Outdoor Sports and Games Part 25

A game usually played on foot but sometimes on horseback, in which the object is to push or force a huge ball over the opponents' goal line.

A regulation "push ball" is six feet in diameter and costs three hundred dollars.

In push ball almost any number may play, but as weight counts, the sides should be divided as evenly as possible.

QUOITS

A game played with flattish malleable iron or rubber rings about nine inches in diameter and convex on the upper side, which the players endeavour to loss or pitch so that they will encircle a pin or peg driven into the ground, or to come nearer to this peg than their opponents. The peg is called a "hob." A certain form of quoits is played with horseshoes throughout the country districts of America. A quoit player endeavours to give the quoit such a position in mid-air that it will not roll but will cut into the ground at the point where it lands. The game is remotely similar to the ancient Greek game of throwing the discus. Iron quoits may be purchased for a dollar a set.

The average weight of the quoits used by experts is from seven to nine pounds each. Sixty-one points const.i.tute a game. The distance from the peg shall be either 10, 15 or 18 yards. For a s.p.a.ce three feet around the pin or peg the ground should be clay. In match games, all quoits that fall outside a radius of 18 inches from the centre of the pin are "foul," and do not count in the score.

RACQUETS OR RACKETS

One of the numerous court games similar to lawn tennis that is now finding public favour, but played in a semi-indoor court. A racquet court is 31 feet 6 inches wide and about 63 feet long. The front wall, against which the ball is served, has a line 8 or 10 feet from the floor, above which the ball must strike. The server, as in tennis, takes his position in a service box with a racket similar to a lawn tennis racket except that it has a smaller head and a longer handle.

Either two or four players may play racquets. A game consists of fifteen "aces," or points.

RED LINE

In this game, also called Red Lion, the goal must be a straight line, such as the crack in a sidewalk or the edge of a road. The one who is "it" runs after the rest as in tag, and when he has captured a prisoner he brings him into the "red line," and the two start out again hand in hand and another is captured, then three together, and two pair, and so on until all are prisoners. The first prisoner is "it" for the next game.

ROLEY BOLEY

This game is also called Roll Ball and n.i.g.g.e.r Baby, and is played by children all over the civilized world. A number of depressions are hollowed in the ground corresponding to the number of players and a hole is chosen by each one. A rubber ball is then rolled toward the holes, and if it lodges in one of them the boy who has claimed that hole must run in and pick up the ball while the rest scatter. He then attempts to hit one of the other players with the ball. If he succeeds a small stone called a "baby" is placed in the hole belonging to the boy struck. Otherwise the thrower is penalized with a "baby." When any boy has five babies he must stand against the wall and be a free target for the rest to throw the ball at.

ROQUE

This game may be called scientific croquet. A roque mallet has a dogwood head 9-1/2 inches long, with heavy nickel ferrules. Roque b.a.l.l.s are made of a special composition that is both resilient and practically unbreakable.

A skilful roque player is able to make shots similar to billiard shots. The standard roque court is 60 feet long, 30 feet wide, with corner pieces 6 feet long. The playing ground is of clay and should be as smooth as it is possible to make it. A very light top dressing of sand is used on the clay. The wickets, or "arches," are driven into blocks of wood to secure firmness and buried into the ground with the top of the arch 8 inches above the surface.

The roque b.a.l.l.s are 3-1/4 inches in diameter and the arches only 3-1/2 wide, which gives an idea of the difficulty of playing this game. To be an expert requires an accurate eye and a great deal of practice.

There is a National Roque a.s.sociation, and an annual championship tournament is held to determine the champion. The home of roque is in the New England States.

ROWING RECORD

The best amateur intercollegiate record for the eight-oared race of four miles is 18 minutes 53-1/5 seconds, made by Cornell, July 2, 1901.

RUBICON

This game may be played with any number of players, and is especially adapted for a school or lawn game. Two players are chosen as pursuers and the rest are divided equally and stand two by two facing each other in two columns. The two pursuers stand at the head of each column and face each other. When ready they say, "Cross the Rubicon,"

and at this signal the rear couple from each line must run forward and try to reach the rear of the other line. The pursuers must not look back, but as soon as the runners are abreast of them must try to tag them before they reach the place of safety. The captured runners become pursuers, and the one who was "it" takes his or her place at the rear of the other line.

