Students in 5th-8th grades have played team handball, volleyball, cosmic bowling and nitroball.
Team handball is a fast-paced Olympic sport where two teams of seven players (six court players and a goalkeeper) try to throw a ball into the opponent’s goal, combining elements of basketball and soccer. Players can hold the ball for only three seconds or take three steps before passing, dribbling, or shooting, emphasizing quick movement, passing, and physical play.
Volleyball is a team sport where two teams, separated by a net, try to score points by grounding a ball on the opponent’s court, using up to three touches per side to hit the ball over.
For cosmic bowling, we turn off the lights in the gym. We have rope lights around the gym and some projector lights on the balconies that shine onto the gym floor.
Nitroball is an “inverted volleyball” game played with a large, light ball on a low net (like a tennis net), where the key rule is that the ball must bounce on the floor before a player hits it over, aiming to hit it down into the opponent’s court, making it accessible and fun for all ages. Teams get three hits per side to return it, and points are scored on every rally, usually to 21, emphasizing teamwork over power.
