The dodge ball played in the UI’s intramural tournament is not your typical game of dodge ball.

The image of a wide open gym with a dozen balls flying all over the place and overcrowded teams with only five people actually trying is quite different from the games played in the Field House on Tuesday night.

Instead of playing on a basketball or volleyball court, Iowa’s intramural dodge-ball games are played on a much smaller racquetball court.

"The smaller space allows for more energy," said student intramural supervisor Jimmy Malewig. "It is much more fast-paced."

The speed is reflected in the format of the dodge-ball matches. The first team to win eight individual games wins the match, because games can end so quickly.

"The small space makes the games go a lot quicker," said Lee Przybylski, whose Dirty Oars (Port) team advanced to the semifinals.

The smaller space allows only three players on each team to play at a time, and only three balls are used. Players are also not allowed to hang onto the balls for more than 10 seconds, preventing the stalemates seen in other dodge-ball games.

Przybylski said the smaller court also benefited those with good arms.

"You can’t dodge as much, so there is more reward for hard throwers," he said. Controlling rebounds off the walls is a big part of winning games, he noted.

Sophomore Spencer Heath called intramural dodge ball "a lot more intense" than regular dodge ball, and the balls are harder to catch with the players so close to one another.

Malewig called dodge ball "a fairly new intramural sport that is growing in popularity," and he predicted that it would become very popular in the next few years.

Twenty-eight teams entered the competition this year. A round-robin format cut the field to a 19-team single-elimination tournament, which took place over Monday and Tuesday.

US OFF claimed the tournament championship, defeating Rag Riders, 8-3, in the title match. US OFF’s championship match victory was its third match of the night. After a disappointing loss last year, the squad fell in the semifinals, US OFF came in this year with a strategy, Heath said.

"We kept the balls on our side and aimed high so the balls bounced back to us," he said. He also noted that US OFF was able to catch throws from the Rag Riders at critical points in the final match.

After splitting the first four games of the championship, US OFF rolled to win five straight games to take a commanding 7-2 lead. After losing the next game, the squad put away its opponent to claim victory and an intramural championship.

Despite the differences from typical dodge ball, Malewig said, playing the game in gym class drives players to play intramurals. "Who doesn’t want to relive their high-school days of playing dodge ball?" he said.