Sports

Take a Ball to the Head for Charity

D1 Sports Training and Generation Food Truck are teaming up to host an "Epic Dodgeball" tournament for charity.

Remember the good old days when it was OK to play dodgeball in physical education class?

The whizzing balls, the fast-paced throws, getting tagged out before you could blink ...

You don’t have to miss those days any longer. In fact, D1 Sports Training and Generation Food Truck are counting on your sense of nostalgia to help them raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The two local businesses are teaming up to host to an “Epic Dodgeball” tournament June 8 at D1’s 6918 Gunn Highway location in Citrus Park.

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The folks at D1 are offering up their indoor turfed training area for the co-ed match that gets under way at 6 p.m. Generation Food Truck is rounding up meals on wheels from food truck vendors from all over the area for a rally that will take place outside during the event, which runs until about 10 p.m.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Raffles and other outdoor fundraisers will also benefit Big Cat Rescue in Citrus Park.

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The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is dedicated to helping raise funding and awareness for this chronic disease “that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide),” according to its website.

Big Cat Rescue is a local nonprofit that provides a home for large cats, including lions, tigers and leopards.

So, why is D1, a training facility co-owned by such professional athletes as Derrick Brooks, Chipper Jones, Chris Jericho and Tim Tebow, getting in on the act?

“Anytime we can do something to give back to the community (we do),” explained Taylor Scott, D1’s facility coordinator.

Scott said players of all levels can field teams during the event. He hopes, however, that everyone “brings their A game.”

The idea for the tournament came about after Generation Food Truck’s co-owner Jeremy Gomez was introduced to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation during a food truck rally. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to help, he said.

“Taylor Scott who is the facility coordinator (and a really cool guy) and myself wanted to find a way to give a little back to the community,” Gomez wrote in an email. “So we decided to incorporate our festivals, with his facility.”

Besides, Scott added, “it’s just fun and we have the facility for it.”

Want to take part in the tournament?

Just fill out the team registration form included in this story as a PDF and return it to Generation Food Truck by June 1. The cost per team – with a minimum of seven players – is $200.

Have question? Just call 813-562-9599.

To find out more about D1 Sports Training, check out its website. More details on Generation Food Truck can be found on its Facebook page.

Love dodgeball? Tell us why by commenting below!

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