| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009 2:55 am |
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Living 
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Kickball: A kids' game that's a hoot for grown-ups At best, the Grasskickers had a slim chance of winning their first kickball game ever last week.The Marysville team was facing Home Plate, a powerhouse that had lost only one game, and that was back in 2007. The Grasskickers' team captain, Tim Granger, didn't look worried, though. He just wanted to play. Granger isn't alone. In the past decade, thousands of adults nationwide have begun playing the childhood game as they seek out alternatives to typical summer sports. Many cities now offer adult kickball. Signups for Everett's 21-and-over league, which begins July 9, are open now. "It's a game anyone can play," Granger, 39, said. "There's no skill set that's necessary, except some willingness to have fun. And second, it harkens back to being a kid." Leagues have grown quickly. Marysville began its own in 2007. Dave Hall, athletic coordinator for the city, said the league grew from four teams to 11 in a year. To some degree, excitement about the sport can be traced back to the World Adult Kickball Association. WAKA began acting as an advocate for kickball after its 1998 founding in Washington, D.C. "There hasn't been any Will Ferrell movie or anything like that," said Courtney Silvagni, a spokeswoman for WAKA. "We kind of attribute it to people looking for ways to be social." WAKA gave the trivial sport serious organization. It copyrighted its variation of the rules and now uses a web of volunteers to organize roughly 3,000 teams in 33 states. WAKA may expand into Seattle in 2010, but local players aren't waiting. Seattle's Underdog Sports Leagues began organizing games with Everett Parks & Recreation in 2007. Games are played on a softball diamond with a rubber ball a bit bigger and softer than a soccer ball. The rules closely mirror baseball, with some clear variations -- you use your foot, not a Louisville Slugger -- and some less obvious ones -- two foul balls equal an out. Local teams are mostly made up of 25- to 35-year-olds and have to be co-ed. Shawn Madden, whose official title with Underdog is Ambassador of Fun, said the co-ed rule keeps things lighter, tempering some players' competitive spirit. "It's almost self-policing," Madden said. "People are less likely to be doofuses." Granted, that depends on your definition of a doofus. Teams often try to get a laugh with their names. "People try to push the boundaries and come up with stuff as inappropriate as possible," Madden said. "You get a lot of 'balls' in the name." Play also can be loose, with runners forgetting to tag up after a fly ball or simply losing track of the kickball. Such was the case during the Grasskickers game at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. After driving in a run during a late rally, one of the Grasskickers idly stepped off second base. A Home Plate player was nearby with the ball. He tagged out the runner and trotted off the field. After the 13-2 loss, the Grasskickers joked around, saying they were saving their energy for the night's second game, against the Purple People Eaters. And wouldn't you know it, they won. The game was close at first, but in the final innings, the Grasskickers pulled ahead thanks to some home runs and well-timed catches. After nearly two seasons of playing, they clinched their first win with a score of 13-8. "It was great," Granger said. Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com |
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