According to James W. Feger of the World Organized Rocball, the pre-season games are arranged to allow veteran players of the sport “to get back in rhythm” and to allow new players to learn the rules of Rocball.
Considered as “Saipan’s Own Sports Game”, Rocball is the first team net sport in the world to develop and use offensive and defensive scoring, multiple-point scoring, penalty-point scoring, and a quarter/set system of play for a team net sport.
It is also often described as a hybrid sport between volleyball and soccer.
Feger said, this year’s Rocball League was able to draw 12 teams, including the comeback team of Ghasia Brothers.
Ghasia Brothers are the triple-crown winners of past Rocball seasons on island.
The other teams that will participate in this year’s league are Uraiwak, Naturals, Okies, Sail Rebels, No-Mercy, Section “A”, FSM Boys, Prims, Fanians, Islanders, and Evenflow, which is the world champion in Rocball.
Rocball League pre-season games will continue at the MHS Gym for two weeks with matches from Monday to Thursday, between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
It also has games on Saturdays between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the same venue.
For those who are not familiar with the sport, Rocball is played on a slightly modified standard size of a volleyball court with an overhead net bisecting team courts, and a 6 by 12-foot soccer-type goal situated 10 feet behind each court.
The receiving team only has two hits to return a served ball. If a receiving team can return a served ball in two hits, each team has five hits on the ball until a point is scored.
Accordingly, a team must have the serve to win set or game.
Rocball is played in four sets.
It is said that Rocball has been an annual sport event in the commonwealth since 1983.
