Hooverball

Hooverball is a medicine ball game invented by President Herbert Hoover's personal physician, Medal of Honor recipient Joel T. Boone, to help keep then-President Hoover fit. The Hoover Presidential Library Association and the city of West Branch, Iowa co-host a national championship each year.

In general, the game is played on a volleyball-type court of grass or sand and involves throwing a heavily weighted medicine ball over the net. Officially, in Hooverball, the medicine ball weighs about 6 lb (2.7 kg) and is thrown over an 8 ft (2.4 m) volleyball-type net. The game is scored like tennis. The ball is caught and then thrown back. The weight of the medicine ball can make the sport quite physically demanding.

The sport was conceived shortly after Hoover's 1928 election. On a trip to South America Hoover observed a game of "Bull-in-the-Ring" being played on the Battleship Utah. Bull-in-the-Ring was popular among navy ships and was an inspiration for Hooverball. In Bull-in-the-Ring the ball was soft and weighed 9 lb (4 kg). The person in the middle of the circle was called the "bull". While on these navy ships, Hoover enjoyed watching and playing the game. The net was 8.5 to 9 ft (2.6 to 2.7 m) high and 30 ft (9.1 m) wide.

Rules are usually determined "in house." However, the traditional rules are as follows:

There are many different ways to get the ball over the net. Both power and control are important for a good throw, and can be achieved simultaneously with proper technique. Proper technique requires use of the whole body when throwing the medicine ball, not just the arms.

There are many strategies that are used when playing Hooverball.

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