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[tipsy mcgee]

I'll stay away from stereotyping people this time, promise.  I was watching Real Sports on HBO the other night and saw a piece about the move to ban the playing of dodgeball in schools.  Advocates on there say it belittles the kids who are not athletic and even goes into detail of older kids who have horrid memories of that big red ball.  I personally find that ridiculous and can remember playing dodgeball thousands of times growing up, and remember what fun it was.  Another guy on there "for" the game of dodgeball said this shows the "wussification" (his word) of America.  At the end, they said a ban of the game was almost imminent.  For those with kids out there or those who played, what do you all think?

 

[Teddy Bear]

My prayers have been answered!  I hated having an object thrown directly at me and as soon as the first ball was thrown, I always insisted I was hit and took myself out of the game.  OK, maybe I'm a wus, but I did not like being the target.  I don't think it's the most dangerous game, physically, by far; but it didn't feel good emotionally to have someone purposely trying to hit me with a ball--and with the teacher's blessings!

 

[grandpa]

Lets face it, some people believe  that everything that they don't like should be banned. These kind of folks really do need a nursemaid to care for them.

 

[SxyPrincess]

Truly a fun game but as any activity, accidents happen and feelings will get hurt.  

If it's not such a big deal, why would they even propose a ban?

 

[Teddy Bear]

Not such a big deal??  Not unless you got paranoid about everyone aiming the ball at you, falling into a deep depression at what should have been the prime of your teenage years, withdrew into a shell which took years of therapy to come out of and only now can talk about the nightmare of dodgeball.  Just kidding, but I really did have problems with it and did everything I could to avoid being in the middle.  I had a mixture of respect and confusion about those folks who were the last ones left in the middle.


(Edited by Teddy Bear at 11:26 am on Mar. 8, 2002)

 

[Frank]

I agree with the wussification statement - and this, from a childhood *wuss*. I was always bad at sports as a kid (later, when I grew up, I learned there were other sports that required more strength - which I've always had - and endurance - but no so much speed and skill, as they did when I was smaller. I made a hell of a linebacker). And I always lost at dodgeball. I was always the last kid picked in basketball. (As years went on, kids began to pick me earlier for baseball, because while I sucked as a fielder, I hit the ball pretty damned hard). *First* picked in tug-of-war.

But enough about me. Suffice it to say I was no weakling, but I got a lot of humiliation in sports, because we played everything I couldn't play.

Sports has losers. Should they add three more strikes in baseball? Add more outs per inning? Change the word out, so it won't 'offend'? Take dribbling out of basketball, for the athletically challenged, and lower the basket down to waist level?

You know, growing up, kids got hurt in every sport - we had one kid bury his teeth into the gym floor in a basketball game.

It won't change childhood. They might wussify the programs in school, but those kids will go out on the playground and play real dodgeball. I think the idea speaks more about the people bringing it up than anything.

 

[Sharon]

As scrawney as I was in elementary school when we played this game, I loved it because I was a fast mover.  Kickball was my favorite game though, softball a close second.  What I really hated was (high school) field hockey.  What the heck kinda game was that?

 

[SxyPrincess]

Sharon,

No you did not go there about field hockey.    I happened to play that sport, and was front center!  It is an awesome game!  Very brutal.  

 

[Sharon]

Guess I just wasn't butch enough! j/k

 

[SxyPrincess]

 

[ShellyCW]

Ugh, elementary dodgeball memories.... I guess I'm a wuss because I disliked getting smacked in the face with a speeding dodgeball.  
I was only pissed because I HAD to play it in gym class.
If it's kept in schools' health programs they should at least smarten up and divide it up into ability groups, like the stronger and faster kids.  The bullies should get their own group too; let them beat the sh*t
out of each other for a change.

 

[RoseRed]

I was never very athletic and ALWAYS picked last and had to practice with the handicapped girl.  Did wonders for my self esteem.....

Ban the game ? Naw.... I agree with Shelly, let the bullies beat the snot out of eachother!

 

[vraiblonde]

The whole thing is silly.  As the runt of my class, I made a much smaller target so was always picked first in dodgeball .  Wussy kids turn into wussy adults, which explains why all these parents are so upset about competitive sports or games.

All this about dodgeball, yet no one says a word about gymnastics.  That was my sport and each kid was taped to within an inch of their lives because of injuries.

 

[M Bucker]

Tell em blondie.  I don't know how we ever survived growing up what with dodge ball, and riding our bikes around without helmets.  I fell so lucky to have made it.

I agree that these wussie adults are the one making the fuss.  Let the kids play, if they don't want to play don't make them.  Kids need to build confidence, so if this is what they're good at let them play.  Maybe the kid that rips it up at dodgeball doesn't have the best grades and is embarrassed about that.  Are we gonna ban math tests because of it????

C'mon everyone, let's ban math tests, who's with me??????

 

[ShellyCW]

M Bucker-- Fantastic!  Where the heck were you when I was in K-12???  

 

[Christy]

Heck yeah!  Somebody should do something about math!  That was the humilation of my school years!  I still count on my fingers!  Fractions fuh get about it!  

Dodgeball ruled!  And red rover red rover!  I was small but I always managed to break through the lines!  

 

[geekboy]

I never had a problem with dodgeball but there were always the kids (bullies) that intentionally aimed at your head and threw the ball hard as they could.  The teacher should have done something about them.  

Want to talk about humiliation, my gradeschool was so old the bathroom didnt have stalls and there was a big trough for a urnal.  So everyone got to look at everyone elses equiptment.  Being the only male kid in the class that didnt have the snip snip job done as an infant I got a lot of teasing.  Of course the other kids didnt know why mine was different.  Just that it was and they needed to make fun of it.  

 

[grandpa]

I feel so sorry for anyone born after 1940.

 

[Lilly]

I heard a bit more about this dodgeball controversy and it is much worse than I originally thought (BTW:  I loved dodgeball - Like Blondie I was the small but quick runt of the class - definately a difficult target).
It seems that dodgeball isn't the only thing getting banned.  Also involved is Tag - why?  Because it involves "offensive touching" the basis of sexual harrassment!?!  Please!  
Other guidelines they are trying to enforce:  No longer in Gym will kids skills be matched against eachother to avoid the less skilled child from feeling badly about himself.  And no score-keeping in team sports to avoid any "losers".  
What will be left?  You can't do sit-ups or push-ups in case one kid can do more than another - You can't run because someone might be faster - You can't do Gymnastics blondie - it is too apparent of a sport when some kids just aren't good at it - We don't want anyone to feel bad about themselves!
And do we seriously think that if the Gym teacher isn't keeping score during Basketball/ Baseball the kids aren't doing it in thier head?

What is the point of creating a generation of kids who we go to great lengths to not let there feelings get hurt?  They will hit the Real World eventually!  Better let them find out what thier strenghts and weaknesses are ASAP!  It will happen one way or another - better off under the supervision of an adult - then at the park when a kid plays dodgeball for the first time and gets the beans knocked out of him with no one around!

 

[Otter]

They are trying to turn school into a shelter from life rather than getting them ready for life...