The Ocho: Taserball shocks

Taser Ball is such an extremely different sport from any other, as it actually invloves tasering your opponent in order to steal the ball. Although it could possibly be a fun sport to play with friends, it is a major health concern for those who play and get tasered constantly.

Photo courtesy of Tazerball Photography

Taser Ball is such an extremely different sport from any other, as it actually invloves tasering your opponent in order to steal the ball. Although it could possibly be a fun sport to play with friends, it is a major health concern for those who play and get tasered constantly.

Miguel Terrazas, Sports Editor

This may come as a shocker, but taser ball is considered a sport with its very own league.
Ultimate Taser Ball was invented by Leif Kellenberger, Eric Prum, and Erik Wunsch and was first played in California. The game is like soccer, but with an electrifying twist where every player is armed with a taser that delivers three to five milliamps, which is enough to cause muscle spasms- but no permanent body damage.
“Of course I would participate in this sport, who wouldn’t want to play around with some tasers,” said senior Sean Rondeau. “It’d take two stuns to take me down and three to pass out.”
When it comes to playing around with tasers, there are some rules set, not only for the game, but for the safety of the players as well. The players must wear protective gear, and only the person carrying the ball can be tased.
“If I ever got that ball, I would just get rid of it as fast as I possibly can and then definitely go hide myself in a corner,” said junior Mary Ormsby. “At least at that point I can avoid being tased and then actually enjoy the game.”
Alas, taser ball is considered a thing of the past and no one can now partake in the extreme sport. In fact, the UTB required that there always be medical assistance on standby during all games. There have been no sizeable UTB tournaments held since 2012 for the obvious health and safety concerns regarding the sport.
Furthermore, the official league Web site no longer exists. One can now only wonder what would have happened if the sport took off and made a name for itself. If only the people could not judge this book by its cover of tasing others and look at it as an extreme sport, then taser ball could have been potentially successful by spreading the league around the United States.
However, the UTB did have a team based in Toronto, Canada. They still played the sport despite the fact that taser guns are illegal to own in Canada, but was part of the reason why the UTB was ultimately put to a stop.
“I wouldn’t want to start a club here at school,” said junior Nick Hartnett. “I mean the whole sport sounds cool, but the idea of giving a bunch of kids some tasers doesn’t sound like the safest idea in the world to me.”