You can make new friends by playing a game of Chi Ball this Sunday.
Play Chi Ball is a game for all ages and skill levels, where you play with a lightweight wicker ball with a group of people. The goal of the game is to get people moving, connect with friends and family, and develop new friendships with strangers.
The main rule of the game is to not let the ball hit the ground, with a festival set to run in Cumberland this weekend.
Co-founder of the game Bradley Morris says he discovered it when he was at a retreat down the Arizona desert years ago.
“A couple guys at the retreat had this smaller version of a wicker ball and they were rallying, and so I played with them and loved it, there were no rules to the game when I was first introduced to it,” said Morris.
“I forgot about it after that retreat. Five years later I moved into a house and I found a chi ball couple sizes bigger under my house. So I started playing all of the time, took it to my men’s group, and managed to find a source of balls where we can get them hand-woven.”
Morris says while he almost started a business four years ago, his focus was taken by running Magic Kids, an audio entertainment company.
It was by convincing his friend Mike Rogers to expand the game’s reach, is what led to Play Chi Ball launching in September 2024 through a festival at Salt Spring Island.
He says since the launch, the game has a league in place on that Island, bringing 20-30 people out on a league day to play in the winter.
“It’s definitely spreading,” said Morris. “We’ve sold over 250 balls in four months, and I think we are in five or six countries already.”
Morris adds for the coming year, they aim to get as many leagues going across North America as possible, with the Comox Valley being the first place wanting to bring chi ball to the community.
The festival is free, located at the Cumberland Community School Beaufort Gym, running from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
