Once a week, Kari Gray heads over to what she calls "the best-ever gym class." The 25-year-old Minneapolis resident isn't going to a fancy health club or plush spa. She's on her way to Bryn Mawr Park to play kickball.
That's right, kickball, the same game that once was the staple of grade-school gym classes is the activity to which Gray refers. The game is booming among adults who are attracted by its snappy hourlong format, the fact that players don't need extensive athletic backgrounds -- in fact, some would argue that being a hard-core jock actually can work against you -- and the ultra-low-key attitude.
"It's a place you can be silly without looking stupid," said one of Gray's teammates, Chi Ngo, 33, of Minneapolis.
Although kickball has been played recreationally for decades -- legendary war correspondent Ernie Pyle noted soldiers playing it during World War II -- it's relatively new to the ranks of organized leagues.
The first local league is believed to have been formed in St. Louis Park in 2004. Now you can't turn around near a softball field without seeing people kicking the spongy, brightly colored balls. The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board is sponsoring 17 leagues this summer that involve about 2,000 players. St. Paul is kicking off (so to speak) another round of leagues in mid-August. In addition, nearly every suburban park program includes at least one.
There also are private leagues, including ones operated by the Cities Sports Connection (www.myteamsports.net), a Burnsville company started by brothers Pat and Matt Barbatsis.
"We've seen a lot of growth in the last six or seven years," Pat Barbatsis said. "It's great watching adults have the fun and excitement of an 8-year-old."
In his third year of league play, Nathaniel Smith, 29, of Minneapolis, said that kickball serves a vital social function.