Teqball: A New Game in Town
Luka Pilic and Andres Berriel play TeqBall on the boardwalk in Santa Monica, California on Thursday Feburary 25, 2021. (Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair)
Santa Monica locals have found a new way to stay fit, as people gather along the Santa Monica beach bike path to play Teqball.
The game is similar to table tennis, only played on what resembles a ping-pong table. An acrylic net divides the teams, with players kicking a soccer ball back and forth. Using their heads, chest, knees, and feet, Teqball players use a skill set similar to soccer in keeping the ball off the ground, while scoring points against the opponent.
As a relatively new sport, Teqball was founded in Budapest, Hungary, in 2012. This highly competitive and skilled showcase of athleticism has garnered worldwide attention, as it now hosts an annual World Championship Teqball Tournament in Budapest.
Margi Osmunson, a former assistant coach of the Sonoma State University women's soccer team, has played professionally for the L.A. Teqers Teqball team since March 2020. She and her club sponsor Teqball tables that are set up along the bike path. “Our goal is to have Teqball as an official game in the 2024 Olympics,” said Osmunson.
Pulsating music regularly plays from a bluetooth speaker as a Teqball match is underway along the bike path. People occasionally stop and check it out, and in some cases accept an invitation to join in and participate.
That’s how Santa Monica College (SMC) student Luka Pilic was introduced to the sport last fall. As an incoming freshman, his plan was to play on the college soccer team for the 2020 season, but it was ultimately cut short due to COVID-19.
“My goal is to play with the Santa Monica College [soccer] team during the season, but there is no season,” said Pilic. “Since I can't come out and play soccer competitively on a regular basis, I come out here and play Teqball...play some competitive games [and] it helps me improve my soccer skills.”
Pilic's athletic prowess is noticed by teammate and Teqball professional player Brett Lorenzini. "We just won our first tournament in Phoenix on March 6, and came in first place, so I am really proud of him," said Lorenzini. "It's a really cool combination — I am from London, England, and Luka is from Croatia, meeting in Santa Monica, [and] now we are the champions of the U.S.A. And for Luka, he could be the best player in the world! He is unbelievable, an electric player.”
Lorenzini outlined specific talents that Luka brings to this evolving world competition. "He has one of the most powerful headers in Teqball... [and] he does the smash, he uses his foot to smash over the table. He is the strongest at doing that," said Lorenzini. "That’s why I say he is one of the best. He puts his right foot over, it comes very high and comes over the table. The mechanics of body movement are being redefined by Pilic."
“The exciting thing about Teqball is since you play either singles or doubles, there's not a lot of people on your team...I have the freedom to do whatever I want,” said Pilic, whose team won a top four spot in a Teqball tournament in Covina, California, on Saturday, April 10. Teqball practices are played during the week along the Santa Monica Beach bike path.
