The Michigan State Club Dodgeball Team has always been a co-ed team, and there have been some great female players in the history of the team. State prides itself on having women on the team, and they have had some very skilled female players. Players like Andrea Mason, who had an arm stronger than some of the male players on the team, Olivia Ghislain, an excellent catcher, Brittany Clifton, who could grip throw, and Nicole Halbeisen, an extremely sneaky player. The women of the team are also some of the most dedicated players on the team, with players like Cote Witt, Halbeisen and Ghislain rarely missing practices. Many of the women get involved by going with their friends to practices, and then sticking around because they love it so much, like Andrea Mason. Mason says “I went and instantly fell in love with the sport. I kept coming back and didn’t stop for 5 years.” Olivia Ghislain and Nicole Halbeisen were roommates their freshman year, and Nicole heard about it at Sparticipation, a big recruiting fair on MSU’s campus, so they decided to check it out and have been on the team ever since.

There are some advantages and disadvantages to being a Lady Dodgeballer though, as Mason says, “The biggest advantage was that other teams always underestimated me making it much easier to to catch them off guard and get them out via a throw or catch.” However, she also says that “The biggest disadvantage was simply physical differences between men and women. It’d be physically impossible for me to throw 80+ mph like some guys can, but there are ways around that like being smart with your throws and sneaky.” Olivia Ghislain says that that the “two advantages [she] can think of are also disadvantages, so it’s kind of a double edged sword, one advantage is that guys don’t throw at you as much, and the other one is that guys tend to underestimate you.”

The Spartan Women Dodgeballers also liked playing with them men. “Guys are a ton of fun to be around, I always have a blast at practices, tournaments, and just hanging out with the boys.” Mason says. Ghislain adds “I like it, but then again it’s what I did growing up. I always competed against the guys in gym, as opposed to being on the girls’ teams.” However, Mason also says that there was a downside to playing with guys, because she would get “frustrated with new members of the team and members of other teams for underestimating me.”

The Michigan State Club Dodgeball Team tends to draw in plenty of women dodgeballers in the first few weeks of practice, but usually only a few stick around. Ghislain explains why she thinks that is, saying “I don’t think some of the girls stick around because it’s intimidating at first. At least I can say I was intimidated at first. I also don’t think dodgeball is for every girl, so personal preference has a lot to do with it as well.” Ghislain says that they should stick around though, because “It really is a great way to meet people and it’s a lot of fun.”

If you’re a woman who’s interested in playing dodgeball for Michigan State, the girls collectively say do it. Ghislain says that “I don’t really have a favorite part of dodgeball, I just like it. But I do really enjoy the people. I think we have a pretty good mix of personalities, making it always interesting.” “It was such an awesome experience that led to so many great friendships so give it a try!” says Mason, who adds “joining the team is a great decision that I have not ever regretted. Great experience, great memories.”