In honor of London 2005, and fulfilling my gym class paper requirement
Rugbolo
I have chosen to combine the intense, physical action of rugby with the graceful, whimsical stylings of water polo. This new, fast-paced game combines the aggressive nature and violence of rugby with the resilience needed to overcome water resistance provided during swimming in general. I call this new sport, Rugbolo.
The idea was first toyed with during a recent trip to London, England. A group of friends and I decided to fill a couple of our evenings with brutal, all-out water rugby in the community pool. The ball used was a standard rubber ball with no markings (available at U.S. retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target).
The pool should be at least eight feet deep, have a length of at least 30 feet, and a width of at least 20 feet (dimensions may vary upon pool availability). There are typically no uniforms required, but if teams so desired they could wear matching swimming caps.
To start the game, participants are split into teams of five and moved to opposite ends of the playing area. The game begins with a kick-off, which means that the team who loses the “toss” throws the rubber ball to the team on the opposite side of the pool. A “good kick-off” result is in the ball being plunked deep into the opponents half of the field. From there, play commences. The team who kicked is on defense until the other team scores or turns the ball over.
To move the ball down “field” players may swim with the ball or pass the ball to teammates moving around the pool. Rugbolo differs from rugby because there are no rules against forward passing, players may pass the ball freely around the pool. A player may travel with the ball held above water or held underwater. To score, a player must touch the “end zone” (edge) of the pool with the ball. In order to officially score the point, the player must, just after scoring, yell, “RUGBOLO!” The team who scores is awarded 1 point, and the team who was scored upon must move to the far end of the pool for the next kick-off. Play commences again with a kick-off by the team who just scored.
Having covered the basics of ball movement and scoring, I move unto turnovers. A team turns the ball over if a player throws the ball outside of the pool area, and the ball cannot be played off walls. Once the ball touches down outside the pool area, the play is dead and the other team begins with the ball from where the ball left the playing area. A ball may hit the edge or “lip” of the pool and enter back into play; there is no turnover in this situation. If the ball is batted out-of-bounds, the team who has touched the ball last has forfeited possession.
Where Rugbolo gets its recognition is in its physical play turnovers. Players of opposing teams are allowed to pull, tug, and attempt to strip the ball however is deemed necessary. Play will stop when a ball carrier cries for a time-out, but the ball will be turned over in that situation. If the ball is stripped free, the ball is deemed “loose” and both teams have equal opportunity to retrieve it and start moving toward their end zone. Teams play up to 10 points, and must win by two.
Variations on game play may include: lower or higher final point totals, number of members on each team, adding a basketball hoop to the end for two-pointers, use of a tennis ball or other ball in substitution of main ball, playing in a shallower pool, not yelling “RUGBOLO!,” or prohibiting the dunking of heads underwater. Rugbolo was designed to encourage and strengthen friendships, but there are documented incidents where friendships were broken and differences deemed irreconcilable.
I have chosen to combine the intense, physical action of rugby with the graceful, whimsical stylings of water polo. This new, fast-paced game combines the aggressive nature and violence of rugby with the resilience needed to overcome water resistance provided during swimming in general. I call this new sport, Rugbolo.
The idea was first toyed with during a recent trip to London, England. A group of friends and I decided to fill a couple of our evenings with brutal, all-out water rugby in the community pool. The ball used was a standard rubber ball with no markings (available at U.S. retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target).
The pool should be at least eight feet deep, have a length of at least 30 feet, and a width of at least 20 feet (dimensions may vary upon pool availability). There are typically no uniforms required, but if teams so desired they could wear matching swimming caps.
To start the game, participants are split into teams of five and moved to opposite ends of the playing area. The game begins with a kick-off, which means that the team who loses the “toss” throws the rubber ball to the team on the opposite side of the pool. A “good kick-off” result is in the ball being plunked deep into the opponents half of the field. From there, play commences. The team who kicked is on defense until the other team scores or turns the ball over.
To move the ball down “field” players may swim with the ball or pass the ball to teammates moving around the pool. Rugbolo differs from rugby because there are no rules against forward passing, players may pass the ball freely around the pool. A player may travel with the ball held above water or held underwater. To score, a player must touch the “end zone” (edge) of the pool with the ball. In order to officially score the point, the player must, just after scoring, yell, “RUGBOLO!” The team who scores is awarded 1 point, and the team who was scored upon must move to the far end of the pool for the next kick-off. Play commences again with a kick-off by the team who just scored.
Having covered the basics of ball movement and scoring, I move unto turnovers. A team turns the ball over if a player throws the ball outside of the pool area, and the ball cannot be played off walls. Once the ball touches down outside the pool area, the play is dead and the other team begins with the ball from where the ball left the playing area. A ball may hit the edge or “lip” of the pool and enter back into play; there is no turnover in this situation. If the ball is batted out-of-bounds, the team who has touched the ball last has forfeited possession.
Where Rugbolo gets its recognition is in its physical play turnovers. Players of opposing teams are allowed to pull, tug, and attempt to strip the ball however is deemed necessary. Play will stop when a ball carrier cries for a time-out, but the ball will be turned over in that situation. If the ball is stripped free, the ball is deemed “loose” and both teams have equal opportunity to retrieve it and start moving toward their end zone. Teams play up to 10 points, and must win by two.
Variations on game play may include: lower or higher final point totals, number of members on each team, adding a basketball hoop to the end for two-pointers, use of a tennis ball or other ball in substitution of main ball, playing in a shallower pool, not yelling “RUGBOLO!,” or prohibiting the dunking of heads underwater. Rugbolo was designed to encourage and strengthen friendships, but there are documented incidents where friendships were broken and differences deemed irreconcilable.