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Do you ever have the desire to relieve stress by hurling an object at another person?
Do you like team sports or being a part of a group activity involving both old friends and new friends?
Do you like being surrounded by people not taking themselves seriously – all in an effort to have a really good time?
If you answered yes to any of the three above questions, then the Dirty South Dodgeball League may be for you.
Based in Golden Meadow, the upstart league is hosting three open gyms in the coming weeks – all in anticipation of starting a full-fledged league this summer.
The league’s organizers promise a good time for all who join.
“It’s all about being goofy and having fun,” Dirty South Dodgeball’s organizer Luke Bellanger said. “They encourage costumes. They encourage people being free and enjoying themselves and having a great time.”
Believe it or not, the idea to create a local dodgeball league came from the great movie villain Peter LeFleur.
Bellanger said he and his wife Allie were watching the 2004 movie “Dodgeball” one night at their South Lafourche home.
Following the movie’s completion, both husband and wife had their own individual inkling to pursue a league locally.
“We were both in different rooms watching the same thing and didn’t realize it,” Bellanger said. “But Allie looked and found the World Dodgeball Society online and started to research it. The next day, I mentioned something about starting a league and she said, ‘Well, it’s funny you mention that, because I was thinking thing same thing.’ So she showed me the page and we got in touch with them and we went from there.”
After reaching out to the World Dodgeball Society, the organization’s executives sent the Bellangers eight official, league-sanctioned balls to get the process under way.
They also informed the family of all of the rules and regulations involved with creating an organization.
The World Dodgeball Society is a California-based organization that is steadily growing since its 2003 inception.
The organization has more than 20 sponsored leagues in California and has others splattered in other areas in the country.
They hold the Guinness Book of World Records’ mark for the largest dodgeball game ever played – a mark that they’ve topped multiple times.
“They have hundreds of people playing,” Luke said. “It’s pretty awesome to see.”
The Tri-parish league would be the first in Louisiana and the first in the immediate South under the World Dodgeball Society’s label.
The organization cannot wait to see their organization expand into the Pelican State.
“They are really excited about it,” Luke said. “They are really willing to help and get us started because they love Louisiana.
The rules of dodgeball are a little more complex than just slinging a ball and smacking an opponent in the face.
For starters, the above-mentioned face shot is prohibited – anyone purposely targeting the head is reprimanded.
Likewise, anyone arguing or being confrontational is given a yellow or red card – similar to soccer’s disciplinary system.
“It’s just like soccer,” Allie said. “We want people to be competitive, but they have to be having fun while doing it.”
Away from the disciplinary rules, teams may consist of anywhere from six people or more.
“Some have close to 20,” Luke said.
But the most important thing to take note of when constructing a team is gender ratios.
For every three guys on a team, there must be one girl.
Likewise, for every three guys on the court, there must also be one girl.
With six players on the court at one time, that yields a female player must stay on the floor at all times.
“You can have more if you want,” Allie said. “But the rules say you have to have at least one.”
From there, teams play a series of games for close to an hour.
The victor is the group that earns the most wins in that timeframe.
The way to earn victory is by eliminating all of the players on the other team. You do so by either hitting them with a tossed ball or catching an opponent’s throw.
If one does catch an opponent’s sling, the person who threw it is eliminated and the opposing team also gets to send another player onto the floor – a two-man swing.
“It’s fast-paced and you’ll play a ton of games in that time,” Luke said. “It’s a really good workout, but it’s really fun, too.”
To get involved in Dirty South Dodgeball, the Bellangers say it is “very important” that people attend the organization’s open gyms.
They will host three dodgeball events – on April 19, April 26 and May 3 at Golden Meadow Middle School.
The first few open gyms will be free to the public and will introduce participants to the rules of the sport, while also allowing them to play games.
Any additional open gyms will cost $5 per player to cover equipment fees and other expenses.
The success of the open gyms determines whether the World Dodgeball Society will sponsor a full-fledged league, which would consist of a regular season and postseason championship.
“We have a lot of people who say that they want to be in the league, so that’s a great thing,” Allie said. “But we need people to know and understand that it’s very, very important that they come to these open gyms.”
The Bellangers said they have two full teams ready to play if the league started today.
They hope to grow that number to close to 10.
They added that people all across the area are welcome.
If successful in the Golden Meadow-based league, they want to hold events in Houma and Thibodaux to grow in reach.
“We want everyone to play,” Allie said. “It’s a blast. We really think there are people here who would enjoy playing. It’s just about getting the word out and letting them know that we’re here.”
A World Dodgeball Society competitor makes a left-handed toss during a recreational game. Organizer Luke Bellanger is aiming to create Dirty South Dodgeball this summer. The group will host a series of open gym events in April and also on May 3. If successful, the league will likely begin this summer.
