How Girls Can Help Their Country Part 12

GAMES AND ATHLETICS FOR GIRLS

The finest type of physical vigor is developed from playing vigorous outdoor games. This applies to girls as well as to boys. Games have the great advantage over drills and gymnastics that they are worth while for the fun alone. Play is a necessary and natural activity for every individual. Unless each one of us gives the proper share of her time to wholesome forms of recreation, she cannot be cheerful and happy, and thus she cannot influence those around her toward greater happiness.

Each one of us should so plan each day that we shall spend at least one hour playing vigorous games outdoors. The younger girls should use the whole afternoon for play and recreation. No girl can become a normal woman without having had her share of joyful and active play.

Girls nowadays are playing more and more, and growing stronger and more athletic. As a result they have better health and greater beauty. No beauty parlor can produce the perfect complexion and bright eyes which nature gives to the out-of-doors girl.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

There are certain cautions which girls should use in practicing games and athletics. After they are twelve or thirteen, they should avoid sports like high or broad jumping, which cause a heavy jar upon landing.

Girls should not compete in long distance running, or in games which call for violent and long-continued exertion. Basket-ball may easily be too severe if played according to boys' rules or for long halves. In such games there should be a gradual preparation for the compet.i.tion. An examination of the heart by a physician is very desirable, before this type of game is played. Girls frequently overdo rope-skipping. No girl should jump more than fifty times in succession. Excessively keen compet.i.tion under trying conditions frequently has a bad effect upon girls of a nervous temperament. Of course, girls should rest and not take part in active games when they are physically incapacitated. There are, however, a wide variety of games and sports in which girls may find both pleasure and profit. The ideal type of exercise for girls is found in swimming, walking and similar activities in which the exertion is not excessively violent, and which call for long-continued or repeated efforts. Girls excel in endurance in such sports.

Team games are especially valuable for girls as they need the moral discipline of learning to efface themselves as individuals and to play as a member of the team. That is, they learn to cooperate. Among the team games suitable for girls are: field hockey, soccer, baseball played with a soft ball and basket-ball.

Among athletic events that may be used for girls, are: short sprints, usually not over fifty yards, throwing b.a.l.l.s for distance, relay races and balancing compet.i.tions.

Walking is a delightful sport when done at a good pace, in the country.

All girls are fond of rope-skipping and skating.

Novelty compet.i.tions, in wide variety, may easily be invented to amuse a group of Scouts. The following will suggest many other variations: A short walking match, heel and toe. The distance may vary from twenty to one hundred yards or more. The same compet.i.tion may be conducted going backward.

Have all the girls take a p.r.o.ne position, face downward, hands and feet in a specified position. On a signal, get up and run to the finishing line. The usual signal is "On your marks," "Get set," "Go." There should be no movement whatever until the final signal "Go." Have the players hop backward or forward in a race. Various combinations of these will readily suggest themselves.

Two or more teams of girls may find much fun in simple pa.s.sing games.

Arrange the teams in line, either seated or standing. Have them pa.s.s such an object as a bean bag, ball or stick in a specified way. For instance, if the girls are seated, one behind the other, the bean bag may be pa.s.sed backward over the right shoulder with one hand, around the back of the last girl, and forward over the left shoulder. The game starts with the bag on the ground in front of the leader, and is finished when the leader replaces it there, after it has pa.s.sed through the hands of each girl on the team. Be careful to see that there are the same number of girls on each team, and that the lines occupy, when arranged, the same s.p.a.ce on the ground. Next let the players pa.s.s the bag backward overhead with both hands, and forward in any manner they like.

The following variation will introduce an additional feature that makes the game all the livelier. Let the object be pa.s.sed back to the last player who then runs forward and takes the place of the leading player, every player in that line moving back one position as this player runs to the front of the line. This is continued until the captain or leader has gone through every place in the line and run back to the front. The team whose captain gets to the front first, wins the game.

Another stage of this game may be played by stretching a cord or rope across in front of the two lines, eight or ten feet high. As each player advances, the bag or ball must be thrown over the rope from the near to the far side, caught, and then thrown back. Any player failing to catch the object must make the throw over again. After she returns to the head of the line, the object is pa.s.sed back to the last player in the same manner, and the game continues until the captain or leading player has pa.s.sed through every position in the line, and come back to the front.

A similar game may be played with a basket-ball and basket-ball goals, each girl being required to shoot a goal at one or both ends of the basket-ball court. In the woods or in camp a ring or hoop may be subst.i.tuted for the basket-ball goal.

Hundreds of such simple games are found in the books on games listed in the Handbook. A few of the more useful and popular games are described below.

