Whirled Championships -- Whirlyball Brings Knights Of Playing Field In From The Rain For Games Of Strategy, Team-Building And Just Plain Fun

By day, Mike Leekley of Seattle is a garbage man.

By night, he's "Mike the WhirlyBud."

No, Leekley's nocturnal personality doesn't wear a special cape or brandish an alien-fighting sword, but as part of a team called the WhirlyBuds, he does things that might seem just as silly - like scooting around in an electronic buggy on a metal floor, trying to wield a whiffle ball with a big plastic scoop and toss it into a basketball-style net.

And he's not alone: Nine other people have been trying to do the same thing in this warehouse-style building along Highway 99 in Edmonds. As they do, most of them are ramming and bumping into his car, screaming at the top of their lungs, "Over here," "No, to me," "Mike!" and "Stop him!"

They're playing WhirlyBall, a combination of basketball, polo, jai alai (also known as track ball) and hockey in which players maneuver around a court in something resembling carnival bumper-cars.

"It looks really dumb, but it's actually fun when you get into it," says Leekley, while warming up for a big game against the "Optical Illusions," a not-so-burly, but intelligent-looking, group of optics engineers from Korry Electronics.

While the Optical Illusions attend a beginner's workshop on WhirlyBall techniques and strategies, Leekley's routine includes a few stretches and then several repetitions of shooting into a practice hoop. He just began playing a month ago, but he already has some advice for beginners: "The more your car moves, the better you do," he said. "I've noticed that."

Here's how it works: While using steering cranks to maneuver the "WhirlyBug" cars, two teams (five players each) toss around a softball-sized whiffle ball - a ball with holes in it - with a plastic jai-alai scoop. The object of the game is to hit your team's 15-inch goal at one end of the court while keeping the opposing team from scoring at the other end.

A referee in a chair above the court calls the game play-by-play, keeps score and assesses any penalties.

First-timers might look at this and think WhirlyBall is a goofy way to socialize between bottles of beer, but real players know the truth.

"It's all upper body pretty much," says James Gill of Lynnwood, a self-proclaimed WhirlyBall addict. "A lot of people think it's bumper cars, but it's not. There's strategy, offense and defense."

Gill, 27, has won eight of the past nine national WhirlyBall championship titles. The only year he didn't win, he didn't play.

Of course, not everybody takes the game that seriously.

Corporations frequently rent the facility for employee "team-building seminars," said Dave Draisey, operations manager for the Edmonds center.

From Thursday through Sunday, families and groups of 10 or more rent WhirlyBall courts for 30 minutes at a time for just about anything from birthdays and bar mitzvah parties to bachelor parties and church outings.

While there are about 20 WhirlyBall centers in the United States and Canada, this is the only one on the West Coast. Perhaps the sport remains popular because Puget Sounders like to compete - and they're not afraid to look silly while doing it.

Draisey notes that the game is something families can do year-round, including when the ground is too soggy for most outdoor sports.

Leekley's father, Lew Diaz of Seattle, also a WhirlyBud team member, has another perspective.

"It's kind of like going back to being a kid," he said. "You get to go out and play in the bumper cars." -------------------------------------------

If you go:

The WhirlyBall center is at 23401 Highway 99 in Edmonds.

Take Interstate 5 to Exit 177 (the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry exit). Go west and take a right onto Aurora Avenue (Highway 99). Go north about a half-mile, to 234th Street. WhirlyBall is on the right.

It's open daily (even on holidays) from noon to midnight.

Cost is $130 per hour for 10 people, and all of the equipment is provided. Catering packages are available, and the WhirlyBall Cafe sells beer and espresso drinks.

Accommodations can be made for most people with disabilities who want to play WhirlyBall.

For more information, including official WhirlyBall rules and history of the game, check out the company's Web site at www.whirlyball.com or call 425-672-3332.