Chico Spikeball: 360 Degrees of Fun
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By Skyler Boles, teaching credential program, Chico State Spikeball Club president
Spikeball is a fast-paced, high-agility, and hand-eye–intensive sport that is fun to play and highly addicting. We want to share this amazing sport with everyone because it brings out so much joy in players.
Here is the breakdown of spikeball, which is most similar to volleyball:
- 2 versus 2
- No sides. No boundaries. Play 360 degrees around the net.
- Up to 3 hits to spike the ball back onto the net
- When the ball hits the net, it changes possession.
- If your team spikes the ball off of the net and the other team fails to return the ball onto the net within 3 touches, you win.
Spikeball in Chico started about two years ago, and local enthusiasm has made the city one of the most fun and competitive places in the world to play. In fact, Chris Ruder, the Chicago-based “chief baller” and CEO of Spikeball said that the best players in the world hail from Chico.
The goal of the Chico State Spikeball Club is to build community, host events, and play as much as we can so that “Chico” is synonymous with the word “spikeball.”
We had our first big tournament in September 2012. With 33 teams, it was the largest spikeball tournament to date. We have continued to travel to tournaments around the country to build the Chico spikeball name. We took first place at a New York tournament in June and were featured in a spikeball short on ESPN 2’s SportsNation.
Two weeks ago, Shaun Boyer and I traveled to the Spike-a-Palooza national competition in Nashville. There were 64 teams from eight states, and Chico Spikeball took home the championship.
We play on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. at Yolo Field behind the tennis courts. Look for the giant spikeball flag.
Everyone is welcome to come play. We have all the equipment—just bring your friends and be ready to have the time of your life!
We will be hosting a tournament on Oct. 11 from 3-5 p.m. at Yolo Field. Sign-up at The WREC with a partner today.
Get connected through Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for more information.
If you have any questions, email sboles@mail.csuchico.edu.