Spikeball Champion

OVS senior Peter Weckerle (center, hitting the ball) demonstrates his love for the game of Spikeball last year during a Spring Break College Tour, where he joined a game against the Harvard Spikeball team. Photo by Fred Alvarez

Ever since the start of last school year, Spikeball has become a fun part of life at Ojai Valley School. On camping trips, electives, and even for weekend activities, students have started making the sport a part of their OVS experience.

However, OVS senior Peter Weckerle has taken his love for the game above and beyond the confines of OVS by becoming an ambassador for the up and coming sport.

Peter first played the game at the start of his junior year when Outdoor Education Director Zach Byars invited him to be his partner in a match. In addition to his outdoor duties, Mr. Byars also teaches history at the Upper Campus, but he is perhaps best known for his love of all things Spikeball, having introduced the game to OVS students and faculty last year.

From the first time he played the game, Peter was hooked.

After playing all of last school year whenever he got the chance, Peter decided to buy his first Spikeball set at the start of summer. At that time, he received an email from the official Spikeball team asking him if he’d be interested in becoming an ambassador for the company.

The Spikeball team is interested in finding people across the United States who are outgoing, energetic, and passionate about the game to help represent the company and spread their enthusiasm to their peers.

Peter accepted the invitation to become an ambassador, and filled out a short survey to send back to the team and expressed his interest in the position.

“Spikeball is a very unique sport,” Peter said. “It’s not just about being athletic. It’s about positioning, strategy, and other things that you normally don’t need in other sports.”

By accepting the ambassador position, Peter will help organize Spikeball tournaments or other events near Ojai, and he will be notified if there are nearby events where help is needed to stage tournament play.  

Spikeball is a fast-paced game that students can quickly get good at and start to enjoy. The game teaches students how to communicate, and to quickly reach a goal.

“My favorite part about teaching students how to play Spikeball is when it clicks for the first time,” Mr. Byars said. “The students finally start to see the movement of the game, and it soon becomes an enjoyable game to watch or play.”