A Hawaii team is in Las Vegas to defend its two world titles at the eighth annual Dodgeball World Championship & Convention, which starts today.

That’s right, there is such an event. In fact, the tournament is sponsored by the National Dodgeball League, which has pro teams in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, New York and other cities.

The 12-member Mix Plate Crew from Honolulu clinched the Coed 8.5 and Open Stinger divisions last year at the world championship.

"It was our first time last year and we went in blind; we had no expectations of winning," said team captain Erik Leong, 25.

This year, there is talk of a sweep of the five divisions in which the team is entered. National Dodgeball League Commissioner Ed Prentiss said, "These guys were a small group that were definitely well-respected last year. There are lots of people who are excited to see them back this year."

The three-day event is being held at the Tarkanian Basketball Academy. The Mix Plate Crew will compete for medals and bragging rights against more than 80 other teams from the United States and other countries.

"It’s definitely OK with me that we don’t win any money," said Bazel Larosa, 26, one of the team’s founders. "This gives us the opportunity to meet new people who love dodge ball as much as we do."

THE FIRST question often asked of Mix Plate Crew members is whether the game is anything like it’s depicted in the Vince Vaughn comedy "DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story."

"We get asked that a lot and it’s sort of an accurate portrayal of what we do, but less intense and definitely not as cheesy," said Niki Ogata, 24, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Kapolei Middle School.

As funny as that 2004 movie is, the game of dodge ball is something the Mix Plate Crew takes seriously. The squad has been training each Sunday at Wilson Community Park in Kahala, practicing throwing, catching and dodging standard 8.5-inch rubber balls, the aptly named 5-inch stinger balls and 8.25-inch foam balls.

"We’ve trained every week for the last year. We’re going to win, there’s just no exception," said Leong, a cook at Town restaurant in Kaimuki.

Larosa said he and other players who "just liked to cruise and loved to play dodge ball" formed the group when he was 14. Some of his fondest childhood memories are playing the game with those bouncy playground balls during summer fun programs. The Big City Diner server recalls when he was a summer fun leader at Wilson and got in trouble for letting the kids play dodge ball.

"I know sometimes it can be a dangerous sport," Larosa said, "but it’s a fun sport that so many people love to play and it teaches you teamwork and communication."

Leong shares his teammate’s passion for the game and recalls his own dodge ball exploits while a summer fun leader at Palolo District Park.

"How can you not love playing dodge ball? It’s one of the few sports where size doesn’t matter — there are no height or age requirements," he said.

IN LAS VEGAS, the Mix Plate Crew will compete in the Coed Foam Ball, Open Foam Ball, Coed 8.5, Open 8.5 and Open Stinger divisions.

"I don’t mean to be cocky, but I’m thinking we’re going to take all five divisions," Larosa said.

According to Dodgeball afficionado Chris D’Angelo, author of "If You Got the Guts, We Got the Balls: A Book about Dodgeball," Larosa might be right on target. He said the Mix Plate Crew stands out from other teams because of its work ethic.

"They do drills and scrimmages, and I’ve played with guys in New York and they just play for fun, but for these guys it’s like a workout," he said by phone from Ohio.

Larosa said he likes to joke around with the competition to psych them out. "We’re up there (in Las Vegas) and people are like, ‘Since you’re from Hawaii do you train with coconuts?’ I tell ’em, all serious, ‘No, we train with bowling balls.’"

Team members sold Zippy’s chili tickets to raise money for the Las Vegas trip, which is costing each player at least $900, Larosa said.

After the world championship, the crew plans to look into developing a dodge ball league for children.

"Dodge ball has taught us all something, so we just want to get dodge ball out there because it’s never gonna go away," Larosa said. "We’re definitely gonna get something started for the kids."

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