Resident organizes marathon dodgeball tournament fundraiser

Resident organizes marathon dodgeball tournament fundraiser. As part of the Stephen Lewis Foundation's A Dare to Remember campaign, a group of local Toronto dodgeball players are seeking to break the Guinness World Record for the Longest Game of Dodgeball and set a record by playing for 36 continuous hours this weekend. Seen here playing dodgeball in a league is Christ Gammage and Nicole Stamp. Courtesy photo/RYAN TACAY

The brainchild of Bloordale area resident Helder Brum, 20 dodgeball players from across the city are seeking to break the Guinness World Record for the longest game of dodgeball by playing for 36 consecutive hours. They'll attempt to break the current 24-hour record while raising $6,000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation's A Dare to Remember campaign.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, Africans are rising to meet the challenges of the AIDS pandemic with extraordinary acts of courage, ingenuity, determination and strength within their communities. The foundation's Dare to Remember campaign encourages Canadians to raise funds by tackling dares that parallel the courageous acts exhibited by their African counterparts.

Brum said he was initially inspired by one of his best friends, a stand-up comedian who used his comedic skills in support of the Dare to Remember campaign last year. Rallying his fellow teammates and players, Brum said it was more difficult not to have some people play than it was to convince them to participate in the upcoming tournament, Friday, Jan. 7 to Sunday, Jan. 9 at the Just4Fun Sporting Club, near Bloor Street West and Lansdowne Avenue.

"Under the Guinness guidelines, we're only allowed 20 players," said Brum in an interview Monday morning, Jan. 3.

Whittling the number down to 20, Brum confessed, was extremely tough. He approached his teammates first and those players he thought would be up for such a challenge. Brum, who moonlights as a stand-up comic, was re-introduced to dodgeball three years ago. Before then, he hadn't played the game since grade school.

"I got into dodgeball as a fluke," he said. "A friend of mine had found out there's actual dodgeball leagues in Toronto. We signed up for a winter season. I hadn't played since Grade 1 or 2. There are hundreds of people playing all over the city. It's really, really fun."

Brum plays for a couple of different leagues. GTA Sports has a league as does the Toronto Sport and Social Club.

As part of the Guinness Book of World Record Rules, the players are only allowed five minute breaks each hour they play, which will only provide enough time for bathroom breaks, said Brum.

"The good thing is, everyone who's playing, they play dodgeball at least three times a week so the muscle memory is there," said Brum. "I've started jogging to make sure my cardio is up - light jogging and yoga so I'm feeling loose and flexible."

And this week, he has officially cut out caffeine for fear of a caffeine crash. He's been researching nutritional tips in order to keep his and his fellow players' energy up.

"It's been a lot more work than I thought it'd be," admitted Brum, who added he's anxious for the tournament to get started.

He said he figures the actual playing will be much easier than the work that's been necessary to organize the tournament. He credits his co-organizers Byan Cesar and Nicole Stamp for their invaluable support.

"We're hoping to go into the event hitting $6,000 in pledges," said Brum.

To pledge a player, visit www.adaretoremember.org or www.facebook.com/dodgeballdare.

A lot of people might think of dodgeball as child's play, but in fact it's "crazy and fast-paced."

"The whole time you're playing you're having a fun time," said Brum. "Everything looks cool like each play could be part of a highlight reel."

The tournament starts Friday, Jan. 7 at 10 p.m. and continues until Sunday, Jan. 9 at 10 a.m. Opening and closing ceremonies will be held an hour before and after, at 213 Sterling Rd.