Monday Night Dilema...

Monday Nights have been going well.  Very well.  With the exception of a certain few that either cannot afford $2.00 a night or can barely do so by paying in quarters...sometimes I really think of cutting my losses and focusing on the people that do understand the concept of facility fees and other adult like responsibilities...I do not charge $2.00 because I feel like it.  It is not some arbitrary number just to keep someone's wallet full.  But alas, I carry on.

As I was saying, the turn outs have been great, the competition fun and intense and with the right beats playing, I feel alive and I know others do.  I've mentioned to core or key members/participants that I don't want to tamper with a successful product.  I want and have to keep my core happy.  However, like most lessons in life and repeat courses throughout my Dodgeball managing career, nothing lasts and if you are not three steps ahead, you'll get left in the dust and fast.  We seem to do well with Retention, as this coming Spring Season will be yet another indicator of how we're doing but the other "R" we really need to focus on and fret about and more importantly, start executing, is "Recruitment."

We've got to get on recruiting people and then keeping them.  However, Open Dodgeball is not for the weak.  People will get rocked and unless their attitude is in the right place (and it rarely is), they will leave with a poor taste in their mouths.  Coming to our Competitive League on Wednesday Nights only solidifies getting rocked as even our weaker players will hold their own against complete newbies...and I wouldn't have it any other way.  "Competitive" was a word selected for a reason.

New recruits need their own place to play.  Their own place to grow and experience Dodgeball as we all once did.

We need to reinstate the Recreational League...but what nights?  Thursday/Friday/Saturday would be ideal, as the relaxed rule set, implementation of Gopher balls and (hopefully) the successful blend of socializing and alcohol will make for a hit.  It will bring in new players and of those that really get into the game, they can feed into the Competitive League when they feel they are ready.  Move up to the big leagues, so to speak.

The venue hunt has proved almost fruitless unfortunately.  Currently, Tucson Indoor Sports Center (formerly Bladeworld and our premier tournament hosting venue) has expressed interest however they are only available on Monday Nights...I feel that this opportunity should not be squandered...after our lame tournament there in December of 2009, it would do us well to help solidify our relationship with them, not to mention be at the forefront of a successfully run Recreational Dodgeball league...decisions...

Do we seek to relocate Monday Night Dodgeball to another night?  Do we seek out other venues with less appeal (no available sports bar and grill and ideal spectator arrangements)?  Do we go through with it and either host the thing entirely on our own and face costs of $50 to $60 PER PLAYER?  Do we allow Tucson Indoor Sports Center to do the administrative work while we run the show to keep costs down?  Is this an opportunity we should not blow?  Is it possible, that I can remove myself and a select few others to foster this Recreational League at Tucson Indoor Sports Center and charge the care of Monday Night Open to others?  This has been done in the passed in my absence...be it in California or Germany.

Decisions...decisions...

Youth Dodgeball at the Boys and Girls Club however, has been going very well.

Updates

-  Still on the hunt for another venue...or two...or three.  Man is that bringing back fond memories of how the general public and particularly Gymnasium managers dislike Dodgeball and generally want nothing to do with it.  Okay so you sucked balls in elementary to high school and got hit a lot.  Get over it.

-  Saw four new faces at Open Gym tonight, promising.  Two rookies returned from last week.  Even more promising.  Have maintained a decent amount of 12 on 12 (up to 15) for the passed two months now.  Very promising.  Which basically means, I won't touch Open Dodgeball on Monday nights.  We do so I may have a riot on my hands.  Which further means, I need to really find another venue if we're ever going to get a second season of the "No-Sting" (Recreational League) going which we do need if we're ever going to get new recruits.

-  Free slice of Brooklyn Pizza for the winner of Elimination is well received.  Makes the game go longer now of course since something is now at stake.

-  Team Evil's getting it's ass kicked.  Guess that comes with the territory of being number one.

-  Kid's league or Open Play at the Boys and Girls Club is picking up.  Had to open up a new court for the nine year olds.  Guess I have a soft spot in my heart for the younger brother and or sister that came to watch their older brother play and wants to play.  Could be something there...with the Boys and Girls Youth League that is.

-  Successfully helped run a Charity Tournament through a sorority of the UofA.  Heard nothing but good things from our guys and the girl in charge.  Could be our way back into the UofA.  Which would make for a great shot at recruiting new players...which makes the venue thing all the more important.

Sheesh.  Gotta get that venue...

To the Women of Dodgeball:

To the Women of Dodgeball:

I was very impressed with your performance this past weekend. However I feel that that is an inadequate statement if left unaccompanied by the following open letter:

Like Dodgeball itself, the Grand Canyon State Games has continued to evolve into what it is today. It is most impressive that this event in Arizona can continue to pull the top teams and players from Tucson, Phoenix, San Diego and Los Angeles without the allure of National Dodgeball League ranked team points, a cash prize or even a fundraiser benefit of some form. The GCSG is rapidly establishing itself as an event in which teams willing to make the trip can measure themselves and see where they stack up amongst the nation’s best.

That being said, it has also served as a proving ground for Women’s Dodgeball which itself is evolving. What may have begun with the Dodgebelles in 2006, eventually paved the way for teams like the Dirty Girls and the Ball Busters who after growing tired of waiting for the NDL to produce a legitimate Women’s division, took it upon themselves to test their mettle in the Open Division (which bears the connotation of “Men’s Division) and staking their claim as formidable adversaries worthy of the court time and game matchup.

It is unfortunate that such claims however, are still met with sexism, shrugged shoulders, resentment towards the time used for the division, lackadaisical officials and a lack of respect for the female opponents squaring up against the male opponents, but the results of the 2011 Winter Games may begin to change that.  On the day of the playoffs, a quick survey of the women with several bruised legs, jammed fingers, red faces and even a dislocated thumb showed that after the day of Round Robin play, they came back for more and will do so again. It showed that they can be more than ball fetchers, more than a cheering section and more than a lover or friend pulled onto a team for the sake of making the requirement for entry into a coed division. They are a competitor that can bring serious competition and the teams that take them lightly may find themselves watching the rest of an event on the sidelines early.

A sincere heartfelt display of respect and thank you is offered to the women of The Ball Busters, The Naughty Beavers, Lady Syndicate, Black Swans and Cali Crush as well as the women who played competitively in the Coed Division who continued to highlight one of Dodgeball’s greatest strengths: an aggressive sport in which both men and women can play against and amongst one another for victory, with play and role significance shifting on either side, at any time.

If things continue to evolve this way, we can only expect to see more Women competitors.

Thank you and please continue to shock and awe.

Steven Damon