Dodgeball Rules

 

Participants should participate with the understanding that injuries do occur & realize that taking part in the Intramural Program is completely voluntary. Therefore, Northern Michigan University is not responsible for injuries happening during play.

PARTICIPANTS SHOULD HAVE ADEQUATE HEALTH & ACCIDENT INSURANCE TO COVER ANY INJURY WHICH MAY OCCUR.

I.D.’S

Students must purchase a student recreation pass to be eligible to participate.  You must show the Intramural staff your I.D. in order to participate.  Faculty/Staff and Community Recreation members must purchase a recreation membership in order to participate in I.M.’s.  Community members must be 16 years of age. Students who are found to be participating without a current rec pass will be automatically charged the semester rate of $70.00 to their student account.

MANAGER’S MEETING

The Intramural Manager’s Meeting will be done online.  An e-mail, which is in place of the manager’s meeting, will be sent to the manager the morning following the deadline.  It will be the manager’s responsibility to read the email and relay the information to the remainder of the team.

SCHEDULES

Your team schedule will be sent to the team manager the Friday after the deadline date.  Play could begin as early as the following Monday.  It is the responsibility of each of the team managers to check their e-mail on a regular basis for team schedules and updates.  The Intramural Office will not call team managers to notify them of their team’s first game.  It is the responsibility of the team manager to inform their team of the game dates and times. 

FORFEITS

Teams are expected to begin play on time.  A team has 5 minutes to arrive after the clock begins.  If the team is more than 5 minutes late, the team present will be awarded a game win every 5 minutes until fifteen minutes is up.  A forfeit will then be declared, and a $25.00 fee will be charged to the team manager’s student account.  Teams who forfeit during the course of the regular season may not be eligible for tournament play.  Teams who forfeit twice will be dropped from further competition and be charged a total of $50.00.  You may call the Intramural Office at 227-1692 at least 48 hours prior to your game time in order to avoid the late fee.  Make sure to leave your team name, game time, and league.

PROTESTS

• All protests must be filed by the team manager at the time the question occurs.

• Protests concerning rule interpretations will be settled at the game site by the officials, or the sport supervisor.

• If a team manager believes the decisions rendered to be in error, he/she must notify the officials and supervisors that the contest will continue under protest.

• A written protest and a $5.00 protest fee must be submitted to the Intramural Sports Coordinator by noon the following day.  The fee will be returned if the protest is upheld.

• A matter involving the official’s judgment is not subject to protest.

• A protest concerning a player’s eligibility can be made before, during, or after a contest.

1.      If an eligibility question is before or during a contest, the player and team captain will be notified and given the choice of whether or not the player will play.

2.      If the player chooses to play and is found ineligible, the contest will be forfeited and that player suspended from further participation for that sport’s season.

3.      If the player leaves the contest and is found to be ineligible, the contest may be subject to review by the Intramural Sports Coordinator.

4.      A protest regarding the eligibility of players must be made before either team plays its next scheduled game.

5.      Eligibility questions after contest will be investigated by the Intramural Sports Program.  Participants found ineligible will be penalized accordingly.

ELIGIBILITY

Varsity athletes are eligible to play Dodgeball.  However, no more than one-half the number of players allowed on the court at one time shall be varsity athletes.  For dodgeball, six (6) players participate at one time, so only three (3) varsity athletes may be on the court at any one time from each team. 

EQUIPMENT

The referee shall inspect and approve all equipment.  He/she shall not permit any player to wear equipment which in his/her judgment is dangerous to other players.  Elbow, hand, finger, wrist, or arm guard, cast, or brace made of any hard substance even though covered with soft padding shall always be declared illegal. 

Shoes must be worn by all players.  A multi-purpose shoe is recommended.  Basketball and tennis shoes are permitted. 

Balls will be furnished by the Intramural Department.  The balls WILL NOT be used for pre-game warm-up. Each team manager will be held responsible for any of the above equipment damaged or not returned.

NO hard, unyielding equipment such as shoulder pads, head guards, casts, etc. may be worn.

All jewelry must be taken off or taped prior to game time.

 

The following shall be considered examples of illegal equipment, and cannot be worn:

1. Hats
2. Jewelry – e.g., rings, watches, necklaces, earrings, etc.
3. Face or spectacle guards, helmets or hard material
4. Cast of any type
5. Players shall not have any foreign objects in their mouths

These rules will not be waived!  If a player is wearing any illegal equipment, he/she will be unable to participate until this equipment is removed.

ACTIVITY AREA

PEIF Practice Gyms

PLAYERS

Six (6) players shall make up a full team.  Teams must start with a minimum of four (4) players.  For Co-Rec at least 50% of the players must be female. 

Players’ first and last names must be listed on the score sheet.  Valid I.D.’s are required and will be checked prior to each game.

