POSTED AT 12:00 AM ON Sep. 13, 2006 | PRINT | Email | SHARE | COMMENTS (0)

During a normal weekday, Tim Fick teaches social studies at Aurora Alternative High School in Bloomington. But every weekday afternoon, he's at Woodlawn Field with a sliotar and a hurley.

Fick is trying to market the ancient Celtic sport of hurling to IU students and eventually start a club.

Most of all, however, Fick is looking to get students involved with the sport he loves.

For the past year, Fick has been a member of a hurling team in Indianapolis. The team, only a year old, has been participating in competitions around the area and has an upcoming match against Purdue. Purdue's squad, which started with four members, has grown in popularity and now consists of 25 players.

Fick hopes to see the same interest in the club at IU.

"I'd like to meet new men and women who want to learn to play hurling," Fick said. "I want to see members improve their basic hurling skills, but my main goal is for this to be fun."

While the club at IU might not be able to participate in intersquad competitions immediately, Fick is willing to adjust. He plans to have small scrimmages and send members to Indianapolis to play with his Indianapolis team on Sundays.

Fick was first introduced to hurling on a trip to Ireland 15 years ago.

"I was blown away by the energy and passion," he said. "I went out and bought a stick and ball right away."

The sport dates back almost 2,500 years. Hurling has a rich history and was even used as a substitute for warfare, Fick said.

Widely regarded as the fastest game on grass, Fick said, hurling seems to encompass elements of many other popular sports. The goal posts resemble football uprights with a soccer goal underneath. The stick, or hurley, looks like a field hockey stick, and the ball, called a sliothar (or sliotar), is a softer version of a baseball.

While these comparisons seem obvious, the gameplay is harder to describe.

The object of the game is to get the ball through the uprights for one point or past the goalie and into the netted goal for three points. The field skills include scooping the ball, executing hand passes and batting the ball downfield -- all which incorporate elements of lacrosse, rugby and baseball.

However, the comparisons vary from player to player.

"I'd say hurling is a lot like hockey on grass," Fick said. "It's as quick and physical as hockey."

After playing for the first time Thursday, two IU students offer different opinions.

"It has a very simple style," senior Tom Noguchi said. "I would call it a mixture between tennis and baseball."

Even though hurling is similar to other more common sports, the game requires practice to learn.

"Once you get it down, it's not too bad," senior Mitch Olsen said. "To me, it's like a cross between field hockey, ultimate frisbee and football."

Based on the growth of his team in Indianapolis, Fick is confident that the hurling club at IU will be a success.

"I think it's just a matter of time before it catches on," Fick said. "It's such a great sport."