this is a sport about speed a rock hard ball moving faster than any other curving and twisting with treacherous unpredictability men with lightning reflexes and ballet likee movements using overpowering strength or subtle finesse this is a sport about danger courageous athletes relying on learned skills and comp ative instincts this is a sport about tradition its history dating back centuries its form unchanging this is a sport about emotion winning and losing action and reaction this is a sport about excitement this is the world's fastest and most exciting sport this is highla the Bas country an area roughly the size of Connecticut located in the Pyrenees Mountains of Northern Spain and Southwestern France here lives the Bas a proud and spirited people clinging to a culture and language unique unto itself for centuries this tiny area would be responsible for producing nearly all the highi players in the world Fiesta day a day of worship a day of celebr cration a day of fun the fiestas always included various games of sport first it was handball then a form of Racket or paddle ball the games were played using the large Church walls soon woven baskets called cestas were strapped to the hand for catching and throwing a ball they called the Pala this sport of the bask became known as hila which means merry Festival in The Basque language II was introduced in the United States in 1904 at the St Louis World's Fair the first Fronton or Arena was built in Miami in 1926 wagering was legalized on highi in 1934 since then Florida has become the second home to The Basque sport 6 million f F flock to the many frontons throughout the state each year they come because the game is fast and it's exciting it's exciting it's fast moving it's action and I win the action is right there down to the end takes a lot of ability out there it's like an athletes game speed it's fast game uh players are moving all over the court while few highight games are still played against the church walls the sport has changed little in almost 400 years the playing Court Ora has moved indoors front walls are made of solid blocks of granite one of the few materials that will withstand the impact of the speeding meloto there is no standard size Court most are 176 ft long over half the length of a football field and 40 ft wide it's a three-walled court a wire screen on the right side to protect the spectators this open side makes a perfect viewing area for the thousands of Spectators seated in a theer type setting but since the court is constructed with no right wall and to add uniformity to the game left-handed highlight players are prohibited from playing professionally anywhere in the world the equipment used in highi has not changed in hundreds of years the basket or sesta is as it's always been handwoven from special reads found in the Pyrenees Mountains each sesta is customade for each individual player cestas hurl the balls at tremendous speeds with such English or spin that balls curve as much as 10 ft and bounce even higher though an extremely durable instrument a sesta can be broken its first day of use or last for weeks the high lie ball called the pilota is hand wound from Virgin deara rubber layered with nylon hand stitched with two goat skin covers the pela is 3/4 the size of a baseball and harder than a golf ball due to the tremendous impact against the granite front wall the pelotas last about 20 playing minutes before the cover splits each ball cost over $100 so far no machine can manufacture a p the there are but few pilotto makers in the world pilas have been clocked at speeds in excess of 170 miles per hour it is the fastest moving ball of any sport and the most lethal the highe player or patori learns to respect the menacing fear but he must not be afraid any hesitation a split second of indecision will not only cost him the point but could cost him much more all highlight players know the imminent danger that exists but fear a pellor cannot afford I would imagine everybody fears of being H with the ball but um when you're out on the court you don't think about it you shouldn't be afraid you got respect for the ball but don't be afraid if know you're never going to catch anything fortunately an actual hit is not a common occurrence for a highly player's moves become instinctive his positioning impeccable a mistake or miscalculation can be truly [Music] catastrophic II is one of the simplest of all games to follow and understand with the rules similar to tennis all games start with a serve that must land in a box aligned area on the court after that the lines on the court are unimportant the receiving player must catch the ball in the air or on the first bounce and then return it to the wall in One continuous motion he cannot stop or hold the ball the players continue to volley until the ball is missed or thrown out of bounds three judges or referees are on the court to enforce the rules most games have eight post positions with posts one playing post two to start every game the winner of the point stays on the court and the loser goes to the end of the line this round robin play continues until the number of points in the game usually seven is reached like tennis pilai is played either singles or doubles the rules are exactly the same in singles one man must cover the entire court in doubles either team member may go for the ball as long as it's on the fly or the first bounce double team members wear the same color jerseys with the post position number on the front and their permanent player number on the bat both singles and double matches are exciting to watch with players combining skill with strategy in order to win for the fans it is non-stop action from the traditional player salute before each game through game point the excitement builds to a moment of supreme tension to a moment where winning or losing for a player or fan rests on a millimeter of movement or a split second reflex these Gladiators with cestas Will leap and scale and dive and fall for them the term game is forgotten it is war and losing is unacceptable I think winning is important to everybody doesn't matter if there's money involved of it it's just the the feeling that you feel inside pride is has got something to do with it but money naturally we get paid according to how well we do as far as when places and shows a lot of people don't know that they think I'm just getting paid a salary and I go out there to play but there is a lot of incentive to win uh it's a personal thing you you're not out here just just to go through the motion you're out here to accomplish something it fulfills your feelings besides the pride Factor though and the money it's just learning the sport High Live players win money for finishing first second or third third in a game bonuses are paid to players who win championships at the end of a season and future contracts depend on the year's performance there are an average of 45 players on a roster each battling to maintain his position on that roster maximum effort is not only required but demanded highi is a carefully run business with the state as its partner providing thousands of jobs and valuable tax money to state cerence every dollar wagered every Point play is carefully scrutinized by state officials and management Personnel this Cooperative relationship between State and private Enterprise has made highi one of the leading industries in Florida and one of the most popular attractions for tourists and locals alike it's really exciting it's really fast and everything I C every day I think it's fantastic it's electric I love highlight the action the speed of the game uh the players it's just tremendous excellent it's a fun game to watch it's fast moving it's high paced I love it the leader the face Setter Trend Setter the Pioneer the patron of this magic sport in the world is properly named World highlight this organization owns and operates frontons throughout the State of Florida including the Miami Fronton often called the Yankee Stadium of [Music] highi world highi frontons offer fans plush seating state-of-the-art bedding facilities and modern Court viw restaurants one major characteristic of a world high life frontone is the enthusiasm of its fans yelling screaming cheering their favorites on the excitement is contagious and the atmosphere in the Fontan becomes electric this is highi at its [Applause] best highi has its past Legends of the sport and nearly all have played for World highi great highi names such as cheruka chimela Ora GMO to the recent World Stars World highly has a legacy of greatness and to continue that into the future world highi maintains an extensive player training program in Spain France and even the United States while highi pros make the sport look easy it is one of the most difficult sports in the world to master training must begin at the age of 8 to 10 years old hours upon hours of practice for years until one day the dream comes true a chance to be a professional highly player hopefully a world highly player it was more of a prestigious to play for world highight everything when you're when you're growing up with a sport you're H World highlight world highl so it was it was a goal not only to be a highlight player but a world highlight player a training teacher gave me everything to start playing outline since they own different frontons and they were very high quality players at each Fronton it was like moving up levels of play runara my hometown in France in Spain where I was playing at a time and also here in various places in Florida and uh and I like it he's like a big farm though about 90% of the professional highi players in the world are Bass the world highi School in North Miami is responsible for an influx of Americans into the sport they are becoming extremely proficient at highi using the traditional shots like the Chula chick and Karen but bringing with them an aggressive style of play never before seen these American youngsters are perfecting the Ramat the kill shot bringing about a revolution in the ancient sport of the Bas they are challenging The Basque at their own game and winning it is now evident that the American highi player is here to stay but whether Basque or American these are truly great great athletes and highi is truly a great sport Artful skillful graceful beautiful that's the game dramatic exciting emotional fun that's the experience highlight those who play it live it those who watch it love it highlight there's nothing like it in the world [Music] for [Music]