Dodgeballing again!

Back in action with the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club.

It was brilliant to be back in action with the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club last night.

Richard Gottfried - Dodgeballer

The session in Parrs Wood, Manchester was the first one for the club's adult members since March 2020.

The games were my first since the 10th March 2020 - that's 777 days!

I played 4, won 2, lost 2 in games. A fun mix of Prison Rules, Super Catch and Secret Spy.

I was also the third last player in the Last Person Standing game at the end of the night.

Check out the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club website for more info on the Tuesday night sessions.

See the British Dodgeball website for more info on the serious side of the game.

My 'all-time' Dodgeball Win-Loss Record (2005-2022) now stands at 991 games played, 453 wins, 494 losses and 44 tied games.

I've been playing the game since the eighties so this is my fifth decade!

My last pre-pandemic games of dodgeball

I played my last pre-coronavirus pandemic lockdown games of dodgeball a year ago today.

In my last Tuesday night session with the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club I played 5, won 4 and lost 1.

I'm really looking forward to returning to dodgeball action when it's once again safe to do so.

My 2020 record stood at 18 games played with 9 wins and 9 losses.

My all-time Dodgeball Win-Loss Record (2005-2020) stands at 987 games played, 451 wins, 492 losses and 44 tied games.

Dodgeball with the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club in Stockport

In my last Tuesday night session with the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club I played 5, won 4 and lost 1 in games.

We also played a lot of fast-paced METEOR BALL games. That was superb FUN as you're constantly moving, dodging, ducking, dipping, diving and dodging. If you're hit or get caught out you run to the back wall and then re-enter the game.

I'm looking forward to returning to dodgeball action once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

What retro wrestling t-shirt shall I wear for my next dodgeball outing?

My 2020 record stands at 18 games played, 9 wins, 9 losses.

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My all-time Dodgeball Win-Loss Record stands at:

• 2005-2020: Played 987, Won 451, Lost 492, Tied 44.

By year:

• 2005-2013: Played 959, Won 437, Lost 478, Tied 44.
• 2014-2018: Inactive.
• 2019: Played 10, Won 5, Lost 5, Tied 0.
• 2020: Played 18, Won 9, Lost 9, Tied 0.

Related blog posts:

• Dodgeball
• Dodgeball - getting back in the game

Links:

• Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club
• British Dodgeball

Dodgeball - getting back in the game

Playing dodgeball in Cheadle.

Last night I played dodgeball for the first time in over six years as I attended a session with the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club.

One of the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club balls

My last matches were with the Harpenden Dodgeball Club back in April 2013 so it was superb to be back in action.

The Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club run sessions on Tuesday evenings and it was brilliant to see a mix of people, ages and abilities playing the fun game.

Dodgeball is a fantastic game to play. It's easy to get into and you can play for fun or take it more seriously if you like

I'm looking forward to playing more dodgeball over the coming months.

Back in dodgeball action. I also picked up a win in the Last Man Standing match!

Check out Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club website for more information.


My all-time Dodgeball Win-Loss Record:

• 2005-2013 - Played 959, Won 437, Lost 478, Tied 44.
• 2014-2018 - Inactive.
• 2019-present - Won the Last Person Standing match (10/12/19).

Associations / Rules played under:

• Dodgeball UK (2005-2007)
• Get Back Into/UKDBA (2010-2011)
• England Dodgeball (2011-2013)
• British Dodgeball (2019-)

Teams played for:

• New Lutonians (2005-2006)
• The Dodgeball Assassins (2005-2006)
• Abingdon Dodgeball Alliance (2005-2007)
• Luton Dodgeball Club (2010-2011)
• Harpenden Dodgeball Club (2011-2013)
• Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club (2019-)

Related blog posts:

- Dodgeball

- Dodgeball - Then & Now (2010)

Jump Heaven Trampoline Park in Stockport

There's a Trampoline Park with Ninja Warrior and Total Wipeout in Stockport!

