Scott's Dodgeball Dream Come True
Donation protected
Good Morning All, I hope that this finds you on an awesome day, and you're staying warm out there.
As you all may know, I eat, live, breathe dodgeball...I have since about the 6th grade. It has always been my dream to be able to play dodgeball in the big leagues and hopefully become a part of making dodgeball a paid sport. Over the course of these 12 years, I finally have been blessed with the opportunity of representing the USA in a Dodgeball World Cup in Manchester, England. With the help from my family and friends, I would love to make this dream a reality.
I started playing Dodgeball in 6th grade, at a youth center in South Whitley after school. The first time I picked up a ball and played, I felt like I had been playing my whole life, like I was meant to play this sport, like this sport was made just for me. I continued to play there through middle school and then in high school, I started playing at The Center on Friday nights. Everybody in high school knew me as the "dodgeball guy." In high school I participated in a few tournaments, I felt like I still couldn't get enough of the sport.
After I graduated high school and grew too old to be able to participate at The Center, I spoke with the gentleman who runs the facility and we were able to make a deal of me being able to use the gym on Sundays for a few hours to keep playing dodgeball. That was when I started my own small-time dodgeball league, the Dodgebrawlers. For a few years we played on Sundays and also in a few tournaments, winning nothing lower than 4th place in any of them. I was able to connect with fellow dodgeball players around the country, keep in contact, and start searching for people to get in touch with to try to pursue dodgeball in a bigger way. Running my own league was great, but I just wanted more.
This last July, for my birthday, I received the greatest gift a dodgeball guy could ask for...my girlfriend Korie bought me a plane ticket to Vegas for a big time dodgeball tournament with the National Dodgeball League (NDL.)
The tournament was amazing. We played straight dodgeball for hours. I played with some great people from around the country, even Japan! After the tournament was over, I was blessed with the dream of signing on to become an official member of the NDL. I'm still so amazed this has all happened.
Back this past November I was contacted by the NDL league manager and he said he had a qualifying tournament coming to my area and he would love for me to come out and play. He said this was one of 5 tournaments across the whole country qualifying for 5 available spots to go to England in April for the 1st ever Dodgeball World Cup. I went down there, played my best, and a few weeks later I received the call saying I was chosen to be apart of the team! I can say I feel like I'm finally starting to accomplish what I have always dreamed of doing. I will be going to England for the World Cup April 14-17 this year.
As you all know, traveling is expensive, especially traveling internationally, along with eating and hotel accommodations. I write this today asking for financial help to make my dream come true. It's my friends and family who have always believed in me and my dream, and your guys' support in this would mean the world to me.
If you choose to donate please leave your home address or send me your address to [email redacted] so I can send you a thank you card with a bit of how the tournament and trip went, and a few pictures too. Thank you for spending a few minutes reading my story, I hope the rest of your day is great.
Scott Stoffel
As you all may know, I eat, live, breathe dodgeball...I have since about the 6th grade. It has always been my dream to be able to play dodgeball in the big leagues and hopefully become a part of making dodgeball a paid sport. Over the course of these 12 years, I finally have been blessed with the opportunity of representing the USA in a Dodgeball World Cup in Manchester, England. With the help from my family and friends, I would love to make this dream a reality.
I started playing Dodgeball in 6th grade, at a youth center in South Whitley after school. The first time I picked up a ball and played, I felt like I had been playing my whole life, like I was meant to play this sport, like this sport was made just for me. I continued to play there through middle school and then in high school, I started playing at The Center on Friday nights. Everybody in high school knew me as the "dodgeball guy." In high school I participated in a few tournaments, I felt like I still couldn't get enough of the sport.
After I graduated high school and grew too old to be able to participate at The Center, I spoke with the gentleman who runs the facility and we were able to make a deal of me being able to use the gym on Sundays for a few hours to keep playing dodgeball. That was when I started my own small-time dodgeball league, the Dodgebrawlers. For a few years we played on Sundays and also in a few tournaments, winning nothing lower than 4th place in any of them. I was able to connect with fellow dodgeball players around the country, keep in contact, and start searching for people to get in touch with to try to pursue dodgeball in a bigger way. Running my own league was great, but I just wanted more.
This last July, for my birthday, I received the greatest gift a dodgeball guy could ask for...my girlfriend Korie bought me a plane ticket to Vegas for a big time dodgeball tournament with the National Dodgeball League (NDL.)
The tournament was amazing. We played straight dodgeball for hours. I played with some great people from around the country, even Japan! After the tournament was over, I was blessed with the dream of signing on to become an official member of the NDL. I'm still so amazed this has all happened.
Back this past November I was contacted by the NDL league manager and he said he had a qualifying tournament coming to my area and he would love for me to come out and play. He said this was one of 5 tournaments across the whole country qualifying for 5 available spots to go to England in April for the 1st ever Dodgeball World Cup. I went down there, played my best, and a few weeks later I received the call saying I was chosen to be apart of the team! I can say I feel like I'm finally starting to accomplish what I have always dreamed of doing. I will be going to England for the World Cup April 14-17 this year.
As you all know, traveling is expensive, especially traveling internationally, along with eating and hotel accommodations. I write this today asking for financial help to make my dream come true. It's my friends and family who have always believed in me and my dream, and your guys' support in this would mean the world to me.
If you choose to donate please leave your home address or send me your address to [email redacted] so I can send you a thank you card with a bit of how the tournament and trip went, and a few pictures too. Thank you for spending a few minutes reading my story, I hope the rest of your day is great.
Scott Stoffel
Organizer
Scott Stoffel
Organizer
Columbia City, IN