Inaugural event at Sunset Park to turn sports on its head

Sure, you could go to the park and play soccer, kickball or one of those ordinary sports, but from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 2 at Sunset Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road, you can enter the Wacky World of Sports to watch and/or participate in six unusual sports, including Human Derby Races, Knockerball or Mud Volleyball.

The inaugural event was created by staff members of Clark County Parks & Recreation, and plans call for it to be an annual event at Sunset Park.

“The name is a play off of the Wide World of Sports,” said Kim Ehler, a recreation specialist for the department. “We decided that each sports element needed to have a twist on it.”

The events are open to the public, and more information, including rules and registration information and some sample videos, is available at tinyurl.com/wwos2015. Parks & Recreation has set the stage, and now all it needs are the players. The following events are planned:

Knockerball

“It’s soccer but inside big, inflatable orbs,” Ehler said. “We found a local company, and they’re getting involved and providing the balls.”

Joshua Bennett of Knockerball Vegas said the rules mirror those of basic soccer with a few changes because without the use of your arms, throwing the ball in is impossible.

“The ball covers you from over your head to about your knees,” Bennett said. “So you kick the ball in instead of throw it. Also, there are no goalies.”

The start of the game is also different. In Knockerball, the teams start at opposite ends of the field and run toward the ball in the middle.

“You can run at full speed into someone without getting hurt,” Bennett said. “The balls absorb the energy, so you don’t feel a thing. All you know is that, suddenly, you’re on the ground trying to get back up on your feet.”

Bennett rents the balls out for corporate events, birthdays, bachelor parties and other special events. He runs the business out of his Summerlin-area home, but it is mobile. He shows up at an event, inflates the balls, and the participants are off and running. And falling. And rolling around until they can get their feet back under themselves.

Bennett said business is steady, with about one event planned per week, but that it is building. He’s providing the equipment for the May 2 event in hopes that it will bring his company exposure.

“It isn’t a hard concept to sell,” he said. “Once people see it, they usually want to try it.”

For more information, visit knockerballvegas.com.

Human Derby Races

The horses in this race are inflatable and come in three sizes, including large ones for adults. They are similar to a Hoppity Hop but a bit more horse-shaped.

“People sit on them and bounce their way to the finish line,” Ehler said. ‘This is one of those events that make more sense when you see it. There are videos on our website for three of the events, including this one.”

Broomball

This is similar to hockey but with brooms. The game has some regional variants, and Ehler initially assumed that it would be played on ice, the way she played it where she grew up in western New York. Parks & Recreation has an artificial ice rink, but at the Sunset Park event, it will be played on concrete, as it often is in climates such as Las Vegas’.

Reverse Kickball

Perhaps the simplest and least wacky of the events, it may offer some of the funniest moments.

“It’s played like regular kickball, but you run from home to third base instead of first,” Ehler said. “We think everyone is going to run the wrong way at least once.”

Human Foosball

The game is just like regular foosball but is bigger. Players grip a bar running the width of the field and are limited to lateral movement that they can coordinate with the other players holding the same bar. Parks & Recreation had to create its human foosball field from scratch. Video of the game is available at the Wacky World of Sports website: tinyurl.com/wwos2015.

Mud Volleyball

Another simple variant of the traditional sport, new courts are set to be created in the dirt parking lot south of the lake in the park.

“Our grounds crew is digging the new courts out,” Ehler said. “We’re not going to harm the existing volleyball courts.”

The mud is set to be created using the classic recipe of dirt and water.

To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.