- published: 29 Jul 2013
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Jai alai ( /ˈhaɪ.əlaɪ/; Basque: [ˈxai aˈlai]) is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space. It is a variety of Basque Pelota. The term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton (the open-walled playing area) where the sport is played. The game is called "zesta-punta" (basket tip) in Basque.
The Basque Government promotes jai alai as "the fastest sport in the world because of the balls" and once held the world record for ball speed with a 125g–140g ball covered with goatskin that traveled at 302 km/h (188 mph), performed by José Ramón Areitio at the Newport Jai Alai, Rhode Island, until it was broken by Canadian long drive champion Jason Zuback on an episode of Sport Science in July 2009 with a golf ball speed of 328 km/h (204 mph). The record for a badminton shuttle during gameplay is set by Fu Haifeng with a recorded smash of 332 km/h (206 mph) .
The court for jai alai consists of walls on the front, back and left, and the floor between them. If the ball (called a "pelota," Spanish for ball) touches the floor outside these walls, it is considered out of bounds. Similarly, there is also a border on the lower 3 feet of the front wall that is also out of bounds. The ceiling on the court is usually very high, so the ball has a more predictable path. The court is divided by 14 parallel lines going horizontally across the court, with line 1 closest to the front wall and line 14 the back wall. In doubles, each team consists of a frontcourt player and a backcourt player. The game begins when the frontcourt player of the first team serves the ball to the second team. The winner of each point stays on the court to meet the next team in rotation. Losers go to the end of the line to await another turn on the court. The first team to score 7 points (or 9 in Superfecta games) wins. The next highest scores are awarded "place" (second) and "show" (third) positions, respectively. Playoffs decide tied scores.
Jai or JAI may refer to:
Alai or Alay may refer to:
Oh my angel
Sweet sweet angel
Come to me swiftly
This night so still
For dawn does come swiftly
I been gone so long
But your face is so lovely
It keeps my faith strong
My hands are unsteady
I'm so far from home
Just tell me angel
I'm never alone
Lay with me angel
Speak not a word
Your body's so slender
Like the wings of a bird
Fly from me angel
When you see dawn has come
I'll be with you angel