Sgt. Joseph L. Ford launches a ball at the opposition July 28 during the Single Marine Program Dodgeball Tournament at the Camp Foster Parade Field. (Photos by Lance Cpl. Scott M. Biscuiti).

*View/download a high res copy of this image.

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa (Aug 18, 2006) -- Lance Cpl. Laura Hurtado enjoys knocking people out; it's become a hobby of hers. Hurtado is not a boxer or fighter. She's not a violent person at all; she's a dodgeballer.

Hurtado and the other members of her dodgeball team, the Okinawa Blue Ballers, are among the many service members on Okinawa who have embraced the dodgeball craze that grew from 2004's "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," a movie about a band of underachiever athletes and misfits who live their own "Hoosiers" dream through the obscure sport.

"Everyone got into dodgeball when the movie came out," Hurtado said. "That's when it became a cool adult sport."

For service members on Okinawa, dodgeball is more than a recreational sport, according to Sgt. Joseph L. Ford, a member of the Headquarters and Service Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, dodgeball team, the Law Dogs. Ford says the sport coincides with the Marine Corps' warrior mentality.

"Dodgeball keeps you on your toes," Ford said. "It teaches you to react quickly, not just to save yourself but to prevent your teammates from getting hit. Sometimes, you just have to take one for the team."

Dodgeball began in 1922 when it emerged as a game played during physical education classes in public schools, according to a 2002 New York Times article. The game was originally designed to promote competitiveness without the humiliation that accompanies losing a team sport.

Today, dodgeball is nearly non-existent in physical education curriculums as most PE teachers agree that the game is not appropriate for school-based PE programs, according to the Web site for PE4life, an organization advocating quality daily PE programs in U.S. schools.

Dodgeball on Okinawa is about teamwork and strengthening connections between junior and senior Marines, Ford said.

"We work together on a daily basis, and junior Marines only get to see us as their superiors," he said. "It definitely boosts camaraderie and helps morale when they see that their leaders care about them outside of work."

For more than a year, Okinawa's Single Marine Program has hosted dodgeball tournaments open to Marines and sailors. As a result of the sport's increased popularity, several units have established their own teams, such as the Balls of Fire and the Average Joes, both teams from 3rd MLG units.

SMP's first tournament in June 2005 drew a small number of teams, barely enough for the double-elimination format. For SMP's upcoming dodgeball tournament, scheduled for Sept. 15 on the Foster Parade Deck, 13 teams have already signed up.

"Tournaments are on popular demand," said Kim Newberry, the SMP director. "Anyone who wants to start up a tournament can call us, and we'll send up the smack talk to all the existing teams and put out fliers to attract new ones."