Then & Now: Field Equipment
Written by Josh Smith
Wiffleball as a sport has changed over the decades. It started in 1954 in suburban Fairfield, Conn. in a man's back yard and now it's played nationwide. While many games go on in America's backyards, the game often is played in local parks. St. Cloud Commons Community Park has been a great site for the past three years and we have tested out various equipment in that short amount of time. A lot of newer players may not be able to appreciate just how far we've come but those of us who have been there since the beginning will say that the game we play now is far better than it was in 2012. And as we progress, we will no doubt make even better advancements regarding equipment.
When you visit the fields now you see a free-standing backstop and k-zone, raised bases, pitcher's rubber, mesh fence with rebar posts, pvc foul poles, and field painted foul lines. It's the most legitimate set up the league has ever had. But turn back the clock three years and things looked very different. Fair territory was at a 70 degree angle (compared to the 90 degrees now) and the foul lines consisted of yellow rope that was staked down every 20 feet. The rope was something we used until this year. Sure, everyone can admit now that it was a little dangerous but until this year we did not have permission to use field paint and it was more affordable. We also used flat throw bases at the time, which made it harder to tell if a player reached first base prior to the ball reaching the pitcher's circle (which was also marked with rope). We didn't even use a bucket for the balls on the mound, we used a small green lunch bag.
The fence is one of the most noticeable difference in set up from year to year. The first year the fence was straight across from left field to right field since the field was so narrow. In 2013, the league enacted registration fees so equipment could be purchased to build fencing that could easily be set up and torn down every week. The first orange fences were light weight but far from durable. The commissioners experimented with a more expensive (but more durable) welded steel wire fencing but it was much heavier and harder to keep erect during games. This year a more expensive mesh fencing material was purchased and aluminum t-posts were replaced with ultra strong rebar for the posts for the pocket mesh fencing. Also the amount of playing fields has changed over the seasons. In 2012, we only had five teams and one field. In 2013, the league expanded to having two fields with games going simultaneously. And finally, this year we have four fields.
The k-zone has been the most crucial piece of equipment for the league since day one. It changed everything in the old league. The Garrett Drive Wiffleball League, is the parent league for the HWL and it all started back in 2002 in Hurricane, WV. Greg and Josh started the league with friends from the local area and played on streets, cul-de-sacs, basketball courts, and tennis courts before finally playing on grass full-time in 2007. That same year, the league finally adopted a strikezone which was a spare lawn chair which had about half the target size of the current k-zone. Finally, in 2010 Smith and a teammate (Kevin Hancart) build a 20" x 32" strikezone using pvc pipe for the frame and base and plexiglass for the target area, using zipties to connenct the zone to the frame. The plexiglass proved to be problematic in 2011 when hard-throwing pitchers like Tyler Call began to crack the glass. Nevertheless, the plexiglass k-zone remained a part of the league throughout the rest of the league's remaining days and was featured in the early phases of the Huntington Wiffle League.
In early 2012 Casey Thornton and Greg Sowards Sr. began to tweak the k-zone's construction and found that using leight-weight wood (particle board, etc) could be a suitable substitute for the target area. Zipties also were exchanged for nuts and bolts. This version of the zone would be used, featuring the above ground base, until 2014. This year we changed up the k-zone a bit. The wind can treat the zone like a sail and knock it down in a hurry. We decided to forget the legs of the base entirely and make the base support itself on both sides (rather than the center) using posts that went into the ground. The results so far have been amazing. The same principle was applied to the backstop during the Fall Ball season in 2013. Before that the net was tied to a canopy and limited the versatility that the backstop can offer.
So the league has seen some astounding growth in resourcefulness regarding equipment but even better days are ahead. Perhaps we can look to getting a scoreboard in the future. Radar Speedometers are something that Greg and I have been looking at for a while now and it could add a pretty cool element to the game. Bringing a wireless speaker to the field has added a new fun element to the game as well since we can now have walk up music rather than just joking about it. Who knows what we'll come up with for next year because what seems efficient now can always be improved in the future.
