Corporate Teams Play Super Scoreball
UXBRIDGE,
MA — Monty Python’s Holy Grail team, led by Field Commander Rick Rearick, easily defeated the Astros
29-19 during corporate-level Super Scoreball action at the Habitat for Sports in Uxbridge. Ron Perreault officiated.
Scoreball is a team sport developed in Central Massachusetts four years ago. The majority of
players during Thursday night’s game were playing their first Super Scoreball contest, limiting scoring during the first
period.
The game began with a tug of war at center field to determine which team
would earn first ball possession and a possible scoring opportunity. The Holy Grail team yanked away to victory in a rope-pull
contest that lasted just under a minute.
As the rope was pulled off the field,
the enthusiastic Holy Grail team began a game-long effort to keep possession of the ball. Todd Masterman scored the game’s
first points with a shot into the tower. That quick toss for three points was just the beginning of a sustained effort by
his teammates which kept the Astros busy defending their towers most of the night.
Scoreball
players employ the same athletic skills used in basketball and soccer when scoring or moving the ball up and down the field,
but the point value is different in this hybrid game; A kick into the goal is worth two points, while successfully tossing
the ball into a tower opening earns three points.
Results of recreational
games indicated that people who are given a chance to play the game will adapt to it quickly, and will have fun while doing
so.
Despite the constant
pressure, Astros’ Field Commander Preston Wilmot, along with Jay Bucci, Jason Nourse, Chris Weagle, and Pat Redmond
never gave in during the battle, some receiving minor injuries while keeping the defense strong. Jim Lowry of the Grail team
suffered a split calf muscle, forcing him to leave the game for medical treatment.
Despite
the loss of Lowry, the Grail’s Tom Peltier, John Desplaines, and Nate Abzug carried out a scoring attack with Tod Masterman
as their point man. At the other end of the field, teammate Matt Sroka displayed the skills of an accomplished tower watch
by smothering the net to prevent successful two pointers, and by disrupting other scoring attempts on the towers by Astro
players. The Holy Grail led at the end of the first period 9-0, and 19-7 at the end of two. They never looked back as they
went onto victory at the end of the three twenty-minute periods.
Life Guards Dominate New Sport Event
First time
players stand together for a photograph prior to playing the new game in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. The Life Guard team (right
side) won by a score of 24 to 5.UXBRIDGE, MA – Team
Life Guard easily defeated the Rock Crushers of Central Massachusetts by a score of 24-5 during a Super Scoreball event this
weekend. The first-time player game took place at the Habitat For Sports, a multi-field indoor facility located on West Street
in Uxbridge and was preceded by an information session and training clinic. Youngsters came from as far away as Barre and
Worcester for the three-hour event which was hosted by the World Super Scoreball Federation. Super Scoreball is an indoor/outdoor
sport created in Massachusetts several years ago as a means of fighting childhood obesity while providing more fitness and
leadership opportunities to its players. The game begins with a tug of war at center field, then offers players the option
of scoring points by kicking the ball into the soccer net, or tossing the ball into the opening of one of the twelve-foot
high towers that are placed on each side of soccer nets.
During the game, the
Rock Crushers came out strong, winning the game-opening tug of war. This gave them first-ball possession but their hopes of
scoring right away were short-lived. Their first shot bounced off the wall near the tower opening, coming down onto the field.
At this stage, the Life Guard team, led by Britnee Farland of Oxford, swiftly went into action, scoring on their first trip
down field. Emily Trotta, who plays soccer on a regular basis, kicked the ball right past the defense, squarely into the net
for the day’s first two points. She earned most valuable player honors during the game while scoring a total of eighteen
points by making four successful tower shots, and three kicks into the net.
As
the Rock Crushers tried moving the ball down field to score, Shane Carneiro of the Life Guards put up a solid wall of defense
which the Rock Crushers had difficulty getting past. When they did, they found their shots on goal blocked by Britnee Farland
who played the tower watch position for her team. The Rock Crushers never gave up but the combination of good defense by Carneiro,
and Farland, and scoring skills by Trotta and Eva Purdy of Barre were too much to overcome. When asked about her experience
playing Super Scoreball, Trotta was excited about a chance to play again. "I definitely liked playing. This sport should
be worldwide. It’s energetic. I loved moving the ball up field and having two ways to score." Carneiro agreed with
Trotta, saying, "It was really fun, I want to play again."
