Kwalleballen 2000

My first visit on Kwalleballen in Valkenswaard was on advice of Marc from Belgium. He was in Thailand with the Sankron festival. Extensive instructions were given. I was with a brand new camera. The first and nicest pictures are lost, because the camera didn't have a film in it. That was a pity because they started rather early with a castle filled with air and water for the youth. One group of the older ones started immediately with dunking each other in the ponds. The first moment of soaking is the nicest. So it is quiet sensible to practice somewhat with a new camera in advance.

The whole day they are fooling around. This guys were already fully clothed and soaked in the ponds before the start of the first head. In the break they spread some water over the ground to make it more muddy. Several reasonable clean members of the group starting with sliding in the mud. I tried it myself too. It was a rather unique behavior. It was the last time it happens...

A coach of one of the eliminated groups experience the suffer of his team, when he were dunked. Before he was still reasonable clean. During the struggle his clothes suffer already. So he was rather happy to clean up a little bit. Rinsing off happens all the time. Beneath two guys splash in the pond. During the games a couple times the losers end with their sandbag in the water. An opponent in the water tank makes winning even better...

The result of this cleaning is varying. The water in the ponds should be somewhat brighter. The nice clothed boy to the left doesn't have any change with him and after showering the mud he have to go home soaked as he was...

The registration of the matches was quiet difficult, because everybody was unrecognizable within short notice. So counting the right number of players of each team isn't easy for the referee. The mud became muddier every minute the event last. The participants are most handsome after a dive in a pond. The clean shoulders of the player give way the original color of his shirt. Probably it is light bleu (?). The original color of his trouser is unknown...

Of course I tried to participate as much as possible. At some moment I were dragged fully clothed in tight light bleu jeans, jumper, Nikes, shirt, tshirt through the mud over quiet a distance. I choose this way. Dunking in a pond was the other option...

To the end of the day the players of Lichtenvoorde with five teams in the tournament are going for a shower. At the beginning of the day they all have bright white tshirts. Later years the sponsor offered every match clean ones. Reserve players are standing along the side waiting for the action. You are allowed during the game to change as much players as you like to. As long there aren't more then seven players in the field. It is exhausting. So the teams with a lot of players have a big advantage...