Over the next few weeks we're giving away 24 Spikeball sets! In each of the next 12 posts you'll have a chance to win. Winners get a set for you personally and a set for your YL club! That's a $100 retail value x 12 winners= $1,200.00 worth of Spikeball sets! Make sure to read the bottom of each of the next 12 posts on the blog to find out how you can win.
What Is Spikeball?
A super fun game we love to play at our YL club, inside or out! We also play at Campaigners, camp, and family vacations! It's sort of a combo between 4-Square and Volleyball. Watch this video to see Spikeball in action.
The Spikeball Story
Written by Chris Ruder, CEO of Spikeball, Inc.
In 1989, I was 14 years old and living in my hometown of Kankakee, IL. One of my older brother's friends purchased a Spikeball set from Toys-R-Us and we fell in love with the game. We played it on and off for 20+ years with strangers constantly asking us, "What's that game? How do you play? Where can I get one?" After realizing the original company abandoned the game, we wanted to bring it back to life. A few of my family and friends all chipped in some money to launch the business and crossed our fingers. We were pretty confident we'd lose all of our money since we had zero experience launching a business, let alone manufacturing a product. Thankfully, we were wrong.
I've been running Spikeball Inc by myself for about 5 years now. Until recently, I would go to my 'day job', come home around 6pm, hang out with my wife and 3 young kids until 8 or 9, put them to bed, and then work on Spikeball every night until midnight or 1am. I'd do Facebook and Twitter posts, customer service, print shipping labels, and drive to the late night post office at midnight to ship sets for a few years. Each year the business grew and grew and we learned that a lot of Young Life groups were getting Spikeball sets. We reached out to a few groups and have been doing what we can to get more sets in more Young Lifer's hands. Nashville, TN seems to be the epicenter of the Young Life-Spikeball relationship.
I'm happy to announce that I was able to quit my day job about a month ago and there are two of us working full time on Spikeball. Part of my 'job', if you want to call it that, is flying all over the country visiting tournaments, schools, and other groups that are making Spikeball a part of their community. It's been a dream come true to do what I love for work. I thank Young Life for playing a role in making that happen.
We've partnered with Drew here on The Young Life Leader Blog to give sets away to 12 different Young Lifers in what we're calling "The 12 Spikeball Sets of Christmas". Over the next two weeks, in each blog post, you'll see a new contest where you can enter to win a Spikeball set. If you win, you'll get a set for yourself, AND one for your Young Life group.
Thank you for your support and good luck!
Chris Ruder, CEO, Spikeball Inc.
Day 1 Contest: Best Photo Caption Wins
Leave your caption for the photo below in the comment section of this post. Include your name and Young Life area. You can also enter via the YoungLifeLeader Instagram. Best caption wins 2 Spikeball sets!
Just horsing around. Versailles Young Life @vhsyl OH177
ReplyDeleteWe need a fourth! Versailles Young Life @vhsyl OH177
ReplyDeleteBout to make you all have long faces. Campbell Wallace- Greater Athens, GA
ReplyDeleteSpikeball: So easy to play even a HORSE can do it!
ReplyDeletePat Dansdill
Wheaton YL
Chicagoland, IL
"This is way better than horseshoes!" Evan Ingram- Greater Athens, GA
ReplyDeleteAll of the other horses used to laugh and call him names....until he learned how to play spike ball!!
ReplyDeleteNicholas Arnold, West Yavapai, AZ36
"Just because you led me here doesn't mean I have to play... okay, I'll play!" -Horse
ReplyDeleteGarrett Gress, Palouse Empire, WA52
"you can lead a horse to spike ball, but you can't make him play!"
ReplyDeleteHeather Bisenius
north marion OR188
Spike ball: horseplay with swag. Versailles Young Life @vhsyl OH177
ReplyDeleteSpike ball: redefining clutch. Versailles Young Life @vhsyl OH177
ReplyDeleteSpike ball: redefining clutch one horse at a time. Versailles Young Life @vhsyl OH177
ReplyDeleteNothing to see here. Just playing Spikeball with a horse #YtheLnot
ReplyDeleteKristin Shaffer
West Central Cincinnati (Ohio)
Thirsty? I'm feelin a little hoarse from all this Spikeball action...
ReplyDeleteJason Jones, Kent YL, Kent, WA
Horse: I'm gonna stomp y'all in some Spikeball
ReplyDeleteDylan Douglas
Goochland Virginia, Young Life
Remember the time before Spikeball, when we had to actually ride horses for fun?
ReplyDeleteEric Johnson
Chippewa Valley Young Life
Why the long face? I don't have hands, that's why!
ReplyDeleteAdam Peterson
Tulsa, OK22
Pass it to me! Pass it to me!
ReplyDeleteMelinda Brandt
Vail Valley YL
Intimidated by the size and strength of their opponent, Joe and Tim decided to play a game that would cater to their main advantage: hands. And thus, the game of spikeball was invented.
ReplyDeleteTyler Jewess
Bonita high school young life, Mt. Baldy
Spikeball is so easy a human can play it!! #Ythehorsenot #totalYLmove #officialsportofYL #itsaYLthing
ReplyDeleteSanders Barrick
Franklin, TN
Franklin YL
Cowboy redefined: Chubbies and Spikeball. -Brooks Woodward, Thomas County, GA
ReplyDeleteHorse: I've got next game. Versailles Young Life @ vhsyl OH177
ReplyDeleteHorse: "Alright! Let's Play! Shirts vs. barebacks!"
ReplyDeleteNolan Branson Knoxville YL
Quit horsin' around and get yourself a Spikeball set!
ReplyDeleteBrad Fendler
Burnsville Young Life
"HAY! SPIKE BALL!"
ReplyDeleteChad Borgestad
Des Moines, Iowa
ylchad@gmail.com