Hurling: give it a whirl.

Do you feel like you might want to hurl? A nursing student at LBCC can help you.

Dustin Herron is the founding member of the Benton Brigade, a local hurling club that is sponsored by Block 15 in Corvallis. The club is searching for new members, and will hold a workshop for those interested on Thursday, May 28, at 1 p.m. on the LBCC football field.

Herron says the sport is a great option for people who may be looking to get active and compete in a way that is an alternative to traditional sports.

“It’s a good sport if you want to pick up something new,” Herron said."It’s challenging… because it incorporates so many different skills, but once people come and play they’re hooked.”

According to the Gaelic Athletic Association’s Web site, Hurling is an ancient Irish sport that is played with a small paddle-shaped stick (called a hurley) and a small ball with raised ridges (called a “sliothar”). Points are scored by smacking the ball with the sticks, or the hand, past a goalie stationed in a netted goal (for three points), or up over the cross bar and between a set of goal posts (for one point).

Herron and his teammates move gracefully around the soccer fields in Willamette Park. They crisscross through a row of orange cones while balancing the ball steadfast on the flat side of their hurleys. They strike the ball off of the ground like in hockey. They strike the ball out of the air like in baseball or cricket.

Another member of the Benton Brigade, Mark “Wingspan” Mills, feels the sport is a challenge and joined up because he found the nature of the sport to be so interesting.

“It’s a mixture of soccer and lacrosse, among other things, and it’s a lot of fun,” Mills said.

To generate interest, members of the Benton Brigade stand in a small patch of grass between the main stretch of the Corvallis Saturday market and the Willamette River. They use their hurleys to volley the ball back and forth and invite onlookers to give it a try. According to Herron, the move has worked and he has given out a few of his cards – a white business card emblazoned with a skull and two hurley sticks as cross bones.

The Benton Brigade, which was born last June when Herron came across the Portland area club’s MySpace page, currently holds two practices a week — one of which is in the soccer fields at Willamette Park on Thursdays at 6 p.m. and one on Sunday at Avery Park at 2 p.m. All that are interested are encouraged to show up and join Herron and his teammates.

A game has been scheduled with Columbia Red Branch (Portland area club) for June 20, and Herron and other team members are working to get a club started at Oregon State University so they can compete with other club teams that exist in the Pac-10 conference. In addition, a tournament is being planned in Corvallis for the first week in October and has generated interest from clubs in Texas, Wisconsin, California, New Hampshire, and Maryland.

“We’re not just getting together, hitting the ball around for awhile, and then going out and drinking beer. We are actually pretty dedicated,” Herron said.

(Photo credit: Max Brown)