a lot of people involved."
The dodge ball season has reached the end of its term. However, Saluta is hopeful that the game will be brought back next year and is "talking about a one-day tournament in the spring."