Dodge for a Cause

THE TEAM

• Teams will be made up of a maximum of 8 players. 

• Teams must be coed (i.e. teams must have at least one female).

 

THE FIELD

• The games will be played at Van Cleve Park on the basketball court. There are no out-of-bounds areas, though no person may cross the center line.

 

THE GAME

• The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing players. This elimination may be accomplished two ways:

1. Hitting an opposing player at the shoulders or below with a LIVE thrown ball.

2. Catching a LIVE ball thrown by an opponent before it touches the ground.

** A LIVE ball is one that has been thrown that has not touched the floor, ceiling, or wall, another ball, another player, an official, or any other item outside of the playing field.**

• A player will be eliminated for hitting an opposing player in the neck or shoulders with a live thrown ball.

• A player will also be eliminated if they cross the center line at any point during play.

• A thrown ball may only eliminate one player. Once a ball has hit any object as declared in the definition of a live ball, it is no longer live and cannot eliminate any other players.

• A thrown ball may be blocked with a held ball. However, if the held ball is dropped during the act of blocking the thrown ball, or the player fails to make a clean block (i.e. the thrown ball still grazes the player's body afterwards), the player will be declared eliminated.

• Eliminated players will enter the "Queue" on the sideline in the order they were eliminated. A player in the Queue may re-enter the game if a ball thrown by an opposing player is caught cleanly by a member of the eliminated player's own team. Players are responsible for knowing when they may re-enter the game and will not be reminded by officials.

• A ball may only be held for 15 seconds. After 15 seconds, the ball will be considered dead and must be rolled over to the other team immediately. 

 

THE OPENING RUSH

• The game will begin with dodgeballs placed at the center line. Players will take a position at their end line, with at least one hand touching the wall behind them. Following a signal from the officials, the teams may approach the center line to retrieve the balls. The balls must be taken back at least ten feet from the center line before they may be thrown. If a player crosses the center line, they will be declared eliminated by the officials.

 

TIMING AND WINNING A GAME

• The first team to eliminate all opposing players will be declared the winner.

• Time limits will be established and posted the day of the tournament depending on the number of participating teams. Team captains will be made aware of the time limits during the captain's meeting.

• If neither team has been declared the winner at the end of the time limit, the team with the most remaining players will be declared the winner. If there is still a tie at this point, a one-minute sudden death will take place to determine the winner.

 

RULE ENFORCEMENT

• Each game will have at least one official to call out eliminated players. However, since the official cannot see everything at once, we ask players to abide by the "honor system" and eliminate themselves if they are hit by a legally thrown ball, or if a thrown ball of theirs is caught by an opposing player.

 

CODE OF CONDUCT

• Understand, appreciate, and abide by the rules of the game.

• Respect the integrity and judgement of game officials.

• Respect your opponent and congratulate them in a courteous manner following each game, whether in victory or defeat.

• Be responsible for your actions and maintain self-control.

• Do not taunt or bait opponents and refrain from using foul or abusive language.

 

**Any player found to be violating the code of conduct will be asked to leave the tournament and will not receive a refund of their entry fee.**

 

 

Rules adapted from the National Amateur Dodgeball Association (NADA). 

 

Last Updated 4/14/2015