Yukigassen, a Snowball Fighting Competition
Photos & Story by Chelsea
Last weekend I went to see a new event at Anchorage's annual Fur Rondy festival, the yukigassen ("snow battle" in Japanese) tournament. I was curious to check it out because my aunt had trained to be an official. Since the sport is new to the United States, my aunt is one of the first certified yukigassen officials in the country (in her own words, "It's pretty awesome!").
Yukigassen was created in Hokkaidō, Japan in 1987 to boost winter tourism to Mt. Showa-Shinzan. The sport has since spread and there are now annual tournaments in Japan, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and Australia.
There were 32 teams signed up for tournament in Anchorage, and games took place on two side-by-side courts. Spectators braved the cold and huddled on metal bleachers to cheer on the teams. There was a hotdog stand next to one of the courts, so I grabbed a reindeer dog and sat down to watch the fun.
Unlike the snowball fights I used to have with my brother, yukigassen is a very organized sport. Games are played on a 40 by 10 meter court. Each game consists of three periods, and each period consists of three minutes of play. Each team has 7 players, with 4 forward position players and 3 defense players, and can use only 90 snowballs per period. Players are eliminated from a period when they are hit by a snowball. A team can win a period by capturing the other team's flag, or by having the most remaining players at the end of the period.
Snowballs are made in a special "snowball maker" mold, and each snowball must be between 2.5" and 2.75". Players are required to wear hockey helmets, which is good because snowballs can become quite icy. Snowballs are stored behind a chateau at each end of the court. Forward players aren't allowed to go retrieve snowballs, and teammates aren't allowed to throw snowballs to each other, so defensive players must either roll the snowballs to teammates or deliver them.
On the court is a series of shelters. Forward players generally duck behind shelters and wait for the perfect moment to rush for the opposing team's flag. Hiding behind a shelter doesn't guarantee safety though, as players from the other team often toss snowballs underhand with hopes of hitting the hiding player.
I cheered for the Rumrunners (my cousin's friend was on the team) as they beat the Big Test Icicles to win the first ever yukigassen tournament in America. As the U.S. National Champions, they now have the right to represent the United States next February at the Mount-Shinzan International Yukigassen World Championships in Hokkaido, Japan.