It’s a dodge eat dodge world
Published 7:21 pm Friday, January 27, 2012
- <p>Teams charge for balls in the center of the court during the 2010 dodgeball tournament at the Pendleton Convention Center. Pendleton Parks and Recreation is again putting on the event Saturday with 14 teams battling it out for the win.</p>
The barrage begins in Pendleton this morning when the Fourth Annual Dodgeball Tournament sponsored by the city Parks and Recreation Department kicks off in the Convention Center.
Adam Willard, 36, of Pendleton, plans to be there with his teammates from Team Off In Church. Last year they competed at Prestige Worldwide. The team name is kind of a big deal, he said.
The key is to learn how to throw the ball,?said Willard, a purchasing and unit-costing agent for Keystone RV, Pendleton. Youve got to kind of whip the ball. Throwing sidearm has more velocity.
This year 14 teams are registered, one from as far away as Olympia, Wash., said Deb Whittaker, parks and recreation special projects coordinator. The $1 entry and admission fee goes to a scholarship that pays for underprivileged kids to attend parks and recreation programs.
The event has two categories, including an open division for ages 19 and above, Whittaker said.
Willard said a 3-minute limit is imposed on each bout. But none last that long.
Honestly, theyre all over in about 90 seconds,?he said. It doesnt take long to work out which team is better.
In addition to the out-of-towners, he expects to face teams from Cayuse Technologies and Wildhorse Resort &?Casino, two among perennial competitors.
The tough part is the next day. When youre throwing something that hard and that light, you dont realize how much work youre putting into it,?he said.
The object of the game is for two teams to line up facing one another and let fly. The team with the last man or woman standing is the winner.
Aiming for the head may seem satisfying but is essentially a wasted shot. Headshots dont count, Willard said.
Like any athlete in top form, Willard and his mates will observe a ritual prior to the match.
We pre-game at Big Johns Pizza before every tournament,?he said Friday. We get our fix of taco pizza.
The competition starts with recreational division play at 8:30 a.m. and the open division at 10 a.m.
Semi-finals and finals begin at 12:30 p.m. at the Convention Center, 1601 Westgate.
