As just about everyone knows at this point, Towson hosted the first East Coast region tournament this weekend. While not every staple team from the EC was able to make it, three of mainstays (Towson, UMD & VCU) along with a young squad in Stevenson were able to get together for a day of action. Now that I’m on the outside looking in, I was able to watch and learn a lot more than I could in the past, as I was probably trying to keep myself awake in between matches or find a quick bite to eat. I caught most of the matches, and while I didn’t see everything, I saw enough to get a good impression on each of the four teams. Here are my impressions of the four squads involved in Sunday’s action: Continue reading “First Impressions of the East”
Category: Opinions
Top 5 Venues (that I’ve been to)
Now that I’m a part of the “old guy” crowd who has been around the league for a while I can take a moment to look back at my time in the league and find some of the hidden gems that made my NCDA career so enjoyable. One thing that is highly underrated about an NCDA trip is getting to check out a new area and see what that place has to offer. I may not have gotten to see all of the venues, but here is a list of my top 5 favorite venues in the NCDA.
Dodgeball 101: Finding Sponsors
As the saying goes, “money makes the world go ’round” and when trying to run your dodgeball empire this is no exception. One of the things that hinders teams year-in and year-out is having the finances to properly run the team. This can range from having problems with buying uniforms, being able to travel to tournaments, and even being able to buy dodgeballs for the season. So what are some solutions if your team doesn’t get the proper funding it needs? Fundraising? Raising dues? Make the rich kid on the team pay for everything?
All of those are legitimate options, but they can require a lot of time and effort, and generally aren’t fun to do. So what’s another option? Sponsorships. Almost every kid grows up dreaming of being in commercials and getting endorsements from big name companies, but now you can actually make that a reality (aside from the commercial part, probably). Here are some of my top tips for how you can get your team sponsors for the year, and ultimately ease the financial burden that comes with dodgeball. Continue reading “Dodgeball 101: Finding Sponsors”
Top 5 Most Underrated Players in the NCDA (2016-17)
Here is my top 5 list of the most underrated players in the league. Please note, player #1 isn’t necessarily better than player #2, and player #2 better than player #3, etc. This list is ordered by who is I think is underrated to the highest degree. I hope you all enjoy:
Continue reading “Top 5 Most Underrated Players in the NCDA (2016-17)”
Top 5 Current Players in the NCDA (2016-17)
This is another list that is going to initiate some debate. No explanation necessary, this is my list of the top 5 overall players in the country for the 2016-17 season.
(Next List Up: Top 5 Most Underrated Players… coming July 29th)
Continue reading “Top 5 Current Players in the NCDA (2016-17)”
Top 5 Uniforms in the NCDA
This list will without a doubt spark some controversy, and I’m totally okay with that. As we continue our top 5 series, I bring you today the top 5 uniforms in college dodgeball. Feel free to comment if you disagree with my list. I’m sure there are varying opinions out there.
(Next List Up: Top 5 Overall Players for 2016-17… coming July 24th)
1. DePaul
I mean really, you can’t beat DePaul in this category. These uniforms are unique, detailed, and classic. The triple threat. I really had no trouble determining who got #1 on this list because it is a clear choice. The assortment of DePaul Dodgeball uniforms is rivaled by no one in college dodgeball.
Top 5 Breakout Stars for 2016-17
Continuing our top 5 lists is this one on the top 5 breakout stars for the upcoming season. These are not the top 5 overall players in the league, they are just my pick for the five players that will breakout in 2016-17 and truly make a name for themselves in this league. Feel free to comment if you have any other choices that you think deserved to make this list!
(Next List Up: Top 5 Uniforms in the NCDA… coming July 19th)
Top 5 Matchups for 2016-17
As we inch closer to yet another season of collegiate dodgeball, I thought it would be good to start a series of top 5 lists for you all. So, for the remainder of the off-season we will be shelling out a new top 5 list once every 5 days! Today’s top five is on the most anticipated matchups for the upcoming season. Stay tuned because we have a number of great lists coming your way in the future. Next week’s list: Top 5 Breakout Stars for 2016-17. Anyway, enjoy the first of many top 5 lists to come:
Thinking on Competition Groups
I’ve been making maps. As a national organization we have an obligation to think beyond state lines because these boundaries don’t prevent teams from traveling across them. Our organization is based on travel to specific points for the purpose of playing dodgeball. Dodgeball centers may exist for other Leagues, but it really is different for the NCDA.
Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 15
Nationals 2016 was just over a week ago, but that doesn’t stop the content team from producing some articles. This will be the first in a series of Way-Too-Early Top 15 rankings for next season. Below is my personal opinion on who the tops teams will be heading into next year. If you are interested in making a top 15 list of your own, feel free to contact any member of the content team and we will make it happen. If you disagree with my list I expect to see your own top 15 written up! Continue reading “Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 15”
Shout out for Dodgeball Officials this Season
Good People. As Director of Officiating, I would like to take a moment to note several stellar Officials we had over the Nationals event weekend and those I’ve observed over the 2016 Season. I was pretty much useless in mobility but a lot of people came together to make sure Matches were officiated with at least four person crews. I had incredible help with Felix Perrone running to queue teams up for Matches and Officiating. He did 11 miles on Saturday.Alumni Jason Hallman pretty much officiated every round, including being part of the Championship crew this year. Matt Zinn did the same, but needing to step out once GV went deeper into the bracket. Jude DuPart and Ryan Carlton deserve similar recognition, but we’re going to have to institute some mandatory break policy for you people next time!
I was incredibly happy to see people stick around to help staff the last three matches, especially those with long travel times. Becky Seemann, Nick Johnson, Evan Bemus, Sam Murphy, Klaire Randall, Mike McNicholas, Colin O’Brien to name a few good people.
Continue reading “Shout out for Dodgeball Officials this Season”
The Development of VCU Dodgeball Club
By: Shadeed Q. Drakeford
Introduction
A long time ago after the annual Chick-fil-A dodgeball tournament in Richmond, VA, my best friend Micheal Tse and I were walking back to my apartment talking about dodgeball and the possibility of playing after our college days were done. This took place in October 2011, several months after the historical Final Four run by VCU in the NCAA tournament. The conversation started off very casually and jokingly with talks of playing semi-professionally along the East Coast with the potential of winning cash prizes or free food. Because who doesn’t like free food after a tournament? Yet, small talk created curiosity in me, and I stumbled across a hidden secret which has been around since 2004, the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association (NCDA).
In December 2011 as a Christmas present to myself, I completed all of the paperwork that was necessary to have the Dodgeball Club at VCU as an official organization. Little did I know my life would never be the same again. At the time, dodgeball at VCU was shrinking in size every single year. It started out strong with at least 100 people playing medic dodgeball every Friday from 2-4:30 p.m. in my freshman year to only 20 people playing medic dodgeball three times a week in my junior year. Back then, the purpose of the club was to create some stability with the perception of the sport around VCU, so that we would have some gym time every week. For anyone who has ever attended VCU, you know that dodgeball time was cut short on a weekly basis due to soccer.
Chaos Continues…
Who Benefits Most from the MDC & BEAST?
Anyone who follows the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association closely knows that saying this season has been confusing is an understatement. There have been huge shifts in the NCDA Standings throughout the year, and as we prepare for them to come out on Tuesday, March 1st, there are certain to be some big changes in store.
This past weekend, the Michigan Region teams competed in the annual Michigan Dodgeball Cup hosted by Michigan State. Over on the East Coast, the second half of their season finally kicked off, as five teams took part in the rescheduled BEAST V tournament held at James Madison.
Both of these tournaments involved some exciting match-ups, and both had upsets. While we all are trying to recover from another stellar weekend of dodgeball, let me help pick up the pieces from this confusing set of tournaments by giving you my list of five teams that benefited most from this weekend of chaos:
Continue reading “Chaos Continues…”
King of the Mountain Recap
This weekend Central Michigan University hosted the King of the Mountain dodgeball tournament. At this event we saw schools from Michigan, Ohio, and even Wisconsin in attendance. There were a lot of questions heading into the event, and I came away with quite a bit of insight on the teams that made the trip to Mt. Pleasant for a great tournament. Below I have the scores from the tournament and some of my takeaways from the event as a whole: Continue reading “King of the Mountain Recap”
Top Ten Midseason East Coast Players
- Doug Schilling – JMU – I really don’t want to boost Mr. Schilling’s ego any more. Unfortunately in my opinion he is the best player on the East Coast. The things I don’t like about Doug’s game: The Money sign he gives after he makes a play. The things I like about Doug’s game: Literally everything else. This man is comparable to Kevin Bailey in terms of his all-around game being exceptional. His arm is easily the most hard to pick up on the east coast. First off his southpaw throw is something that most players just aren’t accustomed to seeing, secondly and most importantly once he releases his throw the ball tends to veer in multiple directions. The closest thing I could compare it to would be when a pitcher throws a really good knuckleball from the mound, and you see it from the batter’s box move both ways laterally. It’s literally almost impossible to pick up. To sum it up: Doug is a stud on the court, and when he is in his team is always in it.