What do you get when you mix a few dozen adults, a grassy field, add some easy ground rules, a rubber ball, and throw in a whole lot of fun and beer?
It’s kickball, and not the kickball you remember from grade school or middle school. Today’s kickball gives you the opportunity to relive your days of glory in the playground. Now you are adults on the field. You are with your friends, old and new, running around like a kid kicking and catching a big red ball, burning calories, getting fresh air and, before you know it, the game is over in 50 minutes. Kickball is one of the fastest growing community sports in the country.
Now I did mention beer, right? Well, the new kickball for young adults 21 and over considers this new “American Pastime” a social contact sport. That is where the beer comes into play. Like many sports there is that place to party after the game. Golfers call their party place the 19th hole and bowlers, the 11th frame. It is all just good fun. Kickball has that party element. After the game, players go to a favorite watering hole for a few beers, food, and laughs.
Kickball has been known to make some great career and job connections, find a new best friend or even romance through this co-ed sport. According to the World Adult Kickball Association, in their organization 51% are female and 49% are male. It attracts a lot of young singles who want to stay healthy. It’s a great alternative to meeting people on cyberspace. Instead of seeing people’s profiles and photos on the Internet, you actually meet a real live human being on a grassy field and in fresh air.
Besides meeting new people and socializing with friends, kickball has its healthy benefits. It provides a fun, stress-free social outlet that helps reduce feelings of tension, depression and anxiety. It gives you a healthy outlet for letting go, even for just a short time. Kickball also provides an opportunity for a calorie-burning weekly workout. The average 220-pound man can burn 582 calories while a 135-pound woman can burn 357 calories. Exercise is necessary for everyone and not always easy to fit into busy schedules. With regular exercise you can protect yourself from obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and stress. Burning calories, raising your metabolism, mood enhancement, stress management, and having fun are all healthy benefits of kickball. Not bad for a 50-minute workout.
Letting loose with kickball has extended to Americans serving in our armed forces in Iraq. Air Force, Army and civilian personnel on kickball teams find time in their busy lives to forget about responsibilities and where they are for a while. This sport has helped boost morale for a happy and healthy social distraction.
Many kickball teams also support local charities, donating time and money throughout the sport season. Favorite charities have often been kid-related organizations or non-profits like children’s hospitals, tutoring programs and preschools.
So why not find a kickball team? And if you can’t find a team, start one. Kickball can be your ticket to fun, friends, and fresh air. Go and enjoy yourself. Life is good!
Daisy Villa is a resident of Murfreesboro who teaches yoga at State Farm Insurance in Murfreesboro, Genesis Healing Center in Lascassas and gives private lessons.
