Elementary school flashbacks aside, dodgeball a growing adult sport
Elementary school flashbacks aside, dodgeball a growing adult sport
Upwards of 300 athletes are in London, Ont. this weekend for a major tournament.
But the visitors are not here for any sport you might be expecting, including hockey or figure skating — they are taking part in the Forest City Invitational Dodgeball Tournament.
The adult competitors, from across Ontario, collectively enjoy a sport, and most were happy to leave behind in elementary school.
Joey Poitras admitted, as a child, he did not love dodgeball.
“Not at all,” the 17-year player from St. Catharines, Ont. confirmed when asked by CTV News London.
But as an adult, Joey said it is a different story.
“I’m not the smallest kid in class anymore,” he said. “It is now redemption.”
Players at the Forest City Invitational Dodgeball Tournament are seen in London, Ont. on Jan. 28, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
Michelle Dermott, of Milton, Ont. has been playing dodgeball for eight years.
“I remember dodging a lot in elementary school and just trying to survive,” she recalled with a chuckle.
But now, as a seasoned pro in the sport, she’s a threat on the court.
“Yes, my throw has definitely developed as I’ve been playing for a while, and I feel very confident in my throws now,” she explained.
The basic rules of a modern dodgeball game expand on what you may recall from school. There are 12 players and six balls.
Players at the Forest City Invitational Dodgeball Tournament are seen in London, Ont. on Jan. 28, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
“If you hit the person anywhere on the body, they are out. And if you hit the ball, and the other person catches it, they bring in a player,” explained Steve Hickson, a Londoner and Dodgeball Ontario executive.
And while it looks like getting smacked by a ball might hurt, injuries from running are far more common. After all, Hickson confirms the rubber balls from your gym class are long gone.
“So if it hits you, it doesn’t hurt. Because a lot of us have full-time jobs and we don’t want to come out and get hurt,” Hickson said.
And after a three-year-long tournament pause for COVID-19, all are simply happy to be able to play, bruises or not.
“It’s great physical activity. Great team sport. Good at taking out your aggression, for sure," said Poitras.
The tournament is taking place at Mother Theresa Catholic School in north London through Sunday.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent end run around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has forced the House to spend the day debating a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Bargain hunters are one step closer to seeing sales at Nordstrom's closing Canadian locations. At a hearing at Osgoode Hall in Toronto on Monday, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice gave the U.S. retailer's Canadian branch permission to start liquidating its merchandise.
Some of the world's largest central banks came together on Sunday to stop a banking crisis from spreading as Swiss authorities persuaded UBS Group AG to buy rival Credit Suisse Group AG in a historic deal.
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
Waterloo regional police say they arrested nine people for impaired driving over the course of nine hours between 6:30 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day and 3:30 a.m. on March 18.
According to officers with the Huronia West OPP detachment, a search of the vehicle turned up a "substantial amount" of suspected drugs with a street value of roughly $20,000.
Police say they found the accused had been driving while under suspension and had an open liquor container in the vehicle, adding to the number of charges he faces.
A 46-year-old man has been taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries after a single-vehicle crash on MR80 near Donaldson Crescent in Val Caron.
Bargain hunters are one step closer to seeing sales at Nordstrom's closing Canadian locations. At a hearing at Osgoode Hall in Toronto on Monday, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice gave the U.S. retailer's Canadian branch permission to start liquidating its merchandise.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) announced Monday morning that a third person has died in connection with the tragedy in Amqui, in the Lower St. Lawrence region, where a driver drove his pickup truck into pedestrians a week ago.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping will give an update on the effort to import and distribute children's pain and fever medicine Monday afternoon.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping will give an update on the effort to import and distribute children's pain and fever medicine Monday afternoon.
A vehicle burst into flames in South Vancouver after an early morning collision Monday, prompting police to shut down the intersection at Kingsway and Tyne Street amid an investigation.
People who rely on transit to get around parts of the Fraser Valley are scrambling to find alternatives as workers with BC Transit walk the picket line.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Players at the Forest City Invitational Dodgeball Tournament are seen in London, Ont. on Jan. 28, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) 
Players at the Forest City Invitational Dodgeball Tournament are seen in London, Ont. on Jan. 28, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) 
