Students who are not interested in playing a traditional sport will soon have the chance to experience a new club sport at Stevenson, dodgeball.

Kristofer DeJesus, currently the graduate assistant in campus recreation, started the dodgeball club through the Office of Student Activities when he came to Stevenson. DeJesus, who has played dodgeball since ninth grade, said that he wanted to share “the greatness of the game.” The club started with a few people who were either interested in the sport or those who played it for fun.

Currently, the dodgeball students are trying to transition into a full club sport. DeJesus said, “There is a possibility that it will be an intramural sport, but we’re currently trying to make it a club sport and there’s a process to it and a lot of paperwork.”

To join the dodgeball club, students can just come to the games whenever they want. Once the club completes the official club sports process, students will need to fill out the club sport waiver and also get a physical in order to join the team.

When the dodgeball club becomes a full club sport, there will be opportunities to compete in tournaments and/or pick-up league games. DeJesus explained that the travel dodgeball team occasionally plays in the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association (NCDA) tournaments against other colleges. He added that the game is 12 v 12, which means that 12 people from one team play against 12 people on the opposing team.

Most of the time, the dodgeball team plays in pick-up leagues locally. The Stevenson dodgeball club plays games outside of the school, usually at Sky Zone, and the games are played just for fun.

The stereotypical dodgeball game involves playing with a red rubber ball. However, DeJesus explained that the red rubber ball is rarely used, mainly in professional league games. To ensure the safety of others, Stevenson’s players use soft foam balls, which are also the most common type used at Sky Zone and in the NCDA.

DeJesus is impressed with the club’s growth from when he started it as a freshman to now. “It’s cool to see the club grow. It started with 10 people, and our biggest meeting was about over 50 people. We had to go outside and play.” DeJesus also wants to be able to bring awareness to how entertaining and inclusive the sport can be.