A little-known pastime has captured the hearts of Salt Spring residents, and its biggest advocate hopes its popularity will spread worldwide. 

Called chi ball, the game B次元官网网址� or sport, depending on who you ask B次元官网网址� is played using a small ball woven out of dry grasses, which players keep airborne as long as possible by batting it back and forth with their hands. 

The bare-bones game originated over 45 years ago B次元官网网址� thousands of kilometres away. 

B次元官网网址淭he origins of chi ball began in the late seventies on the island of Maui with an amazing wizard and Tai Chi master named Phil,B次元官网网址� said Bradley Morris, the co-founder of Play Chi Ball B次元官网网址� a Salt Spring-based company that sells the balls, first purchased from manufacturers in Thailand, Vietnam, China, India and South Korea. B次元官网网址淧hil originally used a tennis ball and he called the game 'frapping' in the early days." 

Eventually, the sport crossed the Pacific, landing in the Southwest, where Morris learned about the pastime from two B次元官网网址渉ippiesB次元官网网址� while on a yoga retreat in Arizona 13 years ago. Instead of using a tennis ball, the pair used a wicker one.

B次元官网网址淵ou just rallied and that was it,B次元官网网址� he said, emphasizing how chi ball pulled him into an B次元官网网址渋nstant flow stateB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� the feeling an individual gets when so engrossed in a task that they forget about everything else. 

But what explains the gameB次元官网网址檚 name? 

Morris said the pastime is named after a hard-to-define B次元官网网址渆nergyB次元官网网址� called chi.  

"Chi refers to the fundamental life force or energy that is believed to flow through all things in traditional Chinese culture," he said. B次元官网网址淲e've heard from a bunch of chi ballers that playing 30 minutes of chi ball is equivalent to doing an aerobics class B次元官网网址� except way more fun. In other words, it gets your energy moving and makes you feel alive."

After his yoga retreat had drawn to a close, Morris travelled back to Canada, where he forgot about the game until five or six years later, when he found a wicker ball B次元官网网址� similar to the ones Play Chi Ball sells B次元官网网址� beneath his house. 

B次元官网网址淭ruthfully, it felt like destiny,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t brought back all of the joy I remember.B次元官网网址� 

The discovery reignited MorrisB次元官网网址� love of the game, and he immediately began carrying the ball B次元官网网址� attached to his belt or backpack with a carabiner B次元官网网址� everywhere he went. And thatB次元官网网址檚 what he did for eight years, playing with strangers interested in the mysterious orb he dubbed a "friend maker."

Morris recalled playing with two strangers at a beach in Vancouver for over an hour. 

B次元官网网址淏y the time we were done, it felt like we were longtime buddies. The two of them reflected to me that it was amazing how this little hand-woven ball was a bridge to help us connect,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hat is a beautiful thing because there's not a lot of experiences that can unite people.B次元官网网址�   

Slowly, chi ball, and the connectivity it promotes, began to spread. To capitalize on the gameB次元官网网址檚 success, Morris reached out to his friend and now business partner Michael Rogers to start selling the spheres, and thatB次元官网网址檚 how Play Chi Ball was born. 

B次元官网网址淲e're all over the States now,B次元官网网址� said Morris. "We are in Scotland, Ireland. We just had a friend send us videos of them playing on the beaches in Nicaragua. I know there are people in Mexico playing right now. We had somebody in Brazil buy a ball B次元官网网址� Australia, too.B次元官网网址�

Though the game is all about linking strangers, it can be played competitively, with teams racing each other to 100 hits. If the ball falls to the ground, 10 points are lost, but if it bounces once and players are able to keep it airborne, then the fumbling team only deducts five points from its total score.  

Morris and Rogers regularly travel to the Island and the mainland to host impromptu chi ball gatherings, where the pair invite passersby to take part in the game. Often, people tell the co-owners they think chi ball could be an Olympic sport.

B次元官网网址淲hen you're playing a full-on rally with somebody, the game is so fast,B次元官网网址� said Morris. B次元官网网址淚 figure if ping pong can be in the Olympics, why canB次元官网网址檛 chi ball? I can only imagine in five years when this gameB次元官网网址檚 taken off how fast future chi ballers are going to be.B次元官网网址