Forget your gym class nightmares, Burnet dodgeball tourney is about having fun
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
BURNET — The time has come to lace up your Chuck Taylor All-Star high tops, grab your head band, find those 1970s gym shorts and get ready to pound someone. Yeah, it’s dodgeball. And it’s coming to the Burnet Middle School gym.
“This is actually our second dodgeball tournament,” said Greg Lopez, one of the co-conspirators behind the Mad Dawg Dodgeball Tournament on June 28. “The next one will actually be a cash tournament, so these first two are really to prepare for that one.”[box]IF YOU PLAY
WHAT: Mad Dawg Dodgeball Tournament
WHEN: 7 p.m. June 28
WHERE: Burnet Middle School, 1401 Main St. in Burnet
COST: $70 per team
FOR MORE: Visit www.maddawgfit.com, search for Mad Dawg Fitness on Facebook or call (512) 705-2458.[/box]
Whether it’s about preparing for a money tournament or not, it’s dodgeball. It used to rule the elementary gym class. The game is simple in concept. Split the gym into two sides, divide the class into two teams, toss a bunch of balls into the middle and let the two squads go at it. If you hit somebody with a ball, that person is out. If he or she catches the ball, you’re out.
Somewhere along the line, the game lost favor in many school administrators’ eyes. And, let’s face it, if you were among the “not-so-quick” kids, you often found yourself sitting on the sidelines fairly quickly.
But when the game was over, sides reshuffled, and you were back in the action for the next round.
Lopez said the reason behind the dodgeball tournament wasn’t to force people to relive those gym class memories but just to have fun.
“We actually had a bunch of people request a dodgeball tournament,” said Lopez, who is one of Mad Dawg Fitness’ owners. “We really weren’t sure what to expect the first time, but it ended up as one of the funnest events we’ve ever had.”
The game would seem to favor the young, but Lopez said the first tournament drew teams made up of all ages.
“One of the oldest people who played last time was in his 70s,” Lopez said. “But we also had a team of middle school students.”
Believe it or not, there is actually a national dodgeball association — maybe even more.
But the Mad Dawg Dodgeball Tournament isn’t affiliated with any national league. It’s just about having fun.
“We want to get people out to have a good time,” Lopez said. “You don’t have to be a member of our gym.”
The entry fee is $70 per team. The tournament starts at 7 p.m. at the middle school, 1401 N. Main St.
For more information, go to www.maddawgfit.com, search for Mad Dawg Fitness on Facebook or call (512) 705-2458.
daniel@thepicayune.com