CHICAGO – Office of the Director of Officiating (and Records):
The NCDA conducted another survey of the abilities of the League’s student-athletes during Nationals 2016 in Bowling Green, Ohio. This year’s Fastest Arm was named in honor of the current record holder, Wes Hopkins of Kentucky, and presented by the DePaul Dodgeball Society for supplying the radar gun. Mr. Hopkins’ record from Nationals 2013 still stands at 83 miles per hour.
Purpose
To survey and detail the average speed of the collegiate dodgeball athlete’s throw. This will be repeated at future Nationals and select events.
Methods
Radar gun: Bushnell Velocity
- Accuracy: +/- 1 mph
- Range: 10-110 mph (90 feet away)
- Displayed as the nearest whole mile per hour
Contestants were given the opportunity to throw four PG8.5″ rubber dodgeballs at a wall. Most threw four times, but a small some threw less. Participants stood at least 25 feet from the wall and were allowed to deliver the ball in any manner, gripping, pinching, palming, however.
Results were gathered on paper and later entered into a spreadsheet:
- Contestant Name
- Contestant’s Team or Alumni status
- Throw reading, up to 4 throws
- Division (Alumni, Women’s, Junior)
Results
Full results via Google Sheets.
115 contestants competed from 16 teams and alumni. The total population of rostered players at the event is 344. These 115 represents a sample representation of about 33.43% of the total population present at Nationals 2016.
416 total throws were recorded from these 115 contestants. Additionally, divisions were added for additional analysis of Alumni, Women’s, and Junior contestants. 6 Alumni, 8 Women, and 1 Junior recorded throws.
Due to equipment margin of accuracy, the margin of error in mph readings is +/- 1 mph
Statistical analysis
The average throw (mean) of a collegiate dodgeball player is 56.695 miles per hour. The most recorded throw (mode) was 61 miles per hour which occurred 29 times in 416 total throws (6.971%). The standard deviation of the sample is 8.383 mph; one standard deviation covers 68% of all results.
Only 16 records survive from the last competition held at Nationals 2013, courteously supplied by Zac Brown [UK]. The average of those records was 62.188 mph, including the record setting 83 mph throw from Wes Hopkins.
| Average – 1st Throw | 56.426 |
| Average – 2nd Throw | 56.268 |
| Average – 3rd Throw | 56.802 |
| Average – 4th Throw | 57.506 |
| Average – All Throws | 56.695 |
While the average is 56.695 mph, this specific mileage does not actually occur very often. Contestants were either just above or just below the mean, although this is slightly outside the margin or error for the recording device. Throws of 56 and 57 mph account for only 14 (3.337%) of the total throws recorded. The 52 throws that range from 55 to 58 make up 12.5%. A wide range of throws were logged: collegiate dodgeball players recorded throws across a 46 mph range, from 30 to 76 mph.
11 contestants (9.565% of participants) recorded averages above the 68th percentile, or higher than one standard deviation of the sample mean.
Fastest Arm
Mr. Hopkins’ record still stands.
The fastest throw of the 2016 Contest was 76 miles per hour, recorded by Brian Peacock of The Ohio State Dodgeball Syndicate in his fourth attempt. Mr. Peacock’s average throw was 73.00, close to the 95th percentile of 73.460%. Two of the top three fastest throws across the entire Contest belong to Mr. Peacock.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Avg |
| 69 | 72 | 75 | 76 | 73.00 |
The top five highest averages further include Matt Bautch (UWP, 72.25), Nicholas Hazergian (SVSU, 72.00), Kris Kohler (CMU, 70), and Robert Cameron (PSU, 69.25). These contestants’ averages are a full 10 miles per hour faster than the average throw, and above the 68th percentile.
| Brian Peacock, OSU | 69 | 72 | 75 | 76 |
| Matt Bautch, UWP | 71 | 73 | 73 | 72 |
| Nicholas Hazergian, SVSU | 69 | 75 | 72 | 72 |
| Kris Kohler, CMU | 70 | |||
| Robert Cameron, PSU | 68 | 67 | 72 | 70 |
Team Throws
OSU possessed they highest throw average of any team, 62.68 mph over 7 contestants (6.087%). OSU Range: 73.00, 68.00, 66.00, 62.50, 62.00, 60.00, 47.25 mph
Penn State recorded 17 contestants (14.783%)and a mean of 57.26 mph, slightly higher than the total average throw (56.995 mph). PSU’s fastest arm is Robert Cameron with a 69.25 mph average while the team’s lowest was 40 mph. BGSU was the second most numerous team (14), followed by VCU (11). I really thank these teams for participating.
Divisions
We recorded as small number of dodgeballers in a Women’s division, 8 contestants of the total 115 (6.957%). Treanna Bidlack (BGSU, 52.00%) claims the fastest arm in the Women’s division.
| Treanna Bidlack | 51 | 58 | 53 | 46 |
We also logged a handful of Alumni (6), with Il Presidente claiming the top throw with an average of 61.50.
| Felix Perrone | 54 | 64 | 61 | 67 |
Discussion
<reserved for future comments from the community>
What do you think?
