Two teams. Four players. One net. Sounds familiar, right? Well, for those of you who are thinking of volleyball, you’re wrong. This is a new game only just introduced to the people of Newport, but has already sparked interest in a select number of CdM students. This new beach game is Spikeball.

The game of Spikeball is a unique concept recently developed by a recreational group in Chicago. Similar to volleyball, the game requires two teams of two to hit the ball off of a small net placed in the center of your area. Area, not court, because there is no boundaries in Spikeball. Each team has three hits to get the ball to bounce off of the net. Failure to do this results in a point of the other team, and this puts them one point closer to the overall goal of 21 points.

An intriguing game, this is probably one of the most versatile games on the market, and is able to be played on any terrain. Though you will find Spikeball most often on the beach, Spikeball can also be played on grass, dirt, and almost any other terrain you could think of.

“The competitiveness that comes with such as simple game makes Spikeball really fun,” said junior Bryan Ford, “you need to be really quick and flexible.”

Spikeball is a game for all ages of players, though it calls for extreme quickness and flexibility. Because there is only two people per team, you are always in the action, and getting up quickly is an important part of the Spikeball strategy.

The sport of Spikeball is growing rapidly in the CdM community, due both to its intriguing nature and the increasing advertisement of the game. People tend to take notice of the strange setup and even more interesting style of play, and most Spikeball players expect the game to spread even more in the coming years.
”[Spikeball] definitely could catch on,” said Ford, “I think it has the potential to be a really big sport.”