On the Move
This Game Is Off-the-Wall
By Karen-Lee Ryan
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, April 9, 2004; Page WE59
IT LOOKS like volleyball, with players on either side of a high net passing, setting and spiking a ball. Yet it's played on a racquetball court, where bouncing the ball off the wall or ceiling is just part of the game. It's called wallyball, and it adds up to a good workout and a great time.
"It's fun," says Robert Turek of McLean. "It's just plain fun." He's part of a core group that plays wallyball at Audrey Moore RECenter in Annandale on Mondays, when drop-ins are always welcome. "Some people know what they're doing; others don't -- it doesn't matter. We discourage hard hits, but otherwise, we're loose on the rules."
Although some people play wallyball competitively (the National Wallyball Championships are slated for April 23-25 in Michigan), 98 percent of the world's 2 million players enjoy wallyball recreationally, according to Rudy Morel, president of the American Wallyball Association (www.wallyball.com). "It's a fun way to burn calories," he says from his office in Manteca, Calif. "The only downside to the sport is that you have to have access to a racquetball court." His organization sells wallyball products, such as hardware that enables racquetball courts to be turned into wallyball courts and back again. He says that about 40 percent of college campuses have wallyball facilities and that nearly a third of private clubs offer wallyball.
The game started in Illinois on a small scale in 1971, and on a larger scale in California in 1979. Locally, the sport seems centered in Fairfax County. Most county-run recreation centers are set up for the game.
The conversion from racquetball court to wallyball court takes less than five minutes. At 7 p.m. every Monday (and many Thursdays) at Audrey Moore RECenter, a couple of people wearing shorts and T-shirts use a rolling ladder to quickly string a volleyball net across the racquetball court about eight feet from the floor. When a few more people arrive, they split up into teams.
"We play four-on-four, five-on-five or even six-on-six," but that's a bit much, says Bill DiSilvio of Fairfax. "Sometimes we play two-on-two for a really fast game." The players, whose ages span several decades, come from such countries as Germany, Switzerland, Fiji, New Zealand, Korea and Cambodia. The gender mix leans slightly male.
DiSilvio had seen wallyball and got some friends from work to play. "Softball, paintball, wallyball -- we do this kind of stuff," he says, adding later, "It's good for building team spirit and camaraderie." Mary Vosarogo, a squash player at the rec center, watched the group play a couple of times, and they encouraged her to join them on the court. She did, and brought several of her squash-playing friends with her. After nearly six years, DiSilvio and Vosarogo remain part of an informal league hitting a ball off the walls every week at the recreation center. More than a dozen people show up regularly, with many more dropping by on occasion. The group also meets socially every now and then and gathers for an annual holiday party. They encourage others to try the game, regardless of skill level. "It's drop-in," says Vosarogo, who lives in Fairfax. "Everybody starts by smashing around."
Anyone familiar with volleyball can quickly pick up on the basic rules of the game. The serving team has to get the ball over the net to put it in play; it can hit a wall (but not the net) en route. Once the ball is in play, each team has three shots to get it back over the net without the ball hitting the floor. Touches against the walls or ceiling can help move the ball along or keep it in play and do not count as part of the three shots. The same player can't hit the ball twice in a row, but it is legal to hit the ball with any body part. As in volleyball, most shots are made with fingertips, fists and wrists, with teammates bumping and setting the ball to allow everyone a chance to play. When the ball fails to go over the net in three shots or hits the opposing team's back wall, the serving team either gets a point and serves again or forfeits the ball (with no point scored for the defensive team). The first team with 15 points wins.
From the minute the ball goes into play, all eyes head skyward and determined looks cross faces. There's a bit of hustling to reach the ball, the squeaking of rubber soles on a slick wooden floor, an occasional leap into the air and plenty of thumping as the ball hits a wall. Laughter or cheers seem to accompany every point, whether it's a missed shot, the perfect angle or bungled communication among teammates.
"The people are great," says James Madison of Falls Church, who notes that teams swap players after every couple of games. "You win, you lose, you play -- it's a good workout. . . . Some games are less competitive, others are more competitive, but we always have an enjoyable bunch of games."
MARYLAND
FAIRLAND SPORTS AND AQUATICS COMPLEX -- 13820 Old Gunpowder Rd., Laurel. 301-953-0030. www.pgparks.com/places/parks/fairland.html. One court is available for wallyball, with reservations taken a week in advance. The cost is $9 to $14 per hour, depending on time of day and city of residence.
VIRGINIA
CHINN AQUATICS AND FITNESS CENTER -- 13025 Chinn Park Dr., Prince William. 703-730-1051. www.pwcparks.org/chinn. One wallyball court can be reserved a week in advance. Entrance fee is $6 per person, plus a $5-per-hour court rental fee.
CHINQUAPIN PARK RECREATION CENTER -- 3210 King St., Alexandria. 703-519-2160. Wallyball can be played on three courts for $8 to $13.50 per court per hour, and reservations can be made a week in advance.
FAIRFAX COUNTY -- Six county-run recreation centers have courts for wallyball: Audrey Moore, Lee District, Oak Marr, Providence, South Run and Spring Hill RECenters. 703-324-8700. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/parks. They are used for league play or can be reserved by the hour. The daily entrance fee to all rec center facilities, which includes access to a swimming pool, weight room and more, is $6.20 for county residents and $8.25 for nonresidents. Monthly passes are $61.30 for residents and $87.55 for nonresidents.
FREEDOM AQUATIC AND FITNESS CENTER -- George Mason University campus, 10900 University Blvd., Manassas. 703-993-8444. www.freedom-center.com. Wallyball can be played on three courts with reservations taken a week in advance. Cost is $5.50 to $7.50 admission plus $10 per court for the first hour and $2 to $4 per court for each additional hour.
IDA LEE RECREATION CENTER -- 60 Ida Lee Dr. NW, Leesburg. 703-777-1368. Two courts are available for wallyball; admission is $5 to $7 plus $3 per person per hour for the court.
OTHER LOCATIONS
About 15 Sport & Health Club (www.sportandhealth.com) locations throughout the metropolitan area have racquetball courts, and many can convert them into wallyball courts. Some locations, including clubs in Bethesda and Gaithersburg, have plans to start summer wallyball leagues that would not require club membership to play. Other locations, including those in Herndon and Tysons Corner, offer wallyball to members who reserve court time.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
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An informal league gathers regularly at the Audrey Moore RECenter in Annandale to play wallyball, a sport that mixes volleyball and racquetball.
(Michael Temchine For The Washington Post)
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