At VDL, spirit is paramount. To us, it means having a positive attitude and fair play, individually and as a team. Spirit is defined as “conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy, and grace in losing.” The integrity of dodgeball depends on each player’s responsibility to uphold the spirit.
However, playing with spirit doesn’t mean VDL discourages high levels of competition. VDL celebrates excellence in sports, but it should never be at the expense of the mutual respect amongst players, adherence to the agreed upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Actions such as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, arguing with referees, not congratulating the other team after a hard fought match, or other “win-at-all-costs” behavior are contrary to the dodgeball spirit and must be avoided by everyone.
The fabulous thing about spirit is that it is contagious – the more people that embrace it, the easier it is for others to catch. And a game filled with spirited players is a great dodgeball game.