Have you checked in to a campground or RV park recently and noticed a big sand box near the playground only to discover it has no sand in it? That big sand box is actually a Gaga Ball Pit designed to be used to play the game of Gaga Ball. We met up with the manufacturer of the game and asked the owner, Coach Cliff, to write up more about this new game:

When we began promoting Gaga Ball to campgrounds about 4-5 years ago, it was about as new and unknown in the industry as the first computerized registration system. People wondered if it would be worth investing in, or if it was just ‘another new thing’ that would be hot for a time, and then would sit collecting weeds. There’s no weeds in any real Gaga Ball Pit I know of! In fact, if you need a way to kill an area with bad weeds, then just place your Gaga Ball Pit in that location, and it will be nothing but dirt in a very short period of time!

Fortunately, many early adopters chose to give Gaga Ball a try, and they quickly found great success with it. Gaga Ball is a unique game that’s guaranteed to engage campers of all ages, sizes and athletic ability. It’s a game of skill, chance, luck and simplicity. Anyone can play. You just get in the ‘Pit’ and try to avoid the ball from hitting you in the leg at the knee or below- at the same time, trying to hit the ball to get others out. In this game, you might be the star winner of one match, but it’s quite possible you can be the first one out of the next game. 7 year old kids can win games against a bunch of energized and athletic college players.

The game is similar in theory to dodge ball but designed to be much less dangerous and more engaging for a wide range of players. You are “out” if the ball hits you in the leg at or below the knee. Players can block and hit the ball away using their hands or shifting side to side.

Campgrounds can benefit greatly by having a Gaga Ball Pit. The Gaga Ball Pit typically becomes the ‘meeting place’ and the ‘go-to’ place for most kids and teenagers, along with young adults. If you’re a parent, and you find yourself checking up on your son or daughter at the Gaga Pit, go ahead and try it out. You may end up being there for more than a couple hours battling out the games too!

Gaga Ball offers an old fashioned and nostalgic type of fun. It’s all about being outside, working up a good sweat, getting a bit dirty (hopefully), and having a great time with everyone that’s involved. Many players actually seem to form some sort of ‘addiction’ to it, as it becomes their obsession to be in that pit. It resembles a competitive, sort of gladiator type feeling (as it is played in a confined space). Ask anyone that’s played and they’ll tell you of the draw this game has. Kids will go swim or do other activities for a while, or be called back to the RV for dinner etc., but you’ll always find them back at the Gaga Pit.

Gaga Ball is very popular in schools, summer camps, parks, at religious organizations and more. The game is purchased and installed by the facility from the manufacturer. More information on the game can be found on the company’s website at www.gagaballpits.com or calling 847 573-2377