From the days of building strength by throwing large rocks in the African heat, to the ultimate showdown between the Average Joes and the Globo Gym Purple Cobras, dodgeball has been a game that has brought people together so they can tear each other apart. This coming season, the UW-Platteville Dodgeball Club is ready to get back on those courts and pick up where we left off after a devastating first round loss at nationals last season. While the victors have been celebrating, we have been scheming, waiting, and itching for the return of the season. Now the time has come.
This season the University of Wisconsin Platteville Dodgeball Club has almost all of our squad returning and recruiting events have been promising so far. As a team, we are led by Coach Erik Zander and Captains Caleb Newell, Tomas Zander, and Austin Kurey. We have goals set in place that we intend to follow through with great determination and we will fight through the challenges and adversity the season brings us. The following are just a few of our goals:
- We are hoping to bring in 10 new players this year.
Last year we ran into the issue of not having enough depth, especially in away tournaments. Because of this, fatigue was one of our biggest downfalls in tournaments. By adding some new faces, we hope to be able to keep players fresh.
One way we plan on bringing new players in is with a hard push on social media. Our very own Captain, Caleb Newell has a plan for social media:
I’d like our social medias to be one of the most active on campus to foster relationships with the staff. Whether that be Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube etc., I’d like to have content moving full steam ahead. I want this to be another way for us to passively recruit new students to increase our rookie class each year.
This year we did have an amazing first practice, and of those incoming rookies, we are hoping to retain around 10 of them. The biggest way we can help incorporate them is by getting them to come to the off day practices. So far we have only had one, but it was nice to see two rookies show up. They showed the willingness to learn and that will be huge for our team moving forward. It will be nice if more rookies could make it to these practices, to continue to develop their skills. Overall, we will continue to help the younger players at every practice so they won’t be shocked when it comes time to play in tournaments.
- We hope to take full rosters to away tournaments.
This follows up our first goal. We feel that not having a full roster at tournaments last year played a big part in our team’s endurance and kept us from reaching our full potential as a team.
- We plan on averaging above .500 at away tournaments.
As the season progressed last year, we really felt like things were coming together and were even able to have a few true underdog moments at the national tournament. However, we did not have the best track record before the fact. That being said, this year we plan to pick up where we left off and improve how we do in away tournaments so we are better prepared for this year’s national tournament.
Here is Co-Captain Tomas Zander’s plan of achieving this goal:
My plan for our team to go above .500 at away tournaments is by getting everyone on the same page. To do this, the leadership has developed a plan to increase everyone on the team’s Dodgeball IQ. We are asking members to watch film of other schools, do drills in practice, and have team meetings to go over strategy for upcoming tournaments.
- Place first in our respected division.
We feel that in order to be the best, this is the next step that we need to take. It is going to be tough, but we feel we have the abilities to do it.
Final Thoughts
If there is one thing we can say for certain, it’s that we are fired up for this season. From wrenches to assignment deadlines, we are going to dodge anything thrown our way. We are ready to bleed our own blood because if we get knocked down, we are eating knee caps on our way back up. This season already has a pumped-up atmosphere on the courts and we are fully prepared to ride that wave of energy throughout the season.
Lastly, we would like to thank everyone who supports the club and wish our opponents the best of luck. To our fellow Pioneers, remember the 5 D’s of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive…. and dodge!
Fear the ‘Neers
