Services team pummels competition

  • Published
  • By 2d Lt. Amy M. Abbott
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Barksdale might not be sending a team to the 5th Annual Dodgeball World Championship in Las Vegas this year, but they definitely could have given "Peter La Fleur" and "White Goodman" a run for their money. 

The Barksdale Fitness Center hosted a lunchtime dodgeball competition March 6.
The eight teams filing onto the court for the chance to pummel foam balls at one another were the 2d Logistics Readiness Squadron, 26th Operational Weather Squadron's Weather Warriors, 2d Maintenance Squadron's Aerospace Ground Equipment, 2d Security Forces Squadron, the 2d Munitions Squadron teams Munz One and Munz Two, and the 2d Force Support Squadron teams FSV and FSS. 

Playing in brackets, FSV, Weather Warriors and both Munz teams blew out their competition in their first round. 

"We dodge speed handles for practice," Senior Airman Ian Dunn, a player on the Munz One team, said with a smile after taking out the 2d SFS team. 

According to Dunn, a self proclaimed dodgeball extraordinaire, their strategy was simple. They used a "meat shield" to guard their top player and then just let him do all the work. Also, the team swore one of their key players, Senior Airman Steve Dillman, was able to hurl the balls a whopping 120 miles per hour - this fact was never verified. 

"It's a very serious sport and not meant for everyone," said Airman Dunn. "It's very dangerous." 

Even though they proved to have bigger guns than the SFS team, their game plan did not hold up against the FSV team, who claim to be natural dodgeball players. 

"We had no training, no training at all," said Master Sgt. Michael Sergot, 2d FSS section chief of readiness and plans and a player on the FSV team. "We just showed up, came together and we won." 

Yet Airmen Dunn assured everyone that was just a strategic part of the Munz One's plan. 

"We're letting them get their guard down," said Airman Dunn. "Then we're going to step up our game and we'll win next time." 

In the second round of near-deadly heats, or at least somewhat-a-little-dangerous, the Munz Two team rained down a storm of furry on the Weather Warriors and earned a spot in the finale against FSV. 

As the balls were lined up on the attack line in preparation for the much anticipated championship match, the smell of competition and a little body odor covered the courts. The men and women from the FSV and Munz Two teams took their place on the end line waiting for the whistle to begin their final battle. 

"The rumor is, we were told we weren't worthy of anything but handing out towels and working at the gym," said Sergeant Sergot. 

In the final match, after an intensely fought battle of foam balls, it came down to a matter of sudden death with one player from both teams squaring off. The FSV team threw a direct shot, took out their opponent and earned the championship title. 

"I don't think we got lucky, we just caught the right balls at the right time," said Sergeant Sergot. "If there's another game and our enthusiasm matches how we played this time, we have a chance to win it all." 

The fitness center does not currently have another dodgeball competition scheduled but intramural racquetball has begun and intramural volleyball begins the first week in April. Also, the basewide 5K is scheduled for March 27 at 7 a.m. For more information on fitness center activities call 456-4135.