If polo is the sport of kings, then Whirly Ball must be the sport of geeks. Conceptually similar to polo, the game features players riding mounts of steel and fiberglass called WhirlyBugs (aka bumper cars) rather than manure-spewing ponies.
Play is simple: WhirlyBugs are maneuvered with a crank on the steering column instead of a steering wheel. This leaves one hand free to wield a black plastic scooper used to catch and throw an oversize whiffle ball. The goal is to pass the ball among your teammates (up to five players per side) until someone can take a shot at a frustratingly small hole mounted on a backboard at the end of a basketball-sized court.
A cross between a videogame and an athletic activity, Whirly Ball is perfect for mouse potatoes who spend their days planted in front of a computer. But check your pulse at the end of play and you'll discover that, aerobically speaking, Whirly Ball is only slightly more arduous than driving fast down a dirt road. The Edmonds, Washington, Whirly Ball facility (one of 17 in the nation) attracts a fair amount of its clientele from Microsoft's nearby office campus. Microsoft has a Whirly Ball mail group on its interoffice network and has even sponsored league teams.
Dave Draisey, manager of the Edmonds facility, was the key defensive player on four national-title Whirly Ball teams before a softball injury and marriage took him off the tour. On a Saturday afternoon, with one lone Microsoft employee practicing on the court, Draisey explains the game's attraction. "The great thing is that the cars are equalizers," he says. "You can be an Olympic sprinter, but once you sit down in that WhirlyBug, you're no faster than anyone else."
After taking to the court to show off some of his moves, Draisey relaxes over a Snapple from the snack bar and waxes nostalgic about his Whirly Ball glory days. "I've been told," he says matter-of-factly, "that I was the best that ever played the game."
