A new sport bounced onto the scene of BJU society athletics this year: dodgeball.

Dodgeball is a good game for anyone to play because students can take as relaxed or aggressive of an approach as they like.

Kerrington Illsley, the ISC women’s athletic director, said, “It’s kind of an attempt to reach another part of the societies.”

People who wouldn’t otherwise get involved in intramural sports are more willing to play dodgeball.

Dodgeball doesn’t require players to run or to be very athletic. Players on each team simply throw lightweight dodgeballs across a center line, attempting to get players out on the other team by hitting them with the balls.

Scoring is based on the honor system: each player admits when he or she got hit and steps out of the game.

Illsley said Mike Leviere, women’s basketball coach and director of intramural sports, and Tim Kamibayashiyama, the intramural sports graduate assistant, were instrumental in adding dodgeball to the list of intramural sports.

LeViere wanted more options for students to get involved in sports during the fall semester.

Dodgeball games are often scheduled at the same time as soccer games, partly as a method of encouraging another group of people to play.

Josh Roach, the ISC men’s athletic director said dodgeball is a great option because not everyone enjoys playing soccer.

“[Dodgeball] gets more people involved in society sports and helps build unity,” he said. “I know that they have been trying to expand society sports for the past few years, and dodgeball is a great way to do that, because it gets a different crowd of people in a society involved.”

Illsley said societies who don’t have enough players to form a soccer team can play dodgeball, because it requires fewer players and a smaller time commitment.

“Even if you’re swamped with homework, you can take 25 to 30 minutes just to get out there and play a few rounds,” Roach said. “Then you can be back doing homework in no time.”

Illsley said dodgeball seems to be a very popular sport for people to come and just watch.

“It’s kind of a more casual game as opposed to a ref blows the whistle, we start the game, we score,” Illsley said.

So far, students seem to be enjoying the new sport.

“I’ve heard it’s been a lot of fun,” Roach said. “I know a lot of people really enjoy playing dodgeball. It’s pretty laid back, and it can be a lot of fun just to go out and hang out with some guys and throw some dodgeballs at each other.”

Kamibayashiyama, intramural sports graduate assistant, said that, so far, 10 men societies and 10 women societies have have created dodgeball teams.

Illsley said, “Every society should try it!”