-
3, 2, 1…Dodgeball!
11 Oct 2011 by Eric Yip in Local News, Sports / 1 Comment
Remember the first time you played dodgeball as a kid? You’re standing at the line waiting for the game to begin and once the game commences, adrenaline kicks in and you’re throwing and dodging balls all over the place. Ever wish you could relive the excitement? Well you can! Dodgeball has become more than just a game you played when you were a kid. It is a growing recreational sport.
Starting in 2004, the Vancouver Dodgeball League (VDL) began as a small drop-in sport, but ever since, the league has grown in players, teams and popularity. When I spoke to Jeff Phung, a VDL regular, about how he heard about VDL, he said, “some of my friends’ older siblings started the league and passed it down to their siblings and friends and then it just took off from there”. Word-of-mouth seems to be the common trend when asked how they heard about the league. Furthermore, because the league requires each team to have a minimum of two girls playing at all times, there is a healthy balance between guys and girls in the league, which has contributed to the league’s popularity.
Dodgeball is just a game and players play recreationally but the sport does harbour the competitive nature in a lot of people. “I play for fun but I always try to win” said Phung. I asked Catherine Hwee, another dodgeballer, if she played the game for other reasons than “it’s fun” and she said that she played because it “acted as a stress reliever”. Throwing a ball as hard as you can at someone, that seems like a pretty good stress reliever to me.
However, VDL has become more than just something recreational. VDL is a non-profit organization that is run by volunteers to keep the league going. Through the years, the league has helped raise money directly and indirectly by giving charitable donations to various organizations like the BC Cancer Foundation, The Canadian Red Cross and BC Children’s Hospital. VDL also holds blood drives every seaosn and encourages their players to donate and help out. “We’re always open to helping out good causes, helping out the community and giving back wherever we can” said Mark Williams, a VDL executive.
The combination of reflex, motor skills and strategy makes dodgeball more fun than a lot of sports. No matter how old you are, how fit or unfit you are, male or female, if you want to do something fun and exciting, dodgeball is right for you. Remember, “if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!”
Photo from www.vdldodgeball.ca
About the Author: Eric Yip
1 Comment
Fat
Sweet article! You captured the grassroots’ish growth and spirit of the league straight on. Super neat considering it attracts a network of really cool people, whether they are your siblings and friends or just new people you haven’t met yet.
16 Oct 2011 10:10 pm
Leave a Comment