Reading the Neus: Slingball is fun, and it’s for a good cause
The scene at Pacific City
PACIFIC CITY — It’s a Southern California Saturday at Cape Kiwanda State Park.
Temperatures in the 70s, a slight breeze blowing on a sandy beach with Haystack Rock in full display to the west and people frolicking on the sandstone headland of Cape Kiwanda to the north.
In a central area adjacent to the Pelican Brewing Company, men and women, boys and girls of all ages are enjoying the weather and fellowship as they delight at playing or watching … well, some kind of game.
Welcome to 2022 Sling, the 15th running of one of summer’s unique events in Oregon.
Say hello to Slingball, a yard game that’s a little bit horseshoes, a little bit cornhole, a little bit bocci ball and a lot of fun. It’s been around for awhile. You might know it by other names.
“Hillbilly Golf, Cowboy Golf … there are so many names for Slingball,” says Randy Neu, coordinator of 2022 Sling and along with brother Carter Neu, the co-chairs of Slingball Inc., the non-profit organization that runs the tournament. “You kind of sling it like a gunslinger. So we named it that.”
A foot-long piece of rope ties a pair of recycled golf balls to both ends. The player slings the implement to land on a tower (made of PVC pipe) with four crossbars some 25 feet away. Points are awarded. First one to 21 wins.
It’s a little more complicated than it sounds, but it’s not hard to play — just hard to master.
The competition spills out on different levels, but sportsmanship generally wins out on every day.
For 15 years, the Neu brothers have held the tournament to raise money for multiple sclerosis in honor of their mother Marilyn, who was diagnosed with MS in her early 20s and died at 63 from complications of the disease in 2005.
Marilyn Neu is flanked for her two young sons, Carter (left) and Randy, many years ago. Marilyn died of Multiple Sclerosis, the charity that receives funding from the annual Slingball tournaments at Pacific City (Courtesy the Neus)
On Saturday, 150 participants competed on the 12 courts set up for competition. After Sunday’s championship finals, about $20,000 had been collected, adding to the total that has now reached $240,000 over the years.
Proceeds go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Portland and National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Oregon Chapter.
The event’s sponsor is Cook Solutions Group of Portland through its Cook Community Builders program.
“Our company is about community involvement, and that’s what this event is about, too,” says Frosty Comer, chairman of the board at CSG. “There are some people who have played every event since the beginning, and many more who have participated many years. It has become a Slingball family. They’re here for the fun of the game, but also to support the charity.”
Brian Cook, CSG’s chief executive officer, says sponsorship of the Slingball event “is a no-brainer.”
“It’s an important cause,” says Cook, who has played in all 15 tournaments. “There are a lot of rivalries here, and it’s competitive. But there are friendships in those rivalries.”
The Neus, both Beaverton High grads, are employed at CSG. Randy, 52, is executive vice president. Carter, 49, is technical account manager.
Carter (left) and Randy Neu are co-chairs of Slingball, Inc., a non-profit raising money to fight Multiple Sclerosis (Courtesy the Neus)
Carter Neu discovered the game while attending a Lincoln City Elks Club annual picnic with a girlfriend many years ago.
“Her grandpa was playing the game, so we started playing it,” Carter says. “Later, I made my own set and added a back bar, and we played in our backyard for awhile. Everyone was calling it ‘Hang Ball.’ ”
After Marilyn died, “Carter and I were trying to think of something we could do to remember her,” Randy says. “At the same time, we were playing this crazy game that we now called ‘Slingball.’
“So we said, ‘How about we do a tournament that helps raise money for MS?’ And Slingball was founded.”
The first tournament featured a dozen competitors. The number through the years has grown considerably, thanks in no small part to CSG, which has helped provide the labor to handle operations and fund the event.
The Neus, along with Randy’s sons, Lucas and Ramsay, hand-make all the sets.
“It has become a family affair,” Randy says. His boys “are going to be the next generation to continue the tradition of Slingball.”
There are two divisions. Children 12 and under play in the “mini-Marilyn” division, named after the family matriarch. Those 13 and over play in the adult division, and the youngsters are becoming more of a factor. Last year, 14-year-old Jace Chadez won the adult title. This year, he was runner-up.
Then there is the “Sling Slang” — “the wacky names we give to what the balls do,” Randy says.
Such as:
• The Mary Lou (named after Retton): “When the ball flings off one tower and lands on another bar.”
• Three-ring circus: “When all three of the Slingballs thrown by one person land on the same bar.”
• Negator: “When a Slingball lands on a bar and the opponent lands on the same bar, the two negate, or cancel each other out.”
• Snapback: “When the Slingball lands so perfectly that the rope splits the bar, the two golf balls hit each other and they snap back toward you.”
Men, women and children come from throughout the Northwest to participate, spend the weekend at the beach and to socialize with friends and acquaintances. Many of them serve as scorekeepers and volunteer for other duties.
“It’s a very social game,” Randy says. “When you end up playing somebody you’ve never played before, you get to know them. It’s brought a lot of families together over the years. You have friendships that develop.
“A lot of the kids who grew up in the mini-Marilyn division are now playing in the adult tournament and bringing their friends. This next generation is the future. We’d have never thought it would have built to this. We just wanted to raise a little money and honor our mother. It’s grown into something we never anticipated.”
That’s been the case for Kolby Linder, 14, who played in the adult division Saturday.
“All my friends come down here for the weekend,” said Linder, once the runner-up in the mini-Marilyn division. “It’s like a big party.”
Linder is the son of Rod Linder, a fraternity brother of Carter Neu at Idaho. Rod’s sister-in-law is Amy Chadez, Jace’s mother.
“They talked us into coming one year, and we’ve come every year since,” says Amy, who has participated the last 11 years. “I like that it’s adults and kids — a true family event. It’s about being competitive, but it’s also about having fun. And it’s right on the beach.”
Slingball is a sport — sort of — but athletic ability is not a prerequisite.
“I have good friends, Division-I college athletes, and they hate this game,” Cook says with a grin. “Someone’s grandmother will beat them. ‘This game sucks,’ ” they’ll say.”
“It’s competitive, even though you don’t have to be an athlete to win,” says Molly Angelo, CSG’s chief financial officer. “Funny, though — men seem to be much more successful. I’m honestly not sure why that is.”
Randy Neu likes the parity.
“A grandpa has won,” he says. “A 14-year-old won. A person who had never played before won it. We had our first female winner two years ago. That’s what’s great about Slingball. Anybody can play, and anybody can win in any given year.”
Part of the fund-raising effort is a silent auction. This year, it featured items such as autographed balls by the Miami Heat (courtesy of Coach Erik Spoelstra, a childhood friend of Cook and the Neus), the Trail Blazers and the Timbers. Pacific City businesses donated many items.
The No. 1 prize of the weekend, though, is the Slingball Cup and green jackets that go to the winners. Tournament tradition calls for the champion to fill the Slingball Cup with his/her favorite beverage and chug it.
“It’s usually beer,” Carter says. “Last year, Jace did it with root beer. One year, one of the winners was an LDS member — a non-drinker. He poured the beer from the cup into the mouth of the previous year’s winner.”
The tournament is open to all comers. For information about the non-profit, the tournament or how to enter next year’s event, visit slingball.com.
(Full disclosure: Cook Solutions Group is sponsor of this website.)
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