Rocketball
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Rocketball is an event played in the 2008 American revival of the television series Gladiators. In this event, two Gladiators attempt to stop contenders from depositing scoring balls in baskets attached to a pole hanging from the ceiling.
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[edit] Rules
Two Gladiators face off against two contenders, with each Gladiator having an assigned contender. All participants start in a corner of the playing field marked by four posts with a button on top of them. On the centre of the ground is a bucket containing scoring balls (red and blue for each contender) and directly above it, hanging twenty feet in the air is a pole with two baskets, the bottom yellow and the top red.
On the whistle, the contenders race to the bucket and grab one of their respective coloured balls, running back to their respective post. By pressing the button on the post, contenders are launched into the air towards the scoring buckets. Contenders receive 1 point for every scoring ball placed in the lower yellow bucket and 2 points for every ball placed in the top red basket.
The Gladiators job is to defend the scoring buckets, blocking contenders out. Kicking and headshots are not allowed. Contenders are only allowed to pick one ball at a time and can only pick up their allocated coloured balls.
[edit] International differences
Currently Rocketball is only played in America.
[edit] Event History
[edit] America
Years active: 2008(ii)-
Rocketball was the first brand new event to debut in the second series of the 2008 Gladiators revival. The game is similar to Swingshot from the original series of Gladiators, and can be seen as an improvement on the event in that no time is wasted in participants having to climb back up their platforms and no scoring balls being knocked away from the central scoring pole. Interestingly enough, it was rumoured that Swingshot was "ready and waiting" to be unveiled for the second series if needed.
