Outdoor Sports and Games

ONE HUNDRED OUTDOOR GAMES

The following games are described in this chapter:

• All-around Athletic Championship
• Archery
• Association Football Or Soccer
• Badminton
• Bandy
• Baseball
• Basket Ball
• Bean Bags
• Best College Athletic Records
• Blind Man’s Buff
• Boulder Up
• Bull in the Ring
• Call Ball
• Cane Rush
• Canoe Tilting
• Cat
• Counting-out Rhymes
• Court Tennis
• Cricket
• Croquet
• Curling
• Dixie’s Land
• Duck on a Rock
• Equestrian Polo
• Fat
• Feather Race
• Foot-and-a-half
• Football
• Garden Hockey
• Golf
• Golf-Croquet
• Hab-Enihan
• Haley Over
• Hand Ball
• Hand Polo
• Hand Tennis
• Hat Ball
• Hide and Seek
• High Kick
• Hockey
• Hop Over
• Hop Scotch
• Hunt the Sheep
• Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association of America
• I Spy
• Jack Fagots
• Jai-A-Li
• Japanese Fan Ball
• Kick the Stick
• King of the Castle
• Knuckle There
• Lacrosse
• Lawn Bowls
• Lawn Bowling
• Lawn Hockey
• Lawn Skittles
• Lawn Tennis
• Last Tag
• Luge-ing
• Marathon Race
• Marbles
• Mumblety Peg
• Names of Marbles
• Nigger Baby
• Olympic Games
• One Old Cat
• Pass It
• Pelota
• Plug in the Ring
• Polo Or Equestrian Polo
• Potato Race
• Prisoner’s Base
• Push Ball
• Quoits
• Racquets or Rackets
• Red Line
• Red Lion
• Roley Boley
• Roque
• Rowing Record
• Rubicon
• Sack Racing
• Scotland’s Burning
• Skiing
• Soccer
• Spanish Fly
• Squash
• Stump Master
• Suckers
• Tether Ball
• Tether Tennis
• Three-Legged Racing
• Tub Racing
• Volley Ball
• Warning
• Washington
• Water Polo
• Water Race
• Wicket
• Wolf and Sheep
• Wood Tag
• Yank

While all the games and sports described in this chapter are not absolutely confined to outdoors, almost any game in which violent physical exercise results is better if played in the open air rather than in a house or gymnasium. In fact, we should only play indoors when the weather makes it impossible for us to be outside.

There are very few indoor games that cannot be played in the open air with proper apparatus or rules. It is also equally true that many of our outside sports may be played indoors with certain modifications.

ALL-AROUND ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIP

This contest was instituted in America in 1884 to give athletes an opportunity to demonstrate their ability in all-around work. The contest is rapidly becoming the blue ribbon championship event in America for track athletes. The following ten events are contested for:

• 100-yard dash
• High jump
• Long jump
• Vault
• Throwing 16-pound hammer
• Putting a 16-pound shot
• Throwing 56-pound weight
• 120-yard hurdle race
• Half-mile walk
• One-mile run

The system of scoring in the All-around Championship is complicated. Each contestant has his score made up independently. The world’s best amateur record is taken as a basis and 1,000 points are allowed for it. For example, the best record (amateur) for the 100-yard dash is 9⅘ seconds and for each ⅕ of a second more than this that the runner in the All-around Championship contest makes in his trial 42 points are deducted from this score. The same method is used in all the events. In the ten events the maximum score where the contestant equalled every world’s record would be 10,000 points. The contest was won in 1909 by the remarkable score of 7,385 points.

ARCHERY

Archery is the art of shooting with a bow and arrow. It is especially adapted as a lawn game for ladies and gentlemen, but boys and girls can practise archery and become proficient with bows and arrows just as the Indians were or the boys in England in the days of Robin Hood. Of course the invention of gunpowder has practically done away with the bow and arrow either as a means of warfare or as a weapon to be used in the chase, but it is still used by savages.

