Do you remember dodgeball?

[ambitious_wench]

I remember dodgeball. I remember being the target of those big red rubber balls, and the pain they caused. But what was worse was the glee the throwers showed when they scored a "hit", and usually, it was to the head, chest or back.

Am I being a whiner? Perhaps. But that doesn't invalidate the fact that this is a game that rewards brutal behavior, doesn't actually teach the less agile or quick how to be more agile or quick, and can widen the gap between the bigger, stronger kids and those who are smaller and weaker and slower.

The reason I am writing about this is because there is a case before the New York Apellate Court that is examining whether or not dodgeball should still be played in grades K-12 in that state.


From: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Dodgeball%20on%20Trial

N.Y. lawsuit kicks dodgeball into court

By MICHAEL GORMLEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The high-energy school yard game of dodgeball is getting kicked around a New York courtroom, where questions are being raised about whether it's just too dangerous for young children to play.

This week, a New York state Appellate Division panel refused to dismiss a lawsuit that claims a school wronged a 7-year-old girl who broke her elbow while playing dodgeball.

State and national education officials say what makes the case unique is that the lawsuit doesn't fault the school for poor supervision - but for allowing children that young to play at all.

The new challenge comes as the game is flourishing as a trendy adult activity; the obsession was the comic focus of a movie starring Ben Stiller.

But the game is also being targeted as unfair, exclusionary, and warlike for school-age youngsters. Some schools in Maine, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Texas, Massachusetts and Utah have banned dodgeball or its variations, including war ball, monster ball and kill ball.

"Dodgeball is not an appropriate activity for K-12 school physical education programs," according to The National Association for Sport and Physical Education, a nonprofit professional organization of 20,000 physical education teachers, professors, coaches, athletic directors and trainers. Dodgeball provides "limited opportunities for everyone in the class, especially the slower, less agile students who need the activity the most."

New York's case began in the fall of 2001. Seven-year-old Heather Lindaman was playing a variation of dodgeball in gym class on a hardwood court. The version included several balls and no safety or protection zone to run from the thrown balls.

Heather became tangled with another child and fell, breaking her elbow. Her lawyer, Philip Johnson, said the injury required surgery and there is a continuing concern her injured arm might not grow as long as her other arm because a growth plate may have been affected.

The New York appellate judges upheld a lower court ruling that the school district's request for summary dismissal of the case, without trial, should be denied. They said there is an argument to be heard about whether this version of dodgeball "was particularly dangerous for younger children."

The judges found some merit in the family's expert witness, Steve Bernheim, a recreational and educational safety authority. The judges wrote: "While there are no established standards of age appropriateness for dodgeball, it is recognized as a potentially dangerous activity and has been banned by several school districts in New York and elsewhere."

The appellate panel said while schools can't be "insurers of the safety of their students, they are under a duty to exercise the same degree of care as would a reasonably prudent parent."

The girl is now active and healthy, argued the school district's attorney, Keith O'Hara, and Johnson agreed. The family has not said how much it seeks in its lawsuit, Johnson said.

"This seems to be a new area," O'Hara said. "It kind of makes you think, `What's next?'"

More schools are likely to be asking the same thing.

The New York State School Boards Association is analyzing Thursday's court decision and preparing an article for its members governing districts statewide.

"Districts get sued all the time over these issues and the courts throw them out, usually in favor of the districts," said the association's Barbara Bradley. "But in this particular instance, the court has focused on whether this (game) is appropriate ... that's what seems unusual."

The Vestal Central School District now must decide whether to again appeal to have the suit dismissed or prepare for trial. No decision has been made, O'Hara said.

Comments

Oh dear, disagreement.

[whispersinink.livejournal.com]

To tell the truth, I always lost at dodgeball. Every time. Oh, I got one or two kids out, but I was bad at the game. Heck, I was a loner anyway. I don't think my heart was in it when I played it, whenever that was. No idea how old I was at the time.

Here's the but. It's an old game. Your parents probably played dodgeball, or worse. Kids got injured at many ages. I remember in my Elementary at lest three instances of kids breaking bones, including my brother breaking his nose in a softball game. I broke my pinky chasing my brother through the house in a game of tag.

It happens.

As a matter of fact, in this instance, I would be advocating movement in the opposite direction. I'd love to see fencing, boxing, and karate as sports in high schools. They teach discipline and dedication, and the challenges of dealing with both winning and losing. For non-contact sports, I think we should bolster track and field programs, even archery. I want to include the chess club here... but hey, not a sport. (Oop, my geek is showing.)

As I see it, sports teach us rules. Yes, there is an aspect of dominance. It's the structure that makes the difference.

But I'm ranting. Dodgeball could come or go. I not sure if it would make a difference. In this piece, the girl was really young, and it sounds like she wasn't looking where she was going.

I still do this. A lot. Today in fact.

Okay, I'm done. :)

Re: Oh dear, disagreement.

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

Disagreement is ok, as long as there is mutual respect. I'd like to point out that all the games you named teach agility, strength, speed *equally*, without making the less endowed sit out for long periods like dodgeball does.

As a mother, I don't like the idea of any chid being estranged and excluded based on being weaker. Isn't PE supposed to be raising the level of all students, not just those who already are bigger, stronger, faster?

Edie

Re: Oh dear, disagreement.

[whispersinink.livejournal.com]

I may be wrong, as I often am, but I believe in this country PE was began to strengthen youth to prepare them for war. World war 1 I believe. I'll have to check that out.

Anyway, I think most games and exercises are now designed toward the whole group without the risk of alienation of a child as a main component. As far as whether that's good for the child, I dunno. As you pointed out, the sports I named teach agility and skill, but they're derided for their violence.

As far as being a mother, I'm not sure of what steps you could really take in regards to being weaker or timid, other than helping the child find a passion to focus on, and making arrangements at the school to try to keep bullying/dominance games to a minimum.

[djfiggy.livejournal.com]

I remember playing "King's Court", which seemed similar. In that one, being hit didn't mean sitting out, it meant crossing over to the other team's "dungeon". And if someone throws the ball back there and you catch it, you're free to go back to the other side and keep playing.

[mintogrubb.livejournal.com]

I played dodgeball as a kid. It depends on the sort of ball used, I suppose, and the ones we had were soft and bouncy. i do agree, though, that there are better games that kids could play. And, no, you cannot teach speed, agilty and agression. It is there, or not.

[redhead-sue.livejournal.com]

I have to agree that dodgeball is really not a game for kids that young -- I think it is a violent, awful game for kids of any age, actually. I mean, this is a game where people throw balls as hard as they can at people and often even aim for their heads. (Of course the kids with glasses are terrified.)

But in reading the article, it does seem that the accident could have happened in most sports. The girl got tangled in another girl and fell. That could have happened by running to first base, or even running to try to reach the swings first. We can't protect children from every single thing. Kids play; they're going to get hurt.