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Marines

Photo Information

Lance Cpl. Jovan Caballeros, a motor transportation operator with 6th Engineer Support Battalion, winds up his throw as Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Dale Dixon, a hospital corpsman with Detachment 2, Group Aid Support, 4th Marine Logistics Group, releases his shot in a coordinated attack to “peg out” an adversary during the Innovative Readiness Training Joint Task-Force Summit West Virginia final dodge ball game, at Mount Hope, W. Va., Aug. 7, 2013. IRT is a Marine-led training event with support from the Navy Reserve Forces Command, Army Reserve and Army National Guard. It provides real-world training opportunities for service members and units to prepare them for their wartime missions while supporting the needs of America’s underserved communities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Fenton Reese)

Photo by Cpl. Fenton Reese

Out of Dodge: West Virginia IRT personnel build physical fitness, morale, camaraderie through dodge ball tradition

20 Aug 2013 | Cpl. Fenton Reese U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve

“Ready…1…2…3…” Cpl. Eric Emler, a motor transportation operator with 6th Engineer Support Battalion, yelled excitedly, as two teams of Marines, sailors and soldiers of all ranks lay flat and on line, facing each end of the Mount Hope High School gymnasium.

The commotion filled gymnasium fell silent and tension grew as the service members anticipated the final call to kick off their last dodge ball game before their departure from their two-week annual training supporting the Innovative Readiness Training in West Virginia.

Each game consisted of two teams of five-on-five, all the way up to 15-on-15.  The teams clashed in high-intensity games, with the winner being declared after winning two of three matches.

“It’s really intense, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Lance Cpl. Alan Narvaez, motor transportation operator with 6th ESB. “You get to see things that you would never expect from people.” 

The Redwood City, Calif., native said that everyone from the lowest to the highest rank truly shows a different side and awesome spirit when playing.

“It’s great to see,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be so competitive. It’s definitely brought us closer.”

Maj. Paul R. Baczuk, officer-in-charge of the IRT, agreed and said dodge ball has been a great pastime for the personnel.

“It’s interesting because a lance corporal can ‘peg out’ a battalion commander without any repercussions,” he said. “I think it is great for camaraderie and fun to watch.”

An additional bonus of playing dodge ball is the safety aspect of the sport, said Baczuk.

Baczuk explained that with the full gymnasium at the unit’s disposal, there are many other sports and activities, like basketball, that come to he and his troops minds to play. However, mission readiness is more important than recreation, and there were too many injuries in the past from other sports.

“I have yet to see anyone get hurt playing dodge ball,” he said. “It’s a good thing.”

According to Narvaez, there are even more benefits to playing this game beyond the excitement and competition.

“It’s not only fun, but its great physical training and a relief from work,” he said. “When you’re mad or anything, you can get it out of your system on the court. In addition, it’s really good for unit cohesion.”

 The Marines, sailors and soldiers of IRT Summit dodged, ducked, dipped and dove their way to better physical fitness, increased morale and a higher level of unit cohesion through dodge ball, while maintaining mission readiness and operational tempo.

The silence in the gymnasium was broken by the motivational battle cries of each team.

Emler’s fingers tightened to the floor as if he was preparing to tear the panels right from the ground. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead as he took a deep breath.

“Go!” he exclaimed.

At that moment, the two teams charged in a war-like fashion toward center court, where the round, rubber weapons of this conflict lay awaiting to be claimed and harnessed. They met in the middle and grabbed and clawed for possession. Immediately after the initial clash, red, blue, yellow and green streamed through the air across the gymnasium. Onlookers in the bleachers cheered and players jeered as the unit tradition continued.