Savage has been proud to outfit the talented players with Precision Dodgeball out of Baltimore. We recently caught up with team member Kim Wilke to find out about what sets Precision apart from their competition. 

Savage: How does your team prep for a game? 

Kim Wilke: Our squad consists of three separate teams: Women's, Men's, and Co-ed, but we consider ourselves to be one big Precision Family. Each member of the 12-person squad has their own way of prepping for tournaments, whether that be working out several times a week and making sure their fitness level is solid, or going out to a local park and getting reps in by throwing a ball at targets against a wall. Members of the men's and co-ed teams try to hold practices before big tournaments to study film of opponents and work on play calls as well. But before a single game, all of our teams have a customary team huddle to quickly discuss strategy, which positions each person is going to play on the court, and the roles each person will have in that particular match. Every team in dodgeball is different and requires different strategy, so communication is key and that's mostly how our team will prep, by communicating a clear and concise game plan. 

Savage: What's unique about your playing style as a team? 

KW: Our men's/co-ed playing style is unique because we have one player who is unpredictable in his actions. Sometimes he'll stay in the corner and pick people off, other times he'll jump and dodge around like a crazy person whipping the ball at the opposing team in a manner that it's impossible to tell where it's going to go. We like to use him as a distraction tactic because it's impossible to not watch him as he moves, while our two corners will snipe people who aren't paying attention to them.  Another way our playing style in co-ed is unique, is that we utilize the two girls on the court more than most teams. We allow our girls to throw because they both have good arms and are smart, whereas many co-ed teams will keep the girls in the back for catching purposes only. 

Savage: Who are some of your MVPs?

KW: The beauty of dodgeball is that it's a team sport, and we can honestly say that so long as everyone on the court performs their role, everyone on the team is an MVP.  Some players' roles are to stay in the back for catches, so they almost never throw the ball or get a lot of stats, but they are doing their job, which is all that matters. Whereas other players' roles are to throw every time, so on paper they might look like an all-star due to having a lot of kills. 

Savage: Can you share some highlights of your time playing together?

KW: Our women's team was definitely the highlight of this year (being a first-year team). The big highlight for us was definitely winning Elite East Coast Round 2 in Baltimore, MD. No one predicted us to finish in the top 3, so it was great proving everyone wrong and winning the whole tournament. We also finished No. 2 in the East Coast standings for the year and were able to go to Nationals over Labor Day weekend and get seeded No. 5 out of over 20 teams after round robin.  The icing on the cake was receiving the sportsmanship award at Elite Nationals for the East Coast.  

Savage: What's your favorite place to play dodgeball? 

KW: Our favorite place to play dodgeball is really just any gym with a good wood floor and close enough walls/netting so that we don't have to chase balls all over the place. :) 

Savage: How does your team celebrate a victory or mourn a loss? 

KW: We celebrate victories by cheering each other on and congratulating everyone on a job well done after each game. After a loss, we huddle up and just talk about what we can do better to win the next game. There's no need to dwell on a loss, especially when there's another game to play soon!  After a complete tournament, we usually will go out as a team and have some drinks/dinner and talk about how the day went as a whole. Whether we win or lose, we always keep in mind that there is always room for improvement and we just keep planning for how to get better as a team. 

Savage: What's your team's hype song? 

KW: Sadly, we don't really have one, but if we did our men's hype song would definitely be "Toxic" by Britney Spears! 

Disc sports are meaningful to all of us who love disc golf and ultimate, regardless of whether you’re throwing a disc or a Frisbee.

The feeling of the balance, the speed, the power and the throw. The ability to have “ultimate” control over the thrown object’s line, the height and the angle of the release. It’s the “beauty of flight” that has us in awe and coming back for more!

I’ve been playing frisbee since the age of five, whether it was playing catch with my parents or disc golf putting games in the backyard. It was the art of throwing that initially excited me at a young age, but it was the actual game play that had me most intrigued. It’s incredible how a simple flying toy can captivate us to the point of utter amazement, yet it’s something that none of us will completely master no matter how much we practice. Now that’s exactly why I respect most all in the disc sport disciplines.

I started playing disc golf soon after throwing my first Frisbee, because that was the sport that my parents played, so it became just another athletic activity that I enjoyed among basketball, football and baseball. It took me a while to understand how truly unique it was compared to other sports, and how many fewer people actually knew about it, but I think that’s what made it special. It wasn’t long after that I realized that I enjoyed the challenge and the competition especially against players much older than me. This is what inspired me to excel within the sport and chase that feeling of winning.

The competition drove my want to be the best for many years, the true nature of sport. I traveled, played and won tournaments all over the world, being considered one of the Top 10 players in the game but still trying to get better at the sport that I loved most.

It wasn’t until I started playing ultimate at the University of Oregon in 2005 that I got to witness the most athletic of all disc sports. A sport that made me realize how much I love throwing, and a sport that tested not only my shot-making ability but my overall athletic ability with the non-stop action. Ultimate was something that I would play with friends when I was younger, but unfortunately I never had an organized club in high school to participate in growing up.

Playing ultimate at the college level provided me with new challenges, because not only was it very physical, but it was very strategically mental as well. A non-contact sport that takes a toll on the body like no other with the running, the cuts and the full layout catches—it’s phenomenal to witness and even better to experience it.

