Though Jeremy Mojica, 19, grew up in the Queen City, he has fond memories of the short time he lived in Las Vegas. Not for the reasons you might suspect, but because that's where this energetic young man was first introduced to dodgeball as a team sport. He said the games, played nightly at a local park, were something everyone looked forward to; they were free, fast and open to anyone who was interested.

"You don't need any particular skill to play," Mojica said, who also admits to being "pegged right away" during his first game. He doesn't want anyone to be discouraged or to conjure memories of elementary school when teams were picked and someone, inevitably, had to be the last person chosen.

"That's lame," he said. To him, dodge ball should be about having a good time, not being competitive.

The National Amateur Dodgeball Association (NADA) agrees. They say, "Anyone can play! Experience is countered by enthusiasm. Dodgeball promotes maximum social enjoyment."

Dennis Sparks, of Charlotte, was the fourth person to sign up to play. In his pre-play questionnaire, Sparks calls himself a "basic" player, but answers "absolutely" to this question: "In match play, would you dive in front of a speeding ball to take one for your team mate?"

Mojica is hoping 40 or 50 people will join the Ning site, where he is currently organizing players, so they can start planning games for this spring. (There are 12 so far.) He predicts the group will soon boast several teams of nine to 10 each and says they'll schedule games in locations near the bulk of their membership.

So, for instance, even though he's calling the group Lake Norman Dodgeball, if the majority of new members live in Fort Mill, S.C., then most of the games will be played at local parks on that side of the metro area. If, as he hopes, people from all over the city join, games will be played at parks all over town. "I don't want it to be difficult for anyone to play," he said.

He's also encouraging schools, businesses and other groups to start their own teams and plans to leave team organization up to them, saying, if he were to be chosen as a team captain, he'd name his team "the Speeders, because I'd encourage everyone to throw the ball really fast."

There are only a few rules, Mojica says, like, "If you hit someone in the head or face you're out -- that's not cool" and "If you catch the ball, then the person who threw it at you is out," among a few others. Essentially, says Mojica, all you do is "pick up a ball, aim it and hit your target. It helps to have good reflexes, too."

Once a player for the semi-pro Spanish soccer team Valencia, he's always looking for ways to be active and get people together for some healthy fun and sees dodgeball as a way to do just that.

NADA touts the game as "an alternative sport requiring minimal equipment, set up and playing experience. Teamwork and strategy are more valuable factors in dodgeball than athletic skill and individual competitiveness."

If you would like to get involved, you can sign up here, or send Mojica a message on Twitter @lkndodgeball.