The modern bow used in archery is made of lancewood or yew and for men’s use is usually 6 feet long and for women and children 6 inches shorter. The strength or pull necessary to bend the bow, given in pounds, determines its classification. The arrows for men’s use should be 28 inches long and for women 24 to 25 inches. The target is a straw-filled canvas disk painted in bright colours. There are usually five circles and the object in archery, as in shooting with firearms, is to hit either the centre ring or “bull’s-eye” or as near to it as possible. In scoring, a shot in the inner gold centre counts nine; red ring, seven; inner white ring, five; black ring, three, and outer white ring, one. Targets are of various sizes from 18 inches in diameter to 4 feet, depending on the distance of the range. A common distance will be from 50 to 100 yards.

Each archer should have some distinguishing mark or colour on his arrows. Standard lancewood bows will cost two or three dollars, arrows from one to two dollars a dozen, and targets from two to five dollars each, with three dollars extra for the target stand.

In championship matches in archery the customary range for men is 60 yards with 96 arrows, and the same number of arrows at 50 yards for women. A recent match championship was decided for men with 90 hits and a total score of 458, and for women with 85 hits and a total score of 441.

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL OR SOCCER

A game similar to Rugby football except that it more closely resembles what its name implies and kicking predominates. A round, leather-covered ball is used and the game is considered to be much safer than our college football. Efforts consequently have been made to introduce the game into American colleges because of its less dangerous character. As there is practically no tackling or falling, the “soccer” uniform does not require the same amount of padding as a Rugby player’s uniform. The game is ordinarily played in running trousers with a full sleeved shirt and special shoes with leather pegs or cleats. The stockings are rolled down just below the knee. The association football goal net into which the ball is kicked is fastened to the ground and is made of tarred rope. Thus far, the game has not been very popular in America, although a number of exhibition match games have recently been played by visiting English teams which attracted considerable attention. As a game, soccer is fast and exciting, and splendid opportunities are given for team work; but for some reason it has not succeeded in displacing our American game of Rugby, although possibly it is more interesting for the spectator.

BADMINTON

An English outdoor game similar to lawn tennis but played with shuttlecocks. The net is five feet above the ground. The shuttlecock is a cork in which feathers have been inserted. The shuttlecock is served and returned as in tennis and either two or four may play. A badminton court is 30 feet wide and 44 feet long.

BANDY

A game very similar to hockey, except that it is played out of doors instead of in a covered rink and a ball is used in place of a puck or rubber disk.

The name “bandy” is sometimes applied also to shinney or shinty and in England it is also applied to our American game of ice hockey.

BASEBALL

The national game of America. (See chapter on baseball.) The game is played by eighteen persons, nine on a side, called “nines.” The positions are pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, right-field, left-field, centre-field. The first six positions are called the in-field, and the last three, the out-field. The diamond or field where the game is played is a square plot of ground with sides ninety feet long. At each corner of the square are bases called first, second, third and home plate. A game consists of nine innings, in each of which both teams have an opportunity to bat the ball and to score runs. The players bat in turn and attempt to reach the various bases without being put out by their opponents. Each year the rules are changed in some slight particulars, consequently a beginner in baseball must be thoroughly familiar with the rules of the game before attempting to play. The pitcher attempts to pitch the ball over the home plate to the catcher and the batsman endeavours to hit it. If the ball after being hit is caught by one of the opposing players, or if it is thrown to the base to which the batsman is running before he reaches the base, he is “out.” Otherwise he is “safe” and will try to make the next base. If he completes the circuit of the four bases without being put out, he scores a run for his team or nine. When a player makes the entire circuit without being forced to stop for safety he makes a “home run.” A hit which gains him a single base only is called a “base hit.” Similarly if he reaches second base it is a “two-bagger,” and third base, a “three-bagger.”

After three players are put out, the other side has its “innings,” and at the completion of nine full innings the side having scored the greatest number of runs is the winner. The game of baseball has become very scientific and the salaries of professional players are almost as high as those of the highest salaried men in business life.

