RUMFORD — The Greater Rumford Community Center is holding its second dodgeball tournament on March 9 after its first tournament went over well within the community, said Ryan Palmer of the GRCC.

Palmer said that the first dodgeball tournament was created as a “new and fun” way to raise money for the GRCC.

“The first tournament went over very, very good,” Palmer said. “We saw that some other towns had done dodgeball tournaments in the past, so we figured, ‘What the heck? We’ll give it a try.’ We ended up having far more groups sign up for the tournament than we ever thought.”

Palmer said that between 15 and 20 teams signed up for the first tournament, with a “young, quick team from Hotel Rumford” walking away with the win.

For their second dodgeball tournament, Palmer said they’re going to try and hold a women’s tournament in addition to the men’s tournament.

“By having a women’s tournament, you’re able to open the competition up to some more teams and make things a little more fair,” Palmer said. “Right now, we have teams signing up by the day. All of the teams that competed in our first competition have signed up again, and we have even more coming in.”

The entry fee for the tournament is $5 per person, Palmer said, with the winning team receiving $100.

“During the last tournament, the Hotel Rumford team was nice enough to donate the money to the GRCC,” Palmer said.

The tournament has quickly become one of the more popular events at the GRCC, Palmer said, and it appears that it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

“Everyone enjoyed dodgeball in school, so by bringing it to the GRCC, people are able to have a little friendly competition, raise some money for a good cause and have a good time,” Palmer said. “I think at the end of the day, everyone steps back and realizes that it’s just a great way to have a lot of fun.”

To sign up for the tournament, or for more information, call 369-9906.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com