The Story of the WESTERN WALL BALL CLUB
By: Aaron Ostby
The Western Wall Ball Club found its humble beginnings on the playground of a Lettered Street District school yard. Future Assistant-Coordinator Kelly O’Neil had acquired a humble red playground ball and began playing with a few of his friends one sultry summer day in the year 2003. I was re-introduced to my childhood sport weeks after the initial games began. Having nothing to do in our lettered street neighborhood on a summer day, Mr. O’Neil and his associate Mr. Travis Ibey suggested that we should partake in a game of “Death Ball”. My good friend Brain Mahoney and I replied inquisitively, “Death Ball??” Mr. O’Neil Explained that “Death Ball” was just a name he had personally given to the intense sport known on every playground in our great nation as “Wall Ball”. Mr. Mahoney and I were apprehensive about playing Wall Ball, for it had been at least 13 years since I had even so much as laid hands upon a large red playground ball such as the one Mr. O’Neil had presented before me. Nevertheless, Mr. Mahoney and I pushed aside our nervousness about our personal abilities on the Wall Ball court and followed Mr. Ibey and Mr. O’Neil to the middle school where they practiced their sport. After the first round I was a certifiable Wall Ball junky. I was so ecstatic that I decided to start a club, for I wanted to spread the Wall Ball gospel far and wide. Weeks later I completed our constitution and had it signed by the founding members. Once there was an outline for the rules and regulations for the club I went before the Associated Students who gave us official club recognition. The rest is Wall Ball history.