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To speed up the sport, Magic City has reduced the traditional fronton by nearly 60 feet (18 meters) and replaced the goatskin ball — as hard as a hockey puck — with a bouncier pelota that ricochets against plexiglass instead of the traditional granite wall.—Joshua Goodman, orlandosentinel.com, 28 Mar. 2022 Dubbed the world’s fastest ball sport, jai alai involves players hurling and catching a pelota with a cesta on a three-walled court.—Arian Campo-Flores, WSJ, 30 Mar. 2022 Athletes competed in a variety of sports and other competitions, including Basque pelota, croquet and tug of war, but there were no opening or closing ceremonies.—Kori Rumore, chicagotribune.com, 3 Aug. 2021 The games includes the centuries-old pelota mixteca (Mixtec-style ball) and variant called pelota de esponja (sponge ball), both played with decorated mitts that combine indigenous design with contemporary logos.—Carolina A. Miranda, latimes.com, 12 July 2018
Word History
Etymology
Spanish, from Old French pelote little ball — more at pellet
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