(From the July 2006 issue of Shore Magazine, available on-line at www.visitshoremagazine.com)
There was a time, kids, when people gathered for backyard parties and played games instead of watching them. It’s true. Look it up.
These games are slowly making a comeback. Backyard games like bocce, croquet, badminton, bean bag games, horseshoe pitching, Frisbee and more, may once again become common sights around your neighborhood.
For those of you thinking about bringing these former staples back into your regular yard party rotation, we offer this quick refresher course.
Badminton(For a complete list of Badminton rules, go to www.usabadminton.org)
Some people may not be comfortable playing a game with terms like “Shuttlecock” and “Birdie,” but Badminton has been around for hundreds of years in places like China and India. The name “Badminton” comes from the estate name of the duke of Beaufort in England. It’s a racquet sport like tennis, but an inexpensive badminton set (with racquets and net) can be purchased for less than $40 at most sporting goods stores. Badminton can be played at a very competitive level (it’s been an Olympic sport since 1992), but it’s also the perfect backyard sport because it doesn’t require much space, it can be played by all ages, and the next “birdie” that breaks a window will be the first.
Bean Bag Games
Bean Bag toss games have become wildly popular over the past few years, and one of the reasons is that they can be played indoor and outdoor. The standard two-color beanbag game with two laminated boards (that each have a bean bag sized hole) is probably the most popular. Teams of two compete with four bean bags per person, and much like horseshoe pitching, score points based on who gets the most closest to (or in) the hole. The popularity of this basic version of the game has spawned all sorts of variations—from tic-tac-toe beanbag, to large vinyl beanbag targets shaped like fish or clowns or football players or baseball diamonds or hopscotch or dart boards. For around $30 you could have a bean bag game that entertains your entire party.
Bocce(For more information about Bocce, go to United States Bocce Federation website at www.bocce.com)
Bocce players often take this game veeerry seriously, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a fun lawn party game. The advantage of bocce is the number of people that can play at one time. There are four bocce balls per team, so there can be either one, two or four players per team. Bocce balls are heavy, so it’s probably not the best sport for smaller kids, but the basic rules are pretty easy to follow. The “pallina” or “jack” ball is thrown by the team that wins the flip, and then each thrower tries to get the bocce ball closer to the pallina than the person before him. It is permissible to knock balls away, which makes for fun competition. A nice bocce set will set you back over a hundred dollars, but for backyard purposes, a simple beginner set will probably suffice and can be found for less than $50.
Croquet
(For a complete set of croquet rules, go to www.croquet.com )
Croquet is making a major resurgence in America; even becoming popular as an activity at corporate events and parties. In this country, it’s still considered a backyard picnic type sport, but it’s played competitively in twenty other countries like New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia. (In Australia it’s as popular as Olympic sports like boxing and rowing.) If you’ve ever played croquet, you know how fun it can be. It truly is a sport that can be played by any age, male or female. All you need is a croquet set, a nice sized yard, and at least one party guest with a hypercompetitive streak to make things interesting. Players hit wooden balls with wooden mallets through a series of nine or ten wire arches named wickets. The course is set up in a double diamond with stakes on either end, and the first player to get all of his balls through the wickets, hitting the second stake is the winner. Like bocce, a nice croquet set can get a little pricey, but you should be able to find a decent set for around $50.
Frisbee Games
(A complete list of rules for Frisbee or disc-golf, and we mean complete—it’s something like 20 pages long - go to the Professional Disc Golfers Association website at www.pdga.com )
Of course the Frisbee has never gone completely out of style because it’s light, inexpensive, and easy to transport. However, the games that are played with the Frisbee have gotten quite complex. Probably the most popular Frisbee game is disc-golf. This combines the rules of Frisbee and golf—the object is to make the fewest number of throws to get your Frisbee through each hole. Of course, you’ll need lots of room to do this correctly. If you have a gigantic backyard or nearby park, it’s tough to beat disc-golf. The hoop targets tend to get a little pricey (you’ll probably pay over $300 for a complete 9-hole set), and the outside of the boxes say the three words I most dread seeing, “Some Assembly Required,” but if you can get past the expense and the hassle, it’s a good time.
Horseshoe Pitching(For complete horseshoe pitching rules, including the regulation pitching distances, go to www.horseshoepitching.com )
Horseshoe Pitching is the granddaddy of all the tossing games. The rules are almost exactly the same as a game called quoits (which was supposedly created by bored sailors who played it on ship decks with rings of rope—called quoits). Both quoits and horseshoes have been around forever; they were played all the way back in ancient Greece and Rome. They have also been popular in America since this country was founded. The main idea of each game is the same, get the horseshoes or quoits as close to the peg as possible. A ringer is 3 points, a leaner is 2 points, and if you get one closer to the peg than your opponent, it’s one point. You’re supposed to pitch the horseshoes into sandpits about thirty to fifty feet away, but everyone knows you can play it without the pits. A cheap rubber or plastic horseshoe kit can be found for about $10, but why not splurge and get the real deal? An official metal horseshoe kit is only about $30, plus it’s good luck. If you have a nice long yard, and can keep the kids away from the flying metal horseshoes, a great time can be had by all.
Lawn Darts
Did you just find your old “Jarts” or “Lawn Darts” in the back of your shed? Wouldn’t it be great to bring them out again and give those metal spikes another toss? Don’t do it. They have been illegal in America since 1988. The Consumer Product Safety Commission not only banned them, they urged everyone who owned them to destroy the lawn darts they had (and you weren’t paying attention, were you?) What could have possibly gone wrong with weighted metal spikes hurling through the air at backyard family gatherings? Well, apparently they caused thousands of injuries and three deaths. I did find a product called “Safety Lawn Darts” on the internet, but I wouldn’t recommend buying it...just to be safe. (Although it was only $9.95).
Can’t Buy Me Love
Of course, you don’t have to spend much money at all to have fun with lawn games. A simple ring toss game is basically the same as horseshoes, and it’s cheap. Even the tykes can play it. Plastic Scoop Toss games (based on lacrosse) are no more than $10. Or, if you really want to save money, how about a simple game of Kick the Can. Cost? One can. How about Capture the Flag? Cost? Two socks. Ghosts in the Graveyard? Free.
Remember, lawn games were invented to pass the time in a relatively non-strenuous way. If you’ve got the lawn, and you’ve got the players, and you’ve got the equipment, and you’ve got a bunch of couch potatoes crowding around the television at your family gatherings watching the ballgame, entice them to enjoy the outdoors by starting up one of these games.
It won’t take them long to remember why they used to love playing them so much.
