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After a grueling, hard-fought battle, the Blue Ballerz bested Just the Tip 5 - 4, and the tenacious Off In Public eviscerated Last Call 2 - 0. At the end of the thrilling, two-hour nail biter—with all four teams muddy and worn—there was just one thing left to do: head down to the corner bar and chug some oat water! And therein lies the basic philosophy of the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA), which launched its inaugural season in Charlotte this summer. It’s the perfect excuse to get together with friends after work for some good-natured athletic competition and social networking afterwards. The matches are held Wednesday nights at Pearle Street Park near Uptown, where teams face off in back-to-back games.
“It’s competitive in that nobody likes to lose, but, you know, it’s kickball; it’s a fun way to blow off some steam in the middle of the week,” says Emah Wright. Charlotte native Wright returned to the Queen City this summer after she moved away several years ago to attend Clemson University. While in college she joined a WAKA league in Greenville, SC, and had a blast. In fact, she enjoyed kicking the ball around so much that when she returned to Charlotte she took it upon herself to help start a Charlotte division—officially deemed NC Glory. When she’s not fulfilling her official duties as WAKA’s regional representative, the 23-year-old works as an account manager for the United Way. Wright says most of the players are young professionals, many of whom are new to Charlotte and looking for ways to meet people.
This includes Scott Stergios, who moved to Charlotte from San Diego in January. Stergios, 31, who works in the financial services industry, says that he played on a WAKA team in San Diego for a couple of seasons. “I had a great time, so when I heard they were starting a Charlotte division I jumped on it,” says Stergios, who serves as the division’s social coordinator. “There’s other kickball leagues that get pretty competitive, but we basically play the game to have an excuse to go out afterwards and have a good time.”
That was essentially the idea that got WAKA started in the first place. Back in 1997 a guy named Johnny LeHane and a couple of his buddies were knocking back a few cold ones at an Irish pub in Washington, DC, when the discussion veered towards how much fun all those old childhood games were, especially kickball. Inspired (and maybe a little buzzed) the guys rounded up about 25 friends a few weeks later and formed a kickball league. In 1998 they launched WAKA, which now has more than 32,000 registered players in 23 states, making it the largest organization of its kind in the world. Over the past 10 years the association has grown into quite a lucrative business endeavor. WAKA co-founder LeHane quit his management job with America Online in 2004 to lead marketing operations full-time. There’s even an online WAKA store with T-shirts, shorts, hats, folding chairs, coolers, pint glasses, and of course the official big red WAKA kickball. And the association still operates under its original mission statement as that of a “social-athletic organization designed to provide and promote the joy of kickball to those young at heart.”
And there’s no doubt the organization fosters meaningful connections that go far beyond just the game. For Steven Cornelius this was illustrated in a very poignant way. Cornelius, who moved to Charlotte from Florida about two years ago, first heard about WAKA from big sister Christine, who lived in Tampa Bay. Christine was a regional rep for the Tampa Bay WAKA division and helped increase its membership from 80 to nearly 700. In February, while walking home from a neighborhood bar where WAKA was having a fundraiser for underprivileged kids, she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. The Florida WAKA members rallied together and raised $6,000 for her funeral.
Christine had encouraged Cornelius, 27, to start a Charlotte division shortly after he moved here. After her tragic and untimely death, Cornelius contacted White, who was just getting the league underway, and asked if he could be president. “I feel like I have a personal commitment towards this now,” says Cornelius. “I know it’s all about having fun and meeting people, but for me it’s also a great way to honor my sister and her memory.”
~ Sam Boykin
Registration for the WAKA fall season is scheduled to start in September. Teams must have a minimum of twelve and no more than twenty-six registered players, with at least four female players per team. For more information go to: www.kickball.com.
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