This weeks guest writer is Henry Hill. Blonde of hair and handsome of face, Henry Hill has limited sporting prowess but found himself a niche in what many describe as a "sport for simpletons".
He told JohnJo Devlin how dodgeball changed his lazy lifestyle and the benefits of social sport.
Tell someone you play Dodgeball and you can pretty much predict what is coming next. “Do you know the 5 D’s of Dodgeball? Have you ever had to dodge a wrench? I haven’t played that since PE!” It tends to be one of those. And in the beginning I too was sceptical about the validity of taking part in a game known mainly through a comedy. Little did I know it would become one of the most enjoyable things I do in London.
Dodgeball can be played across London as part of the Go Mammoth sports leagues it seemed like a funny joke when a few friends and I sat down to create a team. Who wants to play 5aside football anyway?
One of the best things about the league are the truly predictable yet amusing team names. Our team started as Islington Thundercats, before morphing into Dodger Federer, and more recently Dodger Moore: Live and Let Dodge… (get it!). Game of Throws, the 5 D’s of Dalston, and Average Jacks are just some of the teams we have faced over the year.
You would be amazed at just how competitive it can get. Each team needs 6 starting players, with at least two girls, and it can get comically aggressive. Screams of ‘I hit you!’ or ‘You’re definitely out!’ are not uncommon in the gladiatorial arena which is Kings Cross Leisure Centre. 15 rounds comprise a match, and it is honestly exhausting.
Dodgeball is surprisingly hard to be good at. Ask someone if they fancy playing football or tennis, and they will enquire as to the standard. But with dodgeball, everyone reckons they must be decent. However, with people throwing the balls at you really quite hard, or catching yours at ease, it really isn’t that straight forward. Some people have not been invited back to Dodger Moore- you know who you are..
Ultimately the best thing about playing Dodgeball is that it has given my friends and I a great excuse to meet up through the winter and do something different. Its always a mixed gender team, a great work out, and genuinely good fun. Plus there is even a pub where you get discounted drinks after for post-match analysis, so what more can you want.
The elation of being declared Islington Champions after a dramatic last round win is up there with my greatest life sporting achievements, alongside my Frosties 100m Swimming badge from when I was 11. A feeling we can all share.
It may seem like a joke, and to be fair it sort of is, but dodgeball is a real sporting laugh. It is something I would recommend to any group of friends looking for a new experience in London.
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