Having completed 80 orbits around the sun, I was part of a tour to the Blue Zone Village, Ogimi, Okinawa, last spring. Researchers have found that Blue Zone areas share nine lifestyle habits that contribute to extraordinarily long lifespans. But when we asked the village elders about the secret to their well-known longevity, they replied with only one word: gateball. They play daily.
Although gateball was on our schedule, we were rained out. We researched the game and learned it was invented in Japan in 1947 and is now played by 8 million gateballers in 15 countries. It was very popular in Hawai‘i with the first and second generations (of mostly Japanese descent), with hundreds of players on all the islands. The state even hosted the world championship at Ala Moana Park in 1998, with a thousand players from all over the globe. But there are far fewer players in the state today.
I found a small group on O‘ahu that plays Sundays at Ala Moana Park. Gateball only requires a flat grassy space. Startup costs are very low using mallets and balls in two colors — five odd-numbered red ones and five even-numbered white ones — three gates and one goal pole. Two teams with five players on each team compete against each other. Each team is assigned to play with either red or white balls. A ball through each gate is awarded one point; striking the goal pole earns two points. Defense can be played to “spark” balls off the field.
Friends and others soon joined me and the Lanakila Senior Center started its own program. During several months of gateball, I have played with men and women — some in their 90s.
Gateball is a highly strategic sport, similar to playing chess. Winning is only possible when players work cooperatively. It is an intergenerational sport and fun for the whole family, with grandparents, parents and even children playing on the same — or opposing — teams.
Find a gateball game near you:
O‘ahu
Ohana Gateball Ma Ke Kai, Art Kimura
ohanagateball@gmail.com
Lanakila Senior Center, Suzanne Chun-Oakland
suzanne.oakland@catholiccharitieshawaii.org
Maui
Kula Gateball Club, Art Ventura
808-283-0987
Hawai‘i Island
Kamana Center, Roann Okamura
roan.okamura@hawaiicounty.gov
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