Having a (kick) Ball
Published 8:33 pm Thursday, July 9, 2009
It used to be just for kids, but with Austin Park and Recreation’s adult kick ball league in the midst of its fourth year, the sport is still providing fun for all ages.
Every Thursday night at 6:30 p.m., 13 teams take the field at South Todd Park and play a game they learned as youths.
A child’s game
It’s a simple concept, the pitcher rolls the ball, and the batter tries to kick it past the defense.
“It’s not tough to relearn the game. It takes you back to fifth grade,” said Sue Tischer, the manager of the Midrift Wreckers.
The toughest part is keeping the ball in fair territory. With a dirt infield and a bouncing pitch, it’s easy for players to lose their footing.
“Depending on what the pitcher’s throwing, you could bounce it or sky it up,” said Brian Schulz, 35, who plays for the Wreckers. “It’ s much harder than it looks. It’s not rocket science, but there’s a certain challenge to it that makes it a lot of fun.”
Two ways of looking at it
The Wreckers, who are off to a 6-2 start are one of the many squads who take kick ball as a serious athletic venture. They have fun while playing, but always want to win.
“Our team’s pretty competitive, we take pride in our defense,” said Schulz, who has three home runs this summer. “I’d say at least three-quarters of the teams we’ve played are at least as competitive if not more so than us.”
But not every squad is looking to push it to the brink of excellence. The Point of View Streakers, who are off to a 1-7 start, are mostly interested in a night away from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives.
They’re out to have a good time first and learn the score later.
“We like to take a laid back approach,” said Ben Akeny, 28, of the Streakers. “It’s horrible when we play the better teams and we lose. A couple of teams have changed their ways (and had fun with us when we play them), but most of all they like to keep it straight.”
Keeping it social
While Shulz and the Wreckers, who are sponsored by Midtown Auto and the Windrift, are looking to win, they’re also looking to stay in touch with friends.
Schulz recently moved back to Austin after being gone for about 18 years. He knew Tischer from high school and joined her team. Since then he has made a few more friends while playing kick ball over the summer.
“It’s great way for me to go out, socialize and get reconnected with the community,” he said. “Our team has gotten to know one another a lot more during the season and that’s been a lot of fun. I didn’t know a lot of people before this season and now we have a camaraderie.”
Tischer started the Wreckers two years ago after she had a kick ball game at her birthday party.
She hopes the sport can grow a little bit more.
“My hope is some time we can do a kick ball tournament with other towns. That would be great at the end of the year,” she said. “Right now Park and rec is doing an awesome job (running the league). They got us new balls, that we like a lot better than last year’s,” Tischer said.
The Streakers are sponsored by Point of View, which is a glass cleaning company that can be reached at 507-219-0234.