In the good ol’ days when kids weren’t tall enough
to touch the rim or even grip a football, one sport had them all
ducking and leaping for more.
It was a sport of kings where one player tried to outlast,
out-avoid, and out-punish the opponent.
And the thrill of it all was having the chance to peg the living
crap out of someone with an innocent sponge-like ball.
More often than not it was a pastime for elementary and junior
high school students. But now the game of dodgeball may become a
reality for UCLA students.
“We’re trying to get a lot of excitement out of the
students and bring something new,” IM sports coordinator
Deborah Barnes said. “I’m hoping to get at least 40
teams.”
As early as winter quarter 2004, the game of dodgeball will be
introduced as an intramural sport for students and team-oriented
players. Already a popular IM sport on many campuses around the
nation, Barnes is hoping for similar success at UCLA.
For now, the culmination of Ben Stiller’s newly released
“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” and the talk about
dodgeball brings back moments of nostalgia for many students.
“One time I was hiding the ball, and one of the guys was
standing right in front of me with his back turned (to me) because
he didn’t know I had it,” third-year Augie Castaneda
said. “I popped him right in the back of the head.”
It’s a sport that can bring out a vicious flare in its
participants.
“We had a tournament in seventh grade P.E., and it was me
and this other girl who were the last ones standing,”
fourth-year Angie Tam said. “We never liked each other much,
so it was very heated.”
“So I threw the ball and smacked her in the face. My
friends still talk about it now.”
The logistics of the rules have not been set, but Barnes will be
testing the student body’s response during winter quarter
with tournament style play. From there, the IM department will
decide whether dodgeball should be pursued further.
The IM department is projecting coed, men’s, and
women’s leagues with two separate divisions ““ lower and
upper.
So far, the student response to the latest run at introducing
the new IM sport has been somewhat of a toss-up.
“I think it would be a joke to a lot of people,” Tam
said. “But I guess it would be the best time to bring it back
now, with that movie and all, but even that looks
ridiculous.”
On the other hand, the guys seemed to be thrilled about having
the chance of hurling an object at another human being for the fun
of it.
“I definitely think that students would be
enthusiastic,” fourth-year Brian Yim said. “Dodgeball
is a game that many college-aged students have grown up with, and
we don’t see it as a violent sport, rather a game that is no
different from four square or tag.”
In just its infancy, dodgeball seems like it’s primed and
ready for a major comeback.
Dodgeball anyone?