06/19/2008
Dodge ball fashion in this summer
Shorts And Shirts IF YOU thought childhood games like dodge ball ended with fifthgrade, think again. The Up High/Down Low Dodgeball League of LosAngeles is carrying on the team sport with all the excitement of agroup of over-caffeinated kids, but with the edgy style of thecreative types, comedians and club promoters who make up the teamsthat play every Monday night at the Bellevue Recreation Center inSilver Lake. Inside the rec center, the roar of supporters and the screeching ofsneakers make the scene sound like a high school basketball game.But walk through the doors and music from the likes of Depeche Modeand Digable Planets blares from the speakers, revving up theplayers and fans who look like an American Apparel ad on steroids. Extra-short gym shorts, vintage shirts, thigh-high tube socks andmetallic leggings topped off with sweatbands in every color of therainbow run back and forth in a blur. Players hurl little rubberballs with the fervor of women waiting to enter the doors of theManolo Blahnik sample sale. There are six balls flying at a time --at the players, into the stands -- though the object, of course, ispelting someone on the opposite team and getting him or her "out."Some players are fueled by a happy hour cocktail, others just pureadrenaline. All of them take their personal style to new levelswhen on the court. Team $tatu$ Faction's unifying colors are black and gold. CatChiang paired her gold foil T-shirt with matching metallic hotshorts and yellow New Balance sneakers. Her teammate Kai Harrellsports a skull bandanna finished off with a skeleton scarf over hismouth, bandit style. Bandannas are a requirement for TeamBandan-a-rama, whose members wear different-coloredbandannas aroundtheir necks, with leggings and V-neck tees. While most groups have T-shirts or some kind of uniform piece, it'sTeam PNDB that hits hardest in pink tuxedo-front T-shirts worn withactual tux pieces such as vintage powder blue vests and cummerbundson the waists of athletic shorts. Accessories are as much a part of the game as the rest of theoutfit, and there's no shortage of glitter and graffiti here.Brooke Alexejun, who is on the currently undefeated team, World WarIV, wears graffiti print Reebok high-tops with her uniform whileother players opt for more girly footwear, such as shiny silvershoes from Tom's. The style is a long way from the schoolyard, but the enthusiasm forthe game is right out of grade school. And judging by the length,so are some of the shorts.
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