March Madness is about to begin.
No, not that madness. It’s time for the GeekWire Bash — featuring one of the most hotly-contested dodgeball tournaments on the West Coast. The fast-paced dodgeball action is just one component of our big Bash, a geek festival of sorts taking place from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the CenturyLink Field Event Center on Thursday, March 15th. We’ll also have video games, virtual reality, sumo wrestling, board games, a zipline and other geeky fun. General Admission tickets on sale here.
This year’s dodgeball field looks more intense than ever, with 32 rough-and-tumble teams. Some hotly-anticipated games are in store, including first-round match-ups of Seattle cloud tech powerhouses SkyKick and ExtraHop, and then we’ll be watching as past champion Tune takes on Getty Images. We’re also eyeing an interesting potential second round matchup of real estate rivals Redfin and Zillow, but each must get through tough first round play.
In order to ensure more games, we’ve added a “Second Chance Bracket” — meaning that each team will at least get to play two matches. The winner of the Second Chance Bracket will face off against the winner of the main bracket for the ultimate championship match.
And we’ve also introduced a new rule: The 8-person teams must have at least four women participants. If you have not yet provided the full roster of your dodgeball team to tournament maestro Cara Kuhlman, please do so today.
The full dodgeball bracket is below, so make sure to click on the image to see the matchups. A big thanks to T-Mobile for sponsoring this year’s dodgeball action.
Good luck to all participants, and we’ll be announcing our ping pong, Settlers of Catan and foosball brackets later this week.
We’ll be sending out the full list of rules and logistical instructions to all dodgeball tournament participants, but here’s a quick FAQ with key details for all of our dodgeball competitors.
Where and when is the event? The GeekWire Bash will be held from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 15th at the CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle, just south of CenturyLink Field.
When should I arrive? Doors open at 3 p.m. All dodgeball players need to be checked in by 3:30 p.m., and play will begin promptly at 4 p.m. We have more than 500 tournament competitors this year, so we’ll need your cooperation to move through the brackets as quickly as possible.
Where should I park? Various parking lots and street parking surround the CenturyLink Field Event Center. All-day parking is available in the CenturyLink Field Garage for $15. Entrance to the garage is located off South Royal Brougham Way, between Occidental Ave S & 4th Ave S. You can also use the address of 330 South Royal Brougham Way in your GPS, although the physical address is not posted on the venue.
Where do I check in? Make sure to get your badge and drink tickets at the main registration desk on the west side of the CenturyLink Field Event Center. You’ll then be directed to the dodgeball tournament check-in desk for your respective tournament.
Do we need to bring our printed tickets? No. As long as you have provided your full roster to GeekWire’s Cara Kuhlman, we will have your team members registered and badges ready at registration.
Who will we be playing? You can see the dodgeball brackets above. Note: Make sure your full team is assembled near the dodgeball court at least 15 minutes before your match time.
How will I know when to play my match? Check in with your full team with the tournament director for your tournament, and he or she will notify you of your potential match time. Brackets will be displayed prominently and updated as the tournaments progress. Make sure to check them regularly.
Are tickets to the event still available? General admission tickets to the anniversary bash are available for your friends and co-workers. Grab those here. All tournament tickets are sold out.
What if our team can’t make the tournament next Thursday? If you or your team can no longer participate in the tournament, please let us know immediately by emailing Cara Kuhlman at cara@geekwire.com. If an individual team member no longer can make it, your team can play with fewer than eight players. For an 8-person team, we do require that each team has at least four women.
What about my cheering section? We encourage you to bring one — just make sure your friends, colleagues and family get tickets in advance. Tickets to the party are available here. And, yes, there will once again be an awesome “spirit prize” for the team that best shows its geek pride during the event.
What’s at stake? Glory, and lots of it. You’ll be competing in the middle of a big crowd of more than 1,500 geeks. Most of all, this is a fun event and a chance to meet, connect with (and compete against) a wide variety of people across the tech industry. The competitive juices will be flowing, but this is really about having fun. Our dodgeball sponsor, T-Mobile, will be there to reward the winning team with some cool prizes.
What should I wear? Comfortable clothes, and maybe a towel to dry off. Feel free to bring an extra shirt if you tend to break out in a sweat during your dodgeball matches. We will have a coat and bag check area near registration.
Dodgeball court: Matches will be held on the 60-foot by 30-foot dodgeball court in the netted area in the east part of the venue. Make sure your full team is assembled at the court 15 minutes before your official match time.
What are the rules of dodgeball? Teams consisting of 8 players (four men and four women) will face off in 8-minute matches. There will be no substitutions, and no shots above the shoulders. A player is eliminated from the match if they are hit by a ball, or if their ball is caught by the opposing team. You may use a ball to block other balls, and the hand is considered an extension of the ball. That means if the hand is hit while holding a ball, the player remains in the game. A player may re-enter from the bench if a teammate catches an opponent’s ball. At the end of regulation, the team with the most players on the court wins. Your team can also win if you eliminate every member of the opposing team. If an equal number of players remain at the end of the 8-minute regulation period, the first team to eliminate an opponent will win. A referee will officiate the matches. If your full 8-person team is not available at the start of the match, you will start with the players present.
What happens if our team loses our first match? Your team will be entered into the “Second Chance Bracket,” which will be comprised of the teams who lost their first round matches. This gives your team an opportunity to keep competing in the tournament. The winner of the “Second Chance Bracket” will face off against the winner of the main bracket for the championship match. Depending upon timeframe, the championship match may consist of a best of three games.
What happens if our team loses our second match in the “Second Chance Bracket?” Your team will be eliminated from the dodgeball tournament, but your tournament registration includes full access to the party, including great activities such as beer pong, sumo wrestling, a classic video game arcade and much more.
What happens if our team wins our match? Make sure to report your win to the table captain, and make sure it is recorded on the big bracket near the tournament desk.
What time will the championship match take place? It depends on the flow of the tournament, but we are targeting around 7:45 p.m.
More questions? Email us at events@geekwire.com. See you next Thursday afternoon, and good luck!
A big thanks to this year’s title sponsor: First Tech Federal Credit Union.
Also, thanks to Xiamen Air, the zipline sponsor; Avalara, the arcade sponsor; OfferUp, the sumo wrestling sponsor; T-Mobile, the dodgeball tournament sponsor, Sirqul, a bar sponsor, CenturyLink, our VR zone sponsor, and ChefSteps, our Joule cooking sponsor.
Thank you to our silver sponsors Moz, Bellevue College, EY, Capital One, Perkins Coie, Big Fish, TechPower, Qualtrics, RealSelf, and Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt.
And to our supporting sponsors and partners: DomainTools, AIE, Zipwhip, PlayImpossible, Mox Boarding House and Skytap.