The ball used in the game is made of the best all wool yarn with a horsehide cover and a rubber centre. Baseball bats are usually made of ash.

BASKET BALL

A game of ball which may be played either indoors or out, but which is especially adapted to indoor play when weather conditions make outdoor sports impossible. Two baskets suspended on wire rings are placed at the two opposite ends of a room or gymnasium and the players strive to knock or pass the ball from one to another on their own side and to throw it so that it will fall into the basket. It is not permissible to run with the ball as in Rugby football. The ball used is round, but in other respects resembles the ball used in football. It is made in four sections of grained English leather and is inflated by means of a rubber bladder. The players use rubber-soled shoes with peculiar knobs, ridges, or depressions to prevent slipping. The conventional uniform is simply a gymnasium shirt, running trousers, and stockings which are rolled down just below the knees.

The game of basket ball is especially adapted to women and girls and consequently it is played very largely in girls’ schools and colleges.

Any level space may be used for basket ball. A convenient size is 40 by 60 feet. The baskets used for goals are 18 inches in diameter and are fixed 10 feet above the ground or floor. The official ball weighs about 18 ounces and is 31 inches in circumference. Five players constitute a team. The halves are usually twenty minutes, with a ten-minute intermission for rest.

It is not permissible to kick, carry or hold the ball. Violation of a rule constitutes a foul and gives the opponents a free throw for the basket from a point fifteen feet away. A goal made in play counts two points and a goal from a foul one point.

BEAN BAGS

This game is known to every one by name and yet its simple rules are often forgotten. A couple of dozen bean bags are made in two colours of muslin. The players stand in two lines opposite each other and evenly divided. At the end of the line is a clothes basket. The bags are placed on two chairs at the opposite end of the line and next to the two captains. At a signal the captains select a bag and pass it to the next player, who passes it along until finally it is dropped into the basket. When all the bags are passed they are then taken out and passed rapidly back to the starting point. The side whose bags have gone up and down the line first scores a point. If a bag is dropped in transit it must be passed back to the captain, who starts it again. Five points usually constitute a game.

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETIC RECORDS

These records have been made in the Intercollegiate contests which are held annually under the Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association of America.

BLIND MAN’S BUFF

This game is played in two ways. In each case one player is blindfolded and attempts to catch one of the others and to identify him by feeling. In regular blind man’s buff, the players are allowed to run about at will and sometimes the game is dangerous to the one blindfolded, but in the game of “Still Pon” the one who is “it” is turned several times and then announces, “Still Pon no more moving,” and awards a certain number of steps, which may be taken when in danger of capture. After this number is exhausted the player must stand perfectly still even though he is caught.

BULL IN THE RING

In this game the players form a circle with clasped hands. To be “bull” is the position of honour. The bull is supposed to be locked in by various locks of brass, iron, lead, steel, and so on. He endeavours to break through the ring by catching some of the players off their guard. He will then run until captured, and the one who catches him has the position of bull for the next game. In playing, it is customary for the bull to engage one pair of players in conversation by asking some question such as “What is your lock made of?” At the answer, brass, lead, etc., he will then make a sudden rush at some other part of the ring and try to break through.

CALL BALL

In this game a rubber ball is used. One of the players throws it against a wall and as it strikes calls out the name of another player, who must catch it on its first bounce. If he does so he in turn then throws the ball against the wall, but if he misses he recovers it as quickly as possible while the rest scatter, and calls “stand,” at which signal all the players must stop. He then throws it at whoever he pleases. If he misses he must place himself against the wall and each of the others in turn has a free shot at him with the ball.

CANE RUSH

This contest is usually held in colleges between the rival freshman and sophomore classes. A cane is held by some non-contestant and the two classes endeavour by pulling and pushing and hauling to reach the cane and to hold their hands on it. At the end of a stated time, the class or side having the most hands on the cane is declared the winner. It is a very rough and sometimes dangerous game and in many colleges has been abolished on account of serious injuries resulting to some of the contestants.

