Laura Wilson

Muscles are funny things; if you don't use them, they just go away. As I get older, I wonder if the ability to have fun works in the same manner

If I pass on opportunities for a good time, will they just stop coming my way? When I trade drinks with a friend for homework that doesn't even interest me, am I increasing the odds that I'll never have fun again? Conversely, does too much fun lead to too little reality? I'm not really sure, but I know that as the semester has progressed my fun-o-meter has dropped to record lows, and I'm far too young to feel this old.

I know that part of the college process is figuring out the type of adult I wish to become, but I'm not sure how to keep that person in focus. How can I ever become the responsible yet fun-loving woman I wish to be if I spend most of my time worried about deadlines and due dates? Something tells me that I'm going about this the wrong way, and it's not just my therapist.

Witnessing firsthand my minor crisis of character, my partner suggested we go play Aeroball. For those of you not in the know, as I wasn't, Aeroball is a combination of volleyball and basketball played on a trampoline. Matches can be played one on one or with teams of two. Each player enters his or her own mesh-enclosed area and begins bouncing. The goal is to get the ball over the volleyball-like net between you and your opponent and into the goal above your opponent's head. You get two points for a basket and one point if it hits the ground once over the net. Sounds awesome, right? Unfortunately, words cannot do justice the wonder that is Aeroball, but I tried anyway.

We called up some friends, the majority of which were also strangers to this newfangled sport, and we drove to the middle of nowhere. Apparently, the only Aeroball facility in existence is located off of Interstate 10, behind the Coca-Cola bottling plant. Who would have known?

At the end of our first matches, which were only four minutes long, we all realized that despite proper nutrition and regularly working out, we weren't kids anymore. As we watched a group of 13-year-old youth basketball players school us in endurance, an adult depression set in. Fortunately, the more we bounced, the younger we felt. By the end of our allotted hour, my mind was completely focused on making baskets and not dropping the ball. There was no room to worry about assignments or laundry or paying bills on time, which was a nice change from the rut into which I had fallen.

Bouncing back from my aerodynamic adventure, I'm fairly certain that growing up doesn't mean the same thing as not having fun. In fact, I think that fun becomes even more essential as years pass, and reality becomes that much more real. Striking a balance between work and play is important, but I'm finding that it's harder to find the time than to know what to do with it. Heaven forbid my ability to have fun ever atrophies.

Aeroball Sports is located at 7620 N. Hartman Lane, Suite 112. Open Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., or any time by appointment for groups of four or more. For more information, call (520) 579-6781 or check out www.aeroballsports.com