Don’t Dodge this Ball By: Lauren Folkes
“Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge.” Those are the five hallmarks of dodgeball made famous by the comedy starring Vince Vaughn that revived interest in the game while scoring laughs. But if you crave some real-deal dodgeball action, then pay attention to Michigan State University’s dodgeball team. “It’s more than just throwing balls at people,” said Ian Childs, the captain and junior at MSU. When asked about people who view the game as a joke, Childs fired back. “Until you come out to a practice and see what we do, don’t judge. It’s definitely not what people expect.” Childs supplied information about his experiences playing at the college level and about the upcoming MSU Invitational on November 13th. The invitational will be the first game of the season for the Spartans to take place at Aim High Sports Center in Dimondale. Five college teams from outside the Michigan border will compete in the 50 minute games including Depaul University of Illinois, Western Kentucky University, University of Kentucky, Bowling Green State University of Ohio, and Western Illinois. These teams are all part of The National College Dodgeball Association (NCDA), an American collegiate dodgeball governing body formed in 2005. Twenty-five to 30 teams currently make up the NCDA, with 16 regularly competing teams. “Because the league is young there are a lot of teams that don’t have anyone close enough by to travel to play.” “Like Nebraska, there’s no one to compete [with] out there, they may have a team but they might not play anyone until nationals.” MSU has no problem finding teams to compete, but despite their skill at smashing faces and catching fireballs (the NCDA’s twitter bio) it seems not many students are even aware of these aggressive ball handlers. “We are one of the biggest club sports at Michigan State, but at the same time a lot of the population at the university have no idea but when they find out they get really excited.” If you haven’t played dodgeball before (you must have faked sick to get out of gym class) or you are unfamiliar with the college format, here is a recap of the game.
The basic premise packs a punch by hitting opposing team members with a ball or catching one that is thrown. The 15 on 15 format aims to get the entire opposing team off the court earning one point. “We play two 25 minute halves, so it’s just eliminate the entire opposing team as many times as you can in the allotted game time,” he said. Number one on his agenda this season is to capture a national title. “We’re looking to pick back up on that goal this year,” he said, referring to last season’s close call. Reflecting back on his dodgeball career, a favorite memory was nationals two years past against Grand Valley State University. As a prominent rival, GVSU has won four straight national titles. “They are kind of everyone’s national rivals,” he said. And they can draw a thousand fans to boot. “They have a really big following; they draw the most fans out of any team in our league. GVSU mania aside, Central Michigan takes the place as favorite rival. “Every time we play them it either goes to overtime or it’s a one point game,” Childs said. “Both teams really wanna win, and we don’t hold back, but we are friends off the court.” So what can you expect when attending a game? “We are really, really fast on the court, and we have good communication between our members.” “People are surprised that we can throw that fast and how interesting the game actually is, it really keeps your attention.” They have progressed from being a developing team to commanding attention. “A lot of teams wonder why they don’t win games and it’s because they don’t talk on the court. We play a lot smarter than a lot of the teams.” Childs played the game as a kid and as a teen. “I’d been playing just for fun, you know gym class dodgeball like all little kids do.” When Childs entered MSU he searched for ways to get involved and after attending a practice he was sold. Childs joined the team as a freshman and became captain in 2009, nominated by his teammates once the former captain graduated. As captain, Childs does it all, both on and off the court. While in game or at practice he makes sure that things are organized and communication is fluid between members, made up of 20 total with 15 on the court and five alternates.
“Off the court I’m pretty much in charge of everything; contacting all the other teams, putting together tournaments” and collecting member dues. “The team is entirely self-funded, so I’m in charge of all the paperwork, all the money, everything the team does it goes through me.” MSU will host another tournament in February for Michigan colleges only. “It’s called the Michigan Dodgeball Cup.” “Our season will end in April at Nationals which will be conducted by Western Kentucky University this year,” Childs said. Check out the invitational and to become more involved with college dodgeball, visit www.ncdadodgeball.com