Summer isn’t complete without a game of soccer baseball.
What’s that? Never heard of it?
Played on a baseball diamond, a “pitcher” rolls the ball on the ground to a “batter” who kicks it runs the bases. One team tries to score by reaching home while the other team prevents this by getting outs and hitting batters with the ball.
Soccer baseball. You probably know it as kickball, and one group of civic organizers is making the most of the summer sport. On Sunday, municipal political party OneCity hosts a “conversations about the future of kickball in Vancouver, and also about our dreams for this incredible city.”
OneCity invites people young and old from across the city to play kickball and join in an annual barbeque at Slocan Park. People of all political stripes are welcome. There will be no stumping, only hot dogging.
“We wanted to do something that will bring a little activity to the event,” said Anna Chudnovsky who sits on the party’s organizing committee. “We figured there is just not enough kickball happening. It may not look like politics but is more about bringing people together in the city we share.”
OneCity co-founder RJ Aquino ran for city council in 2014. In 2011, he ran with COPE.
There is no organized kickball league in Vancouver though they do exists in California, Oregon, Washington State and elsewhere. In this city, casual games go down once a week in the summer each Monday courtesy of Junktion Kickball, which plays at Dude Chilling Park (Guelph Park). The organizers are tied to the Toast Collective, and the kickball appealingly described as “the only sports league where you can watch someone run the bases while they eat a burrito.”
Kickball entertains all generations, said Chudnovsky.
“Part of what we want to do is have a political party that is about more than just the politics in the city. This is a community event and our hope is that we are really a place for people to come to, enjoy company, make connections and meet neighbours.”
The plan is for all that to happen over kickball. Teams will form and be tasked to come up with a name. “My favourite is Bunt Cake,” said Chudnovsky who culled a list of names from leagues around North America.
Some of her suggestions:
- It’s Not Going to Kick Itself
- Too Legit to Kick
- Kicktastic
- Dream Crushers
- Kickin’ Grass and Taken’ Names
- Life's a Pitch
- One-kick Wonders
The names are decidedly family-friendly, said the elementary school teacher who plays the game with her students. “When you start looking, there are, as you might imagine, lots of puns. Balls plays a significant role, but we will keep it above board.”
The OneCity barbecue runs Sunday, Aug. 23 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Slocan Park. Food, snacks and drinks are provided. Kickball begins at 4 p.m. RSPV here.
