Fall Dodgeball - Week Two: "You Guys Are Assholes!"

We sure are. Didn't get any photos this week, but this is a fair approximation of what it looked like last night.

Our first match was a great one, though the ending was sadly anticlimactic. Still, the build-up to the end was a fun time. I don't know how we managed to knock out ten games so quick, but by the time we got down to the final match, it was tied 5-5. It would have been swizzity to beat this team, but after a tiebreaker that lasted less than a minute, they walked away victorious. I had a gnarly side ache and was sweating profusely, so at least I knew I was getting my workout in. And I managed to stumble going backwards trying to catch a ball and wound up flailing on my ass (and not catching the ball), so I got my minor humiliation taken care of for the evening, too.

So: though we didn't win, it was a fun time, with plenty of fast-paced action. All the key elements of an enjoyable dodgeball match. We wouldn't be nearly as lucky the second time around.

It's strange how emotions can escalate so quickly when people are winging balls at each other. Or how the inherent fast pace of the game can lead to utter confusion about regulations, arguments over who hit what, or a certain inkling that the team you're playing against isn't quite clear on how the game works. It all happened so fast: Balls weren't cleared past the back line. Balls kept sailing at our faces and necks. Opposing players kept standing out of bounds. Words were exchanged.

I called a guy "bro." As in: "Hey bro! Nice one!" as I gave him a thumbs up after he pointed at me to get off the court. There's no call for that sort of unsportsmanlike conduct. But I shouldn't have yelled at him. It's always weird when my emotions get the best of me. I'm always pretty certain I don't have any. Anywho.

Not our proudest moment. One of the girls on the opposing team called us assholes (see title) because we were throwing too hard. I disagree with that statement and concept in more than five ways, but whatevsky. We beat them fair and square, and after the match, we all shook hands and made nice. (Except for one guy on their team who went directly to the stands and didn't do the obligatory post-match "good game" high-fiving. Way to take a stand, dude.)

We don't play them again. I'm OK with that.

Standings are here. We are Team Awesome. We are 2-2. We haven't been at the .500 mark for two weeks straight in a long time. It's humbling.

Bro.