Outdoor Sports and Games Part 26

TETHER BALL

The same as tether tennis, which see.

TETHER TENNIS

This game has been developed out of lawn tennis. A wooden pole extending 10 feet above the surface is placed in a vertical position and firmly imbedded in the ground. The pole must be 7-1/2 inches in circ.u.mference at the ground and may taper to the top. Six feet above the ground a black band 2 inches wide is painted around the pole. The court is a smooth piece of sod or clay similar to a tennis court, but a piece of ground 20 feet square is sufficient.

At the base of the pole a circle is described with a 3-foot radius. A line 20 feet long bisects this circle, and 6 feet from the pole on each side are two crosses, which are known as service crosses.

An ordinary tennis ball is used which has been fitted with a tight-fitting linen cover. The ball is fastened to the pole by means of a piece of heavy braided line. Ordinary heavy fish line will do.

The ball should hang 7-1/2 feet from the top of the pole or 2-1/2 feet from the ground. Regulation tennis rackets are used.

The game consists in endeavouring to wind the ball and string around the pole above the black mark in a direction previously determined.

The opponent meanwhile tries to prevent this and to wind the ball in the opposite direction by striking it as one would volley in tennis.

Each player must keep in his own court. The points are scored as "fouls." Eleven games const.i.tute a set. A game is won when the string is completely wound around the pole above the black mark. The penalty for a foul, such as stepping outside of one's court, allowing the string to wind around the handle of the racket or around the pole below the black mark, provides for a free hit by one's opponent.

THREE-LEGGED RACING

A race in which the contestants are paired off by being strapped together at the ankles and thighs. Remarkable speed can be obtained by practice under this handicap. There are definite rules to govern three-legged races, and official harness may be bought from sporting goods outfitters. As a race, however, it is like sack racing, to be cla.s.sed among the sports designed to afford amus.e.m.e.nt rather than as a display of skill.

TUB RACING

These races are often held in shallow lakes. Each contestant sits in a wash tub, and by using his hands as paddles endeavours to paddle the course first. As a wash tub is not a particularly seaworthy craft, and spills are of frequent occurrence, it is well for the tub racers also to know how to swim.

VOLLEY BALL

This game is extremely simple and may be played by any number of players, provided that there is s.p.a.ce and that the sides are evenly divided. The best dimensions for a volley ball court are 25 feet wide and 50 feet long, but any square s.p.a.ce evenly divided into two courts will do. The game consists of twenty-one points.

The ball is made of white leather and inflated with a rubber bladder.

A net divides the two courts and is 7 feet high. The standard volley ball is 27 inches in circ.u.mference and weighs between 9 and 12 ounces.

The whole object of the game is to pa.s.s the ball back and forth over the net without permitting it to touch the floor or to bound. In this way it somewhat resembles both tennis and hand ball.

Volley ball is an excellent game for gymnasiums and has the decided advantage of permitting almost any number to play.

WARNING

The "warner" takes his position at a s.p.a.ce called "home" and the rest of the players stand some distance from him. He then clasps his hands and runs out, trying to tag an opponent with his clasped hands. This would be practically impossible except that the players endeavour to make him unclasp his hands by pulling at his arms and drawing temptingly near him. As soon as he has tagged a victim he runs for home as fast as possible. If he himself is tagged before he reaches home he is out, and the tagger becomes "warner." If both the warner and the one tagged reach home safely they clasp hands, and finally the line contains all the players but one, who has the honour of being warner for the next game. The game receives its name from the call, "Warning!" which the warner gives three times before leaving home.

WASHINGTON

In this game a player stands blindfolded and another player comes up and taps him. The one who is "it" then gives a penalty, such as "climb a tree or run to the corner and back," and then tries to guess who it was that tapped him. The one tapped must answer some question so that he may be recognized by his voice or laugh. If "it" is correct in his guess, the player must do as directed, but if his guess is wrong he must do it himself. The result of this game is that the blindfolded player will measure the severity of his "forfeits," or "penalties," to his certainty of guessing correctly the name of the player.

WATER POLO

This game is played in a swimming pool. A white ball made of rubber fabric is used. The ball must be between 7 and 8 inches in diameter.

The goals are s.p.a.ces 4 feet long and 12 inches wide at each end of the tank and placed 18 inches above the water line. Six men on a side const.i.tute a team.

It is a game in which skill in swimming is absolutely essential. It is also a very rough game. The player endeavours to score goals by swimming with the ball, and his opponents are privileged to tackle him and to force him under water or in other ways to attempt to secure the ball from him. Meanwhile the other players are blocking off opponents, and in general the game resembles a football game in its rudiments.

WATER RACE

In this game the contestants run a race carrying a gla.s.s or tin cup full of water on top of the head, which must not be touched by the hands. The one finishing first with a minimum loss of water from his cup is the winner.

WICKET POLO

A game played by two teams of four players each. The ball used is a regulation polo ball. A wicket polo surface is 44 feet square, in which sticks or wickets are set up. The object of the game is to knock down the wickets of one's opponents by a batted ball and to prevent them from displacing our own. A crooked stick 4 feet in length and a little over an inch in diameter is used. Each player has a fixed position on the field or surface.

WOLF AND SHEEP

In this game "it" is the wolf. The sheep choose a shepherd to guard them. The wolf then secures a hiding place and the sheep and shepherd leave the fold and endeavour to locate him. When this is done the shepherd cries, "I spy a wolf!" and every one stands while he counts ten. Then the sheep and shepherd scatter for the fold, and if tagged before they reach it the first becomes wolf for the next game.

WOOD TAG

In this cla.s.s are also "iron tag," "stone tag," and "tree tag." They are all simply the game of tag with the additional rule that when a player is in contact with iron, stone, trees, wood, and so on he is safe from being tagged by the one who is "it." The game of "squat tag"

is similar, except that to be safe the one pursued must squat quickly on the ground before "it" catches him. In cross tag, "it" must select a victim and continue to run after him until some one runs ahead and crosses his path, when "it," who may be breathless by this time, must abandon his victim for a fresh one, who may soon be relieved and so on until some one is tagged, or "it" is exhausted.

The Country Life Press, Garden City, N.Y.