Dodgeball - The latest trend in Austria

Have you heard about “Dodgeball”? It seems like it’s THE new kind of sport in Austria this year. 

It’s a game that’s very similar to “Völkerball” which you probably all still remember from school. However, other than what you might think it’s not a game exclusively aimed at children attending elementary school, middle school or high school. In Austria it’s quite the opposite – students and adults from all over the country are teaming up and playing against each other at various dodgeball tournaments.  

The organization of the game is pretty easy. Players on two teams try to throw large balls at each other while avoiding being hit themselves. It is often played in a gym with the main objective to eliminate all members of the opposing team. Members can be eliminated by hitting them with thrown balls, catching a ball thrown by a member of the opposing team, or forcing them to move outside the court boundaries when a ball is thrown at them. The number of dodgeballs varies depending from the number of players and the size of the gym but three to ten is common. 

The form that is most common in U.S. schools was popularized by the 2004 film “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller. I haven’t seen the movie yet because I am not a big fan of Ben Stiller movies but in case you are, you should maybe watch it.(Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUpzAw5Kw7M)

Here’s a short instructional video showing you how to play dodgeball. 

What’s so special about dodgeball in Austria is that Austrians seem to place more emphasis on their costumes than on the actual sports game. They are very creative, designing their own costumes and thereby making sure everyone knows which team they belong to. Just recently, on May 9^th, a dodgeball tournament called “Dodge and Style” took place in Vienna. So, I guess the fact that the players are dressed up is probably linked to the name of the tournament. What’s more, the various dodgeball tournaments include an after show party with live DJ’s, great entertainment and lots of fun. Sounds like a perfect event to me! I haven’t tried it out yet, but I think I will some time soon :)

Here’s a video about Dodgeball in Austria which I can highly recommend you to watch in order to see what these dodgeball tournaments are really like.

 For further information here’s a website including all the information you need in case you want to participate in a dodgeball game yourself: http://dodgeball.at/

Generation Maybe

Hey guys!

I recently came across a really fascinating article which I think is absolutely worth reading. However, I have to warn you – it’s a German article and it is very provocative. 

The article is about the “Generation Maybe” which refers to people aged between 20 and 30. So, basically it’s an article about us. It says that although we are very-well educated, we have no idea what to do with our lives with regard to our future. Completely overwhelmed by all the possibilities we have, we are said to be indecisive and undetermined rather than welcoming our future with arms wide open. All in all, the fact that we can basically do anything we want with our lives leads to us doing nothing. Interesting thought, right?

But don’t worry; it’s not our fault that we are procrastinators. We are the way we are because we don’t have any role models! 

Anyway, I don’t want to give away too much. Just read the article and then please tell me: What do you think about the article? Do you think it’s true, maybe a little bit true or doesn’t have a grain of truth in it at all? I would really like to know how you feel about it!

As for me, the first time I read the article I was shocked about how true all of it sounded. I could totally relate to not knowing what to do (exactly) with my future, not having everything planned out yet and above all not even wanting to commit to something in particular (yet). However, after having read the article two or three times I realized that some bits and pieces may be true but by far not all of the enumerated statements. What’s more, I have come to realize that I like the fact that my future isn’t all planned out yet and that everything’s possible. I mean, who knows where I will end up in a few years after having finished university. Maybe I’ll be a translator, maybe an interpreter, maybe I’ll live in France, maybe I’ll live in Russia, maybe I’ll even stay in Austria. Making plans right now doesn't make any sense to me, because in the end everything’s always different from what you expected it to be like anyway. I like this little mystery in my life which makes me overly enthusiastic to find out what it’s really going to be like every time I think about it. But I guess this mystery will be solved soon enough :)

Here's the link to the article: http://www.welt.de/debatte/kommentare/article13939962/Generation-Maybe-hat-sich-im-Entweder-oder-verrannt.html

Don't forget to let me know what you think about it! ;)