Background
The Beginning...
This fascinating tale begins on an otherwise insignificant day, where three otherwise insignificant teenagers sit in boredom on the front porch of an otherwise insignificant house, deep in the heartland of small-town America. The time: summer, 1992; the place: Henderson, Kentucky; and the three young inventors of a game that will someday change the world--someday help shape athletic competition throughout the next millennium: high school freshmen Brad Bannwart and Adam Samples, and junior Benjamin Hopper.
As the three boys sat on the porch of the Bannwart house, they desperately tried to think of something to do on that hot, summer day. They had played basketball, football, wiffle ball, golf, and even bocce many times during the first three weeks of the young summer, and already they had grown tired of conventional games; they needed something new, something innovative, something no one had ever played before. Enter Slappyball.
After an hour of seemingly hopeless brainstorming, these three creative wizards finally formed the first ideas and concepts behind the game they would initally call "Bradball." Grabbing an old, miniature four square ball from a dirty cardboard box in the corner of the garage, the three began to run around aimlessly, tossing the ball back and forth and playing keep away from each other. Watching the random caroms of the super bouncy, red rubber ball across the grass, they knew instantly that it was perfect for their game. Now with some sketchy rules, an adequate ball, and an ideal playing field (the Bannwart backyard was always used for sporting events due to its straight, flat layout and large, open area), the boys needed only one more person to have enough to actually play a game. The answer: Brad's little brother Scott Bannwart, who was expected to return from a swimming outing soon, arrived at just the right time to help make history and play in the first Slappyball game ever!
During that first game, many of the original rules were altered, as well as some new ones added. The players decided that the ball should be slapped, instead of thrown, into the goals, which led to Ben's proposal of the a new, more appropriate name for the sport: "Slappyball." Other rules and regulations such as field size, goal size, scoring, game length, and penalties were developed during the early moments of that very first contest. In the end, the team composed of Adam and Brad defeated Ben and Scott's team. Yet, all four players had a wonderfully fun time and vowed to tell others of their new sport. Soon, many of the boys' friends began coming over to the Bannwart house to witness and participate in this fantastic new game.
To the Present... (updated 1/1/00)
The next year saw many changes to the face of Slappyball--new rules were added, new teams were created, and as more and more people learned how to play, the basic format itself went through a throrough experimentation and testing process. The result: the first formal set of rules was drawn up and recorded (see Rules on previous page). Perhaps the most important decision that arose from this process was the number of players per team. After much trial and error, the original necessity of only two members per team was declared the most appropriate for the sport. Although many first-time players question this policy, it remains impossible for them to fully understand its crucialness to the game's success.
Anyway, the highlight of the second year (summer, 1993) came in the formation of the first ever Slappyball league (jokingly dubbed the "Viking Hills Slappyball League"), which actually only consisted of a round-robbin, three team tournament during the course of a Saturday afternoon. The teams involved were: Brad and Adam--called the "Dead Fetuses" in honor of a good luck bearing dead bird fetus they found on the field during a game, Ben and Scott--called the "Slap Daddies," and Kevin Deep and Jeff Jones--called "Captain D and the Monkey Boy" for obvious reasons. In the end, the "Dead Fetuses" prevailed as the 1993 Slappyball "World Champions."
The second round-robbin Slappyball tournament took place three years later, the summer of 1996. Although only three teams participated, the level of play and interest had grown enormously. In the end, the team known as the "Slap Daddies," with their innovative, new full court pressing defense took the crown and gained the title of 1996 Slappyball "World Champions."
Over the next few years, the sport gained increasing popularity throughout Henderson County and was even taught and demonstrated to both of Dana Guess's AP Calculus classes on a show-and-tell day. In the fall of 1996, Bannwart and Samples, as well as a majority of the other prominent players of the game, moved to Lexington to launch their college careers at the University of Kentucky. Yet, they did not leave the game behind. While in Lexington, they continued to teach fellow students and to spread the word to others about Slappyball. And to this day, the sport continues to grow.
The fall of 1998 brought more new growth to the sport. In August, the Bannwart backyard hosted its third tournament, dubbed the S.H.I.T. (Slappyball of Henderson Invitational Tournament), which saw a new team composed of Scott Bannwart and rookie Daniel Schmitt defeat the Dead Fetuses in the final game to claim the title. This tournament marked the first official use of the new PVC piping goals that Bannwart, Samples, and roommate Justin Latta had constructed just weeks before.
The next month, Bannwart and Samples, with the help of fellow Hendersonians Tyler Powell, Justin Latta, Nathan Stocke, and Kevin Deep formed the world's first Slappyball organization--the UK Slappyball Club! With Dr. Richard Kermode as the faculty advisor, the club participated in numerous on-campus activities, including football group seating, homecoming activities, and an intramural tournament called Slapfest. In addition, the club was recognized by the UK Yearbook with a great article that can be found on this page. As the spring 2000 semester approaches, plans to host Slapfest 2000 (the first Slappyball tournament of the new millenium) on the University of Kentucky campus are already underway.
Who knows what the future will hold for Slappyball? Bannwart and Samples--both UK students--and Hopper, who nows lives in Henderson and is married to Slappyball's first female spectator (Tracy Hopper), still remain the biggest ambassadors of the game. Future plans include establishing an intramural league on campus and filming a "How-to" video, in addition to the current push to promote the sport via the internet. Yet, no matter what happens, the game will persevere. For it is beautiful, it is graceful, it is competitive, and it is certainly fun; like any sport, it brings out the best in all of us, while illuminating our faults and captivating our dreams. We see the child in the adults we have become, and for a few moments of time, we feel like that child. The eternal youthfulness of the soul peeks through the stains of time, and through the eternalness of the game, we are immortal. So, it exists with Slappyball. In a world of chaos, complexity, and confusion, the simplest of things often remains the most enjoyable. Just remember: Slappiness is Happiness and Happiness is Slappiness. Slappyball forever!