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By MATT NELSON
Published February 9, 2005
Matt Nelson/tbt*
No longer must you fear imprisonment when you can’t resist the urge to get really drunk and throw things.
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Warning: This isn't your daddy's classic recess game of exercise.
You may remember popping kids with a red rubber ball back in the day. Or maybe you hid in the corner of the court always afraid of being smacked. Most schools now outlaw the game of dodgeball for safety's sake.
But now dodgeball -- extreme drunken dodgeball -- is back, and it's kicking in Ybor for grown-ups.
Dressed in soccer gear, the University of South Florida women's soccer team, nicknamed The Average Janes, showed up last week to take on the boys at Masquerade, the Ybor City nightclub. "We are going to win," said Erica Lewis, 21. "As girls we bring an element of surprise -- to distract others."
Meeting some beefy men in tight uniforms is also a plus for the lady athletes, said Lauren Snaider, 21. Other team names include Vote for Pedro and Debbie Does Dodgeball.
With a mix of drinking, heavy rock music and a caged arena, dodgeball is giving athletes of varying ability a spot back on the court. A couple dozen teams battle it out each Wednesday night at the club at 1503 E Seventh Ave. For $50, teams of five compete for $2,500 and the championship held in late February. No game lasts longer than three minutes.
Two surfer enthusiasts looking for extra money for their suffering video production business created Extreme Drunken Dodgeball. One day in August while delivering a Sears refrigerator, Dustin Howard asked his co-worker, a middle-aged man, for financial advice.
"He told me "You can't go wrong with dodgeball,"' said Howard, 24, who produces surf videos. With the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story becoming an instant cult classic at the time, Howard and pal Duffy McKenna created a pretty good way to make some bucks and have a blast.
The Boiler Room, a nightclub in Seminole, took a chance on extreme dodgeball months ago, and it immediately packed the house. The success paved the way for future venues such as Masquerade.
Dodgeball is the perfect home remedy for boredom, said McKenna, a 26-year-old tennis pro. "I mean what else are you going to do when drunk."
- Matt Nelson, nelson@tampabay.com
Here's the deal
Place: Masquerade, 1503 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City
When: Feb. 9, 16, 23; 10 p.m. music, 10:30 dodgeball begins, 11:30 free play
Cost: $7 cover, $50 per team to play in tournament
Visit www.drunkendodgeball.com for future dates or call 813 247-3319 for information.
[Last modified February 9, 2005, 10:20:40]
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