On his recent trip to the land down under, we got to spend some time with our English friend and Manchester Bees playing member, Ross McGuigan. A veteran dodgeballer and enthusiast of the game, Ross not only toured our great city of Melbourne, but also had the opportunity to represent Wantirna Wolves in Rounds 2 and 3 of the Australian Dodgeball Premier League.
We sat down with Ross to chat about his time in Melbourne, involvement in dodgeball with the Manchester Bees, what he’s looking forward to on the international dodgeball scene and much more.
Personal Life |
Favourite sports?
Huge football (for the non UK residents out there – soccer) fan, but also a fan of cricket, golf, UFC amongst others!
Your football (soccer) team?
Manchester United fan and also Glasgow Rangers (I’m half Scottish!).
Sportsperson you love / loved watching the most?
A few footballers spring to mind. When I was younger it was David Beckham. Now followed by players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Andrea Pirlo! Non-football wise a few of our Athletes like Jessica Ennis.
First job held?
Working in our version of Woolworths stacking shelves!
Current occupation?
Project manager in Sports Development.
How would your best friend describe you? 
“Alright”
Favourite food?
Got to be pizza.
Favourite TV show?
Fresh prince of Bel-Air.
Favourite quote?
“We came. We saw. We kicked its ass.” – Ghostbusters
Your most annoying habits? 
I’ve been told my stories are terrible…
A household chore you hate?
Bathroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning, and cleaning in general (I actually do it though honest).
Describe your typical Aussie.
Ha-ha – big drinkers who enjoy a few BBQ’s!
On The Court |
How long have you been playing dodgeball?
7 years (3 years with the Bees).
You’re a member of Manchester Bees Dodgeball Club. What do you love most about the Bees? 
Something that we always talk about as a club – the welcoming nature of all the members!
What’s your favourite training drill with the Bees?
We can get quite competitive when practicing in the games so it really brings the best out of you – so duplicating match play is good fun.
The Bees trained and spent time with the Dodgeroos in Manchester. Any funny stories to dish out?
It was interesting to first hear the Australian art of retrieving the dodgeballs from the side line. “Shagging” as it is known! I had to question what it was and how it came about!
Your team won promotion to the English Dodgeball Premier League last year. Describe the feeling.
It’s about time! But we felt much more prepared this year and we wanted to secure our promotion without being beaten.
Do you have any pre-game rituals before a big match? 
Oat and raisin cookie consumption and elbow guard on!
Best moment in your dodgeball career?
Apart from the DPL promotion, taking a step back when we organised the training for a number of different nations around the world and thinking “this is pretty cool!”
You were a guest player for Wantirna Wolves in Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2016 ADPL season. Describe your time in the league. Did you enjoy the competition? 
Yes we are still relatively new to the WDA rules so it was interesting to play it competitively. It was great to see what is predominately used in Europe (cloth) as well as experiencing gameplay with the Australians. Also, loving that you can watch the games a few days after and see how terrible I was at times…
While the ADPL is still in its infancy, how does it compare to the English version (or high performance competitions)?
We have a similar setup in terms of fixtures and we are only just introducing tournaments through the WDA rules. We have played a number of games against clubs who have high standard players whereas I think the teams were more varied in the ADPL.
Who’s your prediction to win the 2016 ADPL title?
Surrey Hills Sloths (totally not paid to say that).
You were an avid spectator at the 2016 Manchester World Cup. What did you enjoy most about the tournament? 
Seeing the development of the sport and how far it has come with rule changes, more participants and the high standards. However I was there supporting the Bees and honorary Bees who were playing!
Who was your favourite nation to watch in Manchester?
Haha I’ll be honest the Aussies were awesome to watch (all teams) and I thought the Malaysians were great entertainment!
The new WDA international rules were designed for a faster paced and spectator friendly game. As a spectator, how did you rate the new regulations?
Completely backing the new rules – as with everything there might be some minor changes but I think as a spectator sport and for those new to watching it the WDA rules are fantastic.
What are you most looking forward to for the 2018 New York World Cup / Invitational?
The progression of all the nations – the standards will be even higher! And seeing all the different groups of people again!
Having a clear soft spot for the Aussies (we’ve now accepted you as one of our own), were you impressed with the Dodgeroos’ performances in Manchester? 
Woohoo! Well thank you! I think considering I know the setup well with Dodgeball development in England and its difference to the development of Dodgeball in Australia, it was really impressive.
What are your future goals and ambitions in dodgeball? Do you have ambitions to play international dodgeball, and possibly at the 2018 World Cup?
Continue to promote our club, the sport and of course increase our international relations as we want to help expand and support growth across the world. We are more than happy to share our experience with our club and its setup.
In terms of playing international dodgeball, well we shall see 😉
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