A little-known pastime has captured the hearts of Salt Spring residents, and its biggest advocate hopes its popularity will spread worldwide.
Called chi ball, the game 鈥� or sport, depending on who you ask 鈥� is played using a small ball woven out of dry grasses, which players keep airborne as long as possible by batting it back and forth with their hands.
The bare-bones game originated over 45 years ago 鈥� thousands of kilometres away.
鈥淭he origins of chi ball began in the late seventies on the island of Maui with an amazing wizard and Tai Chi master named Phil,鈥� said Bradley Morris, the co-founder of Play Chi Ball 鈥� a Salt Spring-based company that sells the balls, first purchased from manufacturers in Thailand, Vietnam, China, India and South Korea. 鈥淧hil originally used a tennis ball and he called the game 'frapping' in the early days."
Eventually, the sport crossed the Pacific, landing in the Southwest, where Morris learned about the pastime from two 鈥渉ippies鈥� while on a yoga retreat in Arizona 13 years ago. Instead of using a tennis ball, the pair used a wicker one.
鈥淵ou just rallied and that was it,鈥� he said, emphasizing how chi ball pulled him into an 鈥渋nstant flow state鈥� 鈥� the feeling an individual gets when so engrossed in a task that they forget about everything else.
But what explains the game鈥檚 name?
Morris said the pastime is named after a hard-to-define 鈥渆nergy鈥� called chi.
"Chi refers to the fundamental life force or energy that is believed to flow through all things in traditional Chinese culture," he said. 鈥淲e've heard from a bunch of chi ballers that playing 30 minutes of chi ball is equivalent to doing an aerobics class 鈥� except way more fun. In other words, it gets your energy moving and makes you feel alive."
After his yoga retreat had drawn to a close, Morris travelled back to Canada, where he forgot about the game until five or six years later, when he found a wicker ball 鈥� similar to the ones Play Chi Ball sells 鈥� beneath his house.
鈥淭ruthfully, it felt like destiny,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t brought back all of the joy I remember.鈥�
The discovery reignited Morris鈥� love of the game, and he immediately began carrying the ball 鈥� attached to his belt or backpack with a carabiner 鈥� everywhere he went. And that鈥檚 what he did for eight years, playing with strangers interested in the mysterious orb he dubbed a "friend maker."
Morris recalled playing with two strangers at a beach in Vancouver for over an hour.
鈥淏y the time we were done, it felt like we were longtime buddies. The two of them reflected to me that it was amazing how this little hand-woven ball was a bridge to help us connect,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is a beautiful thing because there's not a lot of experiences that can unite people.鈥�
Slowly, chi ball, and the connectivity it promotes, began to spread. To capitalize on the game鈥檚 success, Morris reached out to his friend and now business partner Michael Rogers to start selling the spheres, and that鈥檚 how Play Chi Ball was born.
鈥淲e're all over the States now,鈥� said Morris. "We are in Scotland, Ireland. We just had a friend send us videos of them playing on the beaches in Nicaragua. I know there are people in Mexico playing right now. We had somebody in Brazil buy a ball 鈥� Australia, too.鈥�
Though the game is all about linking strangers, it can be played competitively, with teams racing each other to 100 hits. If the ball falls to the ground, 10 points are lost, but if it bounces once and players are able to keep it airborne, then the fumbling team only deducts five points from its total score.
Morris and Rogers regularly travel to the Island and the mainland to host impromptu chi ball gatherings, where the pair invite passersby to take part in the game. Often, people tell the co-owners they think chi ball could be an Olympic sport.
鈥淲hen you're playing a full-on rally with somebody, the game is so fast,鈥� said Morris. 鈥淚 figure if ping pong can be in the Olympics, why can鈥檛 chi ball? I can only imagine in five years when this game鈥檚 taken off how fast future chi ballers are going to be.鈥�
