First Official Hardcourt Ball

This was a long time coming: the first ball designed, tested, re-tested, and approved specifically for hardcourt by the people who matter most – the players.

Some background is in order: Until very recently, hardcourt players had to re-appropriate materials from other sources to create equipment – ski poles attached to gas pipe, lacrosse, hockey and downhill gloves, softball and hockey face cages, soccer shin guards, etc. Roller hockey balls are no exception. They work well enough, but are really just approximations and quickly reveal a variety of issues – the balls become too soft in sweltering temps and must be stored in ice; many balls are difficult to see under lights and in low light; there have been ball shortages (who remembers the Red Drought of 2010?!); quite frankly, there has been a dismissive attitude from ball hockey companies who are none the less making money from us through the use of their products.

Within the last two years we’ve begun to see various members of the hardcourt community stepping up and offering hardcourt-specific products, bikes, shafts, heads and now, The Hot Ball – a collaboration between Fixcraft, one of several player-owned businesses making hardcourt equipment, and North American Hardcourt (NAH), a non-profit, player-run organizing body. Fixcraft initiated the collaboration and financially backed the development of the ball; NAH facilitated the distribution and research by getting prototypes into the hands of players and gathering feedback. The result is a ball that stays harder than any other ball in hot weather and more visible when the lights get low. In addition, further emphasizing the mutually supportive nature of the collaboration, Fixcraft offered to donate a portion of the profits from the ball to help NAH become more stable financially.

Fixcraft is taking pre-orders starting tomorrow, with an estimated shipping date of March 30th. The introductory price is $2.99 each and $6.99 for a 3-pack during the first week.

Full press release available HERE (warning: PDF).

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