Young adults rejuvenating playground sport as kickball gets trendy

Kickball, the traditional playground game, is gaining support from energetic, active adults who just want to have fun.

The trend has been growing across the U.S. over the last decade and along the Grand Strand, it’s primarily those in their 20s to 40s who have embraced it.

One of the most distinctive things about this game is that a team can choose a funky name for itself. Some are so creative and adult-oriented, they are unprintable.

Myrtle Beach resident Geno Castagna, an assistant captain for the team All My Pitches Love Me, said everyone goes out to have fun. “It’s a fun league so why not come up with a fun name?” he said. “We all like the silly pun.”

Amber Ketchum, founder of Tupelo Honey Balls of Steel (named in part for its sponsor), said her team started through a Meetup Group she also helped to found, and no one on the team actually had any experience.

“You need 12 to 14 people on a team and I just asked anyone in the Meetup if they were interested,” Ketchum said. “Some had played in grade school but none had played as adults. We just wanted to go out and be active.”

With only four seasons behind them (consisting of play on two spring and two winter leagues), the Tupelo Honey Balls of Steel came in second place in the summer league this year to a strong team calling themselves Das Boots (think submarine movie and/or boot size beer glass).

Das Boots, now in its sixth season, won the 2015 summer league regular season and a tournament held in Litchfield, according to third baseman Joel Long.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Long works for the City of Myrtle Beach. The city offers kickball on its list of sporting activities and it has developed the largest kickball league in the area with 17 teams signed up last season.

Long, 43, like others his age, was looking to stay busy with something he could do outside. When he was first asked to join, though, he hesitated.

“I said ‘really?’ But I have a blast just talking and having fun,” he said.

The game is similar to baseball, where you run the bases and have three outs. But there are some major differences, the first of which is the ball. It is a large rubber ball and you kick it. There are no bats, no helmets, no real gear. With a ball and a group of willing individuals, you have a team.

Another significant difference is that you can “tag” a person out by throwing the ball at them.

“As long as you bean them below the head,” Ketchum warned.

Reliving simpler times

Kickball keeps it simple, reminiscent of children playing together during recess or after school.

No fuss, just fun, and for the players that is the beauty of the game. Many kickball team members have families and can bring their children to watch or even play during pickup games.

Since the teams are co-ed, it allows couples to enjoy a competitive outing together. All they need to bring to practice is a pair of athletic shoes and a good, strong kick. The ability to catch the ball is also a strong attribute, one that Long said mixed with a little luck has helped his team become league champions.

While it may be a simple game to learn and play, it helps develop agility and provides good cardio interval training that can lead to weight loss. Team members admit it provides a definite workout. It can also produce a few stubbed or broken fingers when players get too competitive.

“This does require some athleticism,” Castagna said. “But these skills can be developed pretty easily and it is a great way to meet people and enjoy yourself.”

Many kickball players on area teams played at home as they were growing up, kicking the ball around with siblings and friends. West Virginia native Miranda Byrnside, 30, said playing kickball when she was younger was “a big thing” and today she enjoys it as an alternative to going to the gym every day.

Once considered a juvenile game, kickball has become trendy, as a fondness for the game has rekindled among America’s young adults. Admitting you play kickball, said some of the players, can draw reactions from people who think it strange.

In 2006, Los Angeles writer Christopher Noxon coined the term “rejuveniles” and wrote a book titled “Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Rejuvenation of the American Grown-up.” His book looked at a new breed of adult; the individual who refuses to grow up and lose that playfulness of childhood.

Kickball taps into that desire to throw some energy into a game that is playful, social and just a lot of fun. In addition, it is a great way for new people to the area to meet people with similar interests.

Garrett Shalley, 49, of the Myrda Beach Blue Ballers team, said when he moved from New York, he found the kickball league a great way to meet people while getting some exercise.

Signing onto a winter league

Holly Lee, adult sports supervisor for the City of Myrtle Beach, actually played on a kickball team the first season the city offered the sport and prior to her employment there. “From then until now it has grown,” Lee said of the sport.

“It’s a fun, laid-back sport. The risk of injury is slightly lower than it would be for football or baseball. It’s fun to get out with a group of friends and play, get exercise and have a little friendly competition,” she said.

Lee said registration for winter league is open with team rosters due Nov. 12 and play beginning Dec. 8. Play is held on Thursday nights each week.

While kickball is a growing sport in the Myrtle Beach general area, outlying areas of Horry and Georgetown counties have had difficulty in developing or maintaining leagues. Susan Becton, athletic coordinator for the Conway Parks, Recreation & Tourism, said kickball was offered and several people showed an interest until it was time to sign up. “It just didn’t take off,” she said.

While Mike Wood, 31, lives in Conway, he has found a home with the Balls of Steel team. The native Ohioan played kickball with his five siblings as a kid and initially started a team called The Cheese Balls that later disbanded. He works in Myrtle Beach and started attending pickup games at the Grand Park ballfields and soon became part of the team.

“I like everything about kickball,” Wood said. “It is fun and competitive. It keeps me active. I’m the father of three and I didn’t do anything before this to stay active. Now I’m even playing softball.”

It takes enough players to develop at least four teams for a program to work. Justin Blomdahl, community specialist for Georgetown Parks and Recreation, said at some point he hopes to gain enough interest in the sport to develop a league. For now, his department offers a few weekend tournaments each year held in the Waccamaw Neck.

“There is definitely a huge interest, we just need to capture some of that interest,” Blomdahl said.

He said his tournaments draw from Myrtle Beach leagues and church groups from the surrounding area. The tournaments allow people who do not have time for league play to enjoy the sport. Until he determines a large enough interest to start a league, Blomdahl said his department will continue to host the one-day tournaments.

Matt Decker, assistant athletic director for North Myrtle Beach recreation, hosted kickball for two seasons before interest faded. “Unfortunately this year we were not able to get enough teams,” he said.

Decker said his department will continue to offer the sport in hopes that interest will redevelop to create the minimum four teams needed for seasonal play.

Putting heart into play

Andrea Higgins is a 35-year-old mother of three who said her team has grown stronger because “we have so much heart.” A member of Tupelo Honey Balls of Steel, Higgins said developing a team with returning members who show up to practices allows a better understanding of strengths and weaknesses, which makes for a stronger team.

Her team players get along and socialize beyond the ball field. They also play year-round, meeting on Sunday afternoons for pickup games where anyone is welcome to join in the fun.

In addition to stability, Higgins and Bynside agree that keeping a positive attitude on the field and having good sportsmanship is of ultimate importance.

“When your team starts fussing, you start falling apart,” Higgins said. “We jelled as a team. We play with heart and we want to win.”

Higgins said adults need their extra-curricular activities just as the kids do.

“This (kickball) is mine. Adults have to have their time, too,” she said.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Young adults rejuvenating playground sport as kickball gets trendy."