NCDA Newsletter: State of the Association

NCDA Newsletter
State of the Association

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Season of 2011-2012 was fantastic for the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association.

We saw the biggest and most impressive season to date; with a break of the 100 game barrier with 148 games played and a crucial major expansion on the east coast. Our traditional Nationals, graciously hosted by SVSU this year, saw substantial representation from our now huge group of member teams. We look forward to an impressive display for Nationals in 2013, at the University of Kentucky. Zac Brown and the rest of the UK staff will not disappoint.

We now have 25 official member teams, and more on the way. That’s definitely a far cry from the handful of teams we started the Midwest Dodgeball Conference with, where college dodgeball was lucky if it could get a match once a month. Where end of the school year tournaments imprinted a tradition that would become Nationals.

Our most lasting contribution for the year will have to be moving towards making the NCDA a registered organization, as voted on at the Captains’ Meeting at Nationals.

If the League deems the expense in their true best interest, the non-profit approach will give us the opportunity to more easily secure sponsorships and donations to help with future events such as Nationals. It should also be noted that, as a registered organization, a relationship with a dodgeball manufacturer could be established. At the very least, this could mean discounted dodgeballs and a more reliable standard across the League.

In the spirit of this official approach, it is my aspiration to improve the total Identity of the NCDA. This involves a scratch redesign of the website, setting consistent brand guidelines, and drafting policy and procedure in a new set of Bylaws. It in no way affects the brand of gameplay we know, love, and hate, but it should keep us functioning healthy, efficiently, and just the professional entity I know we can be.

I can guarantee that we can still keep the current flavor of the League even with these introductions. My goals are to lessen the learning curve for new upcoming member teams and the nuances that need to be learned by transitioning Captains. We have to remember our playground roots, and know our place in collegiate sports. We are an association of college teams that play college ball in our own specific way. Dodgeball is a sport of incalculable rule differences and combinations, and I only think we’re beginning to understand our own ruleset and the potential changes available.

With all that, I encourage anyone and everyone to drop me a line anytime. I try to post most of the paperwork on either the website or the forums. If you see anything that should be done a different way or you’d like to post your own, post it. The NCDA survives only on the participation of the hardworking people of its Member Teams. It gives everyone working on global league operations encouragement.

Regards,
Zigmas Maloni
General Coordinator

Author: Zigmister

DePaul Dodgeball #68 & NCDA Director of Officiating

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