National College Dodgeball Association (NCDA)
{{Wikify|date=February 2010}}
The National College Dodgeball Association (NCDA)<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/</ref>, formerly the Midwest Dodgeball Conference (MDC), is an American Collegiate Dodgeball governing body founded in 2005, and is comprised of 19 member schools ranging from Michigan to Ohio, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. The winner of the NCDA Dodgeball Nationals Tournament, formerly the Spartan Dodgeball Invitational, is unofficially recognized as National Champion of Dodgeball<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/lakersrepeat.html</ref>. NCDA play is best known for its standard 15 v 15 games, institution of a shot clock, and adaptation of a 'neutral zone' that allows members of both teams to go on the opposite side of the center line.
The NCDA is not affiliated in any way with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
==Membership Requirements==
All NCDA member schools must 1) be officially recognized as a sport club or organization by an institution of higher learning, 2) be capable of traveling to play at least one other NCDA member school, and 3) intend to participate in at least one NCDA event per league year (September-April).
==Current Member Schools==
<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/teams.html</ref>
*[http://www.msudodgeball.com/index.html Michigan State University] (co-founder 2005)
*[http://www.depauldodgeball.com DePaul Dodgeball] (co-founder 2005)
*[http://osudodgeball.org.ohio-state.edu/ Ohio State University] (co-founder 2005)
*[[Kent State Dodgeball Club|Kent State University (co-founder 2005)]]
*[http://www2.gvsu.edu/~pothj Grand Valley State University] (joined 2005)
*[http://www.uky.edu/studentorgs/dodgeball/home.html University of Kentucky] (joined 2006)
*Bowling Green State University (joined 2006)
*University of Nebraska-Lincoln (joined 2006)
*Kansas State University (joined 2006)
*[http://www.svsudodgeball.org Saginaw Valley State University] (joined 2007)
*[http://www.uwplatt.edu/org/dodgeball/ University of Wisconsin-Platteville] (joined 2007)
*Western Kentucky University (joined 2007)
*Central Michigan University (joined 2008)
*Miami (Ohio) University (joined 2009)
*Eastern Michigan University (joined 2009)
*University of Louisville (joined 2009)
*Northwestern State (Louisiana) Demons (joined 2010)
*Oklahoma University (joined 2010)
*Ferris State (Michigan) University (joined 2010)
===Current NCDA Team Captains===
*Michigan State: Ian Childs<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/msu_captain.html</ref>
*DePaul: Jack Young<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/depaul_captain.html</ref>
*Ohio State: Cole Norden<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/osu_captain.html</ref>
*Kent State: Kyle Fitzpatrick/Matt Klembara<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/ksu_captain.html</ref>
*Grand Valley State: Jimmy Stokes<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/gvsu_captain.html</ref>
*Kentucky: Bryce Robinson<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/uk_captain.html</ref>
*Bowling Green: Eric Fiske<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/bgsu_captain.html</ref>
*Nebraska: Matt Gonzalez
*Saginaw Valley State: Bryan Janick<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/svsu_captain.html</ref>
*Wisconsin-Platteville: Jake Coartney<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/uwp_captain.html</ref>
*Western Kentucky: Josh Raymer<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/wku_captain.html</ref>
*Central Michigan: Bryan Lynch<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/cmu_captain.html</ref>
*Miami: Tommy Boyd<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/miami_captain.html</ref>
*Eastern Michigan: Kris Wright<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/emu_captain.html</ref>
*Northwestern State: Mark Springer<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/nsu_captain.html</ref>
*Oklahoma: Scott Strittmatter
*Ferris State: Matthew Thompson
==Defunct Teams==
*[http://www.deltadodgeball.info Delta Community College](co-founder 2005) [ACTIVE 2005-2010]
*[http://www.oudodgeballclub.tk Oakland University] (joined 2006) [Active 2006-2008]
*Marshall University (joined 2006) [Active 2006-2009]
*University of Nebraska-Omaha (joined 2006) [Active 2006-2007]
*[http://adm.hfcc.edu/~ahazlett/dodgeball/index.htm Henry Ford Community College] (joined 2008) [Active 2008-2009]
==History==
On April 9 and 10, 2005, The MSU dodgeball team held a tournament featuring themselves, DePaul, Ohio State, [[Kent State Dodgeball Club|Kent State]] and Delta College. Known then as the Spartan Dodgeball Invitational, the tournament is considered the starting platform from which college dodgeball took off and the first dodgeball tournament where each team was a registered organization of their school. In the weeks following the tournament, in which there was confusion due to each team practicing with different rules and officiating issues, discussions were held on DePaul Dodgeball's message board with the aim of agreeing on a single, unified system which all teams could easily use in competition and that people wishing to form teams could quickly adopt. Ryan McGeehan of DePaul University developed an initial set of rules based around DePaul's aggressive ruleset, and submitted them to public discussion by MDC members. After a month of discussion, the Midwest Dodgeball Conference rules and the MDC itself was formed.
After the conclusion of the 2006 season, the Midwest Dodgeball Conference dropped it's regional moniker, and became the National College Dodgeball Association, in response to the inclusion of members from Kentucky, Nebraska, and West Virginia. On December 3, 2006, Oakland University and Michigan State University set the record for attendance at a NCDA event when they played in front of 14,759 fans at the Breslin Center at halftime of a Men's Basketball game between Michigan State and Bradley University<ref>http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/120306aaa.html</ref>. It is widely believed that an April, 2007 match between Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State in Allendale, MI holds the record for most fans to attend a NCDA match as a stand-alone event, with anywhere between 400 and 500 people present, but official attendance records were not kept.
