Ted Kupper's Bar Mitzvah After-Party @ Whirlyball

I know what you're probably thinking, after reading the title line: Whirr-lee-bawl. What is this…Whirr-lee-bawl? Imagine a fervent fusion of jai alai, hockey and basketball and with a heaping helping of bumper cars and a dash of extremeness, and you have the fun sport that has entertained—and possibly bruised—many people for quite some time now. The Fullerton location of this franchise was the venue for a cool bar mitzvah after-party for young Ted Kupper and 75 of his friends. Oh, yeah. We were in for a supposed ride wilder than Whirlyball itself.

The concept of this celebration was only to concentrate on having a fun time, as all of the traditional events (i.e. the hora, the breaking of the bread) took place one week before the party. This event was complete with a pizza buffet, laser tag matches (lovingly called "Lasertron"), unlimited video gaming, and three hours of non-stop music. My partner Ryan and I headed up that latter department, and we played a lot of great punk, rap, and mainstream hits. We had a few dancefloors here and there as well. Our main challenge was to keep the kids in the room that we were in, as it was my task to announce which groups (designated by wristband colors) would be next to play both Whirlyball or Lasertron. Unfortunately, being in a large venue with copious electronic eye candy, that just did not happen. That caused some confusion as well as questioning among the kids, along with the fact that the rounds changed from 15-minute periods to 10-minute periods during the day. Whoa. Ted's mother, Janet, had to run around and inform the kids on which groups would be next. I felt disheartened that she had to do that, but as the day progressed, I noted that as "teamwork", as opposed to anything else, as I did my part inside and outside of the buffet/deejay room, informing kids about the schedule. For the most part, everything seemed to work out well. I did not hear any complaints of kids missing their turn or such. Plus, in fairness and honesty, that circumstance turned out to be somewhat of a blessing, for if a large group of kids had to bear with one another (and yours truly!) in a rather small, dimly lit room for three hours straight, that probably would have made for a less enjoyable time for them. I think there's a word for something like that…like, "classroom." (My apologies to any teachers that are reading this. I'm only kidding!)

The end of the afternoon was quite memorable, as a snowball dance occurred. This was Ted's main request, and I made sure that it was fulfilled. I utilized the ne'er-forgotten favorite, James Blunt's "You're Beautiful", and the kids followed suit. My goodness…Ted was definitely ready for this part of the day. He appeared as if he was on a pleasant prowl for his next dancing partner after every "snowball" call. I was giggling inside, for I thought that Ted's comfort factor and eagerness to dance was refreshing. Not all of the other kids were prepared and/or ready, which caused a bit of awkwardness during this moment, but it turned out really well. Ryan and I ended on a slow rap song (whose title escapes me at the moment), and a small "mitzvah mosh pit" ensued. With that, the kids exited from our room and went about their merry ways.

Whirlyball is the kind of place where you want to walk around and experience every inch of its space, as well as take in all the gaming and things to do. One could go absolutely crazy and get lost, as well. With this group, there were not any worries. Ted and his friends exhumed an appreciable level of maturity and were able to take care of themselves well in this place, which I totally adored. I appreciated the fact that kids came in during the afternoon and were able to enjoy our music and playfulness. Thinking back, I could have been a total wet blanket and coerced the kids into staying in our "deejay zone," but that would have been rather pushy and selfish. I'm glad the kids were free to have their choice of what to do. I totally love how my assistant Ryan and I worked well throughout the day, keeping each other positive and supporting one another, even though we were up against empty floors and all the goings-on outside. It may have been tough being in somewhat of a "box" for three hours, but we got through it successfully. All in all, this was a enjoyable, energetic day that was all about Ted, his friends, and Whirlyball.

(By the way, is it my turn on the court yet? Well…is it?)

– Brent Rolland, resident deejay

(Special thanks to the Kuppers, the Koestrings, and to Jenn and everyone at Whirlyball!)