Three Tips for Catching Dodgeballs

From 2012 to 2016, Sam Chandler attended the Rumson Fair Haven High School, located in Rumson, New Jersey. Currently, Sam Chandler attends the Blair Academy, where he founded and presides over the school’s dodgeball club. 

While the most obvious way to eliminate an opponent in dodgeball is to hit them with the ball, another option is to catch their attempt at hitting you. In most dodgeball games, catching the ball eliminates whoever made the throw, and sometimes even allows your team to bring back a previously-eliminated player. Follow these three dodgeball catching tips to know when and how to go for the catch. 

1. When in doubt, bail out. Unless the ball is coming directly for you, you should not try to catch it. Lunging for or chasing the ball means you do not have time to prepare and line up the catch, increasing your chances of missing, or even worse, getting eliminated after a failed attempt. 

2. Catch with your whole body. The bouncing balls used in dodgeballs, coupled with the high speeds with which the balls are thrown, make it very difficult to catch the ball using only your hands or arms. Instead, cradle the ball into your mid-section as it reaches you, folding over the ball to absorb the impact and prevent it from bouncing off. 

3. Only catch when you need to. If your team is winning by five points and there is only a minute left on the clock, do not risk the catch. Your team’s chances of winning are pretty good, so you do not need to risk elimination by trying to catch the ball, which just might lead to a last-minute comeback for the other team.

Nosara Animal Care Treats Unwanted Animals in Costa Rica

A former resident of Rumson New Jersey, Sam Chandler attended Rumson Fair Haven High School between 2012-16, and he now attends Blair Academy. Sam Chandler has traveled extensively and has also designed and sold bracelets to raise money for spaying and neutering cats and dogs at the Nosara Animal Care (NAC) shelter in Costa Rica.

Founded in 2006 by Canadian veterinary nurse Sarah Foster, NAC is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping animals. NAC endeavors to deliver quality medical care to stray animals and facilitate their placement with welcoming families, and the group works with the community of Nosara to educate the locals about the importance of animal health.

NAC offers inexpensive spay and neutering services to decrease the growth of unwanted animals, and it also furnishes affordable veterinary services to susceptible animals living with economically-stressed families. 

NAC has a strict No-Kill policy, so no animal will be euthanized unless the animal is in severe pain and the recovery of its health is just a remote possibility. Any distressed animal is accepted and treated with the best care the center can offer.