U.S. championships set at local park this weekend

People from across the country are vacationing in Frederick County to practice for the ¹¹th annual U.S. Marbles Championship, scheduled for this weekend at the Middletown park.

The championship draws competitors from around the United States. And while anyone of any age is welcome to participate, the competition is top­level.

‘‘It is not a beginner’s tournament,” said Jeff Kimmell of Frederick, the tournament director.

Around 40 of the best marbles players in the country are competing in this event, and among those, around 30 are former national marbles champions, Kimmell said.

This is a challenging sport, and there is an art to it, he said. Players must hit a marble with a diameter of just 5⁄8 of an inch — a feat that takes much focus and concentration.

‘‘It’s like playing pool with your thumb,” Kimmell said.

But because it is so precise and difficult, it’s pretty amazing to watch and to do, he added.

The players have to deal with backspin and sidespin, among other things. It takes years of practice or playing to become good.

‘‘It’s a tough game to learn how to shoot,” said Jess Kimmell, Jeff’s father and a participant in the competition.

The age of the participants varies greatly. While the U.S. Marbles Association sanctions both the U.S. Marbles Championship and the National Marbles Tournament, the National Marbles Tournament features only players ages 8 to ¹4. The U.S. Marbles Championship is for those older than ¹4 — including adults — or those under that age who are national tournament champions, said Debra Stanley­Lupic of Reading, Pa., winner of numerous marbles competitions.

The players are separated into male and female divisions.

Each player practices differently to prepare for the event. Jeff Kimmell started training in mid­June, playing for a few hours a day. Others concentrate on the shots that are the most difficult for them.

‘‘But the people in this championship are already top­level shooters, most with five to 20 years of experience,” Jeff Kimmell said. ‘‘It doesn’t take them as long to fine­tune their game.”

The game of choice at this event is a variation of the game Ringer. In the game, the first player to knock seven of ¹3 marbles out of a ring wins.

In the U.S. Marbles Championship, several innings of Ringer are played, so that the first player to knock 50 marbles out of the ring wins.

A normal game of marbles can take three minutes, while one game in the championship could take 30 to 45, Stanley­Lupic said.

Jeff Kimmell has been trying to encourage the growth of the game. He has petitioned that marbles be made an Olympic sport. He also is a marbles coach who is teaching a class at the Frederick County YMCA and hopes that many new people will become interested in the sport.

Marbles is really starting to grow as a sport, Jess Kimmell said. There is a lot of talent. ‘‘Next year, hopefully the tournament will be bigger and better.”

 

Originally published at The Gazette. Thursday, August 4, 2005