Sunday 26 May 2013

Girls Dodge it too! Interview with Christina 'The Bullet' Wong

You don't have to work in an Eastern European Nuclear Power Plant to be good at dodgeball (although it probably helps).

Instead, it turns out that all you have to do is fall in with the wrong crowd in hipster Angel and voila! You're a Dodgeball UK Legend.

Christina Wong tells us about her experiences playing the game, gives some stick to the English for their attitudes towards social sport, but doesn't expain her questionabe dodgeball outfit.

Name: Christina Wong
From: Toronto, Canada
Teams: Jammie Dodgers, Los Dogatadors, Team Canada
Honours: DodgeBowl UK 2012, Player of the Season 2012, Female Player of the Year 2011


Hi Christina, in the London dodgeball circles, you are affectionately known as 'The Bullet'. What do you put your deadly skills down to?

My good arm. ;)
Well, I did play softball a lot.
Actually, I think it's because of my small stature and frame, people 
don't think I can throw, but little do they know...
(you're also incredibly hard to hit. Ed.) 
How did you find out about dodgeball and what has made you keep coming back?

When my friend Richard told me he was on a dodgeball team, I was keen to join as well. He in turn was asked by other mutual friends, who were ultimately asked by Sarah (Skyte, founder of the Jammie Dodgers). So if anything, I owe my involvement to her! :) 
I hadn't played the game since primary school - I loved playing it then - and it was something I wanted to get back into. At that point I hadn't even seen the film (Dodgeball), so I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. 
I know some of my friends roll their eyes when I tell them I play dodgeball, but there's something about it. There's a thrill, an excitement, a sense of camaraderie when playing. Plus, I met a lot of amazing people through dodgeball who have made it all the more fun. And, I've learned to appreciate apres-dodgeball. :) 
What advice would you give to other girls thinking about becoming dodgeball legends? 
 It may seem intimidating at first, but don't be scared. Just play. It's loads of fun. And once you get the hang of things, it's smooth sailing from there.
(and the hot single guys yes Chistina?...., no?..., oh.....[sulks away] Ed) 
How much does being Canadian help you in dodgeball, we've noticed a lot of the top players are from North America. Why is that?


Hmm, I'm not sure if being Canadian/North American has anything to do with being good at dodgeball, BUT, perhaps it's because we play a lot of sports whilst growing up, in school, and in general, regardless of the weather.I noticed that many of my friends in London didn't really partake in sport activities in their spare time. It was never like, "Hey, what are you doing tonight, or this weekend? Wanna throw the ball around etc?" I remember even asking a friend, so what do you do on the weekend? Do you play sports like soccer etc? He flat out said no and gave me an incredulous look. So maybe it is a cultural thing, or maybe it's the lack of athletic infrastructure or space in London. 
Dodgeball is fairly new to South East England. Should we embrace it or is Tunbridge Wells 'too posh to dodge'?! 
 Well, anywhere south of the river is always questionable. ;)
Kidding aside, it's nice to see dodgeball expanding to other regions. 
It's a great team sport! 
Thanks Christina, we'll see you on court soon.

If you are a girl (or a boy) and fancy getting involved in playing dodgeball in Tunbridge Wells. Contact: twdodgeball@gmail.com
Team NZ unveil their controversial new tactics for dealing with Team Canada's star player.
Los Dogatadors - DodgeBowl UK Champions 2012

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