In the fall of 2018, President and Co-founder of Winona State University’s dodgeball club, fourth- year Jacob Franck along with two of his close friends searched to find a way to go out, get active and find new friends.

Unable to find an existing club that sparked their interest they came up with the idea of dodgeball and within a month the club was up and running.

Why dodgeball?

Franck said childhood experiences formed his pursuit to make the dodgeball club.

“Dodgeball was always my favorite thing to do in gym class growing up and I’m sure a lot of people would relate to that, so we formed a club,” Franck said.

Franck said he describes the club as being laid back, “It’s a fun way to meet friends and stay active while on campus. It’s a place to go once a week to kind of let loose and not have to worry about school or worry about anything really because we just go and play dodgeball,” Franck said.

The club has 25 members returning and the club is always looking for more.

The dodgeball club meets on Sunday evenings starting at 7 p.m. and goes until the last person leaves Talbot Gym.

Due to COVID-19, like all other club sports, dodgeball has been put on a hold along with their opening recruiting event.

Dodgeball club vice president, Ahlea Wright said she was disappointed when hearing about dodgeball being on hold due to COVID.

“I am so sad we can’t play this year,” Wright said. “I just loved going there and I would always look forward to dodgeball night every week.”

Wright said she found her way to the club at the beginning of her freshman year from a flier she saw on campus.

“I remember seeing a sign up that said there was dodgeball going on, on Sunday,” Wright said. “I thought it was just a welcome week thing so I went, and I thought, ‘I can do this every Sunday, that’s super awesome’ so I just kept going.”

Wright said the club has a family-like feel to it.

“It is like a family, you expect about the same people to come but then if they bring a friend or if someone else decides to join it’s very welcoming,” Wright said. “We bounce jokes off each other, and we make fun of each other for throwing the ball stupidly, it’s like I have a whole bunch of brothers and sisters in the gym with me.”

Franck said the club is reminiscent of a bonding family relationship.

“We are like the breakfast club of campus,” Franck said. “We accept everyone, we have the athletic group, we have the smart people, we have the outcasts, but we all come together to play dodgeball.”

The big event for the dodgeball club is a competition in the Twin Cities each spring. The competition was cancelled last semester due to COVID, but the club hope to be able to make the trek there in spring 2021.