Lavender Challenge 2025

Completed Details below are kept as a record.

Name

The Lavender Challenge – Year 1

Dates

Saturday, August 16 & Sunday, August 17, 2025

Location

Jefferson Activity Center, Twin Cities, Minnesota

Applications opened

March 15, 2025

Applications closed

July 1, 2025

Team slot

Teams needed at least 5 registered players to secure a spot.

Cost

$40 per division · cloth add-on free

The first annual Lavender Challenge: a two-day queer and WTNB-centric dodgeball tournament in the Midwest.

Who could play

• Players: All participants had to identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community or the Women, Trans, and Nonbinary (WTNB) community.
• Cis male allies: welcomed as referees, setup, and teardown.

Target numbers and team caps were a best effort; Minnesota Dodgeball reserved the right to adjust divisions based on demand.

On court: 6 players. Roster: minimum 7, maximum 8.

Saturday, August 16 · single elimination

Players chose one division between Open Foam and Buddy Draft WTNB Foam; the two ran simultaneously.

• Division 1 (AM) · Open Foam — 12-team cap, no gender identity requirements.
• Division 1 (AM) · Buddy Draft WTNB Foam — 12-team cap. Cis-identifying males ineligible.
• Division 2 (PM) · Buddy Draft Open No-Sting — 12-team cap, no gender identity requirements.
• Division 2 (PM) · Buddy Draft WTNB No-Sting — 12-team cap. Cis-identifying males ineligible.

A special cloth exhibition match ran between divisions.

Sunday, August 17 · double elimination

• Division 3 · Mixed No-Sting — 24-team cap. Each team could field a maximum of 4 non-WTNB/cisgender male players on court, and at least 2 court positions had to be filled by WTNB-identifying players. Teams that did not meet this started the round short-handed.

This was not a women-only division. Trans and nonbinary players, including those who may be male-presenting, were welcome. WTNB players may be male-presenting; we trust our community to respect and care for each other.

• Saturday, August 16 · 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
• Sunday, August 17 · 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Organizers

Anh Phan and Tyler Russell. Questions: tournaments@minnesotadodgeball.com