Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be another activity for PSC to offer you, they have exceeded all expectations and created one more. In a time when communities around the country are trying to ban dodge ball in the school system, one PSC student decided to bring this schoolyard game to the students of Plymouth. , Tony Koschmann a senior at PSC, has brought the fun of ball throwing back to Plymouth with an intramural dodge ball club. When asked why he decided to start the club he answered, “I like to play, so why not?”
For all of you our there who don’t know what dodge ball is or how to play the rules are rather simple. A game usually consists of two teams, with no specific number of people per team required to play. However, each team should have an equal amount of people playing on each side. Each person on a team has a ball and they then throw it at the members of the opposing team, trying to hit them, without their opponents catching it. Each team takes turns throwing and catching. If a ball hits you then you are out. But if you catch a ball thrown at you then the person who threw the ball is out. So if you enjoy throwing and catching balls then this is the sport for you.
Getting the new club underway wasn’t an easy task, according to Koschmann. “I had to get signatures from students around campus and then get it approved by the college.” If the dodge ball craze picks up around the Plymouth campus, Koschman also said that there might be more in store for this classic sport. One important question for the fledgling team is will the club be competing with other schools? “There are NCAA policies and insurance policies that need to be met, but I have talked with students from other schools and it is a possibility that we could compete with other schools in a few years.”
The club meets once a week on Saturday. You may be asking yourself what goes on at a dodge ball meeting? Before the club begins to play the officers go over any business matters that need to be dealt with, such as new members, or news on getting together with other teams. They then break into teams and let the balls fly. Organization of the team practices are currently pretty loose, “We don’t have any set teams as of now. We usually just break into teams depending on who shows up. We are working on setting up a women’s team for next year,” replied Koschmann.
At the present time there are forty students on the mailing list for the club and there has also been a logo produced which has been branded onto t-shirts and sweatshirts sporting a green panther running from a ball. Don’t fret all you dodge ball fans out there who haven’t signed up, because you are more than welcome to join this exciting new club anytime you please. The President and founder of the club is Tony Koschman, the Vice-President is John Lofstedt, the Treasurer is Kristin Noblet and the Advisor is Joe Mealey, from the English department. If you are interested, you can contact Tony Koschman at ext. 7120.