Team Captain FAQ
Interested in more information about the role of the Team Captain?

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the Team Captain's role in the Pnock Out Pneumonia Tournament.

Please don't hesitate to contact us at info@best-shot.org if you have any questions that are not covered below.

 Register to play in your city and reserve your spot today.

  1. What is a Team Captain?
  2. As a team captain, what are my responsibilities?
  3. When are the tournaments played?
  4. Where are the tournaments played?
  5. How many games do we play?
  6. What are the rules of the game?
  7. What are ‘extra lives’ and how do I earn them?
  8. How do I register a team?
  9. What information do I have to provide in order to register a team?
  10. What should I name my team?
  11. How do I pay for registration? Do I need a credit card?
  12. How do people join my team?
  13. How many people play on team?
  14. Is there a minimum number of players per team?
  15. Can I close my team for registration?
  16. I want to allow people I don’t know to join my team – how do they know that my team is open?
  17. How can I ensure only my friends join my team?
  18. What if someone I don’t know joins my team?
  19. How does my team fundraise?
  20. What is the petition and how do I get people to sign?


1. What is a Team Captain?
Team Captains are the leaders of their dodgeball teams. They register their team online, invite their friends to join them and make sure that the team is notified of the game schedule. They are also responsible for ensuring that a member of the team is prepared to referee games you are assigned to.

2. As a team captain, what are my responsibilities?
As a team captain, you are required to:
  • Recruit other people to play on your team (at most 7 people)
  • Work with the team to raise money for the fight against pneumonia
  • Collect signatures on a petition, asking the government to take seriously the fight against pneumonia
  • Ensure your team knows when the games are and the rules of play
  • Identify a member of your team to referee a game for each game you play
  • Attend team captain meetings with the Regional Tournament Coordinator
  • Coach and motivate your team to success
  • Hold creative fundraisers to help your team raise money
  • Recognize team members for their fight against pneumonia
3. When are the tournaments played?
All the tournaments will take place between February and April. For a list of participating cities, please click here.

4. Where are the tournaments played?
The tournaments will be played in a convenient location on or near campus. Please click here for more information.

5. How many games do we play?
The first and final rounds are won by best-of-three rounds and middle rounds are single elimination. Each game will last up to ten minutes. So depending on your dodgeball skills, you could play two games or if you go all the way to the last round, you could play up to 9 games.

6. What are the rules of the game?
Click here for the rules for the game.

7. What are ‘extra lives’ and how do I earn them?
Participants will be able to fundraise for extra LIVES for their team, which will be distributed at registration in the form of life tokens.

Life: To signify the lives we are saving with this competition, each team will be able to acquire immunity or a second ‘life’ for players to return to the game, if they are eliminated.

There are two ways in which a team can acquire extra lives for the competition:
  • For every extra $100 a team raises for the Pnock Out Pneumonia Tournament , they will be granted an extra life
  • For every 100 signatures a team gets on their petition, they will be granted an extra life for the Pnock Out Pneumonia Tournament
All life tokens will be provided to participants before the games begin, and participants can choose how they want to disburse them amongst their teammates. For more information about life tokens see the official rules of the game.

8. How do I register a team?
Visit www.pnock.org to find your city's homepage. You will need to provide (among other things) a credit card number to pay your individual $10 registration fee. Registration fees can also be paid offline with a check – processing may take up to three weeks. As more people register for your team, they will each be charged the non-refundable $10 fee.

9. What information do I have to provide in order to register a team?
We’ll need your
  • Name
  • School (if applicable)
  • Team Name
  • Email Address
  • Phone number
  • Mailing Address
  • A credit card to pay the $10 registration fee (registration fees can also be paid by check)
You will then be sent a confirmation email, and a link to your captain’s page. This page will allow you to
  • Send emails to your friends inviting them to join the team
  • Send emails to fundraise for the team
  • Keep track of who has registered for your team, your game schedule, and fundraising success so far!
10. What should I name my team?
That is entirely up to you and how creative you are. Don’t forget, this name will follow you through to the last game you play – so make it good!

11. How do I pay for registration? Do I need a credit card?
When you register, you will be asked to enter a credit card to pay your $10 registration fee. As each player registers, they will each be charged $10. Registration fees can also be paid by check - there will be a processing delay for all checks submitted to the Best Shot Foundation.

12. How do people join my team?
Once your team is registered, people can join by visiting www.pnock.org and searching for teams in their area or for a specific team they want to join. Through your captain’s webpage, we will also provide you with an email template inviting people to join your team that you can send to your friends.

13. How many people play on team?
The maximum number of players on a team is 8.

14. Is there a minimum number of players per team?
There is not a minimum number of players. Teams with fewer than 8 people, however, will be at a competitive disadvantage in the game as they will be automatically starting with fewer lives in each round of play.

15. Can I close my team for registration?
Once your team reaches 8 people, it will automatically be closed for registration.

16. I want to allow people I don’t know to join my team – how do they know that my team is open?
There are two ways to designate that a team has open registration to anyone who wants to join.
  1. Enable the icon which says that the team is looking for new players. This is a clear indication to individuals who wish to join a team that yours is open.
  2. End your team name with the words “open registration” (ie. “Best Team Ever – Open Registration) if you are looking for new players to join your team and don’t already have 14 people in mind to play with you.
17. How can I ensure only my friends join my team?
If you don’t want anyone other your friends and others you recruit joining your team, there are two ways to indicate that your team does not have open for registration:
  1. Do not enable the function which says “looking for new players”
  2. End your team name with the words “Limited Registration” (ie. “Best Team Ever – Limited Registration) if you already have 8 people in mind to play with you.
18. What if someone I don’t know joins my team?
If someone you don’t know joins your team, and you indicated that your team had ‘limited registration,’ email us. It is likely a mistake – and we can help sort it out.

19. How does my team fundraise?
After each player registers, s/he will receive a link to a personalized fundraising page. This link can be sent out to friends, family, and anyone else who wants to help them in the fight against pneumonia. Best Shot Foundation will also provide a fundraising letter and envelope to mail to friends and family. This will explain what you are doing and why, and ask for a donation to support your team. Team captains should coordinate a team meeting during which these fundraising asks are sent – we’ve found that the most effective way to get a response is to include a personal message with the mailing.

20. What is the petition and how do I get people to sign?
The petition to Pnock Out Pneumonia can be found on our website at www.pnock.org. It states:

I join the growing community calling on our elected leaders and government officials to combat childhood pneumonia around the world.

Pneumonia is the world’s deadliest disease for children, each year killing more than 2 million children younger than five – more than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. Yet relatively little has been done to stop this hidden killer, which can be prevented and treated inexpensively and effectively.

No parent should face the unspeakable agony of losing a child unnecessarily.

Our leaders must act now so that all children are protected from this preventable disease.

Please visit www.pnock.org/petition to sign the petition. Ask friends and family to sign as well, using your name and city to give credit for the signature to your team. 

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