Grab Life by the Ball

Kids grew up playing dodge ball either outside on the playground during recess or while taking a break from school work during Physical Education. No matter where you played, dodge ball was the favorite game to play. Well, on Saturday, July 14, Dodgebrawl 2012 will be held in Tulsa and if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.

Dodge ball was created in Africa about 600 years ago by three guys named Adelin Zika, Micheal Hud and Kirit Kam, but wasn't made popular until 1832 by Agustus Hagerson. In today's society, Dodge ball is a game in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with their own balls while also avoiding being hit. There are many variations of the game, but generally the main objective of each team is to eliminate all members of the opposing team by hitting them with thrown balls, catching a ball thrown by a member of the opposing team, or forcing them to move outside the court boundaries when a ball is thrown at them.

The rules are simple. Before the game begins, three to ten rubber balls are lined up on the central dividing line of the court. Players then rush towards the center line simultaneously and try to grab one of the dodge balls and throw or roll it backwards to their teammates. The balls cannot be picked up and thrown instantly.

When the game has commenced, players throw balls at members of the opposing team in an attempt to eliminate the players. To eliminate players, teams can either hit a player with a ball or a player can catch a ball that has been thrown. If you catch a ball, a player on your team can be reinstated. Players can pick up dead balls and throw them back at the other team. Players are allowed to leave the confines of the court to gather balls that have rolled out of bounds, but cannot throw the ball until they are back inside the court. Once all the players on one team are eliminated, the game ends.

Participants will be able to beat the summer heat and experience the first annual Dodgebrawl indoors at the Tulsa Convention Center in the Exhibition Halls. For Jill Duvall, Special Events Manager for management group SMG Tulsa when finding a particular sport to cater an event around, dodge ball was the popular choice for the group to pick.

"Dodge ball is sport that has become quite popular in recent years, largely due to the release of the film "Dodge ball: A True Underdog Story," Duvall said. Since Tulsa is home to a dodge ball league, Duvall and the other members of SMG Tulsa thought it would be great to promote this great game and grab attention to the league. "Tulsa's dodge ball league plays at Whiteside Community Center in the spring and fall, so we thought it would be fun to provide this event as a way to continue the sport's following throughout the summer," Duvall said. If you are interested in participating in the dodge ball league, you can contact Whiteside Community Center at 918-746-5040 or visit cityoftulsa.org.

In Dodgebrawl people will be divided into two groups. The high school division will consist of children ages 14-18, while the adult division will consist of people 18 and up. "Each team is made up of six players -- they are guaranteed four games during the tournament," Duvall said. But if your team should continue annihilating its opponents in their bracket, the more games it will play. "Prizes will be awarded for the top two teams overall in each division, as well as for best team name and best team uniform," Duvall said. Between games, participants and spectators will be able to enjoy themselves and mingle with others in an on-site party area.

While trying to come up with Dodgebrawl, the SMG Tulsa group kept in mind that Tulsa is a very active city and they wanted to cater to promoting a fun activity that would also promote a great cause. Brainstorming can be a very daunting task, but this group knew dodge ball was the right game to play. "The concept for Dodgebrawl came about when we started brainstorming ideas for special events that would get people actively involved while providing an opportunity for them to help us give back to the community," Duvall said. The SMG Tulsa group enjoys putting a lot of focus into raising awareness on causes and charitable activities throughout the year. When promoting an event, this group wants to relay that same community spirit/involvement through their special events.

Since Dodgebrawl is the first true sporting event coordinated by the Special Events team of SMG Tulsa and they are all about giving back to the community, they wanted teams to be able to give back too. The adult division teams have the opportunity to play for a charity of their choice, while high school division teams can play for a designated school team/program of their choice. After the conclusion of the event, event coordinators will cut a check to the charities, registered 501-(c)(3) charities, which the top three teams of each division picked to donate to.

As the temperature continues to rise this summer in Tulsa, it'll be nice and cool inside Exhibition Halls A and B of the Tulsa Convention Center. Who wouldn't want to enjoy a Saturday afternoon watching people willing to jump at the chance to sprint to the center line and pummel their opponents with rubber balls? With a free admission on the day of the event, it'll definitely be a fun and very exciting event to watch. The high school division is set to take place from 9am to 1pm. The adult division will take place from 2-7pm.