On August 12th, the Dodgeball Club at UW-Platteville teamed up with the NDA to host the annual Tim Ebert Memorial tournament. Tim was a player on the UWP team that made a huge impact and with the scholarship in his name will continue to make an impact to this day. This event we were able to raise $1,862.74 and with that amount raised, we will now be offering two scholarships. One will go to a current player on the Platteville Dodgeball Club and another to an individual from another team in the league.
The selection committee received applications from players around the league and came up with the following winners to receive this scholarship. The application asked individuals to explain their community involvement at home, their team, and the league as whole. The committee was looking for leadership skills, a willingness to help others, and further involvement in making the league a better place for current and future players. Let’s take a look at this year’s winners below!
The season kicked off with the Buckeye Opener and this weekend the Central Region is kicking off its season with a double header between the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) and the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL). The double headers between UWP and UNL have become a tradition over the last several years and always brings about a good battle. Last year, UNL was able to win both games with scores of 7-1 and 4-3. Can you UNL repeat again what they did last season and come out on top in both games? Let’s take a look below on what the captains from both teams think heading into this weekend!
The 2023-2024 season is underway and this is a great opportunity to break down the Michigan region and what to expect. The Michigan region consists of Michigan State University (MSU), Grand Valley State University (GVSU), Western Michigan University (WMU), Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), and Central Michigan University. Let’s take a look below at the region.
With two brand new teams and two teams returning, South Region dodgeball is officially back. While there may be some lack of experience, there should be no shortage of exciting dodgeball coming from this blossoming region. Here is our look at each team coming into the young season.
The East region has a brand new look this season. For the first time ever, Penn State is the top dog entering the year. It is surely championship or bust for the NCDA’s preseason #3 ranked team. Right behind them is the usual East region favorite in JMU, and a UMD squad looking to break into the group of title contenders for the first time. UVA rounds out the East working to make a name for themselves in one of the league’s most competitive regions.
In the 2024 Season, we have 29 technical upsets in 111 ranked matches (73.87% success rate) across 15 events.
This season marks the introduction of the NCDA Hybrid Scaled Ranking System as voted on by member teams during the 2023 election. The Hybrid Ranking System uses a combination of the Gonzalez System and the NHL Points System, and is scaled to adjust to each team’s rating relative to league average.
The Gonzalez System is a computer ranking model similar to Elo and is a rating exchange system based on research performed by World Rugby. It has been adapted by the NCDA to the demands of College Dodgeball, but can be tuned and customized endlessly to incorporate accurate data. It has been used to help determine seeds for the Nationals bracket since Nationals 2014, and was used exclusively for each Nationals bracket between 2017 and 2022.
The Champ Points System is a point-reward system based on the outcome of a match. A team who wins a match is awarded 2 points whether in regulation or overtime, a team who loses a match in overtime is awarded 1 point, and a team who loses in regulation is awarded 0 points.
NCDA Names Goat Tape as Official Tape Partner, Sponsor of NCDA’s Scary Sticky Catch of the Month
Goat Tape to Provide Scary Sticky Goat Tape, Discounts, and Custom Tape to NCDA Teams & Players
NCDA Community:
We’re excited to announce our league’s partnership with Goat Tape, the leading provider of premium athletic tape to the sport of dodgeball! Goat Tape is now the “Official Tape Partner of the NCDA” and we are pleased to have the support of a brand equally dedicated to growing both this league and the entire sport.
Our partnership goes far beyond naming rights. Starting this season, Goat Tape will:
Sponsor the “Goat Tape Scary Sticky Catch of the Month,” honoring the best catch at an officially sanctioned tournament each month. Winners receive a 4-pack of Scary Sticky Goat Tape and are honored across NCDA and Goat Tape social channels.
Present the NCDA’s “Top 10 Plays of the Month” and “College Dodgeball Power Rankings.”
Provide each new NCDA Team and each NCDA regional winner with Goat Tape.
Sell a NCDA-branded version of Scary Sticky Goat Tape, with a portion of proceeds funding the continued expansion of the league.
Offer rotating discounts on Goat Tape to NCDA Teams and Members, featuring a 10% discount on wholesale orders and a 45% discount on six-packs of Scary Sticky Goat Tape through October by using code “NCDA1023” at checkout on www.GoatTape.com.
“The dodgeball community was among the first to embrace our flagship Scary Sticky tape, quickly recognizing that athletes perform better with improved grip and joint protection that stays on through sweat and friction,” said George Kunhardt, CEO of Goat Tape. “We are incredibly appreciative of that support, so partnering with the NCDA to help grow the league in American universities is the ideal way for us to honor that.”
“For many years, Goat Tape’s Scary Sticky tape has been recognized as a staple product for the NCDA and has contributed to the high level of competition we see within the league today,” said Dylan Greer, NCDA President. “We are ecstatic about our partnership with Goat Tape and the newfound ability to provide our athletes with more affordable ways to purchase an essential product for their game.”
More announcements and discounts are planned for down the road, so stay tuned to NCDA and Goat Tape social accounts for more ways that this partnership benefits NCDA teams and players.
The 2023-2024 season is underway and this is a great opportunity to breakdown the central region and what to expect. The Central region consists of: University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP), Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign (UIUC), and University of Wisconsin Stout (Stout). Let’s take a look below at the region.
With the first event of the 2023-2024 season in the books, here is our recap of everything you need to know from the Buckeye Opener. Also, check out our latest episode of the Neutral Zone Podcast reviewing the tournament!
Ohio region dodgeball will remain the deepest in the league this year, but can they end the 18-year national title drought? Many teams think they can. Here is Terence Checkett and Ethan Lehmkuhl’s pre-season deep dive on each and every Ohio team trying to break through this year.
We are quickly approaching the start of the 2023-24 season with the Buckeye Opener on 9/17. From the top to the bottom of the standings, there’s no shortage of storylines and rivalries all around the league. Here we’ll be taking a look at some of the most exciting matchups to look for this year.
With the semester arriving fast, I figured now would be the perfect time to go over some tips to help your team have your best recruiting class ever (or the best first recruiting class for the new teams!)
Step 1: Sign up for your school’s fall involvement fair!
The fall involvement fair is the most important day for every dodgeball club. The involvement fair is where your team will recruit most of the rookies that will help support and lead your club for the next 4 years. To help get the most in hopes that many will stick around and become important pieces of the club, I have a few tips that will help your teams recruiting.
As a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we would like to invite all of our organizational members to look at our Fiscal Year 2022 finances to see the year that the NCDA had. Our fiscal year rans from 7/1/2022 to 6/30/2023.
Each year the Platteville Dodgeball Club puts on the Tim Ebert Memorial Scholarship Tournament, and this year we are teaming up with the National Dodgeball Association (NDA) to run the event. The tournament will be held on Saturday, August 12th, the link to the event page can be found here (NDA-Platteville). Tim Ebert was a player at the University of Wisconsin Platteville who was respected by his teammates as a captain and friend. Tim could always be counted on, always there to help, and was always making a difference. The funds raised go towards a scholarship in his name offered by the Platteville Dodgeball Club.
Saturday August 5th will mark the NDA’s first women’s only tournament being held at Owens Community College near Toledo, Ohio. The NDA is committed to growing the sport and highlighting the women in our league on a new stage. This tournament will feature the no-sting ball type and will be played in a 6v6 format. For the first event, there will be the following three teams in attendance: Cleveland Comets, Midwestern Mercenaries, and Midwestern Martians. Let’s take a look at each team below.
