It?s a sport on the upswing. Athletes from all over everywhere (Yeah, I said that), were on hand across the street from the Stratosphere, taking part in 3 wall ball. Oh yeah, you heard right, 3 wall ball!
I played wall ball as a kid. It consisted of me facing a wall while other kids threw hard rubber balls at my butt. I was looking forward to other adults facing the same humiliation I faced as a kid. Maybe they would even let me throw a few.
I was dismayed when I arrived and saw actual talented players playing either racquetball (4 players), or wall ball. I learned that wall ball consists of 2 players hitting a racquetball against the wall with the hands.
There was a nice crowd on hand, but I came over-dressed. Usually when I attend any of these events I dress in a decent shirt, and shorts. Since it is always over 100 degrees in Vegas, I want to wear a tank top, but I always lean to the side of looking somewhat professional. Everyone in the crowd had a tank top on, except me. Great start.
I took my seats in on the bleacher and took notes. Wall ball first. I didn?t understand why they only have one ball. If a player hits it over the wall, the players have to wait while someone chases down the ball. Those little rubbery guys bounce a long way away at times. It?d be like a guy fouling a ball off at a 51?s game, and the umpires, or fans, chasing it out of the stadium. Is there not more balls available? I wondered what would happen if one of the balls flew in to the stands and I caught it, then decided to keep it as a souvenir? Sitting beside me were some tough hombres, so I probably would have handed the ball back and apologized for catching it.
The match I watched was between toothpick guy (Wearing black)and real quiet guy. I didn?t get their names, so that?ll have to do. Toothpick guy, who always had a toothpick in his mouth, was getting pasted early. However, once he took off his shirt, he was unbeatable. RQG had no answers for his low wall shots. Toothpick guy eventually won, and on his way to the bleacher blew kisses to his adoring fans.
Another observation. They take time out whenever they want. At one point, Toothpick guy just walked off the court during a point and sat down. Now, I can get behind those rules.
Now to 4 player racquetball. I have no idea about the rules, or teammates, but these guys can hit that ball hard. Audible gasps could be heard throughout the crowd when one of these rubbery grenades actually hit a guy, and not the wall. It seemed to me that 4 people is about 2, to many. With 4 guys on the court, one or two, were always in the way. It was inevitable that some would take shots to the back or butt.
There was a referee, or some sort. He had a microphone in his hand, but I couldn?t hear anything he was saying. At one point, I heard him say 15-13. I?m assuming that was the score, but there was a couple angry guys after he said that, so I am not sure.
I was really impressed that there is a World Championship. This is a subculture that I never knew existed. These guys take this seriously, and well they should. The money they can win is nothing to sneeze at. More than $50,000 dollars will be divided up at the end of the weekend.
If you are interested in taking part in future events, check out their website listed below.
www.wphlive.tv
Source: http://www.vegassportsgab.com/2011/09/24/wall-ball-4-team-racquetball-and-you-oops-and-me/
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