DODGEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS @ THE OC FAIR
The OC Fair and NLA Sports are proud to be hosting the Ultimate Dodgeball Championships this summer at the Orange County Fair – a full day of dodgeball excitement and competition that includes food, fun, and the OC FAIR! The UDC features separate conferences for both amateur and pro level players – offering a 6v6 Mens Divison, 6v6 Womens Division, and a 6v6 Coed Division. Best of all, the tournament will culminate in a gladiator style LAST MAN STANDING MAIN EVENT – pitting every dodgeballer against each other for the chance to be crowned the one and only Ultimate Dodgeball Champion. So call up your friends, put in a team, and join us for a day of dodgeball fun and the OC Fair!
REGISTER | RULES | SCHEDULE | LOCATION
BASIC DETAILS:
- Saturday July 28th, OC FAIR
- 18 or older to play
- Play in the Amateur level conference or Pro level conference
- Play in up two divisions – Mens or Womens, and Coed
- All registered tournament players receive an automatic bid to the Last Man Standing Main Event.
- $30 per player per division for tournament play (includes admission to OC Fair)
- All players must have signed and completed a waiver form in order to play. Tournament fee must also be paid in full.
- Team uniforms are required and must be identical (player names & numbers are encouraged, but not neccessary).
- All teams will play a minimum of 3 matches. The matches will take place during Round Robin – results determining bracket seeding for the Single Elimination Playoffs.
- PRIZES: 1st and 2nd place prizes for teams in all divisions for both conferences. Other team prizes are for Best Dressed Team, Most Spirited Team, and Team Most Likely To Lose To A Bunch of 2nd Graders.
GAME FORMAT AND GAME BALL:
The Ultimate Dodgeball Championship will feature 3 divisions of play for Amateurs and Pro levels: 6v6 Mens, 6v6 Womens, and 6v6 Coed. Players can play on teams in 1, or 2 divisions. All registered players will automatically be enrolled into the LAST MAN STANDING MAIN EVENT.
The game balls for the UDC will be the official dodgeball of the Ultimate Dodgeball Championship – the preferred dodgeball by competitive and social players. Not too hard, not too soft, just right. It’s an 8-inch, no-sting rubber ball (not a foam ball) that mimics much of what you know and love about the old school 8.5 inch playground balls, but without the messy bruising and other ugly side effects. They are supple, squeezable, “sting-free,”bounce like a rubber ball, and have enough weight even for the strongest arm. This ball is fun for everyone. (To order balls for practice, please email dodgeball@nlasports.com)
Games will be 6 versus 6 in a 50×25 cage with a center line divider. 3 balls will be in play. (see detailed rules below)
TEAM / PLAYER REGISTRATION PROCESS:
All players MUST REGISTER ONLINE. Captains should register first and create the team, and teammates can go online and sign up after. Again, each individual person on the team MUST register online. Players can play in 2 of the 3 divisions. We expect to sell out, so team spot reservations will be accepted in the order received. Each registered player is automatically enrolled for the LAST MAN STANDING MAIN EVENT.
LOCATION: OC FAIR, ACTION SPORTS ARENA
OFFICIAL RULES OF THE ULTIMATE DODGEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
THE TEAM
(players can play in 1 or 2 divisions – each division will feature a Pro Level Conference & Amateur Level Conference)
COED - Teams will be made up of a minimum of six (6) players. Six players will compete on a side with a minimum of three (3) players of each gender.
MENS - Teams will be made up of a minimum of six (6) male players. Six (6) players will compete on a side.
WOMENS - Teams will be made up of a minimum of six (6) female players. Six (6) will compete on a side.
Team are allowed to carry more than six players for substitutes on their roster (players must be registered and paid online). Substitutes cannot enter a LIVE game at any time. Substitutions can only occur in-between games.
PLEASE NOTE: ALL SUBSTITUTES FOR ANY PARTICULAR GAME MUST BE STANDING OUTSIDE OF THE CAGE. AT NO TIME DURING A GAME CAN A SUBSTITUTE ENTER THE GAME.
THE GAME
The object is to eliminate all opposing players by getting them “OUT”. This may be done by:
1. Hitting an opposing player with a thrown ball. Head shots OF ANY KIND DO NOT COUNT – (this means that if a ball hits some in the head/face, the player is safe – no matter if they are standing/jumping/ducking. It is at the discretion of the ref to determine if ball was a head shot.
2. Catching a ball thrown by your opponent before it touches the ground.
3. Causing an opponent to drop a live ball as a result of contact by another thrown live ball. (usually occurs when a ball is being used to block a thrown ball.)
Definition: LIVE- A ball that has been thrown and has not touched the cage/floor/ground, official or other item outside of the playing field, including a player already knocked out.
NOTE: A ball is STILL LIVE if it hits another player, allowing for multiple people to get knocked out or a teammate to save a player who was hit with LIVE ball. A ball is STILL LIVE if it hits another ball – so a player is OUT if he/she blocks a ball into themselves or another player. This also means that any catches off a ball is considered a live catch and the thrower is out.
