Dodgeball by Sam Dean

Gwen Fernandez is trying to affect a warrior-like grimace in the face of an onslaught, but can hardly keep from laughing. 

After all, she’s playing dodgeball.  

A few volleys from the opposing team has left her the only girl standing on team “Ballhooter” (named after a ski run at an area resort). Of the six balls in play, she only has two. The other four are clutched by opponents plotting her demise.

It’s only a few days before finals at Hollins, too. 

Tons of pressure.  

And everyone has her own way of coping. Some might turn to ice cream or late-night card games, some girls play dodgeball.

It’s an outlet for semi-controlled aggression and has only a few rules: Stay in bounds.  Don’t get hit. Pick up a ball.  Nail your opponent.

But no intentional head shots please.

“If it happens, it happens,” says Hollins University outdoor programs coordinator Jon Guy Owens who oversees the games. And it does, though officially no point is scored for a hit above the shoulders, this according to the rules set forth by the National Amateur Dodgeball Association. (That’s right: There is actually a governing body for the schoolyard game you played as a child.)

When the blast comes, Fernandez gives new meaning to the word dodge as she contorts herself in an effort to stay alive. No such luck. A ball finds her and it’s finished.

“Line ‘em up,” calls Owens and they start the game again, but after a few more rounds some of the girls gather up their belongings and head out.  Break’s over.  Back to the books.

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