Exploring the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport this weekend we spotted Jump Heaven on Pepper Road in Hazel Grove - it's the UK's first trampoline, Ninja Warrior, Parkour and Total Wipeout arena. It looks marvellous.

Emily and I have done a number of sports, games and activities on our travels - with aerial extreme high ropes and indoor skydiving being two of the more energetic pursuits we've tried. I was awful at both.

I've seen trampoline dodgeball before and asked if they ever do that at Jump Heaven - they do, which is great news as that's the only thing I'd probably be half decent at. Although I do want to have a go on the Total Wipeout and Ninja Warrior courses.

Check out the Jump Heaven Trampoline Park website for more info, opening times and prices. You can also see the arena on the Jump Heaven YouTube Channel, Facebook and Twitter.

The Jump Super Pass costs £10 per hour - which seems like a good price to bounce around the different zones.

Workplace Challenge Fancy Dress Dodgeball Tournament in Luton

team BEDS&LUTON - the county sports partnership for Luton and Bedfordshire - is organising a Dodgeball competition in Luton as part of the Workplace Challenge initiative.

The Workplace Challenge Fancy Dress Dodgeball Tournament is taking place on Friday 22nd April from 6.30pm-9.30pm at Putteridge High School in Luton.

Find out more about the tournament on the team BEDS&LUTON website.

Back in 2005 we ran a Dodgeball league with players from around the UK travelling to events in Luton.

As part of the 'Get Back Into...' programme I joined the Luton Dodgeaball Club in 2010, I followed this up with a stint in the Harpenden Dodgeball Club.

Links:
- team BEDS&LUTON
- Workplace Challenge
- UK Dodgeball Association

Related blog posts:
- Dodgeball
- team BEDS&LUTON

Dodgeball to be shown live on Eurosport 2!

Eurosport to televise the 2013 European Dodgeball Championships LIVE from Chester, England in August!

While playing at Harpenden Dodgeball Club recently I heard that this year's European Dodgeball Championships will be shown live on Eurosport!

The 2013 European Dodgeball Championships will be taking place in Chester on the 24th and 25th of August and will see Eurosport screen two hours of live Dodgeball action on each day.

The tournament will be run by the UK Dodgeball Association and take place at the Cheshire County Sports Club in Chester, England. The two-day tournament will see championships contested in both Men and Women's categories.

Great news for a great fun sport. I can't wait to watch the action!

Links:

- United Kingdom Dodgeball Federation (UKDBA)

- European Dodgeball Federation (EDBF)

- England Lions Dodgeball

- UK Eurosport

- Cheshire County Sports Club

- Harpenden Dodgeball Club

- Dodgeball Related Blog Posts on the Ham & Egger Files

Finding out about StreetGames...

...and playing some in Luton!

As an avid user of Twitter and fan of all types of sports and games I recently followed StreetGames – a sports charity that brings sport to the doorsteps of young people in disadvantaged communities all over the UK.

Upon checking out their tweets I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was their 2100th follower and had therefore won a StreetGames t-shirt.

When the parcel arrived I was very happy to find that not only did I receive a t-shirt, but also a Goodie Bag full of great stuff, including a very nice StreetGames medal! Emily and I will no doubt be competing for this prize when it gets hotter and the evenings longer.

The StreetGames Goodie Bag

With the weather unseasonably warm and the evening still light enough to grab some decent photos of me wearing my new StreetGames t-shirt, I headed out to the streets of Luton last night to play. I had a quick game of one of my all-time favourites – Kerby. Along with some Double Yellow-Line Dominoes!

Me at my local Kerby 'court' in Luton

One of my favourite indoor games, taken to the street - Double Yellow-Line Street Dominoes!

On a serious note, StreetGames looks to support projects in disadvantaged communities in the UK that help young people get involved in sports and also provide volunteering opportunities. You can find out more about StreetGames here.

Checking out the StreetGames website you can see they run projects offering a range of sports including: Angling, Athletics, Badminton Basketball, Cricket, Fencing, Football, Futsal, Handball, Judo, Multi-sport sessions, Netball, rock climbing, Roller Sports, Rugby League, Rugby Union, StreetCheer, StreetDance, Table Tennis, Tennis, Tri Golf and Volleyball.