Three Deep

Twenty-four or more players form a circle of pairs with s.p.a.ce enough between the players (who stand closely one behind the other, facing the center of the circle) to allow the runners to turn and run in all directions. Two players on the outside of the circle and at a distance from each other begin the game. One of these is called the "tagger," the other is "It." She tries to tag "It" before she can secure a place in front of any of the pairs forming the circle. If she succeeds, roles are changed, the player who has been tagged then becomes the "tagger" and the former "tagger" tries to secure a place in front of some pair. But whenever the runner (the player pursued) has succeeded in getting in front of a pair before being tagged, then the hindmost (the last or third, in the respective rank) must take to her heels and seek to evade the unsuccessful "tagger" who now turns her attention to the new runner.

In trying to evade a tagger the successive players may run in any direction, either left or right, outside the circle, but not pa.s.s in front of any one rank to another rank in such a manner as to induce wrong starts. A hindmost player may also form in front of his own rank, making the second player in such rank hindmost or "third." The play is always directed against the third or last of a rank, two players being the number limited to each place.

(When cla.s.ses of players in the beginning are too large the circle may be formed by rows or ranks of threes, instead of twos or pairs.)

Expert players may form several circles and run from circle to circle, two pairs playing simultaneously. The above play may be varied in a number of ways.

Day and Night

The players divide into two parties, form in two lines, back to back, about three paces apart. One of the lines is named the "Day Party" the other the "Night Party." The leader has a disk painted black on one side and white on the other. (A coin may be used instead of the disk.) In front of each party is a goal. The leader throws the disk into the air.

If the disk alights with the white side up the leader calls "Day." The "Day Party" then rushes toward its goal and the "Night Party" pursues, tagging as many players of the "Day Party" as possible. These they take back to their own line. The disk is thrown again, and the party whose side turns up starts for their goal as before. The game continues in this way until all the players on one of the sides are lost.

Sculptor

One of the players is chosen as the "Sculptor" and she arranges the other players in different positions and att.i.tudes as statues. No player dares move or speak, for as soon as she does the sculptor punishes her by beating her with a knotted handkerchief or towel (the sack-beetle).

After having arranged the players to suit her fancy the sculptor leaves the playground, saying: "The sculptor is not at home." No sooner is she gone than the statues come to life, sing, dance, jump and play havoc in general. On the return of the sculptor she counts, "One, two, three,"

and any player who is not in her former posture at "Three" receives a beating with the knotted handkerchief from the sculptor. Should the sculptor punish the wrong statue all the players rush at her with knotted handkerchiefs and drive her to a goal previously decided upon, and the game is resumed with some other player as sculptor.

Cross Tag

Any player who is chased may be relieved by any other player running between her and the one trying to tag her. The latter must then run after the player who ran between, till she in turn is relieved.

Dodge Ball

Of any even number of players, half form a circle, while the other half stand inside the ring, facing outward. The players in the center dodge the ball, which, while in play, is thrown by any of those forming the circle. Those who are hit with the ball take their places among those around the circle, and have an equal chance at those remaining in the center. One is put out at a time. This is kept up until no one is left, in the circle, after which the players exchange places, that is, those who were in the circle now form around the circle, and _vice versa_.

Kim's Game

Place twenty or thirty small articles on a tray or table, or the floor, and cover with a cloth--different kinds of b.u.t.tons, pencils, corks, nuts, string, knives, or other such small things. Make a list and have a column opposite for each player's name. Uncover for just one minute and then take each player by herself and check off the articles she can remember. The winner is the one who remembers the most.

Morgan's Game

Players run quickly to a certain bill-board or shop window where an umpire is posted to time them a minute for their observation. They then run back to head-quarters and report all they can remember of the advertis.e.m.e.nts on bill-board or objects in shop window.

Scout Meets Scout

Patrols of Scouts are to approach each other from a distance. The first to give the signal that the other is in sight wins. In this game it is not fair to disguise but hiding the approach in any way is admissible.

You can climb a tree, ride in any vehicle, or hide behind some slowly moving or stationary object. But be sure to keep in touch with the one who is to give the signal.

It is best that others should not know the Scouts' secret pa.s.swords, so one is given at a time in this book for those that can _search best_.

Acting Charades

may be indoors or out. A very good one is for two or three players to act as if they wanted some special thing that is in sight. The first who discovers what this is then selects some other players to act with her.

Unprepared Plays

Relate the plot of some simple play, after which a.s.sign a part to each of several to act out. Let them confer for a short time and then act it.

This develops many fine talents and is one of the most useful games for the memory, expression, and imagination.

A Scout always shakes hands when she loses a game and congratulates the winner.