By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Pickleball went from an obscure sport developed in 1965, into a hugely popular sport over the last decade. Now there's gaga ball. Thanks to Olivia Herrman, the next trending sport has a place to grow in Ellinwood. In her pursuit of becoming an Eagle Scout, Herrman made installing a gaga ball pit in the Ellinwood city park the goal of her community service project.
"Gaga ball is a game, it can be played in an octagon ring or hexagon ring," Herrman explained. "Basically, you have walls in whatever shape you have. You stick a ball in and then everybody gets inside and hits the ball around, trying to hit each other knee or below. If you get hit knee or below, you're out, and the game continues until there is one person standing, who is the winner."
The 17-year-old Herrman estimates she has at least 50 hours of work in the project individually, but she's received assistance from other Scouts, the City of Ellinwood, friends, and her parents. A member of Troop 7153 in Ellinwood, she can now go before an Eagle Board of Review to see if she has earned the Scouts' top rank.
"I talk to the board and we go over everything I've learned in Scouts," she said. "So all the knots I've learned, the things I've memorized like the oath and the law, and so much more. They decide if I have successfully learned what I need to, and if I'm going to be accepted."
To become an Eagle, a Scout must accumulate at least 21 merit badges. Of those, 14 are required badges, including First Aid, Personal Fitness, Cooking, and various Citizenship badges.