The Art(?) of Trenching

Our good mate Brett from the New York Epic has been writing some articles for thendl.com. One of them caught my eye and touches on the topic of trenching. For those who don’t know, trenching is a tactic in dodgeball where you hoard balls until you have most or all of them. While the idea sounds good, it slows the game down considerably and let’s face it, it’s not in the spirit of the game. Dodgeball is much more fun when you are pegging a ball at someone.

Reading Brett’s article made me wonder about the art of dodgeball. Art is the expression of skill and imagination – dodgeball is no doubt an art form. But what about trenching? Let me explain through anecdote:

If my daughter came home and told me she had been granted an arts scholarship at university, I’d be over the moon that she was doing something she loved and would go straight down to the bank to take out a mortgage so that I could support her financially for the rest of her life. If my daughter came home and told me she had won a lead role in a porno, I’d grab a six pack, head to the shed and wonder where I went wrong.

There’s a fine line between art and porn and don’t get me wrong, the Wombats are great believers in the porn industry – we’ve been helping keep the industry going since we were in high school. If my daughters best mate came over and said she had started her career as a “dancer” at the local strip joint, the Wombats would be there encouraging her with a fistful of $5 notes. 

So I ask you, is trenching an art form? Everyone will have their own opinion and as the world championships get closer, dodgeball teams around the world will need to ask themselves – could I live with myself if we trench on the world stage? I can tell you with 100% certainty, if one of the Wombats suggested trenching as a valid strategy at the world championships, then I’d be in the shed, wiping a tear from my eye.