Jump to content

Whirlyball

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 208.242.14.141 (talk) at 21:46, 27 June 2007 (→‎Whirlyball as a Sport). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Whirlyball is a team sport that combines elements of basketball and jai alai, or to the average Joe it is a combination of Lacrosse and bumper cars, with the players riding "Whirlybugs", small electric vehicles similar to bumper cars. Because play requires a special court, it is played in only a handful of locations in the United States and Canada.

The game

A Whirlyball team consists of five players. Each player rides a Whirlybug and carries a scoop, with which he or she can pass the ball, usually a wiffleball, to teammates and shoot at the goal, a circular target above the two opposite ends of the court.

Players are not allowed to leave their cars or touch the ball with their hands. Other than that, almost anything is allowed, within certain bounds of safety, such as you are not allowed to ram a player from behind (4 point penalty). Games played by veterans at a National level can get particularly vicious, although it is extremely rare for an injury to occur.

Game Origins

The game was first conceived in Salt Lake City in the early 1960s. Its creator, Stan Mangum, was already a patented inventor who was working to develop a small agile bumper car. This car eventually developed into the Whirlybug and is an integral part of today's game of Whirlyball. Whirlyball's popularity and dissemination is largely credited to Kim Magnum, Stan's son. He is the founder of Flo-Tron Enterprises, an organization which distributes franchise rights and equipment for Whirlyball.

Whirlybug

A Whirlybug is similar to an electric bumper car. It is round, with a bumper going all the way around. Unlike most bumper cars, however, power is not provided by an overhead grid, but rather by alternating conducting plates that make up the floor of the court. This means that Whirlybugs are more complex than traditional bumper cars, but this is necessary as an overhead grid would obstruct play. A Whirlybug is steered by a handle that looks like a crank. This handle allows steering not just side to side, but also backwards. In this aspect, it is very different from a traditional bumper car.

Whirlyball as a Sport

While controversy exists over whether Whirlyball is a sport or a game, it is generally accepted that as Noam Wallenberg (DePaul Student) wrote in a recent article on the subject, "Whirlyball is a sport. It is competitive, it requires physical and mental ability and it can be played recreationally or professionally."

Popularity

Whirlyball is played as a competitive sport with organized leagues, but it is more commonly played for entertainment. Many Whirlyball locations have a sports bar atmosphere, offering billiards and other tabletop games to play between matches. There are three locations in and around Chicago, and locations in Cleveland, Kansas City, Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, Toronto, Connecticut, New Jersey and five locations in the Detroit suburbs.


References

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whirlyball&oldid=141048527"