Perhaps Minigolf/Crazy Golf and Dodgeball would be good activities for future projects...?

You can follow StreetGames on Twitter, Facebook & YouTube and check out their website here.

Minigolf at Watford TopGolf - Major Course Improvements & Match vs. 'Rowdy' Russell Fenner

On Wednesday 23rd November 2011 I met up with old Dodgeball UK adversary 'Rowdy' Russell Fenner for a long-awaited rematch at the 18-hole Adventure Golf course at Watford TopGolf.

I've been visiting the course at TopGolf Watford since the 2nd of December 2006, when the course became the 8th ever played on me and Emily's Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. On this latest visit the first thing I noticed (after seeing the price increase to £6 a round) was the amount of changes and improvements that had been made to the course!

Photo: The 'Rocky Pines' Canoe beside the 2-hole practice Putting area

The last time I played there was in March this year, when the course had had some extra changes made to it. At the time it wasn't in the best condition (the 18th hole being particularly horrible, especially when compared to how it used to be - a well placed shot between two rocks would reward you with a hole-in-one more often than not. See here for a photo of how it looked during the changes in July 2010). However, the new modifications have made the course the most playable it has been since our first visits back in 2006, 2007 & 2008!

As well as new obstacles, the felt has been completely relaid so there are no patches or tears. Each hole has also had a sign put up and they all now carry names.

Photo: Hole 1 "Canoe Canyon"

In July 2010 I played the Watford Adventure Golf course three times and on each visit the course was different! The first of those visits on the 7th saw the course a little worn in places, but quite playable. On my visit on the 13th a lot of pieces of felt were missing!? Most noticeably on the tee-off areas! Instead of felt the area was bare concrete. On my visit on the 22nd the finishing touches had been made to the 'refurb', with new patches of felt over worn areas, aling with new tee-off areas of felt (which play incredibly slowly). But the course was in a sorry state and not much fun compared to how it had been.

So I was very pleased to see the improvements, both in the general look of the course and in the playability of it. Some new bunkers have been added, tricky rock obstacles put in place, and some of the holes have been extended and/or widened. To play the course now is very different indeed compared to 2010 and earlier this year.

Photo: Hole 2 "Ramp Rage"

Photo: A stone circle

Photo: The addition of two parallel planks add a new way to play your shots on this hole

Photo: Hole 7 "Pine Pass" has had an interesting change made to it. It used to be a great hole-in-one opportunity, however the rocks have been changed to block the path to the hole! A bit of practice and a nicely weighted shot could see Aces still drop, but it's not as easy as it used to be

Photo: Hole 13 "Cross Paths" has also been significantly changed with the addition of a third route to the hole. My shot made it to the smaller of the two entry points to the tunnel, but was slightly too strong a shot and lipped out when it reached the hole

Photo: 'Rowdy' Russell Fenner goes fishing for his ball on Hole 14

Photo: The bridge on Hole 14 as it is now. Link to how it was in 2010

Photo: The dogleg left Hole 15 has also been changed to now include a ramp & tunnel in the corner. Using a very bouncy standard course (golf) ball meant that the shot into it was not ideal. However, using a good specialist minigolf deadball may see a better result

Photo: A view of the exit ramp on Hole 15

Photo: Hole 18 "Pipe Dream"

Photo: Hole 18 "Pipe Dream" - the central obstacle

Photo: Hole 18 "Pipe Dream" - the last hole and ball collector

Photo: Hole 18 "Pipe Dream" - a view of the exit ramp from the main obstacle

In our match-up I scored a 44(+8) including holes-in-one on the 5th and 9th holes. 'Rowdy' Russell had a poor round though and scored a disappointing 55(+19), far worse than he normally plays as he usually gives me a good run for my money!

