(Credit: www.dodgeball4ever.com)
1. 7 balls—2 sides
2. Get hit with a ball—you’re out.
3. Hit them with a ball—they’re out.
It’s still that simple. Throw in a swingin' soundtrack of '80s-'90s jams (Tupac, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Ice-T) and a crew of easy-going snappily-dressed rec center fanatics and you've got the Los Angeles Dodgeball Society.
The whole shebang is the brainchild of Michael Costanza, a kind of forever-post-high-school auteur whose other endeavors include the recent Beer Chug Championships /Drunken Spelling Bee (which sold out the MET Theatre) and a Dodgeball Society field trip to the World Dodgeball Championships in Las Vegas— which they they won. High five.
But what does this mean for you, our gentle reader, who may be concerned about the effects of a gym floor against exposed skin? Fear not! There are two leagues available for joining, based on your skill with a rubber ball.
On Mondays, there’s the Stay-Puft League which plays co-ed and without the smaller “stinger” balls. Or you can test your mettle in the Wednesday Knight Advanced Dungeons & Dragons League, where they use the old school rubber balls (see “stingers” above). Sundays, you can show up for a free-form early-p.m. gym session that's always followed by a journey to the nearest Happy Hour. Show up in deck shoes or sneakers (we noted one unfortunate individual playing barefoot), jeans or shorts. They keep it pretty casual. After all, their Society motto is “winning is for losers.”
Sign up yourself and/or your friends (if you have any). Even though it’s mid-season, we imagine there's some space left. And it never hurts to try. Well, okay, sometimes it hurts, but only when you fall down.
More rec-related info can be found at dodgeball4ever.com
George Ducker is contributing editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
