Dodgeball makes adults feel like kids again
It looked a lot like a rowdy high school gym class — but with, ummmm, a few “older students” on the court.
Let’s just say some of these dodgeball players, jumping and running from a barrage of kickballs hurtling across the court, were old enough to drink a beer or two between dodgeball games if they wanted (and many of them did).
But during those 3-minute matches Saturday in the Daiquiri Factory’s fourth annual Dodgeball Showdown tournament in The District of Rock Island, they were kids again.
“I saw one guy with a T-shirt that said, ‘Gym Class Hero,’ and I thought that was great,” said Neal Howard of Geneseo, Ill., the tournament’s head official.
This was the most successful year yet for the event, with a record-breaking 28 teams and a total of about 225 players participating since noon Saturday on courts set up in a city parking lot next to the bar, Daiquiri Factory owner Kyle Peters said.
At various times throughout the day, hundreds of people stood behind chain-link fences to watch the action.
And after the competition, those who participated could stay for free and watch a concert by the band Candlebox, which was expected to draw about 3,000 people. This was the third year in a row that Candlebox, which Peters said recently released a new single, has performed after the dodgeball tournament.
The event was inspired by the 2004 movie, “Dodgeball,” a comedy about the game. Just like in the movie, the local tournament follows the rules of the National American Dodgeball Association, or NADA (yes, there really is a group called NADA).
“When the movie came out, it made adults feel like they could play again,” Peters said. “It’s the simplicity of the game (that makes it fun). All you need to know how to do is to catch and throw.”
As the game’s official rules state, two teams square off for three matches per game, with the team that wins the most matches advancing to play other winning teams in the finals. Each match lasts 3 minutes, with six to eight players on each team, Howard said.
Peters said the tournament offers an all-ages event that promotes physical activity, with the winning team taking home $1,000 in cash and a trophy.
Blake Moe, a 15-year-old student at Central High School in Davenport, said he joined “Team X” in the dodgeball competition for “the thrill” of it.
“It’s kind of a thrill to throw balls at people,” he said, laughing.
The same goes for 34-year-old Dustin Miller of Moline, who didn’t take much time to brush up on his dodgeball skills. His team, called “The Laser Cats,” won the tournament for the second year in a row.
“I love the competition,” Miller said. “It’s fun, but it’s even better when you win.”
For 21-year-old Tamara Smith of Rock Island, the tournament was mainly a chance to hang out with friends outside on a nice summer day.
“Oh my God, I haven’t played dodgeball since high school,” she said. “We had to do it in gym and I hated it. It’s a lot more fun to watch.”
Kay Luna can be contacted at (563) 383-2323 or kluna@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.