NewYorkDragons80
07-18-2002, 09:35 PM
Who isn't going to watch this? This seems really cool
Slam dunk
The newest in extreme sports, slamball combines basketball with trampolines for high-flying, full-contact action.
BY ELENA ARNOLD
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
When it comes to sports, Chris Robbins is a self-described, "jack of all trades, master of none."
The 28-year-old football, baseball and basketball player was good at everything, but best at nothing.
Then came slamball.
"They finally invented a sport that I'm good enough to play at a professional level," said Robbins.
Photo courtesy of TNT
Players fly through the air and literally bounce off the floor by trampoline in the made-for-TV sport of slamball, which premiers Aug. 3.
At first glance, slamball most closely resembles basketball. Two teams of four players each try to get an overinflated, deeply-channeled basketball -- or "slamball" -- into a basket.
Simple enough, right?
Now throw in some trampolines, goalies, and full-contact rules.
To watch slamball is to see a real-life video game, said co-creator Mason Gordon. This over-the-top action is what Gordon, 27, hopes draws the support of a generation raised on video games and action movies.
"My age group has sort of seen everything there is to see,"
Six teams have already played and filmed a season's worth of games. The show will premiere August 3 on TNN.
The court has eight trampolines placed in strategic positions -- one under each basket, one at the top of each arc, and two at the perimeter of the baskets. Players use these to create spectacular dunks.
If they can get to the basket.
The ball carrier must make it down the court without being body-checked and stripped of the ball by the other team. Then, they come face-to-face with a stopper -- a goalie of sorts -- whose sole job now, by almost any means, is to keep the ball out of the net.
Dunks are met with such resistance that getting one is worth three points.
It's three points that Sean Jackson, a.k.a. Inches, is pretty good at getting.
"I find my ways to get around the stopper," Jackson confided. "I may not make it the first or second time, but by the third or fourth attempt, I'm going to put it in."
Jackson is a street-baller, whose aggressive style made him a natural for slamball, said co-creator Mason Gordon. Interdisciplinary athletes like Robbins also excel at the game.
Slamball facts
The court is 94-feet-long, 55-feet-wide and is surrounded by 16-foot-high plexiglass.
The shot clock is 15 seconds.
Perimeter shots put three points on the board as do dunks. All other baskets are good for two points.
Teams consist of four players: one stopper or goalie/guard; one handler or forward; and two gunners or wings.
Players are protected by knee, elbow, and wrist pads and a helmet.
A set of rules, including no low hits and no clipping in the back court insure a clean, if not pain-free, game.
A full season with six teams was played and filmed last year. An inaugural slamball champion was crowned.
The "Slamball" series premiere is Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. on TNN. Five one-hour shows follow on consecutive Saturday nights.
Mike Tollin, the game's co-creator, sees fan support coming easily for the game because it combines the spectacular elements of extreme sport performances with team sport values. Unlike some extreme sports, it also clearly identifies a winner and loser.
"There is a clock running down, there are points being put on the board," Tollin said.
Gordon and Tollin envision slamball courts popping up across the country. Here, after a little training, fans will be able to emulate their idols.
Just be careful, because slamball may make everything else seem mundane.
The other day, Robbins watched a traditional slam-dunk contest.
"It was boring. I was laughing," he said.
"Basketball just doesn't do it for them anymore," explained Gordon.
"No Cross, No Crown."
-William Penn
"Leonardo DiCaprio is an androgynous wimp."
-Senator John McCain
Slam dunk
The newest in extreme sports, slamball combines basketball with trampolines for high-flying, full-contact action.
BY ELENA ARNOLD
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
When it comes to sports, Chris Robbins is a self-described, "jack of all trades, master of none."
The 28-year-old football, baseball and basketball player was good at everything, but best at nothing.
Then came slamball.
"They finally invented a sport that I'm good enough to play at a professional level," said Robbins.
Photo courtesy of TNT
Players fly through the air and literally bounce off the floor by trampoline in the made-for-TV sport of slamball, which premiers Aug. 3.
At first glance, slamball most closely resembles basketball. Two teams of four players each try to get an overinflated, deeply-channeled basketball -- or "slamball" -- into a basket.
Simple enough, right?
Now throw in some trampolines, goalies, and full-contact rules.
To watch slamball is to see a real-life video game, said co-creator Mason Gordon. This over-the-top action is what Gordon, 27, hopes draws the support of a generation raised on video games and action movies.
"My age group has sort of seen everything there is to see,"
Six teams have already played and filmed a season's worth of games. The show will premiere August 3 on TNN.
The court has eight trampolines placed in strategic positions -- one under each basket, one at the top of each arc, and two at the perimeter of the baskets. Players use these to create spectacular dunks.
If they can get to the basket.
The ball carrier must make it down the court without being body-checked and stripped of the ball by the other team. Then, they come face-to-face with a stopper -- a goalie of sorts -- whose sole job now, by almost any means, is to keep the ball out of the net.
Dunks are met with such resistance that getting one is worth three points.
It's three points that Sean Jackson, a.k.a. Inches, is pretty good at getting.
"I find my ways to get around the stopper," Jackson confided. "I may not make it the first or second time, but by the third or fourth attempt, I'm going to put it in."
Jackson is a street-baller, whose aggressive style made him a natural for slamball, said co-creator Mason Gordon. Interdisciplinary athletes like Robbins also excel at the game.
Slamball facts
The court is 94-feet-long, 55-feet-wide and is surrounded by 16-foot-high plexiglass.
The shot clock is 15 seconds.
Perimeter shots put three points on the board as do dunks. All other baskets are good for two points.
Teams consist of four players: one stopper or goalie/guard; one handler or forward; and two gunners or wings.
Players are protected by knee, elbow, and wrist pads and a helmet.
A set of rules, including no low hits and no clipping in the back court insure a clean, if not pain-free, game.
A full season with six teams was played and filmed last year. An inaugural slamball champion was crowned.
The "Slamball" series premiere is Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. on TNN. Five one-hour shows follow on consecutive Saturday nights.
Mike Tollin, the game's co-creator, sees fan support coming easily for the game because it combines the spectacular elements of extreme sport performances with team sport values. Unlike some extreme sports, it also clearly identifies a winner and loser.
"There is a clock running down, there are points being put on the board," Tollin said.
Gordon and Tollin envision slamball courts popping up across the country. Here, after a little training, fans will be able to emulate their idols.
Just be careful, because slamball may make everything else seem mundane.
The other day, Robbins watched a traditional slam-dunk contest.
"It was boring. I was laughing," he said.
"Basketball just doesn't do it for them anymore," explained Gordon.
"No Cross, No Crown."
-William Penn
"Leonardo DiCaprio is an androgynous wimp."
-Senator John McCain