Students aim to break dodgeball record

In August, IU’s Samaritan’s Feet Club kicked off the school year by attempting to beat the world record for the largest game of dodgeball set by a Canadian university. IU missed that mark by a few hundred people.

Today at Bill Armstrong Stadium, the organization will try yet again to beat the current record of 2,012 people in a single game of dodgeball to benefit Samaritan’s Feet, an organization that donates shoes to children who go barefoot each day.

Registration will begin at 6 p.m. and will run until around 6:30 p.m., when the game is set to begin.

Entry is $1, and all proceeds will go directly to Samaritan’s Feet, club President Broderick Thompson said.

“We just figured dodgeball would be a good way to combine fun and philanthropy,” said Mike Rolland, co-creator of Btownmenus.com and contributor to Samaritan’s Feet.
Participants are encouraged to wear either a cream or crimson colored shirt to create two opposing teams, Thompson said.

He also stressed the importance of following any rules laid out, or the record will not count should it be set.

Vice President of the Samaritan’s Feet Club Mary Carter said emphasis should be placed on what the event is for, not solely on breaking the record.

“It’s not just about the dodgeball game,” Carter said. 

Thompson agreed that learning about Samaritan’s Feet is an important aspect of the event.   

“I think more important than the money we raise is the knowledge that a lot of people will learn about Samaritan’s Feet,” Thompson said.

Rolland said in the end breaking the record will be very beneficial in getting the word out about the organization.

“I’m hoping to spread the awareness on more of a national and then worldwide scale and hopefully, if we break this record, that could help start that,” Rolland said.