CANOE TILTING

This is a revival of the ancient game of tilting as described in “Ivanhoe,” except that the tilters use canoes instead of horses and blunt sticks in place of spears and lances. The object is for the tilter to shove his opponent out of his canoe, meanwhile seeing to it that the same undesirable fate does not fall to his own lot. In singles each contestant paddles his own canoe with one end of his pike pole, but the sport is much greater if each canoe has two occupants, one to paddle and the other to do the “tilting”.

CAT

A small block of wood pointed at both ends is used in this game. The batter strikes it with a light stick and as it flies into the air attempts to bat it with the stick. If the cat is caught the batter is out. Otherwise he is entitled to a score equal to the number of jumps it will take him to reach the place where the cat has fallen. He then returns to bat again and continues until he is caught out.

COUNTING-OUT RHYMES

Almost every section has some favourite counting-out rhyme of its own. Probably the two most generally used are:

and that old classic—

This is also varied into

The object of a counting-out rhyme is to determine who is to be “it” for a game. As each word is pronounced by the counter some one is pointed at, and at the end of the verse the one last pointed at is “it.”

COURT TENNIS

This game, though very similar to rackets and squash, is more scientific than either. The court is enclosed by four walls. A net midway down the court divides the “service” side from the “hazard” side. The rackets used in court tennis have long handles and a large face. The balls used are the same size as tennis balls, but are heavier and stronger. In play, the ball rebounds over the court and many shots are made against the roof. While somewhat similar to lawn tennis, the rules of court tennis are extremely complicated. The game is scored just as in lawn tennis, except that instead of calling the server’s score first the marker always announces the score of the winner of the last stroke.

CRICKET

A game of ball which is generally played in England and the British provinces, but which is not very popular in the United States. There are two opposite sides or sets of players of eleven men each. At two points 22 yards apart are placed two wickets 27 inches high and consisting of three sticks called stumps. As in baseball, one side takes the field and the other side is at the bat. Two men are at bat at a time and it is their object to prevent the balls from being bowled so that they will strike the wickets. To do this a broad bat is used made of willow with a cane handle, through which are inserted strips of rubber to give greater spring and driving power. The batsman will either merely stop the ball with his bat or will attempt to drive it. When the ball is being fielded the two batsmen exchange wickets, and each exchange is counted as a run, and is marked to the credit of the batsman or striker. The batsman is allowed to bat until he is out. This occurs when the ball strikes the wicket and carries away either a bail, the top piece, or a stump, one of the three sticks. He is also out if he knocks down any part of his own wicket or allows the ball to do it while he is running, or if he interferes with the ball by any part of his person as it is being thrown, or if one of the opposing players catches a batted ball before it touches the ground, as in baseball.

When ten of the eleven men on a side have been put out it constitutes an inning, and the side in the field takes its turn at the bat. The game usually consists of two innings, and at its completion the side having scored the greater number of runs is the winner. The eleven positions on a cricket team are called bowler, wicket-keeper, long stop, slip, point cover-slip, cover point, mid-off, long-leg, square-leg, mid-on. The one at bat is, as in baseball, called the batsman. The two lines between which the batsmen stand while batting are called “popping creases” and “bowling creases.”

CROQUET

A game played with wooden balls and mallets, on a flat piece of ground. The game consists in driving the ball around a circuitous course through various wire rings called “wickets” and, after striking a wooden peg or post, returning to the starting place. Any number may play croquet either independently or on sides. Each player may continue making shots as long as he either goes through a wicket, hits the peg or post, or hits the ball of an opponent. In this latter case he may place his ball against that of his opponent and, holding the former with his foot, drive his opponent’s ball as far as possible from the croquet ground. He then also has another shot at his wicket.

A croquet set consists of mallets, balls, wickets, and stakes and may be bought for two or three dollars. Experts use mallets with much shorter handles than those in common sets. They are made of either maple, dogwood, or persimmon. In place of wooden balls, championship and expert games are often played with balls made of a patented composition. All croquet implements are usually painted in bright colours. The game of “roque” is very similar to croquet.

