Springball is a Bajoran game that comes in two variations, one of which strongly resembles racquetball with use of rackets.
The second variation of springball is played by two people at a time and as a sort of full contact handball. The players try to hit the ball inside a clearly marked oval on the far wall without hitting the foul zones. The players can "body check" each other to screw up a shot or to steal a shot of their own, but there's no punching or kicking allowed. A player can also grab the ball out of the air with an ungloved hand, but then has to stand in place and throw the ball off the wall to set up a "shot" with the glove -- only a hit with the glove can score. (DS9: "For the Cause" script)
Vedek Bareil Antos religiously kept up with the standings in the Bajoran Springball Championship, and was himself a player. (DS9: "Shadowplay")
Kira Nerys was an avid player of springball, and even had Chief O'Brien design a springball holosuite program. (DS9: "Shadowplay")
Another vedek, named Tonsa, was an excellent springball player, one of the best on Deep Space 9, according to Nerys. Sarish, who was terrible at the game, hoped to arrange a game with Tonsa to give Sarish a chance to talk to him about supporting Shakaar Edon in the Vedek Assembly. (DS9: "Crossfire")
References
- DS9: "Shadowplay"
- DS9: "The Collaborator"
- DS9: "Life Support"
- DS9: "Little Green Men"
- DS9: "Crossfire"
- DS9: "For the Cause"
- DS9: "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"
- DS9: "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River"