Hot Corner: Aurora now home to dodgeball world champs
September 13, 2011 10:34PM
The Aurora Fire Department’s gold medal-winning dodgeball team. | Aurora Fire Department
Updated: November 10, 2011 9:33AM
Aurora is now home to the world championship dodgeball team.“It’s kind of surreal,” said Aurora firefighter and paramedic
Jason Equi , whose team topped South Australia in a four-minute match to win at the World Police and Fire Games. ‘‘People don’t equate dodgeball with athleticism. But if you watch that game, it’s really difficult.’’Police and firefighters compete together in the Games in more than 60 sports, from boxing to bike racing. This year, New York, the host city for the Aug. 25-Sept. 5 Games, chose to add dodgeball to the every-other-year competition. When Aurora firefighters heard, Equi,
Matt Acuff , Aaron Calhoun , Richard Dahleen , Kevin Hoffman , Mike Kaufman and Jason Masshamer teamed with North Aurora firefighter Mike McDevitt . They thought it would be a way to participate in the Games while paying their respects at the World Trade Center site. Most of them had played hockey, softball and football together, but dodgeball? ‘‘A lot of people thought we were joking,’’ Equi said.