As the course is in such fine shape and with the many improvements made to it I think it's in good enough condition to once again host a British Minigolf Association Tour competition - it was the location for the London Invitational Tournament won by Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd in August 2008.

The Watford TopGolf Game Centre is located at Bushey Mill Lane, Watford Herts, WD24 7AB and is very easy to find if you follow the many Brown Signs it has had put up in the surrounding area.

Photo: Just one of the many Brown Tourist Signs pointing potential visitors TopGolf's way

In order for 'Rowdy' Russell to attempt to gain a measure of revenge for his minigolf defeat we decided to have a game of Pool.

I broke.

And with my shot managed to pot the black in the middle left hand pocket. As well as potting a red in the top right hand corner pocket.

So 'Rowdy' left with a 'win'.

After our dismal performances in the Sportingbet.com UK RPS Championships last month we decided against having a Rock Paper Scissors contest to confirm an overall winner of the evening's activity and chose to call it a draw.

TopGolf Watford can be found on facebook and twitter. TopGolf Watford Adventure Golf details online.

Previous Blog Posts About Visits to Watford TopGolf:
- 17/03/11 - Adventure Golf at Watford TopGolf - 16th March 2011
- 09/12/10 - Adventure Golf at Watford TopGolf - change to Hole 18
- 01/08/10 - Changes to the felt and mats at Watford TopGolf
- 05/02/10 - Minigolf Challenge Matches at Watford TopGolf (& course visit updates)
- 30/10/09 - Adventure Golf at Watford TopGolf
- 21/12/08 - Results of the Third Annual Watford Classic
- 04/02/08 - WHAT

Link to more information, photos and videos of other course visits on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Luton Dodgeball Club is One Year Old this Week!

This week sees Luton Dodgeball Club celebrate it's first anniversary!

The very first meeting of what would eventually become the Luton Dodgeball Club took place at Lealands High School in north Luton a year ago. On Monday 27th September 2010 a bunch of players went along for the first of the "Get Back Into...Dodgeball" sessions coached by Rob Norris that took place at the sports hall on Monday nights.

The Luton Dodgeball Club is a member of England Dodgeball - the home of Dodgeball experts.

The Luton Dodgeball Club is always on the look out for new players to come along to play in the friendly weekly sessions. The sessions for seniors/adults runs from 7pm-8pm every Monday at Leagrave Primary School in Luton. The cost is £4 a session and features warm-ups, competitive games and training drills such as speed, accuracy and dodging!

Luton Dodgeball Club's new poster

Dodgeball Update - New Club - Harpenden Dodgeball Club

If you're in the Luton and Harpenden areas and are into Dodgeball you may be interested to hear that there is a new Dodgeball Club in Harpenden, as well as the existing Luton Dodgeball Club that meets in Leagrave.

The Harpenden Dodgeball Club meets for training and matches on Thursdays at the Highfield Oval in Harpenden.

The Luton Dodgeball Club meets on a Monday, although after this week's session there will be a summer break and training will begin again in September.

I have now played Dodgeball in four organisations - Dodgeball UK (2005-2007), Get Back Into/UKDBA 2010-2011) and England Dodgeball (2011-), as well as a number of clubs.

My all-time (2005-2011) Dodgeball Win-Loss Record stands at: Played-386, Won-189, Tied-7, Lost-190.

Dodgeball in Luton

Dodgeball - then and now

Dodgeball in Luton - Back in Action, in a New Organisation!

After about six or so weeks out of Dodgeball action due to injury and a change of training locations the Luton Dodge Ball Club got together for its first meeting in its new home at Leagrave Primary School in Luton, Beds.

In last week's 6-a-side event my team picked up an 11-1 victory (in games), 1,000,092 to 1 (on points)!?

The Luton Dodge Ball Club is now a member of England Dodgeball - the home of Dodgeball experts.

Poster for Luton Dodge Ball Club

The Luton Dodge Ball Club is currently mainly comprised of the 'Alumni' of the local Get Back Into Dodgeball programme, but is always on the look out for new players to come along to play in the friendly weekly sessions.

