Jai Alai 101 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Basque region of Spain

Jai alai actually means "merry festival" in the Basque language, and was first used for this derivative of the game "pelota vasqua" or Basque pelota, when it was introduced to Cuba. The name comes from the times when the game was played on festival days, often using the walls of the church as part of the playing area.

Answer: Cesta

The cesta, often called a "cesta-punta" in Spanish speaking countries, is made of woven wicker and is between 30 and 70 centimetres long. It was designed and first made in the 19th century by a Basque player named Gantchiqui Diturbide. The Basque word for a cesta is a "xistera".

The small hard ball used is called a pelota. The top jai alai players have their cesta specially handmade individually to their exact specifications. A cesta must be no longer than 60cm measured straight, and 110cm measured around the curve. Traditionally the wickerwork is woven of reeds and the framework is made of steamed chestnut wood.

Answer: Four and Seven

The lines are simply known by their numbers, 1-14, with line one being closest to the front wall, and line 14 being nearest the back wall of the court. For a service to be in, it must rebound from the front wall and hit the ground between lines four and seven. If it lands anywhere else it is called underservice or overservice. An under or over serve means the point is given to the opposing player(s). The object of the game is to hurl the ball so that it bounces back from one of the walls, or the floor of the fronton in a way that makes it hard or impossible for your opponent to return the shot. Game play is similar to the game of squash.

Answer: Fronton

The word fronton was first used to describe a jai alai court in the 1890s, and derives from the Latin word frons for front, via frente (meaning forehead).
Frontons are venues with indoor purpose built courts. In other parts of the world, traditional jai alai courts, particularly those outdoors, are called canchas. Sometimes the building with several courts is called the Fronton, and each court therein is called a Cancha.

Answer: The right hand side of a jai alai court has no wall and is open

A jai alai court has three walls; the front, the back, and the left hand side. A line about a metre above the floor is marked on the front wall and the area below that line is out of bounds, as is the floor to the right hand side of the court.

Answer: Goatskin

Jai alai is sometimes called the "fastest sport in the world" because an expert player can use their cesta to hurl the ball at speeds well in excess of 100 miles per hour! There have been speeds of over 180mph recorded for a traditional rubber cored, goatskin pelota.
Modern players sometimes use ordinary rubber or tennis balls too, as the life of a ball in play is very short. The goatskin covering of a pelota will only last about 20 minutes during match play before the forces on it cause it to split.

Answer: Yes

In 1900, at the Paris Olympics, two teams competed for the Basque pelota title.
The sport was also played at three more Olympic Games in 1924, 1968, and 1992, but only as a display sport, not an official event.
The 1900 Olympic title was won by the Spanish, and was Spain's first-ever Olympic gold medal.

Answer: St. Louis World's Fair

The first fronton in the United States opened in May 1904, during the celebrations of the World's Fair in St. Louis. It was used for just two months before later being turned into an ice skating rink known as the Winter Garden.

Answer: Frontcourt and backcourt players

The frontcourt player is the one who serves the ball at the start of each point. Players from the opposing team must catch and return the ball before it can bounce more than once, and using "one smooth fluid motion". Holding and pausing type tactics are not allowed and the referee will call a foul if he deems a player to be taking too long to return a ball. Players must also try not to obstruct members of the opposing team as they go for the ball, and again, the referee can call an interference foul if he thinks they are deliberately blocking playable balls.

Answer: Golf

Canadian golfer Jason Zuback made the phenomenal shot of 328 kilometres per hour for an episode of the television show "Sports Science" in 2009, and took the world record for ball speed in sport.
The Basque people still promote jai alai as "the fastest sport in the world" though, and many thousands of dollars change hands in betting on the sport each week, particularly in the United States.