Hockey might sound fun enough, but how about playing it with a bunch of soap outside in the Florida heat?
Well, get to know the Big Boy Soap Hockey League. Its birthplace is right here in the Tampa Bay area.
And how does it work?
Picture 3-on-3 hockey on a big blue tarp. They cover the tarp with soap and water. The players then enter barefoot and they slip, slide and bust their butts while trying to score as many goals as they can in 10 bubbly minutes.
The league's founder, Nick Pletcher, first played the sport about five years ago at his bachelor party.
"We were looking for something fun to play. I found this Norwegian YouTube video of them playing soap hockey on a big blue tarp, and we were like, 'That looks like fun. So we tried it,' " Pletcher said.
They were a "lot of twisted teas" involved, but they had so much fun they started playing it every summer. And for the past couple years, they've grown it enough to where fans —and ESPN — were interested.
This year's tournament was recently broadcast on ESPN2, and it'll run on other ESPN channels throughout the year.
"Growing up, we would have never thought we would have this opportunity. So it's a huge honor," Pletcher said.
The best way to describe this sport is take what the Savannah Bananas are to baseball — with their fast pace and insane rules — and apply it to hockey.
Everything about this is silly, goofy and a genuinely fun time. For instance, this year's tournament had eight teams of three with team names like the Goblins, the Unicorns and the Jesters. All have really angry-looking logos.
On top of playing in soap, there are also power-ups or power-downs for your opponents. For instance, giving them ankle weights or even blindfolding them.
But the first match of the day at a recent tournament in Riverview. The Kraken players, Patrick Tipaldo, Ryan Voyles, and Ricky Cassidy, had some serious confidence going in as the first team.
They called themselves the "guinea pigs" and that the other teams were going to follow their lead. But they ended up losing their first match.
They were far from the sorest losers though. The Dragons had a heartbreaking loss to the Unicorns and jokingly threw out an allegation of performance-enhancing drugs.
"Everybody on the Unicorns needs to be tested for PEDs. It's absolutely insane. Like compared to last year, they've doubled in size and no one's questioning it all," player Garrett Reeves said.
Overall though, it's just a really fun time. It was hard to find someone there — player or fan — who didn't have a smile from ear to ear.
And for the league's founder? Well, it's just the beginning of soap hockey in Tampa Bay.
"I want us selling out Raymond James Stadium," Pletcher said about his five-year goal.
And even right now, it's hard to call this league anything other than a success, from a drunk bachelor party game, to ESPN, in just five years. And who knows what the future will hold.
The Bay Blend Podcast comes out every weekday. You get local headlines and discover some culture and events around the Tampa Bay area in about 5 minutes. You can learn more here.
The Bay Blend Podcast comes out every weekday. You get local headlines and discover some culture and events around the Tampa Bay area in about 5 minutes. You can learn more here.
