At its most intense, balls thrown by National Dodgeball League players can fly by Rob Immel at 70 mph.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s great playing different tournaments all over the place, seeing different styles,” Immel said. “The National Dodgeball League brings together teams from all over the place in one tournament.”
Immel, 24, plays for the New York Epic. He also teaches physical education and is an advocate for dodgeball being in a school’s curriculum.
“To be honest, I think it is one of the best games for a kid,” Immel said. “The dodging, your side-to-side, the agility work, every student is getting a workout.”
In his class, he shows students video of his games and makes sure they understand the differences between what he does and the altered version they play in class.
“They run their own games,” Immel said. “They do their warm-ups. I bring in a real dodgeball that I use and my uniform, and we show a couple of pro games on TV and we talk about the difference between “Survivor” and dodgeball.
“I see where people in the past are coming from. I’m big in the physical education community, and I think the teachers coming up now see more of the advantages of a game like that.”
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post