Two tournaments have been played in each league year since the inception of the NCDA in 2005. The first is the Michigan Dodgeball Cup, which functions as the state championship tournament for all of the Michigan NCDA teams. The second has become known as NCDA Nationals, and the location for this league championship has unintentionally alternated between Michigan and Ohio since 2005. The 2009 NCDA Nationals Dodgeball Tournament, hosted by Grand Valley State University, featured 10 NCDA teams.
The most lopsided match in NCDA History occurred on November 2, 2006 between then #2 GVSU and #4 Michigan State. Grand Valley won the match 16-0. After the game, Michigan State president Aleks Bomis called the balls (then provided by the home team, per agreement) "dangerously underinflated<ref>http://www.msudodgeball.com/past_news.html</ref>". GVSU president/captain Dave Soukup would later assess the level of dominance displayed by his team by comparing dodgeball scoring to hockey scoring. The game was GVSU's first match victory in a 42-match streak that would last for three and a half years.
The 2008-09 Grand Valley State University Dodgeball Team is the only NCDA team to go a whole season without allowing a point. In their "perfect" season, the Lakers posted an overall point record of 102-0. In NCDA play, a point is recorded when, and only when, one team eliminates all the other teams' players during a timed match.
===Tournament History===
<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/history.html</ref>
One of the goals of the NCDA is to foster greater competition between the schools, and a number of tournaments have been held with even more proposed for the current season.
'''Michigan Dodgeball Cup''': Originally starting as a rivalry game between Michigan State University and Delta College, the Michigan Dodgeball Cup (also known as MDC) has since expanded to a state-wide tournament featuring the top schools in the state of Michigan. Michigan Dodgeball Cup is hosted by Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, and is typically played in February.
''Past winners: Michigan State (2005), Grand Valley State (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Central Michigan (2010)''
'''Chicago Dodgeball Open''': Hosted by DePaul University in Chicago, IL.
''Past winners: Michigan State (2006) No tournament (2007) Delta College (2008)''
'''Buckeye Invitational''': Hosted by Ohio State University in Columbus, OH
''Past winners: Ohio State University (2006), Grand Valley State (2010)''
'''Kentucky Dodgeball Classic''': Hosted by University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY.
''Past winners: Grand Valley State (2007), Saginaw Valley State (2008)''
'''Halloween Madness''': Hosted by Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH.
''Past Winners: Saginaw Valley State (2009)''
'''MSU Invite Tournament''': Hosted by Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI.
''Past winners: Grand Valley State (2009)''
'''WKU Charity Tournament''': Hosted by Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY to raise money for St. Jude Children's Hospital and Cancer Research Center. The tournament raised over $1,000 for charity in its first year.
''Past winners: Ohio State University (2010)''
'''SVSU Invitational (proposed)'''
'''Ohio Cup (proposed)'''
===History of NCDA Nationals===
'''NDCA Nationals Dodgeball Tournament''': Once known as the Spartan Dodgeball Invitational, this is the NCDA's weekend long equivalent to the NCAA basketball tournament. All teams are invited to this event, typically consisting of round robin play on day one and a single elimination championship on day two.
'''Past champions:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-! style="background-color: #87D3F8;"
|'''Year'''
|'''Champion'''
|'''Location'''
|----
|2005
|Ohio State
|East Lansing, MI
|----
|2006
|Ohio State
|Columbus, OH
|----
|2007
|Grand Valley State
|East Lansing, MI
|----
|2008
|Grand Valley State
|Columbus, OH
|----
|2009
|Grand Valley State
|Allendale, MI
|----
|}
The 2010 NCDA Nationals Tournament will be held in Bowling Green, OH.
==Great NCDA Upsets==
NCDA Dodgeball doesn't typically lend itself to upsets, which makes victories by the underdog all the more impressive when they do happen.
Delta College struck a major upset with a 2-1 victory over Michigan State in the 2007 Michigan Dodgeball Cup, finishing as a runner-up to Grand Valley State 4-1 in the final.
Central Michigan finished third in the 2009 Michigan Dodgeball Cup by defeating heavily favored Delta College.
One year later, CMU finished the job by upsetting GVSU 2-1, which snapped the Lakers' unbeaten streak of 42 straight matches (April 2006-February 2010)<ref>http://www.lanthorn.com/1042-dodgeball--move-to-B3-please-</ref>. Central Michigan went 4-0 in match play to win the 2010 Michigan Dodgeball Cup.
==Notable Overtime Matches==
Michigan State defeated Delta College in November 2006<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/history.html</ref> in the first overtime game in what is now known as the NCDA.
Delta College and GVSU played an overtime thriller at the 2008 NCDA Nationals Tournament. Grand Valley, who had led 1-0, tied the match at 2-2 with only :08 remaining in the second half. GVSU won 3-2 in overtime.
Western Kentucky needed an extra period to hold on against Kentucky 3-2 in the 2009-10 season opener.<ref>http://ncdadodgeball.com/wku_opener.html</ref> WKU held a 2-0 halftime lead, but the teams ended up tied 2-2 at the end of regulation.
Central Michigan and Michigan State played into overtime in their match at the 2010 Michigan Dodgeball cup. MSU led at the half 2-0, but Central Michigan worked back to 2-2 by the end of regulation, and won 3-2 in overtime.
==Rivalries==
College athletic competitions inevitably lead to rivalries and college dodgeball is no different.
:Kent State / Ohio State '''"The Battle for Ohio Dodgeball Supremacy"'''
:Michigan State / Grand Valley State University
:Michigan State / Delta College
:Delta College / Saginaw Valley State University '''"Battle for the University Center Cup"'''
:Saginaw Valley State University / Grand Valley State University '''"Battle of the Valleys"<ref>http://www.svsu.edu/battle-of-the-valleys/history.html</ref>'''
:Western Kentucky/Kentucky '''"Battle of the Bluegrass"'''
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Dodgeball]]