BOUNDARIES
1. During play, all players must remain inside the caged court.
2. Players cannot cross the center line at any time during play.
3. During play, players cannot stay and hide behind the BACK LINE.
4. A player may be handed a ball, provided the player receiving the ball remains completely within their team’s field boundaries. Players may be handed a ball while standing out of bounds.
5. A player shall not:
a. Leave the playing field to avoid being hit.
b. Have any part of their feet cross the center line and contact ground on their opponent’s side of the court.
c. Pinch the ball to throw.
THE OPENING RUSH
At the start of the match, captains from both teams will Ro-Sham-Bo (rock, paper, scissors) for ball advantage at the start of the 1st game. Game begins by placing three (3) dodgeballs along the center line (2 on one side of the center line, 1 on the other). Players then take a position behind their end line. Following a signal by the official, teams may approach the centerline on their designated side (right side) to retrieve the balls. This signal officially starts the contest. Once a ball is retrieved it can be legally thrown. A player’s foot cannot cross the center line. An infraction will result in an immediate “OUT”. Once the first attack is made by either team, any balls remaining on the center line are “live” and can be retrieved by either team. Ball advantage on the rush will alternate with teams in each subsequent game during the match. AT NO TIME ARE YOU ALLOWED TO RUSH FOR THE SAME BALL AS YOUR OPPONENT.
GETTING “OUT”
You are “OUT” if you are hit by a LIVE ball, illegally step over any stipulated boundaries, or if a ball thrown by you is caught by an opposing player. Once players are “OUT” they must line up on the sideline next to the head ref in the order they got “OUT” to wait to come back in. Players knocked “OUT” during a game can shag or retrieve balls, but must keep one hand or foot on the cage at all times.
CATCHES AND COMING BACK IN
When a player catches a LIVE ball, a teammate who was already “OUT” can come back “IN.” The opposing player who threw the ball is “OUT.” Players come back “IN” in the order they were “OUT.” A player who already has a ball in his/her hands CAN use that ball to “assist” in catching another ball as ball contact is still LIVE. IT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED A CATCH IF A BALL YOU THROW BOUNCES OFF YOUR OPPONENT’S BALL BACK TO YOUR SIDE SO YOU CAN CATCH IT.
TIMING AND WINNING A GAME
Teams will compete in several (5) minute games per match (number of games per match contingent upon final number of registered teams). In each game, the first team to legally eliminate all opposing players will be declared the winner. A 5-minute time limit has been established for each game. If neither team has been eliminated at the end of the 5 minutes, the team with the greater number of players remaining will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, a sudden death overtime will take place with the remaining players. The first team to lose a player in sudden death overtime will lose the match, no matter how many players remain. Sudden death is only two (2) minutes. In the event of a tie in sudden death, both sides will do a single Ro-Sham-Bo for the victory (RSB only applies during Round Robin – for playoff, there will be no time limit in Sudden Death.
In order to reduce stalling, a violation will be called if a team in the lead controls all five (5) balls on their side of the court for more than 5 seconds. To avoid further stalling, the side with more balls will receive a 5-second count at the head ref’s discretion. With 90 seconds left in a game, the 5 second count will start immediately on the side with ball advantage.
SUDDEN DEATH
The first team to lose a player in sudden death overtime will lose the match, no matter how many players remain. Sudden death is only two (2) minutes during Round Robin and unlimited during playoffs. In the event of a tie in sudden death during Round Robin, a designated player from each team will do a single Ro-Sham-Bo for victory. Sudden death will begin with a player from each team doing a heads up single Ro-Sham-Bo. This will determine which side will start with advantage in balls. The number of balls in play for Sudden Death is equal to the number of players per side. For example, a 1v1 battle will feature 1 ball, a 2v2 battle will feature 2 total balls, and a 3v3 will feature 3 total balls. Ball distribution will start off in favor of the Ro-Sham-Bo winner.
SUICIDES
During regular game play a player may attempt a suicide on the opposition. A suicide is a where player launches himself/herself in the air and crosses the plane of the center line to get closer to their intended target. A legal suicide must meet the following conditions:
1) Player launch must take place legally, with no part of the foot/feet touching past the center line.
2) Ball must be released before landing on the opponent’s side.
3) Suicide player is not hit in the air prior to launching ball.
4) Suicide player cannot make physical body contact with the opponent prior to releasing ball. This is the responsibility of the suicider. If physical contact is made, suicider is out and intended target is safe.
Furthermore – by definition – regardless if the suicide is successful or not, the “suicider” will be automatically called out.
RULE ENFORCEMENT
During games rules will be enforced primarily by the “honor system”. All games will be officiated by 2 player refs provided by assigned teams. ALL CALLS WILL BE FINAL – NO EXCEPTIONS.
CODE OF CONDUCT
1. Understand, appreciate and abide by the rules of the game.
2. Respect the integrity and judgment of game officials and NLA staff.
3. Respect your opponent and congratulate them in a courteous manner following each match.
4. Be responsible for your actions and maintain self-control.
5. Do not taunt or bait opponents and refrain from using foul or abusive language.
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