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Certainly. Like showing fourth-graders how to put a condom on a banana, reading the Koran, indoctrinating them in the wonders of socialism, and reading aloud from Bill Clinton's (ahem) "biography". |
Posted on 06/19/2004 6:56:42 AM PDT by qam1
The sting of a red rubber dodgeball, the shame of being the first struck out, the rapture in being the last player standing.
Though nostalgic Baby Boomers and a subsequent generation might recall sensations such as these, children in Palm Beach and Martin County schools might not have the chance.
"Not as long as I can help it," said Kevin Sterling, program planner for physical education for Palm Beach County grades K-12. "It's an extremely aggressive, dangerous game."
Dodgeball is not officially banned in Martin County, according to Delores Calloway, the director of school improvement and curriculum for the Martin County School District. But it has been banned in Palm Beach County schools for about 10 to 15 years, Sterling said.
Sterling said he cannot recall any serious injuries resulting from the game in Palm Beach County, but he said there have been many minor injuries. And he thinks dodgeball is an unhealthy form of physical education.
"I think it definitely has a negative effect on the self-esteem. We can do much more productive things," he said.
At Hidden Oaks Middle School in Stuart, the days of dodgeball ended three years ago. But Principal Jenny Lambdin said the kids might be missing out.
"I know when I grew up we played it on the playground, and I always had fun, but... I know times have changed," she said. "I think that there are certain students that maybe other kids like to pick on; they might just throw the ball to hit them.... They don't have a lot of sensitivity sometimes."
Sandra Brown has been principal at Belvedere Elementary School in West Palm Beach for three years and says no balls have been -- or will be -- dodged under her watch.
"I prefer not to have anything thrown at children," she said, adding that the physical education curriculum has many ball-handling activities for children to prepare them for sports such as baseball and basketball.
But organizations such as the International Dodge-Ball Federation are working to bring dodgeball back into the mainstream and back on the playgrounds.
After learning about IDBF online, Larry Self of New Smyrna Beach, 55, was so nostalgic for his dodgeball days at Davidson High School in Mobile, Ala., that he agreed to work full time as the federation's Florida commissioner without pay.
"It was exciting, and it had a thrill element to it that other sports didn't seem to have. It was this excitement, and the fear of being put out," he said. "You really wanted to be the last one standing."
New equipment and strictly sanctioned rule books are making for safer play, and Self plans to meet with public school officials and city parks and recreation departments in an attempt to bring the childhood pastime America loves to hate back into mainstream children's sports.
"(The new balls have) a fabric cover and only weigh 2 to 3 pounds, so you can throw it hard and hit somebody with it, and it's not going to leave any abrasions or anything like that," Self said. "We want to eliminate any fears about the way it was played in the past."
Motorcycling can kill. Outlaw it!
Automobiles can kill! Outlaw them!
Mosquitos can kill! Outlaw them! Puleeeeez!!
"I think it definitely has a negative effect on the self-esteem"
Not if you win.
Survival of the fittest.
Y'know, I'm of two minds about this. I was that fat kid in school that was always the first one out in dodgeball, usually with the imprint of a ball on the side of my head, and I do remember the taunts and the general feeling of uselessness. On the other hand, though, I wonder what would do more damage to a child...the humiliation like I went through, or cocooning them from competition entirely like the nanny schools do now?
}:-)4
I probably only won Dodgeball once or twice but I loved it even when I didn't win. It teaches you about life and yourself. But it's meant for kids not grownups like today.
Isn't it bad for a child's self esteem to strike out in baseball?
Let's get rid of the 3 strikes you're out rule.
I am sure it stung and was humiliating, but you were still out there trying weren't you? And how many worse humiliations are there in life? I'd rather be humiliated and dealwith it in dodgeball.
We didn't use any "no-marks" soft balls. We used heavy basketballs blown up so hard they went 'ping' every time you bounced them. Hard as rocks. No one died. Plenty were humiliated.
When I was a kid I got my nose broken playing baseball. When we played dodgeball in gym class it was a no holds barred game. We had a gym teacher who was one of those super macho types would take out the weak first. I never got real good at catching the ball but I could take a hit and dodge with the best of them.
Haven't we heard about this activity happening on school buses and in classrooms?
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Certainly. Like showing fourth-graders how to put a condom on a banana, reading the Koran, indoctrinating them in the wonders of socialism, and reading aloud from Bill Clinton's (ahem) "biography". |
Smear the queer was fun too.
Actually, my husband and I watched a specials olympics baseball game. It was great. Every kid up to bat swung until he/she hit the ball and if she couldn't deal with the pitched ball, they put up the t-ball stand. The kids then would cheer, on both teams. It was a lot of fun to watch.
I was also one frequently targeted first in dodge ball. There are plenty of other ways to be humilitated for practice in grade school. I don't really grieve the passing of dodge ball.
My little 9 year old granddaughter is turning into a fine athlete and broke the school record for the "rings". She plays basketball with the boys. AND, she's oh, so feminine but she's damn serious when she's "working" at what she loves!
Play for fun. No one really gives a damn if you win or lose. It ain't the NBA. It's your youth!!
I didn't mind dodgeball so much, but I got kind of tired of dodge-the-kid-trying-to-put-panties-on-your-head. Glad they took that out of the curriculum.
People have to learn to deal with losing at some point in their lives, and when they're kids is the best time. Really, who's life is going to be 100% fun and games all the time? If kids don't learn to handle having anything bad happen to them, what will happen when they become adults? A little embarrassment won't kill them. It'll make them stronger in the long run.
Of course, the people who advocate a nanny state would like nothing more than an electorate who can't handle life by themselves.
I dunno, when I was a kid I was the biggest priss in the class and I LOVED dodge ball!
Maybe they should spend more effort finding out why the kids can't read or write. When they grow up, being able to at least write a coherent email will do wonders for their "self-esteem".
If you recall any of those things with fondness, you should try paintball. It's long-distance dodgeball with an adrenaline edge.
T. Roosevelt
- New York City
February 17, 1899
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