Croquet can be made more difficult by using narrow arches or wickets. Hard rubber balls are more satisfactory than wood and also much more expensive.

As a rule the colours played in order are red, white, blue and black. According to the rules any kind of a mallet may be used, depending upon the individual preference of the player.

CURLING

An ancient Scotch game played on the ice, in which the contestants slide large flat stones, called curling stones, from one point to another. These points or marks are called “tees.” In playing, an opportunity for skill is shown in knocking an opponent out of the way, and also in using a broom ahead of the stone as it slides along to influence its rate of speed.

At the present time the greatest curling country is Canada. Curling is one of the few outdoor games that are played without a ball of some kind.

DIXIE’S LAND

This game is also called “Tommy Tiddler’s Land.” It is a game of tag in which a certain portion of the playground is marked off as the “land.” The one who is “it” endeavours to catch the others as they invade his land. When a player is tagged he also becomes “it,” and so on until the game ends because all the invaders are captured. The game is especially interesting because of the variety of verses and rhymes used in various parts of the country to taunt the one who is “it” as they come on his land.

DUCK ON A ROCK

This game is also called “Boulder Up.” It is not customary to “count out” to decide it. For this game usually some one suggests, “Let’s play Duck on a Rock,” and then every one scurries around to find an appropriate stone, or “duck.” As fast as they are found the fact is announced by the cry, “My one duck,” “My two duck,” etc. The last boy to find a stone is “drake,” or “it.”

The drake is larger than the ducks and is placed on an elevated position such as a boulder. Then from a specified distance ducks attempt to hit the drake and to knock him from his position. If they miss they are in danger of being tagged by the drake, as it is his privilege to tag any player who is not in possession of his duck. If, however, the drake is knocked from his perch, the ducks have the privilege of rushing in and recovering their stones, but unless they do so before the drake replaces his stone on the rock they may be tagged. The first one tagged becomes “it” and the drake becomes a duck.

FAT

This is the universal game of marbles. It is sometimes called “Yank,” or “Knuckle There.” A ring is scratched in the ground a foot or two in diameter. It is then divided into four parts by two lines drawn through the diameter. The first step is for each player to “lay a duck,” which in simple language means to enter a marble to be played for. This is his entrance fee and may be either a “dub,” an “alley,” a “crystal,” or sometimes a “real,” although this is very rare as well as extravagant. About ten feet from this ring a line is made called a “taw line.” The first player, usually determined as soon as school is out by his having shouted, “First shot, fat!” stands behind the taw line and shoots to knock out a marble. If he is successful he continues shooting; if not he loses his turn and Number 2 shoots. Number 1 after his first shot from the taw line must then shoot from wherever his marble lies. If Number 2 can hit Number 1 he has a right to claim all the marbles that Number 1 has knocked out of the ring. In this way it is very much to the advantage of each player to leave himself as far from the taw line as possible.

FEATHER RACE

The contestants endeavour to blow a feather over a certain course in the shortest time. The rule is that the feather must not be touched with the hands. Out of doors this game is only possible on a very still day.

FOOT AND A HALF

This is a game of “Leap Frog” also called “Par” or “Paw.” One of the boys is chosen “down,” who leans over and gives a “back” to the rest, who follow leader, usually the boy who suggests the game. He will start making an easy jump at first and over “down’s” back, then gradually increase the distance of the point at which he lands, and each of those following must clear this line or become “it” themselves. The leader must also surpass his previous jumps each time or he becomes “down” himself. In this way the smaller or less agile boys have a more equal chance with the stronger ones.

