Hurting People to Help Them

BUSAN, South Korea -- In the 2004 movie Dodgeball, a group of misfits enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain.

On November 20th, you too will have a chance to belt people with balls while helping raise money for a good cause.

The 2nd Annual Busan Championship of Dodgeball (ABCDTM) will take place Saturday, November 20th at the auxiliary gymnasium in Kyungsung University starting at 1 p.m. and running all afternoon until the winning team is decided. The event is hosted by TNT Entertainment and sponsored by the HQ Bar.

All proceeds from the event will go to the Orphan's Monetary Fund. The purpose is to provide grants to young people who come out of the orphanage system and still have the drive and ability to enter college.

Founding Director and event organizer Tae Kim started the charity last year when he noticed a need for older orphans who have no support for education. Many orphans who are lucky enough to get into college often end up still living in the orphanage.

“I talked with Lynsey Bolin Thorenton who does a great job organizing charitable events, and she said that these kids were on their own. To me it was simple: they deserve support and we can’t toss people aside even if they are young adults,” he said.

The event will pit teams of five on five competing in round-robin preliminaries and single elimination final rounds. International rules will apply with two balls in play and the winning team will receive commemorative golf towels.

To participate, it costs W20,000 person or W80,000 team for a team of five. The fee includes a post-game pulled pork barbecue dinner and a beer at HQ. Spectators, who are more than welcome to watch, can pay W7,000 to dine as well. Afterwards, there will be a showing of the movie Dodgeball, as well as a 50/50 raffle and an auction. If you cannot organize a team and want to play, they will find a space on a team for you. There is a limit to 16 teams, so if you are interested in playing, you need to do so quick as it is on a first-come, first-pay basis.

Dustin Heffner, a participant last year, remarked the tournament was great and provided a nice change from his regular routine and a good way to support the community.

“The only bad thing was my team lost. But it’s a for a good cause and I like that I can support my community by whipping balls at people,” he joked.

Organizer Tae Kim hopes this year’s turnout will be even bigger than last year.

“Last year was a lot of fun. We had enough games that nobody left disappointed. This tournament helps those in need, and it’s an investment in human capital. The kids will achieve hopefully far more than people expect of them,” he said.

If you are interested in playing, you can email tystick00@hotmail.com or go to the HQ bar in front of Kyungsung University and register. There is a limit to 16 teams.