Keep your shirt on! It's just a gimmick
By Coley Ward
CWARD@AZSTARNET.COM
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.25.2008
Don't be deceived. There isn't actually any nudity at the annual Coed Naked Dodgeball Tournament at Bladeworld.
At least, there never has been nudity (though there's a first time for everything).
Steve Damon, 25, who runs the event, says he kept the Coed Naked name at the request of the the tournament's founders.
"We took over the tournament after the first year," he says. "And they asked us to keep the name and we said yes."
But while tradition is fine and dandy, Damon says he'll probably change the name after this year.
"I'm not a big fan of marketing gimmicks," he says. "Plus you get a lot of people asking questions like, 'Is it really naked?'"
What will the new name be?
"We're not sure yet," Damon says. "We'll probably call it something generic like Septemberfest."
Dodgeball is played with six players on each team. Hit a player with a ball on the fly and he or she is out. Catch a ball in the air and the person who threw it is out. Eliminate all of the other team's players and your team wins.
There are already 11 teams registered for this year's tournament, which will be held on Sunday at Bladeworld, 1065 W. Grant Road. Two of the teams are coming from Phoenix, and a few players are coming from as far as California.
The deadline to register is Friday. Teams of six or more pay $120. Or, you can pay $20 to sign up as an individual and be placed on a team.
The tournament will follow a round-robin format in the first round, and then shift to double-elimination in the playoffs.
As for prizes, Damon says, "we're going to do medals for this one — gold, silver and bronze."
In addition to body-smacking dodgeball action, DJ Toon will be spinning tunes and Bladeworld will offer bar and grill specials.
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