Post by Zigmister on Dec 26, 2010 0:52:20 GMT -6
To foster conversation:
The NCDA is a large place. There are many different teams, and thus many different playing styles - each club tends to handle their players in their own way. Yet we declared ourselves an association of teams, a group of schools with a common interest in playing dodgeball. It was determined that a universal rulebook would establish a common language of dodgeball, which would grant teams from different regions the ability to come together and play without getting into an argument on "house rules." Thus, more enjoyment.
And the NCDA should be the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association. Collegiate sounds cooler than College Dodgeball. In the future, when it might come in incorporation, the official name should be Collegiate.
On Competitiveness:
A team should be able to act as appropriate to their particular playing style. A team should be able to act as competitive as they feel, whether in general practice or at any tournament setting. Likewise, a team should be able to act as inappropriate as they feel, within the rules. The founding teams of the NCDA encouraged all parts of the competitive dodgeball spectrum. For the growth of the league, these teams encouraged any college team to join regardless of their competitive intentions.
The point is that College Dodgeball, by its very definitional elements, allows for goofiness and competitiveness. The closely scrutinized rules grant a bit of legitimacy to the Sport, but the mere mayhem of the Game encourages enjoyment of the players. Enjoyment can come from striving to be the best competitively, or it can emerge from embracing the unpredictability of the game.
The NCDA can't force its clubs to practice a certain way, and the NCDA can't force its members to have fun while playing dodgeball. But there comes a point where once you realize you aren’t having fun and most would realize there must be something wrong. Blame the rules or the officiating if you would like, but a good attitude still goes a long way.
On Scheduling:
As far as the forums go, it's a great place to set up matches for the people that actually know about them. Any new teams coming into the league should be encouraged to find their way onto the forums and beg for matches. There are ways to make this easier, like having some teams posting their schedules. A logical extension of that would have one person posting and maintaining the League's entire schedule.
There is not enough money or enough teams in the current league to establish a schedule of matches in the preseason. Various schools could benefit from knowing where they have to be ahead of time, but it would increase the amount of administrative work of the League and its captains. There would be a wash of event dropouts as teams failed to find funding to attend these 'required' events.
In the past years there has been a big increase in multi-team events over individual matches. That is totally cool, as a clear benefit is that teams get more dodgeball for their trip costs. Individual matches will never die and tournament style events are sure to continue to grow, but cultivating traditional events will help get a minimum number of games being played each season. T-t-t-transition…
Establishing Event Traditions:
Within the NCDA there should exist a number of different tournaments that cater to the different attitudes of the League. This spectrum may have various points of competitiveness, but all are usually attended by these collegiate athletes. Many events are already combining these extremes into the same weekend. Schools like Kent may participate in an official NCDA match at the start of the day, then mix up the teams and play by the house's rules. And at the end of the day, some of the team members hang out with the opposite teams.
There will be hardcore, professionally run tournaments that follow league rules to the absolute letter, where participants are encouraged to play their absolute best. For instance, many of the Michigan teams have already established this competitive tradition in the Michigan Dodgeball Cup. There are legitimate arguments and sound reason that supports teams playing by NCDA rules; the Shot Clock was instituted to curb slow dodgeball, which sucks even if you win.
Then there will be events that may not follow NCDA rules, and are focused on providing collegiate entertainment by the way of a Dodgeball game. DePaul will be making a tradition out of the Hat Tournaments, in which members of the NCDA can enjoy dodgeball in different ways and with different people. The All Star game planned for Nationals is another great example of bringing collegiate athletes together to enjoy the greatness of dodgeball. These events should be enjoyable. They will support the point that you don't have to milk the Clock in order to secure a win; that a win might propagate from the Randomness.
It should also be noted that this association of teams should begin and continue to associate with each other. While a competitive spirit will naturally foster rivalries between teams, it is important to be able to turn that off for your own safety. Sometimes the MSU team has a great competitive spirit, sometimes they enjoy themselves on the Court, but they are always enjoyable off the Court. We are collegiate athletes, and we should hang out with each other. Develop a tradition where the host throws a Social so teams can congregate and do what they do best, eat and chill with each other.
The NCDA exists to facilitate college dodgeball, in all forms of competitiveness. It is this inclusion that will continue to foster the sport and further secure the League's long term survival. Aside from all the social and communal necessities.