SACK RACING

A form of sport where the contestants are fastened in sacks with the hands and feet confined and where they race for a goal by jumping or hopping along at the greatest possible speed under this handicap. A sack race should not be considered one of the scientific branches of sport, but is rather to afford amus.e.m.e.nt for the spectators.

SCOTLAND'S BURNING

This game is based upon the song of the same name. The players form a ring, with three judges in the centre. Each player with appropriate gestures in turn begins the song,

"_Scotland's burning. Scotland's burning,_ _Look out! Look out!_ _Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!_ _Pour on water! Pour on water!_"

The whole party are soon singing, but each four are singing different words. The object of the judges is to detect some one in the circle either making gestures that are not appropriate to the words or to be singing out of order. The penalty is to turn around and sing with the back to the circle. The three who are facing in last then become judges.

SKIING

This sport has recently received wide popularity in sections of the country where the winters make it possible. Skis--or, as they are sometimes spelled, skee,--are a pair of flat runners from five to ten feet long which are attached to the feet in such a way as to be easily cast off in case of accident. By means of skis a ski-runner may either make rapid progress over level snow or may coast down sharp declivities and make jumps of great extent.

Skis are usually made of ash and the standard lengths are from six to eight feet. They cost from five to seven dollars a pair. In skiing it is customary to use a pair of steel-shod poles with leather wrist straps, but in ski-running or coasting the use of poles is very dangerous.

SPANISH FLY

In this game of leap frog various tricks are attempted by the leader, as in the game of "stump master." Each of the boys following is expected to do as the leader or to drop out and become "down" himself.

"Torchlight" is to jump with one hand only, using the other to wave his cap as if it were a torch. In "hats on deck" each jumper in turn is supposed to leave his cap on "down's" back. Naturally the last one over may have a large pile of hats to clear. If he disturbs any of them or knocks them off, he is "it." "Hats off" means for each jumper in turn to take his own hat without knocking off any of the others. In all games of leap frog it is considered proper for the jumper to direct "down" to give him the kind of a "back" he desires.

Consequently he will say high or low back, depending upon whether he wishes "down" to stand almost upright or to bend close to the ground.

SQUASH

This game is similar to racquets, but is less violent or severe on a player. It is played in a court 31 feet 6 inches wide. The front wall must be 16 feet high. The service line above which the ball must strike on the serve is 6 feet from the floor. Below this line and 2 feet from the floor is the "tell tale," above which the ball must strike in play. A squash racket is similar to a tennis racket, but slightly smaller.

In squash, a game is "fifteen up." At the score of 13 a player may "set the score" back to 3 or 5, after which the player first winning either 3 or 5 points, or aces, as they are called, is the winner. The object of this is to endeavour to overcome the advantage that the server may have.

In a regulation squash court the spectators' gallery is above the walls of the court, and the game is played in the pit below the gallery.

STUMP MASTER

In this game one of the players is chosen master. It is usually the one who first suggests the game by saying. "Let's play stump master."

He then leads the line of players, going through various "stumps," or, as we should call them now, "stunts," such as climbing fences and trees, turning somersaults, crawling through narrow places, or whatever will be difficult for the rest to copy. The game is capable of all sorts of variations.

SUCKERS

This can scarcely be called a game, but the use of the sucker is so familiar to most boys that a description of it is surely not out of place in this chapter. A piece of sole leather is used, three or four inches square. It is cut into a circle and the edges carefully pared thin. A hole is made in the centre and a piece of string or top twine is knotted and run through the hole. The sucker is then soaked in water until it is soft and pliable. The object of the sucker is to lift stones or bricks with it. This, too, is of especial interest in New England towns, where there are brick sidewalks. The sucker is pressed firmly on a brick by means of the foot, and it will be found to adhere to it with sufficient force to lift it clear of the ground.