Dodge This: More than Just a Movie?

Dodgeball is simple enough for anybody to understand. People throw a ball at you, you dodge it. When it’s your turn to throw, you hope they don’t dodge it. Repeat. You are now a dodgeball expert and ready to play with Mashup.

What kind of sport has no official pitch and no official uniforms? Is this not anarchy?
Dodgeball may not conform to the standard definitions of “sport,” but it’s still clearly a great time. We do provide team T-shirt “jerseys” in a wonderful assortment of colors, but our dodgeball league’s teams are allowed to get creative and have their own uniforms – so start brainstorming. There’s a catch, though. Personal uniforms are all or nothing, so everyone on the team has to show up in “costume” or it’s a no-go.

Dodgeball has been called “licensed bullying for the amusement of cruel gym teachers.”
Haha, I’d like to think not. No bullying condoned in our Mashup leagues.

How serious is it?
Our Mashup leagues are all about having fun, and dodgeball epitomizes that. We hope to encourage an active, social environment where people can enjoy themselves. We’ve had a nice variety turn out sofar, from teachers to 9-to-5-ers to people who just want to come out and have a good time. Everyone is welcome.

Do you ever play dodgeball with the lights off?
You know, this would be a first. But I gotta say, it sounds like a pretty fantastic idea. If we got some glow-in-the-dark balls and lots of glow-in-the-dark paint, that could be ... epic.

What else do you dodge? Ever played dodge-beer?
Never lasts very long, though. Nobody actually wants to dodge alcohol.

Have you ever played dodge-bullet?
I won’t say yes ... but I can’t say no, either. It’s a whole ’nother level of dodging in Russia.

What transferable skills does dodgeball teach?
Haha, I can’t imagine any spouses being happy with “dodging” skills being applied to relationships. But there’s plenty to carry over into daily life. Sometimes you have to be pretty agile to survive the morning commute in Beijing.

What’s a common misconception about dodgeball?
Probably the fact that people think they outgrow dodgeball once they graduate middle school. Clearly, this is a flawed perspective. Who said once you turn 13 you have to stop having fun?

You can register for Monday night pickup games here.

You can download the November issue of the Beijinger here.