FERGUS – A group of men in Centre Wellington made good use of periods of isolation during the pandemic by turning a game they’ve played since childhood into a product people can buy.
Will it be the next Trivial Pursuit?
Andy Speers laughs at the suggestion.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d be in business together. I’m kind of proud of the 11 of us,” he said in a phone interview May 28.
The game is called Waddies. Players toss rubber pucks at a wooden board with a hole in the centre. Shots are scored according to how close the puck lands to the hole.
Speers was given the game by his grandfather and recalled that it was widely played at the Fergus and Elora Legions.
“He taught me and gave me the boards,” Speers said. “I taught it to my friends. And we’ve been playing it ever since Grade 9.”
The game is enormously popular with his group and there’s scarcely a place the group goes where one or another of them doesn’t pull out the boards and get a game going. It’s so popular, they even devised their own trophy, Speers said.
It was during lockdown that the group started weekly chats on Facetime instead of getting together to play the game. And that’s when they decided to use their skills to develop, market and finally sell the game.
The group has registered the business BortCo Inc. and recently made the game available for purchase on its website. It is produced with help from locally-sourced vendors in an effort to bring a small boost to the area economy.
Although there are many tossing games out there, Speers said Waddies is different because of the rubber pucks, which are more responsive than beanbags or washers in other games. The biggest advantage is that Waddies can be played indoors as well as outdoors.
The game is available online at www.waddies.ca and when COVID restrictions lift, the group plans on hosting a launch party, and eventually hopes to see league and tournament play.
“We want to align with the Legion – that’s where the game began, and we want to honour and support them,” Speers said.
“We’re really focused on building community as things open up. We built our friendship based around this game. I know it can do that for other people as well.”
Don’t be fooled by the history of the game outlined on the website. Speers said he doesn’t really know where or how the game began, “and we really want to learn that history. We’re asking the community to let us know about this game.
“The connection to Fergus and Elora is so important to us,” added Speers. “We want to tap into the local competitive spirit and grow a community, first in Centre Wellington and then beyond its borders. But the epicenter of that community will be right here in CW.”
How to play
Waddies is a game played by teams of two. Teams take takes turns throwing the “Waddies” (rubber pucks) at specially-designed boards with a hole at the centre. Points are scored for shots in the hole and closest attempts. One-on-one battles have been known to occur when pairs cannot be found.
“Waddies is not just another tossing game,” said Speers. “It might seem like cornhole or washers, and there are similarities. There is a lot more action on a Waddies board, so it requires more finesse and accuracy. And there is something much more satisfying when you hit a big shot. The smack of the puck on the wood is addictive.”
The game sells for $120 and online orders can be placed through waddies.ca.
