Did you spend the summer playing backyard games outside?
It’s quite possible that an East Patchogue native was part of making one of your favorites.
Josh Bonventre, 38, who is from East Patchogue but now lives in Center Moriches, is a co-creator of the RampShot game that has been on sale at Modell’s Sporting Goods, as well as online.
Bonventre created the game with Kevin Texiera, 35, about three years ago after inventing some of his own games as part of his job as a physical education teacher in the Shoreham-Wading River school district.
“I’m teaching my students how to create games and make up their own games,” Bonventre said about his work, which blended seamlessly into developing RampShot.
Bonventre and Texeira have been friends for 15 years, having met through Texeira’s wife. They quickly partnered up on RampShot soon after the idea was born.
“A few weeks after I had the initial idea, I asked Kevin to partner and we took the idea from concept to reality,” Bonventre said.
The two tested the game on groups as well as developed iterations of it in order to create the version they now have for retail.
RampShot is played by two teams of two, during which one team works together to score points while a member of the opposing team tries to steal the ball. A team earns three points if a ball is thrown into the net, or one point if the ball bounces off the top of the ramp but is caught by the assisting player.
Meanwhile, one player from the opposing team will attempt to steal the ball should it bounce off the front of the ramp, and should they catch it, will give their team the chance to score at the goal.
(For our visual learners, there’s the video above.)
In addition to being Long Island-developed, the ramp on the game is also made by a company in West Babylon.
The game sells for either $60 or in a $68 bundle that adds four replacement balls.
Bonventre and Texiera are also currently getting ready for RampShot’s second Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser, taking place on Sept. 24 at Veteran’s Memorial Field (otherwise known as the Beachfern Road Little League Field) in Center Moriches.
“We really wanted to not only create this great game, we also hope to make a difference in the community, even at the early going,” Bonventre said.
The event will have kids ages 9-14 team up with a parent or guardian to take on other teams in RampShot. A tutorial will be given to all participants at the start of the event, and teams will be competing throughout the afternoon for raffle tickets that can be used to win prizes.
Entry for each team is $20, and all proceeds are being given to the Suffolk County chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Teams can register in advance on RampShot’s website by clicking here, or register at the event. The fundraiser starts at 4 p.m. on Sept. 24, with a Sept. 25 rain date.
Click here for more information on RampShot.