I have now played Dodgeball in four organisations - Dodgeball UK (2005-2007), Get Back Into/UKDBA 2010-2011) and England Dodgeball (2011-).

My all-time (2005-2010) Dodgeball Win-Loss Record stands at: Played-316, Won-142, Tied-7, Lost-167. Win/Loss % = 44.9%

All-time Dodgeball Win/Loss Record for Richard Gottfried

On Monday night my team celebrated a 9-8 win at Dodgeball in Luton.

My all-time Dodgeball win/loss record now stands at - P. 257, W.111, L.139, T.7 - WIN/LOSS = 43.19%

Dodgeball in Luton 2011 - Gottfried vs. Gottfried

The new Dodgeball season has got underway in Luton, Bedfordshire, with the 'Alumni' of the local Get Back Into programme continuing to play in 2011, along with picking up a few new recruits too.

Emily has un-retired from the sport and so 2011 will see a battle in the Gottfried household!

Last week we were on the same team and suffered an 8-4 defeat!

This week we were on opposing teams in our first face-to-face Dodgeball match since the glory-days of Dodgeball UK back between 2005 and 2007! Nine-matches were played, and the result was a 5-4 victory to Emily's team, with '9 Lives' getting me 'out' three times!

Photo - Luton Dodgeballer 'Stentorian' Richard Gottfried wearing an apt sweatband given to him following his Christmas excesses!


Links:
Dodgeball in Luton - End of the 2010 Season

Get Back Into

Dodgeball - Then & Now

Dodgeball in Luton - End of the 2010 Season

It was the final Dodgeball session of the 2010 season/GETBACKINTO Dodgeball Programme in Luton last night. My team suffered an 11-3 loss in games (438-3 on points!?).

A new GETBACKINTO Dodgeball Programme will be starting-up in late January 2011. Check out http://bit.ly/g7rXRp for more information about GETBACKINTO Dodgeball/Team Beds & Luton

The 'Graduates' of the current GETBACKINTO Dodgeball Group in Luton will be starting a weekly 'Club Night' in early January 2011, with a league to follow :-)

My GETBACKINTO Dodgeball Win-Loss Record stands at: Played-117, Won-55, Lost-62

My all-time (2005-2010) Dodgeball Win-Loss Record stands at: Played-219, Won-94, Tied-7, Lost-118

Dodgeball - Then & Now.

Dodgeball - then and now

Back in 2005 Emily and I were part of a Dodgeball group known as Dodgeball UK, which had leagues and teams in Luton, Welwyn, Hatfield, Abingdon, Portsmouth and Ipswich, and players travelling from all over to play.

The first officially recorded match in Dodgeball UK’s history was played on the 8th August 2005 – a battle between the ‘New Lutonians’ and the ‘Ipswich Invaders’ held at ‘Monday Madness’. The ‘New Lutonians’ took the victory 3-2 but the ‘Ipswich Invaders’ swore revenge in the future!

As Co-Captain of the pioneering Abingdon Dodgeball Alliance (ADE) I helped lead the team to victory at the first ever DodgeDay event on the 21st August 2005 at the Vauxhall Leisure Centre in Luton, Beds, defeating the teams of The Belly Dancers (later the WDW) and Just Might Lose in the tournament.

Dodgeball UK formed its rulebook on the 1st June 2005. Regular competitions stopped in 2007 following eight official 'DodgeDay' events and a number of other mini-tournaments and Trios-format competitions, and the Dodgeballs have been dormant since.

That was until recently, as I have now taken up the sport again, this time playing to the rules of the United Kingdom Dodgeball Association (UKDBA), with a new group of players in Luton, Beds on the Team Beds & Luton 'Get Back Into...Dodgeball' programme. The sessions have now been running for eight weeks and over the coming months (and years) I'm looking to get back into the swing of Dodging, Ducking, Dipping, Diving and Dodging all over again!