SAFETY

Dodgeball is a full-contact sport and presents certain risks to the participants. In an attempt to reduce these risks, absolutely no head-shots will be allowed. Players who intentionally throw a head-shot will be ejected from the game immediately and will not be allowed to participate in further intramural Dodgeball games until meeting with the Intramural Sports Coordinator. Players deemed to have thrown intentional head-shots will be ejected from all intramural activities for the remainder of the semester.

WINNER

The team that knocks out all of their opponents first.

 

THE GAME

 

• Six balls will be used, and placed on the mid court line to start the game.

• Players must start behind their own baseline before the start of play.
• A match will consist of a possible five (5) games.  The best of five games will win the match.  A game will last no longer than ten (10) running minutes.  At the end of the allotted 50 minute match time, the winner of the most games is deemed the overall winner.
• All players must remain within the court boundaries at all times (i.e. the basketball court and the area extended from the baseline to the wall.)
• A ball is live until it hits the ground, wall, basketball hoop/backboard, ceiling, high ropes course, court dividers, or is possessed by a player.
• Any player that is struck by a ball and does not catch it is OUT, unless it is a head shot.
• Any ball thrown above shoulder height will be considered a “head shot” and the thrower will be called OUT for an illegal throw.  This may result in suspensions and further disciplinary actions. 
• When a basket is made by a ball, that team will be deemed the winner of that game.
• Deflections off of the wall, ceiling, high ropes course, bleachers, court dividers, floor, or official that consequently make a basket do not count.

 

GUIDELINES

1. Players will be called out if a thrown ball hits them on the fly.  If a thrown ball hits a player and deflects to hit a teammate, both players are out.  The ball must hit a player below the top of the shoulders to be considered an out.  If a player is hit in the head, the thrower will be considered out. If a player ducks or is on the ground and is hit in the head, the player hit will be called out.
2. Players will be called out if a ball they throw is caught on the fly. If a ball is deflected off of a player and caught by a teammate, the thrower is out and the initially hit player is out.
3. Deflections off the floor, wall, court dividers, ceiling, bleachers, hoop, high ropes course, or official do not count as an out if caught.  If the ball hits any of the above other than the backboard and consequently makes a basket, it does not count.
4. If a ball hits another ball, which a player has in their possession, it does not make either player out. If the ball is dropped as a result of contact from the thrown ball, then the player who drops the ball is out. 
5. If a ball hits another ball, which a player has in their possession and that ball is caught by a teammate, the person who threw the ball is out.  If a ball hits another ball, which a player has in their possession, and that ball hits a teammate, the person who was hit is out.
6. If a player is stalling, or making no attempt to play a ball, they will be ordered to roll the ball to the other side by the official. A player may be called out at the official’s or supervisor’s discretion for continuously stalling to avoid an outcome of the game.
7. Once a player is out, they must immediately leave the floor and stand behind the sideline by the officials. Players who have been called out can not retrieve stray balls for their teammates, or that ball will be given to the other team.
8. If a player crosses the center line, they are considered out. 
9. All decisions by officials are final; ARGUING DECISIONS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Players arguing after a warning will be penalized by disqualification from the remainder of a game or match, or ejected from the game. The Intramural Supervisor will rule on any situation not specifically covered in the rules.
10. You may only have one ball in your hands at a time.  If you are caught holding two balls, you will be called out.
11. The winning team is the one with the last person left on the court.

THROWING BALLS

Balls may not be thrown in front of the service line.  The person throwing the ball is out if the ball is caught by an opposing player on the fly (including deflections off another ball OR teammate). Also if the ball comes in contact with the opposing player's head, the person throwing the ball is out. (If a player ducks or lowers their head and the ball hits their head the player will be out. This is not considered a "head shot" because the ball was not aimed above the chest or at the head.) If the ball bounces off an opposing player and is then caught by the opposing player’s team, the person who threw the ball is out AND the person the ball deflected off of is out. If an opposing player with a ball blocks or deflects the thrown ball with the ball in their hands, it is considered a live and untouched ball until it hits the ground, strikes another player OR is caught by the opposing team.

TIE BREAKERS – PLAYOFFS ONLY

In the event of a tie, there will be one overtime period with a length of 2 minutes.  No players are replaced for any overtimes.  Boundaries for overtimes are the volleyball court lines.  If after the first overtime there is still a tie, there will be a sudden death period.  During sudden death play, the first team to eliminate an opposing team’s player shall be declared the winner.

ALCOHOL/TOBACCO  POLICY

ABSOLUTELY NO DRINKING is allowed before playing in Intramural Sports Activities!  If an official, for any reason, suspects that a player has been drinking prior to playing, that player will not be allowed to participate in the game.  If anyone is found using tobacco products or drinking he/she will be asked to leave the building and will be indefinitely suspended pending a meeting with the Intramural Sports Coordinator.