“DODGEBALL IS a sport of violence, exclusion, and degradation.” So says all-star dodgeball ‘legend’, Patches O’Houlihan in the cult film, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Last week, Student Direct went along to the Manchester University Dodgeball Society training session to see if this really was the case.
As big fans of the film, we strolled into the arena kitted out in matching blue and white striped tops and oversized sweatbands, not prepared to take the session too seriously. We limped out with battered bodies and bruised egos, having come to the realisation that despite the film’s farcical take on the sport, dodgeball is no joke.
As soon as we arrived, we were thrown in at the deep end. Split off into teams of six, we immediately faced off against our first opponents. No more than two minutes later and we were feeling the strain of a sport where mental agility is as important as physical. Demanding though we found it, the session was the best hour’s entertainment we’ve had in a long time.
For those who are not familiar with the rules of the aforementioned film, they are pretty easy to get to grips with. Dodgeball is played between two teams of six players. When the referee starts the match, three players from each side race towards three balls placed in the middle of the court.
The aim of the game is to hit the other team’s players anywhere on the body with a soft yet bouncy ball, usually red, and smaller than a football. You are out of the game when you are hit, but if you catch the ball without it bouncing, there is a two-player swing as the person who threw the ball is now out of the game, and someone on your team can re-enter the fray. You win when the opposing team has no players left.
The Dodgeball society welcomes students of all ages and all abilities, male or female. Dodgeball is certainly not just a man’s world. Beginners are especially welcome. Whilst the 2004 movie introduced the sport of dodgeball to a mass audience, its effect could prove to be a double-edged sword. Despite its growing popularity, the sport is still struggling to gain recognition from the AU and, on a national level, from the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA). Perhaps this is partially a result of the film’s overriding silliness.
Despite this, the University of Manchester still manages to field teams at various tournaments all over the country, and they hope to send more than one team to the United Kingdom Dodgeball Association University Tournament, which will be held in Nottingham on 24th November.
For those who want to take part, the practices take place at the Denmark Road Sports Development Centre on Wednesdays at 5pm. And remember those immortal words of Patches O’Houlihan, “If you're going to become true dodgeballers, then you've got to learn the five d's of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge!”
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