Information from the 2005-2007 Dodgeball UK Archives:

Teams



Players



Roll Call of Champions
‘DodgeBowl’ Winners
Season 2005-2006
- Champions – The Welwyn Dowed Warriors (WDW)
- Runners-up – Abingdon Dodgeball Alliance (ADE)
Season 2006-2007- Champions – The Welwyn Dowed Warriors (WDW)
- Runners-up – Portsmouth Dodgeball Association (PDA)

Photos from the 2005-2007 Dodgeball UK Archives

DodgeDay 1

Players from DodgeDay 1 (from l-r - 'The Narcissist' Christopher Gottfried, 'Crushing' Caroline Constable, 'Mighty' Matt Kenrick, 'Jumping' Janice Nixon, 'Stunning' Steve Noble, Jon 'Or is it Jaba' Constable, 'Stentorian' Richard Gottfried, Emily '9 Lives' Gottfried, 'Big Jon Boy' Jon Gottfried, 'Super Excited' Helena Sundarajoo, Maney 'MVP' Ullah, 'Rowdy' Russell Fenner, Paul 'Barer' Harvey and Jumpin Jaba Flash(er).

No Ball Games - yeah right!



On your marks



DodgeDay 1 Champions - The Abingdon Dodgeball Alliance (ADE)


The 'new' ADE in their new kit


'Referee' Richard Gottfried


Team Deutschland at the 'World Cup' matches at 'DodgeDay 6 - When Worlds Collide'



Team England at the 'World Cup' matches at 'DodgeDay 6 - When Worlds Collide'



Team Turkey at the 'World Cup' matches at 'DodgeDay 6 - When Worlds Collide'


'Stentorian' Richard Gottfried's Dodgeball Win/Loss Record (as at 22nd November 2010)Original Dodgeball UK (2005-2007) - Played 99, Won 37, Tied 7, Lost 55
Get Back Into... (2010) - Played 85, Won 43, Tied 0, Lost 42
Other (2010) - Played - 3, Won 2, Tied 0, Lost 1
All-Time Dodgeball Career Record (2005-2010) - Played 187, Won 82, Tied 7, Lost 98



'Stentorian' Richard Gottfried back in Dodgeball Action in 2010


Note: Doing a bit of research I found out there is a new 'Dodgeball UK' organisation operating out of London, which was founded in August 2009 - we'll have to go along to one of their events in the future.

My Crazy/Odd/Obscure/Strange Sporting Week

Saturday

• Course visits 205 and 206 on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
• Minigolf at the World of Golf in Sidcup - practice for the 2010 Kent Open tournament
• 2010 UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships at the Durell Arms, Fulham - a second-round loss

Sunday

• Kent Open Minigolf Tournament - tied for 8th and a win in the team competition

Monday

• Dodgeball Training Session and a 6-1 victory in Luton

Tuesday

• Day off

Wednesday

• 2010 Macmillan Annual Tenpin Bowling Challenge Competition at Namco Station in Luton - 3rd place finish with The Ham & Eggers Team

Thursday

• Minigolf at the Green Indoor Mini Golf - tied for 7th place in the weekly Club Tournament

Friday

• Day off, bar a bit of Ping Pong practice for the World Series of Pong

Saturday

• A re-visit to the 12-hole Crazy Golf course in Verulamium Park in St Albans, and a look at the 9-hole Putting Green

Sunday

• Ping Pong training for the World Series of Pong Slam Jam Grand Final
• Dodgeball training at Wardown Park in Luton
• A re-visit to the 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Wardown Park in Luton

Dodgeball training session and a "Best-of-three-match last-man-standing best-of-11-points One-on-One" Dodgeball Match-up!

After warming up by practicing our Ping Pong at Luton's Wardown Park Simon 'Practice' Hall and I had a Dodgeball training session, which included a "Best-of-three-match last-man-standing best-of-11-points One-on-One" Dodgeball Match-up!




I won the match 2-1 after a 6-5 game win, an 8-3 loss, and a 7-4 win.

The "Dodgeball & Ping Pong Arena" in Wardown Park, Luton.