A Whole New Ball Game
Thornaby Pavilion will be hosting the World Championships for the new sport of Rock-it Ball. This fast moving and exciting sport was launched in April 2005 and is currently taking the country by storm.
The sport is played with a ‘Rock-It’, which is a control bar with a thrower/catcher on each end. It can be played in several ways but the format, which is proving most popular, is Rock-It-Ball Combat Xtreme. Two teams of four players play with four low-impact balls and fire the balls at each other. Hitting the opponent with a ball scores one point but if the opponent catches the ball in the catcher he gets two points. As four balls are in use players find they have to constantly be on the move and on the lookout.
Year 7 pupils from Blakeston Sports College were given the opportunity to experience this new sport at Thornaby Pavilion this week as Paul Hildreth and Paul Law explained the format and rules of the sport while demonstrating some of the techniques and tactics used.
The World Championships which will take place on Sunday June 3rd and will attract teams from Scotland,Japan.USA and England. Paul Hildreth one of the inventors of Rock-It Ball said “Rock-It Ball is easy to pick up and can be played by primary school children right through to people in their eighties. The children from Blakeston have picked up the game after only 5 minutes and are really enjoyed themselves whilst getting a super workout”
Paul added” If teachers, coaches or youth workers are interested in learning more about Rock-It Ball we are running a free course at Blakeston Sports College on the 24th April”
For further information on Rock-it Ball visit www.rock-it-ball.com.