In the midst of a sweltering afternoon on the final weekend of the Iowa Summer Games, players assembled from all across Iowa to compete in the first annual Dodgeball tournament.

“This is our first year, and we are looking forward to coming back in the future,” said Commissioner Amie Hart.

“We looked at dodgeball and saw a growing, exciting sport that could add some interest to the Iowa Games,” said Director of Sports and Operations Kevin Bourke.

On an oppressively hot day when the heat index exceeded 105 degrees, players were certain to stay hydrated and get some shade between games.

“Fortunately, nobody has been hurt or gotten heat exhaustion,” Hart said.

Eight teams competed in the tourney and the format was six on six, with each team required to have half males and half females, although most teams brought more than six players to use for substitutions. The tourney was double elimination from a round-robin pool.

“We thought we would start small, and do a good job hosting and conducting the tournament,” Bourke said.

Players ranged between the minimum age of 16 all the way to a woman from Clinton who was 44.

After overcoming an early loss and working through the losers bracket, a Des Moines team calling themselves “Gotcha by the Balls” was one of the teams in the championship game. The team was also a Des Moines league champion. They faced an undefeated team from Clinton, the Clinton YMCA Teen Club.

“The Iowa Games staff actually played in a league with ‘Gotcha by the Balls’ and knew they would be a force to be reckoned with,” Bourke said.

The final was a best of five series, but it appeared as though the Clinton team had had enough of the heat, and were quickly defeated three games to none to end the tourney. The champions celebrated in a sportsmanlike way, and all competitors quickly retreated to the shade to receive their medals and a cold drink.

“We were glad everyone had a good time, even though this heat probably made things a little less fun,” said fan Steve Goddard.

Hart suggested the tournament be outdoors, as none of the available gymnasiums would have been air conditioned; Hart thought it was likely the conditions indoors would have been worse on the players.