Todd Poole aims for the legs.

He's no kid, but he's still the master of the playground as he fast-pitches the dodgeball at his weaving opponent.

Dodgeball isn't Poole's only retro sports pleasure.

He also gets his kicks slamming an oversized rubbery ball out of the park with his foot and chasing down a base runner in a spirited game of kickball.

Dodgeball and kickball, once considered the playful realm of childhood, are no longer for kids only.

A growing number of area recreational kickball and dodgeball leagues catering to mature players are allowing good sports to revisit the schoolyard games of their youth with an adult twist. While the rules and equipment for adults may be somewhat modified, and the game intensity and strategy kicked up a notch, the main goal, players say, is to just plain have a ball.

Local leagues — in some cases businesses kick in with sponsorships — are following in the footsteps of umbrella associations like the World Adult Kickball Association, which now has leagues in more than 35 states, and the National Amateur Dodgeball Association promoting sports for the "young at heart."

"Definitely addicting, and a great workout," said Poole, an avid kickball and dodgeball player, who gets more animated as he offers his pitch for the back-to-the-past-have-a-blast games. "For adult players, it's a great alternative to traditional sports."

(And then, of course, there's the camaraderie-inducing post-game get-togethers, he said, which, for adults generally include chugging bar beers as opposed to sipping sideline Kool-Aid. Age has its rewards.)

A sense of humor may also be a byproduct of participation if you consider the creative team monikers like "Looking to Score," "Dodge This" and "Great Balls of Fire."

"It's kind of a nostalgic pastime, but this brand of of nostalgic pastime is a lot more physical and intense than the dodgeball I grew up playing in a circle in the schoolyard," said Dan Ostrowski. He jumped into dodgeball head first (hopefully the ball won't hit there), and especially appreciates the good-natured, tension-releasing combat nature of the game.

"It's a great stress reliever," he said. "You can … blow off steam."

Adult dodgeball leagues at LANCO Fieldhouse have been ongoing and growing for the past two years, running year-round in sessions with both coed and open divisions, said Kyle Brobst, director of the league and the Future Stars Baseball Academy at the fieldhouse.

There were four teams in the beginning, he said, and currently eight to 10 teams are registering per session, providing a congenial atmosphere for players revisiting a game they probably have not experienced since childhood.

In 2006, the Lancaster Recreation Commission, in response to a significant amount of interest, hosted its first adult dodgeball league, said Audra Landers, commission director of Sports Services. Since then, she said, the league has grown from 11 to 18 teams in competitive and recreational divisions, and the door remains open for more players.

"Dodgeball really has a different recreational spin than our other adult sports," she said. It's universally fun, but featuring a notable fast pace and fervency.

Following in the footsteps of the success of dodgeball, the commission launched a kickball league in 2009. It began almost the same way, she said, "by just listening to what people wanted to play." In 2009, there were four teams and in 2011 there are six.

She also foresees continued kickball league expansion.

The average commission adult dodgeball roster usually is about 10 players, 15 in kickball. Minimum age for the commission's adult leagues is 16, and average age spread is 25 to 45.

Landers got help creating the leagues from Poole and Jeannie Sikora, who played in a WAKA league in Annapolis, Maryland, before moving to Lancaster.

While adult kickball is somewhat similar to baseball, both Sikora and a fellow kickball player, Ron Baker, point to the challenges of catching, kicking and throwing an especially unwieldy ball, and the necessity of aggressive base running and throws.

Baker said kickball is a good fall Saturday afternoon activity, an alternative, he said, to sitting in front of the TV watching college football.

"Kickball gives me something to look forward to throughout the week."

Diana Esposito, like Poole, does double duty in kickball and dodgeball.

"I think some people do get particularly competitive, but mainly I think people are out there to challenge themselves and have a good time," Esposito said.

"It's a different way to exercise.

"And it's never boring."

To Learn More

• For information about adult dodgeball and kickball at the Lancaster Recreation Commission, call Audra Landers, director of Sports Services, at 392-2115 ext. 142, email alanders@lancasterrec.org or visit www.lancasterrec.org. Dodgeball team registrations were due right after the new year. Kickball registrations for this year are due by Aug. 19. Minimum age for adult sports programming participation is 16.

• For information about dodgeball at LANCO Fieldhouse, call 560-0810, email info@lancofieldhouse.com or go to www.lancofieldhouse.com. The summer dodgeball league is under way, and the next session will begin after Labor Day.

sjurgelski@lnpnews.com