The love between Ellie Moon and her boyfriend, Tyson, was born out of a maelstrom of flying rubber balls.
The pair met in the Vancouver Dodgeball league, and say while they had no expectations of meeting someone when they signed up, they’ve since learned sports leagues are a great way to find Mr. or Ms. Right.
“I think Tyson hit me every time we played, and that’s how we started (interacting),” Moon said.
Around 35 individual players have met their significant others through the Vancouver and Coquitlam leagues in the past four years, said Moon.
Nicole Rafael, 20, and Mason Foulkes, 22, met in the Coquitlam Dodgeball League.
“I never thought that anything romantic would come out of it,” said Rafael. “It was a nice surprise.”
“Everyone’s out to have fun, which makes it a lot easier to flirt,” Foulkes said of the dodgeball leagues, adding that because you see each other regularly, there’s no stress with followup calls.
Sheree Morgan, a Vancouver dating expert who runs Match Works matchmaking service, said too many people rely on the Internet to meet someone.
“People have forgotten how to socialize,” said Morgan, whose 28-year-old son met his girlfriend in a volleyball league.
She said by joining sports leagues, you’re instantly interacting with people who have similar interests and lifestyles to your own, and because people are relaxed and having fun, their guards are down.
