By Shayley Swanson
The whistle blows and my attack mode comes into play. Running as fast as I can to get to the ball and BAM! I’ve been hit. I now know how turtles feel, stuck on the back of a shell, wobbling back and forth trying to find a way right side up.
Composing myself from intense laughter, I finally find my feet and begin running again, searching for the soccer ball to score in the most unusual soccer game I’ve ever played. A teammate passes the ball and I take off for the goal. BAM! I’m hit again and on the ground, yet the only pain I feel comes from my stomach muscles smarting from laughter.
The sport is Bubble Soccer by Extreme Bubble Sports, a new interactive venture in College Station owned by Emanuel Jimenez. Jimenez brought the sport to College Station and greater Central Texas with one goal: to bring families, friends, and communities closer in a safe, fun, and interactive way through Bubble Sports.
“It’s a novelty sport,” says Jimenez, Texas A&M University graduate of 2014. “Seeing people having a good time is the best part about bubble sports, and everyone should try something new.”
Extreme Bubble Sports is more the art of being a bubble. Wearing a suit made of dense, inflatable plastic, Bubble Sports are high-impact, full-contact sports but with a protective layer designed to minimize injury and maximize fun.
“Bubble Soccer is the most popular game we put on,” says Jimenez. “However, we also provide games of capture the flag and bubble races.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gkcpCBSYyg[/embed]
Bubble Soccer is a contact sport unparalleled by any organized game out there. It is part soccer, part football, and part bumper cars. It is the human pinball game brought to life.
“It was the most interesting and most fun game of soccer I have ever played,” says Catherine Schram, Bubble Sports player. “I found myself focusing more on smashing into bubbles than actually trying to score.”
Bubble Sports is different from traditional sports because it levels out the playing field. “It doesn’t actually require skill,” says Bubble Sports player Kyle McGee. “Even if you are unathletic or uncoordinated, you can still enjoy the game.”
Extreme Bubble Sports caters to a variety of events including birthday parties, corporate team building events, fundraisers, community events, and more. Bubble Sports serves all ages 6 and older, with both adult and youth-sized bubble suits. Indoor and outdoor play is available.
“It’s a novelty sport,” says Jimenez. “Everyone should try something new, because seeing people having a good time is the best part about Bubble Sports.”
“I was just laughing the whole time,” says Courtney Miller, Bubble Sports player. “It’s about having fun and not caring what you look like cause you’re going to look like a fool, but so does everyone else.” For more information, visit extremebubblesports.com.
