Ultimate Gaga in Syosset
Quick Summary
When Lou Candel worked at a sleepaway camp one summer, he was surprised to see a game he'd never heard of before: gaga. Whenever the kids had free time, it seemed to him they headed straight to the gaga pit. The game was like an obsession, he thought.
Photo credit: Newsday Photo / Pat Mullooly | Kids in the pit at Ultimate Gaga.
April 7, 2009 - When Lou Candel worked at a sleepaway camp one summer, he was surprised to see a game he'd never heard of before: gaga. Whenever the kids had free time, it seemed to him they headed straight to the gaga pit. The game was like an obsession, he thought.
So when Candel wanted to get into a new venture on Long Island, he and his business partner, Michael Siegal, had a eureka moment -- why should gaga be relegated to summer camp? Why not open an indoor arena where kids could play year-round?
Enter Ultimate Gaga, a cavernous facility Candel opened in Syosset. He says his research showed it's the first of its kind in the country.
Here's a primer on the game:
How do you play? Gaga is a version of dodgeball, played in a rink that looks like an above-ground swimming pool with no water inside. Players enter the pit. "The ball gets tossed into the pit, everybody yells, 'Gaga!' and the game begins," Candel says.
The goal is to be the sole survivor. A player is out when the ball -- a squishy Nerf-type soccer ball -- touches his or her body anywhere below the waist, front or back. Players use the fist or an open hand to bat the ball on the ground toward others, trying to hit them. No throwing or catching of the ball is allowed, but the ball can be ricocheted against the wall to hit players.
At some point in the play, a second ball can be tossed in to liven up the game. Gaga can be played every player for himself or herself or in teams.
"When you're out, it's sad, but you still get to cheer on everyone else," says Sarah Moelis, 10, of Hewlitt, who was playing one recent weekend.
What else does ultimate gaga offer? In addition to several gaga pits and viewing bleachers, the facility has a full indoor basketball court and an arcade. A floor-video game allows kids to play virtual dodgeball on a dance-floor-size sensor pad. For the parents, there's a soundproof lounge (with a flat-screen TV) that has glass windows to allow viewing of the arena without hearing the noise.
Where did the game come from? Gaga is thought to have originated in Israel and been brought first to summer camps in the United States by Israeli visitors. "Ga" means hit in Hebrew.
What do players wear? "Wear something easy to move around in," Candel says, suggesting sneakers, sweatpants or shorts. Jeans are more difficult to move in, he says.
What are the secrets to good play? "I usually go after a specific person and then I go for another," says Brendan Gilman, 10, of Woodmere. "Usually I go for the weak people first, because you save the good people for last."
Ally Kaplan, 10, of East Rockaway, suggests teaming up with a friend to target others. What if just the two of you are left? "Then you just play for yourself," she says.
When is it open? Open play sessions are from noon to 2:30 p.m. or 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Cost is $12 a child; it drops to $10 a child for groups of three or more children who come together. Children will be grouped by age into games. Each pit has an employee referee.
Children 12 and older can be dropped off by parents; parents of children younger than 12 must stay but can pass the time in the lounge.
Ultimate Gaga also offers birthday party packages, office and team-building events for adults, bar and bat mitzvah and Sweet 16 parties and teen nights. It will offer toddler times on weekdays, Candel says.
Ultimate Gaga: 575 Underhill Blvd., Syosset. 516-921-GAGA (4242), ultimategaga.com
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