PRESS RELEASE

http://fyi.cnn.com/2002/fyi/news/07/12/news.for.you/

Grownups get a bounce from kickball

By Danielle Friedman
CNN

July 12, 2002 Posted: 12:19 PM EDT (1619 GMT)

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin --

Throughout the nation, grownups are proving that it's never too late to get your kicks and have a ball. Tired of office sports teams that offer too much competition and not enough camaraderie, a new trend of co-ed adult kickball leagues is growing fast. The World Kickball Association, based in Washington D.C., has 3,600 members in the capital, Virginia, and Maryland, and about 10,000 people signed up for next year's season. Johnny Lehane, founder of the Association, expects the league to reach 50,000 members in two years.

The Midwestern Unconventional Sports association, founded by Joe Szatmary, has also experienced a great deal of success, overseeing leagues in four major Wisconsin cities, and people in Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia have also expressed interest in starting divisions. Founded on a "just-for-fun" ethos, members appreciate the games for social reasons as much as athletic ones. "Some people are afraid it's going to be too competitive," said one prospective member. "And I'm like, 'Hello, it's kickball.'"