Published April 21, 2005

Intramural dodge ball a hit

It is a contest built upon the foundation of blacktops, skinned knees and rubber balls that have helped make this nation so great. It is a relentless bombardment of physical, emotional and psychological stimulus to the bewildered central nervous system.

But most important of all, it is a game that lets you chuck a Styrofoam ball at your buddy's head.

Intramural dodge ball, the newest club sport to join the ranks of lacrosse, basketball and bowling at Valley High School, is a shining example of the dodge ball craze that has people participating in an old-school classic.

For those of us who are a little rusty on the game, the rules are quite simple: Players on opposing teams scramble for coveted dodge balls at the middle of the court and use them to knock out players on the other team. Once a player is eliminated he can not re-enter the game. The last team standing wins the match. Games are regulated and started by players, with monitors stepping in to help on controversial calls.

Under the guidance of Gabe Carlson, intramural sports at Valley High School have soared in popularity in recent years. Carlson said that student influence of the program through suggestions for future activities and high turnouts have helped tremendously.

"Dodge ball has become really popular this last year, with adult leagues forming around town," Carlson said. "I thought it would be a fun game for students as well."

The first season of intramural dodge ball has ended, but was a successful lead-in to intramural badminton, which began Monday. The number of badminton teams was not available.

But during dodge ball, each Tuesday and Thursday night at Valley Southwoods Freshman High School was filled with players. Twenty-one teams, made up of freshmen through seniors, took part in best-of-five matches that were as heated as they were competitive.

"Some of the games can be intense, but all of them are really fun," Carlson said.

The dodge ball season concluded with a tournament April 14 to determine the intramural champions.

Pat Keating's story was originally printed in the Valley Spotlight , the newspaper for Valley High School students. Articles from the Spotlight appear weekly in the Register's Community Publications throughout the school year.

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