Man who brought weird tennis ball game to primary schools

Mackydaddy3214 · 17-07-2022 09:29PM #1

Hey everyone,

I'm aware this is an odd post to make but me and some of my friends refuse to give up hope on this.

We all went to school in St Mary's BNS in Ferrybank just on the border with Kilkenny. This would have been around 1994 to 1999. During which a man, think his name was John, used to come to the school with a game that involved a tennis balls.

Basically, he had a small pole with a net attached which the tennis ball was placed in. You would then have to kick the ball out of the net over your head and then turn and shoot at a target at the end of the hall. All the targets were attached to a computer he had and it determined how hard you hit it and how accurate you were.

We knew it as ball skills, but can't find anything about it online. I know this is a reach but does anyone from the Waterford City area or ferrybank remember the man's name?

johnnykilo · 17-07-2022 11:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058254925/man-who-brought-weird-tennis-ball-game-to-primary-schools

I would have been in Scoil Lorcáin up until 93 and I remember doing this for PE over in the Butler Community hall. I remember being fairly good at it actually, mostly because I used to play football with a tennis ball anyway, even before I started doing Ball Skills 🤣 Sorry though, I have no idea what the guys name was. I do seem to remember either him or one of our teachers saying that he had some attachment to Mount Sion (maybe just a past pupil), not sure is that any help, but it might be of some help.

Isthisthingon? · 18-07-2022 09:58AM

If memory serves me, ray colclough - now a dj/ radio presenter for WLR was involved, i think he was helping out the guy running it.

Have to say that is a very random memory, I also did it in the butler centre, remember it well. Somehow i hit the board despite famously having 2 left feet.

jelutong · 18-07-2022 10:01AM

John Foley?

Flying Abruptly · 20-07-2022 04:10PM

John Foley.

We had it in our primary school in Kilmacow in the 90's also. Thinking about it now, it was a nice bit of kit with programming of the game, etc. if he built it himself. There was even a leaderboard if I remember.

PTH2009 · 20-07-2022 05:39PM

Did the guy have Bodhrán with him too ?

vaguely remember a guy visited our primary school back in the 90s who had a Bodhrán with him and he done a few games etc

Man who brought weird tennis ball game to primary schools

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