I only played ultimate for two seasons before graduating, but I can absolutely say without a doubt that this sport made me a much better disc golfer. I was in the best shape of my life as it most definitely gave me increased stamina and endurance on the course. It also refined the technique and power of my forehand throws. It was the combination of everything along with radiating confidence that led me to winning some of the biggest tournaments of my career, a Disc Golf World Title and the No. 1 ranking in the world!

Disc golf vs. ultimate... These disc sports are completely different in almost every way except for the very thing that they have in common, the flying disc. It’s the love of the throw and watching a Frisbee fly that brings us together. So whether you’re an ultimate player or a disc golfer, I highly recommend that you give the other sport a try. Who knows? You might just find something special that has been missing from your life all along.

Scandal is the #5 ranked women's ultimate team based in Washington, D.C., and Savage is proud to call them a Savage Select Team. We took a few minutes with Keila Strick to get the skinny on this scandalous team.

1. Savage: How does your team prep for a game? 

Keila Strick for Scandal: Long-term prep includes track workouts, gym, practice, scrimmages, film review. Short-term prep is different for each player.

2. Savage: What's unique about your playing style as a team? 

Scandal: We are patient. We’re process- and goal-oriented. We never get too caught up with our losses, but instead learn where and how we can improve for when it matters most.

We side stack, which isn’t the most popular offense, but I guess it’s becoming more mainstream.

 3. Savage: Who are some of your MVPs?

 Scandal:

• Amy Zhou (D-line cutter)
• Lindsay Soo (D-line cutter)
• Nada Tramonte (O-line cutter)
• Jessie O’Connor (handler)

4. Savage: Can you share some highlights of your time playing together?

Scandal: This could be a long list… I’ll stick to three.

During practices and some games, we do “animal spikes” after a score. In big games with big scores, you might hear somebody on a team shout out an animal and the person who just scored celebrates by being that animal. Molly Roy is particularly talented with her shark spike.

Our team is fast. It’s always fun watching Lauren Allen and Ingrid Petterson run through D people.

We’re also tall. Kelly Ross, Lindsay Soo, Hannah Boone, and Danielle Byers dominate the air.          

5. Savage: What's your favorite place to play ultimate? 

Scandal: It’s pretty sweet playing in DC and looking over and seeing the Washington Monument, Capital building, or White House.

No turf, please.

6. Savage: How does your team celebrate a victory or mourn a loss?

Scandal: To celebrate, we get margs. To mourn, we get margs.

7. Savage: What's your team's hype song? 

Scandal: We actually have a collaborated playlist where each person added their favorite hype song. One that stands out to me: Missy Elliott, "Work It."

Team Savage is gearing up for the Quidditch Premier League Championship in Cardiff, Wales on Aug. 25. We'll be there selling gear, so be sure to stop by for a replica jersey—they're discounted to $39 through Sunday. Can't wait for Saturday? Check out our QPL Pro Shop online, and read our Q&A with QPL director Jack Lennard.

Savage: What are some of the biggest accomplishments of QPL this season? How is the league evolving? 

Jack Lennard: Following on from such a successful first season was always going to be a challenge, but I’m really proud of how we responded to feedback and kept the experience of the league at such a high level. We added two new teams, the Scottish Thistles and the Welsh Dragons, made the teams smaller to allow for more game-time for players, and are having our Championship in Cardiff Arms Park, a truly spectacular venue. The league itself is evolving really quickly—we’re always setting our sights on the next challenge, and the next milestone!

JL: The battles between the East Midlands Archers and the West Midlands Revolution came to a climax in Birmingham, where the West Midlands won an incredibly tight contest to squeak ahead of their rivals in the league on point differential—so that was a fantastic way to set us up for the Championship! 

 JL: The London Monarchs have been a joy to watch this season. They play such attractive quidditch, they’re a really strong team. Watching the Eastern Mermaids bounce back from a zero-win season last year to a pretty high seeding for Championships after coming third in the Southern Division has been fun. It really shows that the fortunes of teams can ebb and flow over the years, which makes the entire league more attractive to spectators. And of course, our two new teams, in Wales and Scotland, have had debuts to be proud of—I can’t wait to see their fans cheering them on in Cardiff!

JL: It’ll be an incredible event. Cardiff Arms Park is another large professional sports stadium, so for the second year running we’ll be offering a venue for quidditch that can’t be matched in other UK competitions. That comes with all the amenities, facilities, and luxuries that those venues afford—so expect great views, great streaming, and an amazing location right in the centre of Cardiff. It’ll be a perfect celebration of the ambition that the Quidditch Premier League embodies.

JL: Next season we have our big European expansion—five new teams across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, which is so exciting! UK teams won’t be forgotten about either, we have some surprises for them… but all that can wait until after Cardiff, where we send off the 2018 Quidditch Premier League season with a bang!

Major League Quidditch is hosting its Championships this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Savage crew will be in attendance cheering on our favorite teams. To celebrate another successful season, we're getting all misty-eyed and reminiscing on some of our favorite moments from the past few months. 

By the way, save 30 percent off our entire collection of Major League Quidditch jerseys by using the code BROOMSUP at checkout! 

Our friends from Ultimate Dodgeball just shared a whole bunch of photos from the UDC event last weekend, and we're passing along a few of our favorites. Savage was proud to provide gear for this awesome event — and you can still buy your own replica Ultimate Dodgeball jerseys, hats, and more in the Savage shop. Check out all the UDC event photos here.