Kent State Dodgeball Club
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The Kent State Dodgeball Club, established in 2002, is a member of the Midwest Dodgeball Conference. The club holds weekly play dates in the multi-purpose gym of the Kent State University Student Recreation and Wellness Center, located in Kent, Ohio.
The club is known for the pioneering of the Dodgeball Renaissance, playing in multiple tournaments in different states, hosting the first ever intercollegiate dodgeball match, against the Ohio State University, and being featured in multiple media outlets, including The Today Show.
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[edit] History
The club was founded by KSU students Olsen Ebright and Nick Fantozzi in the fall semester of 2002, meeting on Friday afternoons with 10-15 students, each brining their own 8.5-inch rubber playground ball. At first, the games had more spectators than players, building a campus-wide buzz. By the end of the fall semester, 50-60 students were arriving every Friday.
On February 12, 2003, the club filed to become an official student organization. The group was divided into two camps; those who were in favor of legitimacy, and those who sided with the underground nature of the group. As a reference to the book/movie Fight Club, an unofficial motto arose: "The first rule of Dodgeball Club is you do not talk about the Dodgeball Club."
On March 10, 2003, Kent State hosted the nation's first intercollegiate dodgeball match, against the Ohio State University. The match, touted as The Battle For Ohio Dodgeball Supremacy, ended with OSU 16, KSU 14. This marked one of the sport's first and most heated rivalries.
In the fall of 2003, various sports clubs reserved the multi-purpose gym, leaving the dodgeballers to play on basketball courts. After having multiple balls thrown into the climbing wall area of the fitness center, the group was banned from using basketball courts. At this point, all players agreed legitimacy was the only way to keep the club alive.
In January 2004, the club filed with the Kent State Department of Recreational Services to become a competitive sports club. Unlike student organization status, sports clubs are able to receive school funding, reserve campus facilities, use the school's name and logo for intercollegiate competition and use the school's insurance policy during trips.
[edit] Notable Wins
February 22, 2004 -- Kent wins first place at an International Dodge Ball Federation tournament held in Buffalo, New York, taking home the Golden Shovel trophy.
May 8, 2004 -- Because Kent won the February tournament, they were eligible to compete in the New York Dodgeball State Championship tournament, which they won, marking the first time an out-of-state team won the title.
[edit] Media Attention
As one of the first collegiate teams in the nation, the club has been featured in the Daily Kent Stater, Cleveland Scene, Seattle Times, TIME magazine, The Daily Texan, and NBC's The Today Show.
