Photos Courtesy of Chris Eiel
June 30, 2018
I went (at the invitation of Kelli Knop) to the annual Auto Push
Ball Tournament in Malvern, Iowa. This event has been held (usually
yearly) by the Knop family and friends and is attended by hundreds of folks
from the local area (west central Iowa). The cars are Ford Model A's, which
were originally manufactured between 1929 - 1931. (now parts are hard to get,
and many have to be machined). The cars are temperamental, and some break
down during the contest. The protective metal cages were originally made of
metal parts from wagons!
The game is like soccer: two teams (The Yellow
Jackets and the Red Devils) vie to score the most goals in an 8-minute period
game. Each team drives 4 cars. The game is divided into two 4-period contests.
The women drive first; then the men. The team with the most goals wins (of
course). The cars are owned by several families .... many of the drivers are
2nd and 3rd generation pilots.
