|
Uncommon Words: Try a one-round workout? Hooverball gains attention
by Jerry Fleagle, Hoover Association · Op-Ed · July 30, 2015
Hooverball season is upon us once again, as the approaching Hoover’s Hometown Days celebration nears on Aug. 8, along with the Hooverball National Championship competition.
Hooverball was developed by President Hoover’s doctor to help him achieve a strenuous workout in a short amount of time. Hoover would play the game with Supreme Court justices, Cabinet members and other high government officials on the south lawn of the White House. The sport was without a name until New York Times Magazine reporter William A. DuPuy christened the name “Hooverball” for his 1931 article “At the White House at 7 a.m.”
The game was played by teams of two to four players with a six-pound medicine ball over an eight foot high net on a court similar to one used for tennis. The server throws the ball and the opponent must catch it on the fly and immediately return it.
“Stopping a six-pound ball with steam back of it, returning it with similar steam, is not pink-tea stuff,” DuPuy wrote. “Dr. Boone estimates that as much beneficial exercise is obtained from half an hour of Hooverball as from three times as much tennis or six times as much golf.”
There are no preliminaries or qualifiers to participate in the Hooverball National Championships. The competition is tough, but overall it’s a friendly one and players of all skill levels are encouraged to participate in the double elimination event. “We strive to make it fun for athletes and non-athletes alike,” said Mike Johnston, a 20-plus year veteran of the sport and one of the game organizers. “Everyone gets a workout!”
Past player rosters include people from as far away as Des Moines, Illinois, Wisconsin and Nebraska coming in for the games. This year we have players coming from the Kansas City area. Sean Wasion of West Branch took the game with him to Iowa State University and put together a club there. And Dynamax, the official manufacturer of the Hooverball medicine ball, runs tournaments in Texas each year.
Recently, Jay Kidwell of WHBF CBS 4 in the Quad Cities took on our Hooverball challenge and put together a great story about the game. It’s clear that Hooverball fever is catching and we hope to keep the momentum going! So here’s my challenge to you – if you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution to exercise more, join a gym, or begin a regular workout routine, only to give up on it a month later, sign up and join us at the Hooverball National Championships. Challenge yourself to win at least one round – and see for yourself how much fun a good workout can be! You just might make it a habit!
Jerry Fleagle is the executive director of the Hoover Presidential Foundation. You may reach him at 319-643-5327 or JFleagle@hooverpf.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
