Bash Compactor: A Love of Balls

The jokes were supposed to write themselves: a bunch of bros playing with balls on Valentine’s Day. It’s easy to be won over, however, by the enthusiasm and genuine non-ironic fun the crowd shared at the official 2010 [Brewskee Ball National championship,] which took place Feb. 14. The league is the brainchild of Evan Tobias and Eric Pavony, two thirty-something Brooklynites. Five years ago they took a trip to Coney Island and became enamored with the boardwalk favorite. They formed a league, holding games at Ace Bar in the East Village. Since then, the league has expanded to three other cities and three months ago they opened up [Full Circle Bar](http://fullcirclebar.com/) in Williamsburg, dedicated entirely to skeeball. “A lot of things people deem as goofy, when I put some structure into it, people take it seriously and it gets fun,” said Pavony, who also founded a dreidel league. Still, how seriously can one take skeeball? Passionate responses were given to the question of whether or not skeeball was the redheaded stepchild of bar games, never given the respect darts and pool receive. A spirited debate emerged about whether one should roll for 40 points (the safe bet) or 100 points (the risky move) with every turn. Alex Derho, a member of the all-100 rolling team called Gloryhole, wasn’t just there for the balls. “I’m looking for my valentine,” said the slightly inebriated 30-year-old. Was skeeball a good atmosphere for love? “I’ve had some interactions, yeah,” he said with a smile. More people confirmed skeeball’s aphrodisiac effects. “Brewskee ball definitely lends itself to making out,” Pavony added. There was also, unexpectedly, a plethora of attractive women participating. “We put up a good fight because we know how to handle balls,” chimed in Leslie Sickle (AKA “Dreamsickle”), a 24-year-old grad student. Her boyfriend, Skee-Diddy, was rolling in the finals. The competition, which started with 64 rollers, saw the crowd liven with each round. Joey “The Cat” Mucha wore a vintage women’s polyester leopard print suit—the San Franciscan was the West Coast’s top seed. “We take it pretty seriously, he deadpanned. The favorite to take the championship was 30-year-old Andrew “Ocean” Litz, a corporate event planner. Ocean met his girlfriend, who embraced him between rounds, through the league. Skeeball, it seems, was actually quite the Valentine’s Day event. Dreamsickle’s boyfriend ended up winning the tournament. “It turns me on when he plays well,” she told me earlier in the night.