Dodge Ball. 1,200 People. No Cry Babies.

When the whistle blows in University of Alberta’s Butterdome on Friday, 600 balls will fly.

More than 1,200 students, faculty, and staff members are expected to gather at 11:45 a.m. MST in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the biggest dodge ball game ever. The current record is 450 people.

The two teams, of about 600 people each, will be distinguished by their T-shirts — either green or gold. There will be one ball for every two players, and the game is single elimination: One hit, you’re out.

Nick Dehod, vice president for student life, says the game could be over in less than half an hour. But, he says, “If somebody out there has incredible dodging skills, it could go on forever.”

Carl G. Amrhein, the provost, doesn’t expect to be that guy. ”I haven’t played any form of dodge ball since 1970,” he says.

Mr. Amrhein says that the game will be well-documented, and that afterward the university will present a dossier of evidence to Guinness World Records.

“We have convinced our auditors to be our judges, and we’re going to have a large number of people taking wide-angle pictures,” he says.

The record-breaking attempt will be the opening of a weekend-long dodge ball tournament on the campus to benefit the nonprofit organization KidSport, which encourages active play among children. More than 1,000 people at the university have registered for the tournament.

Mr. Amrhein’s team of administrators, “The Dark Side Delivers,” has been training extensively. Still, he’s under no illusions about their chances against their younger opponents. Students at the university are active dodge ball players: Every floor of every residence hall has a team that competes in the year-round dodge ball league.

“The students are very, very good at it,” he says. —Mary Helen Miller