Packaged Deal

By the time Chelsea & Billy joined CLUBWAKA, this packaged deal had already turned pro in the partnership department. They’d been together for four years. But the two thought of kicking it elsewhere when initially asked to play ball. 

“We both laughed about it. We were like, ‘what the hell is kickball?’ Well, not what is it, but what is it for adults?'” says Chelsea. “We’re both pretty athletic and enjoy sports and competitions. We played when we were younger. A friend of mine said you gotta join my kickball team,” said Billy 

And just like that..” we fell in love with it instantly,” says Chelsea. 

“The only thing we didn’t enjoy is that our team wasn’t super competitive the first season,” says Billy.  

But after joining the B team, they found their place. Don’t let the ages of the couples on this team fool you. They might be pushing 40, but the B team is always on their A game. 

“We’ll see super young, athletic teams now (because we’re old), but they can’t beat us at Kickball because we know how to play kickball so well,” says Chelsea. 

Mike: What is it like playing with your significant other? 

“I love it. We both love it. I don’t think I would play if she weren’t here,” says Billy. 

HERE COMES A CURVE BALL

Mike: I have a scenario for you. It’s the last play of the game. It comes down to just one of you two. You’re either going to mess up and cost the team the game, or you’re going to win it for your team. But in this instance, you’ve screwed it up. What does your significant other say or do after that happens? 

Billy: “If I mess up, I don’t know…Chelsea, how do you think I’d react?”

Chelsea: “Billy is a freak of an athlete, so there’s probably a hundred plays that went right throughout the game. 

Billy: “You have to get more technical (on the question) too. Was it a regular season game? Nobody cares. “Did you just get kicked out of the tournament? Now you’re talking a different level.” 

Mike: Well, it was a regular season game, but since you want to up the ante, now it’s a tournament game. 

Billy: “I think I would accept the mess up and not think twice about it. Chelsea would take it harder and beat herself up.”

Chelsea: “Yeah. I might remember it for the rest of my life.” 

Mike: Alright, so one of you wouldn’t be sleeping on the couch over it, is that what I’m hearing?”

Billy: “Oh…noooooo. Not even close. No matter what happens, we’re in it for each other. That’s the whole reason we’re there, so we’re not going to get on each other about anything.”

Chelsea: “Yeah, and vice-versa. We’re competitive, but we’re a reasonable competitive. We don’t get mad at each other. We don’t get frustrated with other people. We go out there to play. We see some other couples get super pissed when one messes up. We had one guy that couldn’t even watch his wife kick. He was over the top competitive. It makes it a lot more enjoyable that we encourage each other. We can also catch the ball and kick so we’re able to do some of the things that other couples can’t both do, and so that maybe helps.” 

See! The couple that plays together really does stay together. 

PLUS ONE 

Two years ago, something else started kicking. Well, someone else, we should say. A baby girl. This kickball couple became a trio. Their daughter recently started tagging along to the games. 

“It was stressful at first. We didn’t know how she would behave in certain situations, and that was one of them. It’s cool that we were able to get her used to an environment where we’re busy, and she would have to stay occupied by other people and kids,” says Billy. “I feel bad because sometimes I’ll still forget she’s even there because I’m wrapped up in kickball.” 

Ask them why they keep coming back to CLUBWAKA year after year, and they’ll you that it’s essential for couples to have an activity to do together. However, it’s the social club, team, and vibe that creates the irresistibility. 

“The people on our team, they’re kind of like a family at this point. On top of that, the fact that we’re all kind of in the same mindset of what we’re trying to accomplish. It makes is exciting from a competitive standpoint, The electricity out there… there’s this guy who brings a huge boom box every week and blasts it. There’s kegs out there… it’s just electric. People aged 21 to 40’s and ’50s. That’s exciting for me. We also have a guy who comes and collects cans at the park that we had on our team one season. He follows our team around; he wears our team colors… he’s like part of our family.”

“I don’t want to call him…I feel like it’s a little demeaning to say mascot, but he’s someone everyone knows at the field,” says Billy. 

Just for the heck of it, I asked what they would do together if they couldn’t play kickball. The first answer was another sport. But I got competitive and took sports off the table.

Billy: “Not a sport? What are you talking about? Um, we do escape rooms, little puzzles like that. We get logic puzzles for home too. We’d find something competitive and collaborative to do,” 

Mike: I was reading in a magazine somewhere…like you know how you can be in a watch of the month club and every month you get a new wristwatch to wear….they have one for puzzles. If only I could remember what it’s called. 

Chelsea: “Oh, that’s cooler.” 

Thank goodness for other bloggers and their blogs. One by the name of Very Well Family really researched puzzle of the month subscription clubs. They’re even “best for” ranked. 

You’re welcome! 

Mike: What’s something you wished you’d learned from day one in CLUBWAKA but instead had to learn the hard way? 

Chelsea: “That people take it as more than just a game. Half the team out there wanted to win, and the other half didn’t give a sh*t. Billy and I got a little frustrated because we were on the side where we wanted to win.”

Billy hinted at his answer earlier but encourages teams and new players to set rules and expectations with competitiveness. He reiterated that regular season games are practice. Tournaments are for winning. 

HERE COMES THE KICKBALL

Speaking of rules, it’s customary for the bride and groom to spend the evening before the wedding apart. But Billy & Chelsea both wanted to “play the field” one more time before getting hitched. 

“We played a game the night before our wedding. We did a small get-together at my mom’s house. We basically did a reception there, so we were playing kickball and doing keg stands the night before. So, it felt like a kickball wedding,” Chelsea revealed.  A rock-solid relationship built around trust and a red rubber ball. 

 

See also: New to CLUBWAKA? Do These 5 Things.  

Want to join our social sports club?  Look at our current league and team openings.