Sorry….this is not a travel-related post. Unless you count making the effort to get out to Brooklyn to play kickball traveling…which I suppose it would be if you were coming from, say, Nebraska. And I wouldn’t fault you if you decided to do that, either. Let’s face it, for people of my generation (let’s just say thirty-something), kickball was a major formative childhood experience. Depending on your skill-level, your natural athletic ability, and the desired kind of kick you were hoping for, you generally had a favorite sort of pitch. Tall bounces were for people who had little coordination and needed to really see and feel the space between the foot and the ball. A ground roll was for fledgling soccer players who knew how to really get under the ball and wanted to deliver low line drives. But for me, slow baby bouncies was the only way to go .The slow baby bouncy, or SBB, provided just enough room between foot and ground to assure maximum lift, while reducing the uncertainties of having the pitch poorly timed if it was pitched high. In other words, high pitches often arrived near your foot high in the air, making them almost impossible to get the maximum force behind your kick.
Well, all of this technical detail is probably way beyond most folks who have never before played the sport. In fact, I apologize and actually feel sorry for the poor souls who have never engaged in the artful ballet that is schoolyard kickball. But for those of us who do understand the hidden depth of the game, I point you to an interview on Gothamist with Kevin Dailey, who started a kickball league in Brooklyn. Now, I’ll stop gon on about what a marvelous sport kickball is and let the interview speak for itself. Let’s just say that it brought back some warm, wonderful memories…and will likely have me dreaming tonight…dreaming of those slow baby bouncies.