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The new sport of Settleball was created by Patrick Connell from West Virginia, USA, in 2012. In Settleball, the aim is to get a ball to settle on a step on a staircase using your feet and keep it bouncing till you do. The higher the step settled on, the more points earned.

Settleball

Sport Summary

The object of Settleball is for the player to get a ball to settle (stop moving) on a step on a staircase using their feet (although everything but hands/arms is allowed) and keep it bouncing till you do. When the player gets the ball to settle on a step, points are awarded to the player. Each step has a different point value, between 1 and 6 points. The ultimate goal is to accrue as many points as possible within the 45-minute time limit.

Although the player must keep the ball bouncing till it settles on a step, it is still alive if it stops bouncing on any surface that isn't the lower (downstairs) floor. If the ball stops bouncing while on the lower floor, an out is recorded, regardless of whether it is still rolling or not. An out deducts 3 points from the player's point total. Both settles and outs, along with faults (which are described in the next paragraph), are considered "results", and are the only possible outcomes of a round. Settles are the main way for the player to accrue points, but they aren't the only way.

Games contain rounds. A round starts with serving the ball onto the staircase and ends with a result (a settle, an out, or a fault). If the serve doesn't make it passed the fault line, which is on the highest 3-point step, a fault is recorded. Time is paused when a round ends. The period in between the end of a round and the start of the next round is called a break. During the break, the player records the score of the previous round, retrieves the ball, and serves to start the next round. Time resumes when the ball is served.

There are three distinct time thresholds: a soft limit at 34 minutes, another less-soft limit at 37, and a hard limit at 40. When the game reaches the 34 minute threshold, the game ends if the player records three outs and/or faults before getting a settle. When the game reaches the 37 minute threshold, the game ends if the player records two outs and/or faults before getting a settle. When the game reaches the 40 minute threshold, the game ends when the current round ends.

Other noteworthy rules: the player is not allowed to be on the steps during a round. If the ball touches a players hand or arm, an out is recorded. The ball is still alive if it's on the upper floor and still rolling but, once it stops moving altogether, an out is recorded.

Equipment: A staircase or set of steps and a small, bouncy ball, preferably like a stress ball. Non-slip socks are recommended but not required.

CREATOR NOTE: These rules are based on the 13-step staircase that I play on. I've tried to think of a way to make the rules work for staircases with any number of steps but I haven't found a way to do it that I'm happy with. Also, there are other variations of the game, including multiplayer variants, that haven't been played much (or at all) and are still being ironed out.

Note

This new sport was submitted by a visitor to the Topend Sports website. The description appears as originally provided, and any errors are likely those of the contributor. Many of these sports may be just ideas and have never been played. For any inquiries, please contact the sport's creator directly, as I do not retain their contact information.

Related Pages

• See our large list of other New Sports
• How to Submit a New Sport
• Complete list of unusual sports

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