March 14, 2021
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - As the sky dances into darkness and people start heading in for the night, four dedicated Spikeball players keep playing on a barely lit field at the University of Alabama. While the sunset fades away in the distance, the competitive atmosphere only gets stronger between the two opposing teams. Their serves are fatal, footwork is precise, strategies are planned to perfection, and diving-saves are nothing short of spectacular. Lost is the outside world.
Nothing matters but the invisible circle they battle in. From afar, the game looks like a modern-day ceremonial dance. Instead of a campfire, they step around a net. And rather a dance, they play a game to a frequency only they can hear. However, victory cries and defeated shouts still permeate the almost silent field. This moment is THE picture of Spikeball.
The four committed players are Devin Baron, Drew Cheek, Jon Marks, and Kalan Ramsey; all are students or alums of UA, who have a passion for the not-so-famous sport. They do not play the game for the notoriety but simply for the glory of playing. At the end of the day, a trophy won’t be given out, money isn’t received, and no one but them will know who won. Of course, there are always bragging rights, but even that is lost in the midst of it all. The two teams have changed players every new game. An opponent last game is now a teammate the next. It is hard to hold a grudge against an ally, especially if working in unison to win, is the goal.
According to the Spikeball website, the best way to describe the sport is by explaining it as a mix between volleyball and foursquare. The combinations of sports into one game are what make roundnet such a unique sport. It includes all of the instrumental aspects of the more known sports in America. Roundnet replicates volleyball and foursquares’ rules, tennis’s teamwork in doubles, baseball/softball strategies, basketball’s court awareness, and footballs’ footwork. Although complicated sounding, this sport creates a fun and competitive atmosphere that is perfect for sports’ enthusiasts.
In sports, there are specific types of players. Typically, you can pick out a basketball player from a football player to a soccer player. However, roundnet, commonly known as the brand name Spikeball, is a unique sport because it doesn’t have a specific type of person or body style. There are players that have never played a sport before, or there are people who were three-sport athletes in high school like Ramsey– and both still enjoy Spikeball. Ramsey, a junior at UA and former Marine, said “… it (Spikeball) is more diverse than anything. You get people that are quiet, and then you get people that are really outgoing. So, it is kind of hard to describe it.”
The indescribable Spikeball, however, is the one place for all types of people to experience a sport. What Spikeball players do have in common, is their competitive nature combined with an easy-going personality. Sounds contradictory, but these two traits are common throughout the Spikeball community.
Marks, an alumnus of UA said, “I think it just has a lot of people that like to compete but also are having fun with it. I think that, you know, it can be serious, and I definitely have been guilty of getting emotional over things, but at the same time, I think that a lot of us can laugh to ourselves and joke around and know that at the end of the day, we are just having fun and enjoying spending time outside together.”
Cheek, a senior at UA said, “I think it is one of the most inclusive sports. It doesn’t really matter like what level you are at. There are always people around your level, and also, the community is really good about like putting time in and helping people grow as players.”
Spikeball means something different to each player. For some, it is a way to let out energy and stay active. Other players like the competition and atmosphere. Marks said, “Personally it’s been a really great way to build relationships.” For Marks and Cheek, Spikeball brought them initially closer as dorm roommates.
During their first semester together, the two of them and their other two roommates slid the furniture in their living room out of the way to play Spikeball. Their shared bond for it progressed into a friendship that is still going on five years later. Not only has their friendship benefited from Spikeball, but the sport itself has benefited from their passion for it.
People like Baron, Cheek, Marks, Ramsey, and many more are all instrumental people in growing the sport. Roundnet was created in 1989 by Jeff Knurek. However, it did not take off until 2008 when the brand Spikeball came about. Now more than a decade later, roundnet is a common sport, and Spikeball tournaments have even been broadcasted on ESPN. The biggest way it is growing is through the college setting. Several schools are developing intramural and club teams. For Cheek and Marks, to be a part of the UA Roundnet Club is something they thought they would never get to be a part of.
In 2016, as freshmen, both Cheek and Marks looked forward to playing Spikeball on their occasional breaks from school. When they started, they might have only seen one or two other people playing Spikeball. As time went on, other UA students tried to start a roundnet club, but due to a lack of competition, it never went anywhere. For four years, Spikeball just stayed a fun activity. That all changed once Baron, a freshman, arrived at UA’s campus last semester.
Baron saw a need on campus and filled it by starting a successful roundnet club. He is now the president of the organization and has the strenuous task of dealing with all of the legalities of a new club. However, the organization already has over 70 players. The UA Roundnet Club has played in one tournament and hosted one at home this semester. The UA Roundnet Scrimmage was held on February 27th, and it included teams from UA, the University of Alabama- Huntsville, University of Alabama- Birmingham, and Auburn University. Seventeen teams participated in the all-day event. The UA Roundnet Club represented with two teams in the finals. Players, such as UA sophomore Clark Thomason, have also shown his loyalty to the sport by traveling to the University of Georgia to play in a roundnet tournament. Thomason said, “The atmosphere at every tournament I’ve been to has been friendly and exciting but also very competitive. Everyone I’ve met through Spikeball has been welcoming and fun to be around, making for a great experience.”
The UA Roundnet Club, which is a part of the Tropic South Conference, is now preparing for their next scrimmage. They will compete in two more scrimmages before the ultimate tournament, the Player’s Roundnet Association (PRA) National Championship from April 24-25. Baron, Cheek, Marks, and Ramsey all said their goal was to bring the title home to UA. A daunting task for some, but an achievable goal for them. Marks even stated, “Natty or bust.” With this ambition and determination in mind, there is only one-way the UA Roundnet Club can go, and that is up.
Baron, while talking about the future of roundnet, said, “I want there to be like a community that people can get involved with, and have roundnet friends to be a part of and there be an aspect of recreational play, but I also, over the course of four years, I want us to like grow as a good Spikeball club.”
As the sport’s popularity increases, so does the competition. New Rules have been invented and the game is evolving. The Spikeball Roundnet Association (SRA) has over 1,100 players and more than 125 clubs. Females are also joining in on the action. Delaney Lynn, a junior at UA and one of Marks’s apprentices, is now a Spikeball enthusiast. Lynn has not only brought other women to the sport but introduced the game to her family. This story and the ones mentioned above are just a few of the ways roundnet is growing. Spikeball might not be a mainstream sport now, but it certainly has the potential for it.
Under a now starry-filled night sky, Baron, Cheek, Marks, and Ramsey sit exhausted from a long day spent playing Spikeball. They answer questions and provide their Spikeball origin-stories all while looking to each other to confirm similar thoughts– to make sure they are not the only ones with these feelings of gratitude for a sport– and to provide the occasional laugh at funny comments. Their friendship is not only apparent on the field, but off it too. They have Spikeball to be thankful for and a community built around the sport to show for it.
To get connected with the UA Roundnet Club follow them on Instagram @ua.roundnet
To get more information about College Roundnet go to https://tournaments.spikeball.com/
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