Club will hopefully be composed by more than just shirtless fathers
By Olivia Turkeyton, Gossip Girl
A rare sight: Somebody playing Spikeball with their shirt on. With Xavier adding a D1 Spikeball team, competition will begin in Fall 2021. Xavier is already actively recruiting the next crop of Spikeball stars.
In the COVID-19 college sports world, spikeball is rising through the ranks to be considered the most competitive, most exciting and most watchable sport.
Across the country, universities are adding spikeball to their list of sports, and recruiters are seeking the nation’s top spikeball players.
At Xavier, discussions of scholarships for spikeball have begun, with some talks of full rides being given to those players who show exceptional promise.
Though spikeball season is over due to the onslaught of cold weather and high winds pushing the balls off course, Xavier’s spikeball players can sometimes be spotted playing a match.
Observe any spikeball match, and you’ll be enthralled by the fast pace and quick reflexes.
On warm days, players head down to the sand volleyball courts, taking up any space that could be used by volleyball players, and show off their skills.
Most players are college-age though one can always find a random group of dads playing a friendly game in the sand.
Most hope they won’t run into their professor playing, as these dads play shirtless, and that’s a conversation no one wants to have.
Since the lineup for spikeball is still in development, and Xavier wants to keep its team secret while they’re still in training, not much is known about the first season of competitive spikeball.
Teams could be made up of four, or it could be two versus two. No one has figured out how the point system works or what the exact rules are, or how the divisions will be formed but the season is shaping up to be an exciting one.
Would-be coaches are lining up to nab a spot leading Xavier’s spikeball team to victory against like of the University of Cincinnati and University of Dayton.
When asked about their team, a representative from UC responded, “What the hell is spikeball?”
Both UC and Dayton are following Xavier’s lead in keeping their spikeball teams and plans under wraps for now.
Spikeball’s biggest draw is its ability to provide safe play in the midst of a pandemic. Players can wear their masks and social distance, and the game primarily takes place outside.
Though most spikeball players, for some reason, prefer to almost completely strip down while playing, uniforms will be made up of long sleeves and jeans, according to reports from ESPN.
The first spikeball season will reportedly begin in the early fall of 2021, and excitement is brewing across the country.
Recruits are being flown in to tour campus and test out Xavier’s spikeball courts, located on Husman Yard and sometimes behind Brockman Hall when the Student Activities Council is hosting an activity.
You must be logged in to post a comment.