If you’re like us, you’re tired of the usual beach sports, like volleyball, soccer, football or anything else of the generic variety. In the interest of spicing up the countless hours you’ll spend on the beach this summer and at campus' North Beach, which just opened to the public on May 26, here are some wacky alternatives that you can turn to if you’re over the usual beach sports.
KanJam
Dingers, deuces and buckets – those are ways in which one can score in KanJam, which looks like an impossibly challenging game for anyone without impeccable Frisbee-tossing skills. The goal of the sport, if you’re willing to classify it as such, is to reach 21 points by deflecting or throwing the disc into the goal, or “kan.” One point is awarded for a dinger, when the disc gets deflected into the side of the kan; two points for deuce, when the disc hits the kan without the deflector’s help; three points for a bucket, when the disc gets deflected into the kan.
A team can also automatically win by “chogging” the disc into the goal, as demonstrated in the above video. Created in the 1980s, KanJam has evolved from being called “Trash Can Frisbee” and existing only locally in Buffalo, N.Y., to being a popular game played across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries around the world. If you have 40 bucks to burn or a couple of spare trash cans, you’re in luck.
Flick ’n’ Sticks
Though it toes the line between “sport” and “party game,” Flick ’n’ Sticks is an activity that should become an instant classic. It looks relatively easy to pick up, and it could act as a good alternative to beer pong while you’re spending time at the beach.
Though we can’t claim to have played this game ourselves, it appears that the objective for the team on the throwing end is to knock the solo cups to the ground, while the team on the receiving end must catch them to prevent that from happening. Unsurprisingly, the rules for Flick ‘n’ Sticks were nowhere to be found online, but it doesn’t look much more complicated than that.
The only downside of Flick ‘n’ Sticks is that the average college student doesn’t have a bamboo pole, let alone four of them, nor is it easy to find such materials around town. But for those of you who happen to have a viable substitute, give this game a shot.
Spikeball
It’s probably the greatest game you’ve never heard of. The game is played two on two, and is similar to volleyball. The major difference between the two is that instead of trying to hit the ball over the net, the object is to hit the ball off of what looks like a miniature trampoline, called the “net.”
After the serve, the opposing team has three hits to get the ball to bounce back off of the net. If they’re able to hit the ball back onto the net, then the other team must do the same thing.
While we’ve actually never played the game before, we’ve heard from our friends that it’s an absolute blast. They mentioned how it requires a lot of strategy, and you exert more energy than you’d expect. The Spikeball set can be bought for $59.99 on Amazon, which might sound a little expensive, but it’s worth every penny if you want to put some spring back in your volleyball game.
Bossaball
Bossaball is essentially beach volleyball on steroids. Unfortunately, it’s not a very practical game for college students, as it requires access to a giant trampoline, but one can always dream.
Originating in Spain, Bossaball combines hints of volleyball, soccer and gymnastics, all of which takes place on a giant inflatable court, to create a very unique sport. The concept of the game is simple: The rules are similar to those of volleyball, though kicking the ball and hitting it off one’s chest is fair game. Another difference is that a team can earn multiple points for hitting the ball in the opposing team’s trampoline area or by winning a point without the use of hands.
It’s also clear that having extreme leaping ability and plenty of stamina are prerequisites if you hope to survive the game. Playing on an alcohol-free stomach is also probably advisable.
Let’s hope this somehow makes it into the Olympics in the future.