John Elias, left, and Sean Holihan, a rookie and vet respectively of Stonewall Dodgeball. (Holihan photo courtesy the subject; Elias photo by Denis Largeron)

In this week’s installment of the Washington Blade series spotlighting the rookies and veterans who make up the LGBT sports teams in D.C., we check in with two LGBT players from Stonewall Dodgeball.

Stonewall Dodgeball burst onto the LGBT sports scene in 2014 and quickly outgrew its venue. Now operating out of the Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center, players are wrapping up their fall season with playoffs to begin next week.

The league rotates seasons between a draft system where the players may not know each other, and a season where the teams are formed by the players.

John Elias signed up for his first season in April of 2016, a draft season. He only knew one person on his team and half of his teammates were also new to the league.

“The draft makes the league more accessible to new people,” Elias says. “This was completely outside my zone and I have been surprised by how much I am enjoying it.”

Elias was born in California and grew up in Plainville, Conn., and other than running junior varsity cross country, did not play sports. While earning his degrees at Yale and Stanford Law School, he played ultimate Frisbee recreationally.

He moved to D.C. in 2006 and is working as a lawyer for the federal government. After giving Stonewall Bocce a try, he decided he wanted to play a new sport.

“I thought dodgeball would be fun, energetic and athletic,” Elias says. “I only consider myself to have moderate athletic ability, so I wanted something that would be a good time without having to take it too seriously.”

Elias says he was a little lost at first in terms of the team dynamics, but Stonewall Dodgeball offers open gyms on the weekends to work on skills and he has found a lot of direction from the veterans, especially his team captains.

“The veterans have been great for giving tips on timing and positioning,” Elias says. “My captains have been good about directing traffic, pacing and instructions on playing our own game. They even send out strategy emails.”

The social aspect has also been a plus for Elias and he has met an entirely new group of people.

“We recently had a social outing to laser tag in Virginia,” Elias says. “I am having a blast, all while getting a real workout.”

Sean Holihan is in his sixth season with Stonewall Dodgeball with three seasons as a team captain. He has also played multiple seasons with Chesapeake and Potomac Softball, the D.C. Gay Flag Football League and Stonewall Kickball.

Originally from New York, Holihan grew up in Virginia Beach and played football for one season, but ultimately turned his attentions to theater and debate after wrecking his ankle. He moved to D.C. in 2009 to follow his partner and be closer to the political scene. He is working in political consulting and is now married to his partner. He found his way back to sports shortly before moving here when he joined a gay softball league in Hampton Roads, Va.

“I get a great deal of enjoyment from playing sports and meeting new people. It is a great use of a day,” Holihan says. “I am a simple guy and I love any sport with a ball.”

Becoming a captain in the league was a natural progression for Holihan because he enjoys teaching people how to play the game and better themselves.

“I also like board games and the parallels are there with sports,” Holihan says. “There are different pieces on the dodgeball court; scramblers, throwers, blockers, catchers and snipers. I like putting the pieces together.”

Holihan says having rookie players helps keep the league in check because they come in looking to have fun with less focus on winning.

“The league doesn’t want anyone to be overly aggressive,” he says. “The overall tone is inclusiveness and that everyone is involved in every aspect of the game.”

He shares a story about one game where he lost his head because he thought the opposing team was playing unfairly. It was the thought of the example he was setting in front of the rookies that helped him pull it back in.

“I wouldn’t want any rookie player to think that winning is the only thing this league is about,” Holihan says. “Winning is great, but having fun and meeting new friends is much better.”