FORT WALTON BEACH — Six blue, 8-inch foam balls were lined up along the gym floor.
At the count of three, a bunch of adults — admittedly acting like children — charged forward to be the first to snag a ball, tear back to their side of the court and then launch it through the air with the aim of smacking it into another person.
The game is dodge ball, and the smiling adults playing it on Sunday were enjoying a return to their youth.
View more photos from the game
“I’m here to have fun, get a little exercise and bring out my inner child,” said Darius Parker, a 42-year-old from Shalimar. He said the last time he played the game was in elementary school.
“It’s actually a good workout,” he said.
“And you can hit people without hurting them,” he added, grinning, before hopping off the bench and back into the fast-paced game.
Emerald Coast Social Sports hosted the pick-up dodge ball games on Sunday at the Docie Bass gym at Ferry Park in anticipation of the start of their inaugural season on Feb. 9. About three or four six-person teams have signed up for the league, but organizers are looking for more.
For those who don’t remember their primary-school gym days, players who are hit with a ball are out. If a player catches a throw that was an attempted hit, the person who threw it is out and the team who caught it gets to bring back one of their players from the sidelines. After all the players on one team are out, the round ends.
A match is made up of five three- to five- minute rounds.
The league is designed as a fun way for people to meet each other and get some exercise.
“When you are new somewhere you meet people either in church or at the bar,” said organizer Jim Bay. “This is something different.”
Lauren Cramer, 28, recently moved back to the area from California and said after playing on Sunday she was hooked.
“How can you not be?” she said. “Look at these people.”
She planned to sign up for the league later that day.
“It’s a good way to get out and sweat and have a good time doing it with a bunch of friends and people you haven’t met,” she said. “It instantly joins you.”
TO JOIN: Registration for the league costs $39 with a $10 discount for women. Find more information at http://ecssleague.com.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.
