Friends in Ocean Isle Beach turn work days to beach days by creating new game
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Years of brainstorming, prototype development, and playing games are paying off for four best friends in Brunswick County.
Originally from Ohio, Haley and Jason Bohman, shortly followed by Autumn and Rob Sullivan made the move to Ocean Isle Beach in the last few years.
In 2021, the group of friends was sitting on the beach and they were struck with an idea.
“We were sitting on the beach one day here in Ocean Isle, looking around at all the various beach games, and basically, we thought, ‘We can do this, let’s come up with our own beach game!'” Autumn Sullivan said.
In an attempt to turn work days into beach days, Flyball was conceived. It took several trips to Lowe’s, building prototypes, and even an investment into a 3-D printer. In April 2023, they launched a website and garnered hundreds of pre-orders. So far, they’ve sold around 1,500 games.
“We wanted to transform some of the arcade games into a beach game,” Autumn said. “So we picked this one—where you basically roll the ball up the ramp and try to score either 3, 2, or 1 point that corresponds to the rings.”
Its rules are similar to skee-ball with corn hole scoring. It’s playable by people of all ages and abilities, anywhere.
“They don’t just have to play it at the beach. You can play it in the backyard; it works great,” Haley Bohman said. “My grandma plays it in her living room on the carpet with her friends. It works pretty much anywhere.”
Each of the friends still works a full-time job, so it can be difficult to balance work, life, and their new side-gig. However, they say working alongside best friends and creating something people can enjoy has been well worth it.
“Seeing families create more memories here at the beach,” Autumn said. “It’s awesome because we love the beach and we love our families, so when we get to share that… it’s just been a very fun journey.”
A journey that has only just begun and a brand the best friends hope to continue expanding.
Flyball is currently sold in some beach stores in Ocean Isle Beach, Myrtle Beach, and Surf City. They hope to expand into the Wilmington market this year.
For more information on Flyball, including how to purchase online, click here.
