Who would have thought the "dodgeball guys" from Irving Gym could have competed successfully against professional players from across the country?

Certainly not Ball State University freshman Bobby Galley and senior Matt Bever, who placed 12th in the World Dodgeball Championship in Las Vegas earlier this fall.

For their first dodgeball tournament, Galley said the seven-member team decided to "go all out" and enter the world championships, which pitted 35 teams from around the nation in a double-elimination format. Teams had to win the best of three games to move up in the tournament.

"We almost beat the champs, who put us in the loser's bracket," Galley said.

Galley and Bever said they had an amazing time at the tournament and will compete again next year.

"And we are going to win it all," Galley said.

The journey to the tourney wasn't always smooth. The team included friends from Wabash County who do not attend Ball State, so it was hard to get everyone together to practice.

Often, Galley and Bever would workout at Irving Gym three days a week while the others would train separately.

In addition, the rules required that they practice using foam balls instead of the regulation rubber balls that would be used in the competition. Both said they didn't like practicing with the foam balls because they react differently than rubber when thrown quickly.

Once they arrived in Las Vegas, the group was supposed to compete in a round-robin, where teams played as many as eight practice games before the tournament. However, because so many teams had entered, the round-robin was cut short and the tournament was moved to the Las Vegas Sports Center.

"It was a little crazy. There were three games going on at the same time," Bever said. "All that separated each court was a net, so there were balls going everywhere."

When not competing, the team enjoyed Las Vegas attractions and saw celebrities such as Penn & Teller and Miss America.

In addition to Galley and Bever, other members of the team include Jason Stanley, Tory Shafer, Lee Shafer, Coley Schenkel and Eric Highley.

"Our team is comprised of some of the finest athletes Wabash County has produced over the past 10 years," Galley said.

Bever is majoring in risk management. He is the son of Tim and Lisa Bever of Wabash.

Galley is majoring in advertising. He is the son of Scott and Tina Galley of Wabash.

By Jody Kress