Kickball is Making a Comeback

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On Thursday nights, a group of about one hundred men and women gather at Manchester’s Derryfield park.

They're dressed in red, green, blue, grey and purple shirts that read “Play Kickball” on the back.

Some players stretch, others stand around and socialize, and most come ready to relive a little of their childhood.

15:45 – who’s going to doing rock paper scissors. CMON!!!!.. one two three – YESSS!!!!

But these players aren't just out for novelty fun.

Kickball has become a serious sport in Manchester.

Since April, New Hampshire has had its own chapter of the World Adult Kickball Association or WAKA.

David Day organized it.

The thirty year old describes himself as a “technology geek” by day... kickball fanatic by evening.

dd- I used play kickball down in Boston, and for the past 2-3 years I loved it and had a great time, but as friends grew up moved out of the city, it was not as much fun, and I said , what could I do in Manchester, and there wasn’t anything. So I did a little search on the net I came across this world adult kickball association/// and they got me started here as a kinda a salesman getting people interested and so far we have 100 people (not WAKA in Boston)

Five teams make up this year’s Granite division of WAKA Kickball.

Each team consists of about twenty people,made up it seems of mostly of friends or colleagues.

They've named their teams the Green Machine, Man-kind, That team and Manch-Vegas United.

dd- a couple teams, I think are going to be very very aggressive and very focused on winning... in fact you could see them running laps earlier they’re getting their warm ups in. Other teams have probably just come from the bar.

DOWN WITH BLUE good amb

You may remember from your school days that Kickball is a lot like baseball.

Except instead of hitting a ball with a bat, players kick a large red, very bouncy rubber ball.

(kick... bounce... run cheer)

Once the ball is kicked, the player heads for first base.

If the ball is caught in the air, the player is out.

If the defense can throw the ball to a base before the runner gets there, the player is out.

Or--and this is where kickball and baseball differ-- the defense can knock runners out by hitting them with the ball.

(amb up)

Many of the rules players may remember from childhood.

There are no bouncies.

That means the ball cannot go one foot above or on either side of home plate to be considered “fair”.

There are no ghost-men or imaginary players on base.

And there is no throwing at the head.

Also all teams are co-ed with equal amount of men and women always on the field.

(amb)

WAKA Kickball was the brainchild of four friends who lived in Washington DC back in 1998.

Johnny Le Hane was one of them.

WAKA - it was really a case of just looking for something else to do, something like the co-ed fraternity that three of us we were in... // a lot of ideas were thrown around... and someone mentioned kickball and it just sort of struck us as soon as whomever said it as “wow that was a lot of fun and why don’t we play it anymore”. 1:14 – and /// being the kind of guys we are, instead of just playing a pick up kickball game or just letting it go the next morning , we moved forward and tried to organize a kickball league and succeeded in the DC area.

Today, WAKA Kickball has grown into an industry.

The organization employs a handful of workers, with one hundred divisions worldwide and hopes of doubling by next year.

The appeal says Le Hane is partly due to the fact that its a good way for friends and colleagues to get together and socialize. In fact, each division has a bar it calls its official clubhouse.

There's also the nostalgia factor.

But perhaps the biggest appeal is that kickball tends to be far less competitive than its rival sports... soccer and baseball.

JLH the first time you play it or play it again, its got sort of the giggle factor, there something that so fun about it, the big red ball that no one is really good it, nobody lettered in kickball, no one was the captain of their college kickball team, so that’s a real leveling aspect to this game.

(amb)

And that’s how it seems here in Manchester.

All WAKA players need to be over twenty-one, but outside of that, anyone can play.

Beverly Lalunde played Kickball in Virginia.

And when she moved to New Hampshire this year, the first thing she did was look for a team here.

BL its great that all ages can play, young, old, husbands and wives... – I’m afraid I’m the oldest and that’s upper forties.. 32:42 – When I played in Virginia we had two of the probably oldest people in the country. our team captain was 70 and his wife was 68

Those who showed up at Derryfield Park did so for a number of reasons.

Some wanted to meet new friends, others to get together with old buddies,

And some just wanted to get off the couch for at least for one day after work.

For many, its the first time they played any organized sports since high school.

Bill and Denise Cantwell got some co-workers together for form their team, “The Green Machine.”

BC – I would just think its fun to play with people your age you kinda get to go back about 20 years and remember what its like to be in the 5th and 6th grade and play.
DC -a couple of us felt you know once were in 30s we’re not as limber as we used to be and there’s muscles we haven’t used in years, so yeah its definitely a surprise when you start to feel muscles you haven’t in a long time.. that kicking muscles right there hurts.

Last week, the group that calls themselves “That Team” won the first Granite league championship. They now hope to raise the money to travel to Miami, Florida and face other divisional league winners, for the Founders cup finals and title of world champion.

And in keeping with the theme of fun over competition, the winners receive no prize money, just a big Stanley-Cup-like-trophy and lots of bragging rights.

Once again WAKA founder Johnny Le Hane.

It’s a dumb accident that it was a just childhood game... /// I don’t have a psych degree or anything but obviously everyone’s always looking for an escape and we hear it a lot now this is a time when people are looking for simpler things and/// playing kickball is definitely a simpler thing to do, anybody can play and if for only one day a week its a way to hang out with your friends on the field and at the bar...

good game good game, great job...

WAKA’s New Hampshire league begins its second season on August 3rd.

For NHPR News, I’m Keith Shields

huddle it up green machine. wooo!!!! whatever!!!... speech... hard fought game 11-2 got one.. win on three 123 win