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Sky Ball League schedules tryouts
By Robert guttersohn
youngstown
The Sky Ball League will have tryouts 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Covelli Centre for the chance to play on a regional Sky Ball team.
The sport was developed around the ball created by Youngstown native Brian Kessler three years ago. Slightly smaller than a basketball, Kessler’s Sky Ball bounces 75 feet into the air.
About a year-and-a-half ago, Kessler and sports developer Brian Swartz began designing a sport around the ball. After hashing out several ideas, they developed a game that’s a mix between basketball and lacrosse. But as the two tried forming a league, they found out how challenging filling arenas can be.
“That’s harder to accomplish than people think,” Kessler said.
They approached FOX Sports with the idea of making a reality show based on trying to create the Sky Ball League. FOX agreed, and has filmed the tryouts hosted by Brian Dunkleman.
Kessler is expecting up to 300 contestants to be whittled down to eight that make the team.
The tryouts will consist of combined drills including dribbling a sky ball between cones and a two-on-two exhibition game.
Those who make the team will join seven others and play in a national tournament to be aired on Fox this summer. The winning team receives $40,000, and the most valuable player, selected by the audience, will win an extra $5,000.
Sky Ball has a backboard but with three scoring pads ranging from 12 feet to 16 feet off the ground. Players throw the ball at the pads to score points.