The NCDA is a large place. There are many different teams, and thus many different playing styles - each club tends to handle their players in their own way. Yet we declared ourselves an association of teams, a group of schools with a common interest in playing dodgeball. It was determined that a universal rulebook would establish a common language of dodgeball, which would grant teams from different regions the ability to come together and play without getting into an argument on "house rules." Thus, more enjoyment.
And the NCDA should be the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association. Collegiate sounds cooler than College Dodgeball. In the future, when it might come in incorporation, the official name should be Collegiate.
On Competitiveness:
A team should be able to act as appropriate to their particular playing style. A team should be able to act as competitive as they feel, whether in general practice or at any tournament setting. Likewise, a team should be able to act as inappropriate as they feel, within the rules. The founding teams of the NCDA encouraged all parts of the competitive dodgeball spectrum. For the growth of the league, these teams encouraged any college team to join regardless of their competitive intentions.
The point is that College Dodgeball, by its very definitional elements, allows for goofiness and competitiveness. The closely scrutinized rules grant a bit of legitimacy to the Sport, but the mere mayhem of the Game encourages enjoyment of the players. Enjoyment can come from striving to be the best competitively, or it can emerge from embracing the unpredictability of the game.
The NCDA can't force its clubs to practice a certain way, and the NCDA can't force its members to have fun while playing dodgeball. But there comes a point where once you realize you aren’t having fun and most would realize there must be something wrong. Blame the rules or the officiating if you would like, but a good attitude still goes a long way.
On Scheduling:
As far as the forums go, it's a great place to set up matches for the people that actually know about them. Any new teams coming into the league should be encouraged to find their way onto the forums and beg for matches. There are ways to make this easier, like having some teams posting their schedules. A logical extension of that would have one person posting and maintaining the League's entire schedule.
There is not enough money or enough teams in the current league to establish a schedule of matches in the preseason. Various schools could benefit from knowing where they have to be ahead of time, but it would increase the amount of administrative work of the League and its captains. There would be a wash of event dropouts as teams failed to find funding to attend these 'required' events.
In the past years there has been a big increase in multi-team events over individual matches. That is totally cool, as a clear benefit is that teams get more dodgeball for their trip costs. Individual matches will never die and tournament style events are sure to continue to grow, but cultivating traditional events will help get a minimum number of games being played each season. T-t-t-transition…
Establishing Event Traditions:
Within the NCDA there should exist a number of different tournaments that cater to the different attitudes of the League. This spectrum may have various points of competitiveness, but all are usually attended by these collegiate athletes. Many events are already combining these extremes into the same weekend. Schools like Kent may participate in an official NCDA match at the start of the day, then mix up the teams and play by the house's rules. And at the end of the day, some of the team members hang out with the opposite teams.
There will be hardcore, professionally run tournaments that follow league rules to the absolute letter, where participants are encouraged to play their absolute best. For instance, many of the Michigan teams have already established this competitive tradition in the Michigan Dodgeball Cup. There are legitimate arguments and sound reason that supports teams playing by NCDA rules; the Shot Clock was instituted to curb slow dodgeball, which sucks even if you win.
Then there will be events that may not follow NCDA rules, and are focused on providing collegiate entertainment by the way of a Dodgeball game. DePaul will be making a tradition out of the Hat Tournaments, in which members of the NCDA can enjoy dodgeball in different ways and with different people. The All Star game planned for Nationals is another great example of bringing collegiate athletes together to enjoy the greatness of dodgeball. These events should be enjoyable. They will support the point that you don't have to milk the Clock in order to secure a win; that a win might propagate from the Randomness.
It should also be noted that this association of teams should begin and continue to associate with each other. While a competitive spirit will naturally foster rivalries between teams, it is important to be able to turn that off for your own safety. Sometimes the MSU team has a great competitive spirit, sometimes they enjoy themselves on the Court, but they are always enjoyable off the Court. We are collegiate athletes, and we should hang out with each other. Develop a tradition where the host throws a Social so teams can congregate and do what they do best, eat and chill with each other.
The NCDA exists to facilitate college dodgeball, in all forms of competitiveness. It is this inclusion that will continue to foster the sport and further secure the League's long term survival. Aside from all the social and communal necessities.