GO!
WhirlyBall a mad mix of sports

By Kevin Pang
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 22, 2007

Despite the throwback name, WhirlyBall just might be the X Games of recreational gaming. As a group of friends and I found out on a recent night, WhirlyBall is fast-paced, physical and can cause severe humiliation.

So what is it?

WhirlyBall is a hybrid of lacrosse and basketball, played while riding in bumper cars. The 31,000-square-foot Lincoln Park location is, according to owner Sam Elias, the country's largest WhirlyBall facility (there are locations in Lombard and Vernon Hills, plus about a dozen more across the country). The "sport" sounds like a bizarre mash-up, but somehow it works.

Ten players are divided into red and yellow teams and take their position in bumper cars. Players are given a lacrosse-like handle to scoop and toss the game ball, a softball-sized Wiffle ball. On either end of the 50-by-80-foot court is a 10-foot-high goal, which is a circular hole 16 inches in diameter. Players try to shoot the wiffle ball through the hole. Got that?

On the night we played, an employee read us a checklist of rules (no eating, drinking or smoking ... do not drive full-speed into the wall ... ramming from behind will not be tolerated). Then we were told the court has electric currents running through it, so we shouldn't fall out of the bumper car unless we were prepared to be shocked.

The 10 of us hopped into our vehicles. There was no steering wheel; instead, there was a vertical crank that operated like a boat rudder--steer left to turn right and vice versa--a technique easier said than done.

Once the buzzer sounded, it was every man and woman for themselves. The referee threw the game ball onto the court, and we rushed to scoop it up.

Supposed "friends" threw out the rulebook and slammed into each other with wanton disregard. One guy kept ramming into the corner and couldn't turn around. What a melee, but oh, what fun.

There was little strategy employed in the first quarter, a 10-minute match, which was why it ended with no score. Once a person had possession of the ball, he or she would try shooting it with a whip of the wrist, but flung it all directions.

So we had difficulty steering, shooting and backing out of corners. But the learning curve was fast.

By the second quarter, my team, the reds, were up 2-0 nothing on a nifty under-the-basket shot (points are like basketball--two or three points depending on where you shoot from). Somehow I got possession and raced toward the basket at 3 m.p.h., flicked my wrist and scored a goal. Then, someone from the opposing team slashed one of my reds while she was in possession of the wiffle ball. The referee called a foul and awarded us one point. We won the second quarter by a score of 7-6.

I proclaimed the next quarter a free-for-all with no penalties. Things took a violent turn. We slapped the ball out of each other's hands. We double-teamed our opponents. Passing became an offensive strategy. The third quarter ended with no score, and the fourth was won by the yellow team, 4-0. After an hour of play, the game ended in a draw. We exchanged pleasantries and headed for the bar.

Riding around in a bumper car seems easy enough, but the adrenaline kept our hearts pumping fast. Both hands were clenched tight--one around the handle, the other around the steering column. My arm felt tight the next day. And when someone bumped into us, there's a good chance the steering column would jab us in the stomach. This is probably why WhirlyBall is for ages 12 and up, and why I woke up with minor bruising the following morning. But for the hour of fun we had, it's the good kind of hurt.



What's up with WhirlyBall

- You need at least four players to play WhirlyBall. Up to 10 can play at any time.

- As long as there's an open court, you can walk in without reservations and play a 30-minute pickup game for $10 per person. Many groups reserve a one-hour block for a $180 flat rate from Monday to Thursday, or $200 on weekends. You must be at least 12 years old to play.

- WhirlyBall has three locations: Chicago (1880 W. Fullerton Ave.), Lombard (800 E. Roosevelt Rd.) and Vernon Hills (285 Center Drive). For more information, call 800-894-4759 or visit www.whirlyball.com.

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kpang@tribune.com

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