Tuesday, April 1, 2008
My Dodgeball Rant
Dodgeball, the childhood game we all know and love, is in danger. A number of extremist, over protective parents, and bitter dodgeballers of the past are out to get the classic gym pastime. And what are their reasons for banning the game in schools? It is physically and emotionally dangerous. Well so is the rest of the world. So are kickball, football, hockey, welding, and professional eating competitions. Kids are going to have to grow up sometime and you better hope that dodgeball is the least of their worries. If parents so worried about dodgeball I can't imagine how worried they will be when their kids are old enough to be involved in drugs, alcohol, and sex. Now new, hip, gym teachers are moving to make physical education a class devoted completely to personal physical fitness. Explain to me how dodgeball isn't a sufficient form physical fitness. You run, you throw, you catch, you dodge. Its not like I'm saying its the only game you can play in gym class. You can have all your new fancy modes of physical fitness, but why not play some dodgeball every now and then. I mean come on, it's fun.
Just the Facts
- The Los Angeles Dodgeball Society lures almost 400 people to its games which are held twice a week.
- The oldest American dodgeball league is the International Dodgeball Federation at 10 years.
- Out of 500 of Chris Harrigan's elementary PE students in Oslo, Florida, 90 percent vote for dodgeball when asking them to choose one game. The remaining 10 percent expressed that they did not want to be in Physical education at all.
- Changes have been made by those who play the game in school. Large red balls have been replaced with small soft ones.
- Dodgeball is experiencing new growth in recent years thanks to the release of the 2004 comedy film, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story".
- In New York a school was sued by the mother of a girl who was injured when she became tangled with another girl and fell, breaking her elbow all while playing dodgeball.
- Dodgeball leagues have tournaments for all ages, including elementary school students, and even above those in their 20s and 30s.
- Vanity Fair has dodgeball the "in" party sport.
- Neil Williams, an Eastern Connecticut State University physical education professor, is the leading critic of dodgeball. He has created a P.E. Hall of Shame with dodgeball as its number one offender.
- Dodgeball takes strength, agility, and hand-eye coordination.
- The oldest American dodgeball league is the International Dodgeball Federation at 10 years.
- Out of 500 of Chris Harrigan's elementary PE students in Oslo, Florida, 90 percent vote for dodgeball when asking them to choose one game. The remaining 10 percent expressed that they did not want to be in Physical education at all.
- Changes have been made by those who play the game in school. Large red balls have been replaced with small soft ones.
- Dodgeball is experiencing new growth in recent years thanks to the release of the 2004 comedy film, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story".
- In New York a school was sued by the mother of a girl who was injured when she became tangled with another girl and fell, breaking her elbow all while playing dodgeball.
- Dodgeball leagues have tournaments for all ages, including elementary school students, and even above those in their 20s and 30s.
- Vanity Fair has dodgeball the "in" party sport.
- Neil Williams, an Eastern Connecticut State University physical education professor, is the leading critic of dodgeball. He has created a P.E. Hall of Shame with dodgeball as its number one offender.
- Dodgeball takes strength, agility, and hand-eye coordination.
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