OCCC’s Nitro ball season is starting soon. Registration is already open and is free to all students with a valid OCCC student ID, said Intramural Sports Assistant Matthew Wright.

“Students can join all the way until the halfway point in the season,” Wright said.

“They will have to play in at least one game to be eligible for the playoff games.”

The Nitro ball season begins Nov. 11 and goes until Dec. 9, he said.

Wright said teams can have a minimum of four players and a maximum of six.

“The teams can also be coed,” he said.

Wright said it’s up to each team to decide when and where they want to practice.

“All they have to do is contact me to make sure I am on campus and I can set up the court for them.”

Games will be played Monday afternoons from 1 to 5 p.m.

Wright said this is the first year Nitro ball has been offered on campus as an intramural sport.

“During the summer at the (kids) camps … we tried it out and it went really well,” he said.

“Even the counselors got into playing Nitro ball.

“We will be having a demo soon to show anyone [who] is interested, how to play the game.”

Wright said there are three major rules of the game.

“The first rule is the ball must be served underhanded behind the back line of the court.

“Second rule is you have to let the ball hit the ground once before hitting it, like in tennis.

“The third rule is there can only be three hits per side just like in volleyball.”

Peter Boucher is the creator of Nitro ball, once known as inverted volleyball, according to www.peuniverse.com.

Boucher came up with the idea when he was conducting a summer PE class with more than 100 students.

The class was on the tennis court with limited equipment, he said, so he used a volleyball and created the game.

“You can play this game on any tennis court or any gymnasium around the world,” Boucher told the Canton Citizen.

“All you need is a ball and four-plus boys or girls. The propensity for the sport to multiply quickly is limitless.”

For more information about Nitro ball registration, contact Wright at 405-682-1611, ext. 7684.