They were sliding, jumping, diving, ducking and most of all, dodging.

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette
Travis Uncapher, 16, of Grapeville is ready to slam his opponents in a dodgeball game at Blazers Fitness Center in Irwin.

The 15 players who showed up last Wednesday on a basketball court at Blazers Fitness Center in Irwin were engaged in the fast action of dodgeball, that game you either loved or hated back in your school days -- and perhaps object to having your children play now.

It's enjoying a revival across the nation and here among teens and adults, in large part because of the summer movie "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story".

In addition to Blazers, at least two other fitness centers in the area are offering it -- the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Downtown, and Club One-Shadyside -- with enthusiastic participation.

The Oxford Athletic Club in Pine has held a dodgeball tournament for charity and at Green Tree Sportsplex, management is looking into adding the sport to its activities.

And there are at least three national or international associations for the sport based in the United States: The National Amateur Dodgeball Association, the International Dodge-Ball Federation, and the World Dodgeball Association.

Participation is exploding. When the National Amateur Dodgeball Association began tourneys four years ago, it had 33 teams and 300 participants. Now there are 200 teams and 2,000 competitors.

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The way these club members are playing may not be the dodgeball you remember -- one or more hard balls being thrown by one group or one person in the middle of the playground or in gym class. There, the less athletic kids were picked on early. This is more mass chaos by committed participants, with three to six balls being hurled simultaneously. Adults and teenagers are discovering how much they enjoyed it as kids, especially in clubs that use the new rubber-coated foam balls that don't hurt when they make contact. Even the fittest are discovering just how good a workout an hour or 90 minutes of dodgeball can be.

"They're a little sore the next day. They're a little winded -- it's a good cardiovascular workout," said Don Doyle, managing partner of Blazers.

"We were really surprised at how in-shape you had to be," added Jesse Lyons, Club One membership/activities director. It works the shoulder, upper arm, back muscles and legs.

Players are encouraged to warm up first.

"It's not just the arms or legs,'' said Carol Chatman, supervisor of the Health and Wellness Institute within the YWCA. "It's even your face [muscles] too, because you're laughing so much."

But the real fun is on the court. The first night Blazers sponsored an open play, people showed up dressed like folks from the movie, including "mullet wigs, old coaching shorts and tube socks," Doyle said.

"It's just a good relief of everyday pressures," said Blazers player Mike Droschak, of North Huntingdon, who just finished the tests required for a joint degree from Thiel College and Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science.

"It's a good way to blow off steam."

At Blazers last week, the players moved quickly, contorting their bodies at the last second to avoid being hit by the fast-flying balls. The five- to seven-minute games went quickly, although pace slowed near the end of each game when only one or two players were left on the team.

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette
Kelli Fletcher, left, 18, of Irwin and Heather Hetherton, 15, of Grapeville try to dodge a ball at Blazers Fitness Center in Irwin.

"You need to make that instant decision whether to catch or dodge -- sometimes it's not the right one,'' said Mindy Resetar, 31, of North Huntingdon. "It's more of a workout than anything else I do. I'm usually sore on the second day afterward.''

At the Y, Jonique Dungan, 17 of the North Side and a student at Palo Cyber Charter School, was so enthusiastic just at the thought of getting back to the game of her elementary years she joined the minute her mother Jennie, a Y employee, told her about it in June. She also recruited her twin sister Jennae and her friend Cori Turner, 15, of the North Side and a junior at Perry High School. Now even her mother plays occasionally.

A swimmer and soccer player, Jonique said what she likes best about dodgeball is "trying to not get hit, dodging the balls. It's fun. I like to run around and help other teammates get the opponents, using different strategies."

Sara Giorgi, 26, and her husband, new city residents living in Highland Park, recently tried Club One's open games and had such good a time they are considering joining the league being organized.

"It takes you back to your childhood," she said.