CALIFORNIA COUNTRY JOURNAL: ROOFBALL REDUX — by Steve Nadis
While visiting one of my Santa Monica cousins (I have two & saw both during the recent trip), I had the chance to play some roofball–a game at which my cousin excels. It’s a good game, though not a well-known one. There is even a roofball.com site on the web written by someone who claims that he and his brother invented it in 1970 as kids (aged 7 & 9) growing up in Rochester, NY. They play with a tennis ball, as does my cousin, though my cousin insists that a serve has to bounce twice whereas the Rochester experts make no reference to that stipulation. They do, however, discuss similar kinds of shots, such as the crosscourt, drop, and lob, so the game–both West coast and East–appear to be basically the same.
I guess I have some pretty talented relatives as the aforementioned cousin just may be Santa Monica’s reigning roofball champ. Meanwhile, I have another cousin in Nashville who has competed at the highest international levels of rock, paper, and scissors.
That’s a tough act to follow, and it’s a shame that their Cambridge cousin (the CEO & CFO of Call Me Snake) only engages in obscure sports like volleyball and handball. But maybe one day I’ll build a garage–two-car preferably–and have my own roofball court to practice on. Then the East vs. West matchup should be more balanced.
Take notice, ESPN. Roofball is ready for primetime. But is primetime ready for roofball?
