Summer is irrefutably here and that means one thing—it’s time to hit the beach. The searing heat of the season provides the best excuse to set off for the country’s best summer hotspots for fun in the surf and sand.
The season also is the best chance to take in some friendly competition on the beach. Leave your Frisbee at home though, because this summer, the sport to play is dodgeball.
Coming on the heels of last year’s incredibly successful inaugural tournament is Dodge N’ Pop 2010, the Nestlé Pops Summer Dodgeball Games. To be held on April 30 at Ti-Braz in Boracay, Dodge N’ Pop 2010 is set to bring the global dodgeball phenomenon to the hottest venue summer in the country. (more new below)
Players can expect to see some fierce competition at Dodge N’ Pop 2010, with elite dodgeball teams mixing it up with recreational players as well as special celebrity squads vying for the coveted tournament championship.
“It’s a great sport for the summer because dodgeball is a game that literally anyone can pick up and enjoy,” says Philippine Dodgeball Association (PDBA) President Benedict Camara. “But if you’ve got a more competitive streak, dodgeball can be very intense as well—which is what I’m hoping to see in this year’s Dodge N’ Pop games. We’re looking to pick out the best from the rest, and at the same time have a bit of fun.”
The game of dodgeball
The objective of the sport is simple—to eliminate all opposing players. This can be done in one of three ways: by hitting opponents with thrown dodgeballs, catching a dodgeball thrown by a member of the opposing team, or forcing opponents to move out of bounds when a dodgeball is thrown at them.
The game proceeds from an opening rush, wherein teams of six begin by positioning themselves on the baselines of their respective halves of the playing area. Players then rush to retrieve three dodgeballs per side from center court upon the referee’s signal. Once these dodgeballs are brought back behind a designated attack line, any ball may be legally thrown and caught.
Games typically last up to 5 minutes, after which sudden death may be called in event of a tie.
Each team will be made up of 6-10 players, with a maximum of 6 on court at any time.
A sport on the rise
Nestle Pops Dodge & Pop 2010 will also serve as the official kickoff for University Dodgeball Games, a joint project between the PDBA and Nestle Ice Cream that seeks to get more Filipino interested in the sport. While many have began taking up the sport since the release of that 2004 cinematic classic Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, dodgeball in the country has up until now been the reserve of a small handful of in-the-know weekend players.
Over the course of the University Dodgeball Games, the PDBA will be visiting some of the top schools in the country to conduct dodgeball trainer certification programs for PE teachers, free Dodgeball clinics for students, as well as actual competitive matches.
The efforts of the PDBA are starting to pay off big. This year, dodgeball is set to premiere as an official event in the Women's National Collegiate Athletic Association (WNCAA) calendar.
“We’ve been pushing for dodgeball to be included in the PE cuurricula of more schools for some time now,” says Camara. “Dodgeball is a great school sport because you don’t need any special training or expensive equipment to play, and games can be as light or competitive as you want it to be. I’m very happy with all that Nestlé has been doing to help bring this great sport to the rest of the country.”
The Nestlé Pops Dodge N’ Pop 2010 is set to bring the global dodgeball phenomenon to the hottest venue summer in the country.