FOOTBALL

The present game of football as played in American schools and colleges is a development of the English game of Rugby. There are twenty-two players, eleven on a side or team. The game is played on a level field, at each end of which are goal posts through which the team having the ball in its possession attempts to force or “rush” it, while their opponents by various means, such as tackling, shoving or blocking, strive to prevent the ball from being successfully forced behind the goal line or from being kicked over the crossbar between the goal posts. A football field is 330 feet long by 160 feet wide. It is usually marked out with white lines five yards apart, which gives the field the name of “gridiron.” The various positions on a football team are centre rush, right and left guards, right and left tackles, right and left ends, quarter-back, right and left half-back, and full-back. As in baseball, the rules of football are constantly being changed and the game as played ten or fifteen years ago is very different from the modern game. The various changes in rules have been made with a view to making the game less dangerous to the players and more interesting to the spectator.

The principal scores in football are the “touchdown” and the “field goal.” In a touchdown the ball is carried by one of the players and touched on the ground behind the opponents’ goal line. In a field goal, or, as it is often called, “a goal from the field,” the ball is kicked over the crossbar between the goal posts. In a field goal the player executing it must not kick the ball until after it has touched the ground. Such a kick is called a “drop kick” as distinguished from a “punt” where the ball is released from the hands and immediately kicked before touching the ground. A team in possession of the ball is allowed a certain number of attempts to advance it the required distance. Each of these attempts is called a “down.” If they fail to gain the necessary distance, the ball goes to their opponents. It is customary on the last attempt, or down, to kick the ball so that when the opposing team obtains possession of it will be as far as possible from the goal line toward which they are rushing. In this play a “punt” is allowed. There are also other scores. A safety is made when a team is forced to touch the ball down behind its own goal line.

The ball used in American football is a long oval case made of leather and inflated by means of a rubber bag or envelope. The football player’s uniform consists of a heavily padded pair of trousers made of canvas, moleskin, khaki or other material, a jacket made of the same material, a tight-fitting jersey with elbow and shoulder pads, heavy stockings, and cleated shoes. Players will often use other pads, braces and guards to protect them from injury. Football is usually played in the fall months after baseball has been discontinued on account of the cold weather. A full game consists of four fifteen-minute periods.

GARDEN HOCKEY

This game is played between two parallel straight lines, 3 feet 6 inches apart and marked on the lawn with two strips of tape. At the opposite two ends of the tape are two goal posts 14 inches apart with a crossbar. The length of the tapes should be 36 feet when two or four players engage in the game, and may be extended for a greater number. The game is played with balls and hockey sticks. The game is started by placing the ball in the centre of the field. The two captains then face each other and at a signal strike off. If the ball is driven outside the tape boundaries it must be returned to the centre of the field opposite the place where it crossed the line. The object of the game is to score a goal through your opponents’ goal posts as in ice hockey. If a player steps over the tape into the playing space he commits a foul. The penalty for a foul is a free hit for his opponents.

GOLF

A game played over an extensive piece of ground which is divided into certain arbitrary divisions called holes. A golf course is usually undulating with the holes laid out to afford the greatest possible variety of play. The ordinary course consists of either nine or eighteen holes from 100 to 500 yards apart. An ideal course is about 6000 yards long. The holes which mark the termination of a playing section consist of tin cans 4 inches in diameter sunk into and flush with the level of the surrounding turf, which is called “the putting green.” The game is played with a gutta-percha ball weighing about 1¾ ounces and with a set of “clubs” of various odd shapes and for making shots under various conditions. Usually a boy accompanies each player to carry his clubs. Such boys are called “caddies.” The clubs are peculiarly named and it is optional with each player to have as many clubs as he desires. Some of the more common ones are called “driver,” “brassie,” “cleek,” “iron,” “mashie,” “niblick,” “putter,” and “lofting iron.”

The game, which may be played by either two or four players, consists in endeavouring to drive the ball over the entire course from hole to hole in the fewest possible number of strokes. At the start a player takes his position on what is called the “teeing ground” and drives the ball in the direction of the first hole, the position of which is shown in the distance by a flag or tin sign with a number. Before driving he is privileged to place the ball on a tiny mound of earth or sand which is called a “tee.” The players drive in order and then continue making shots toward the hole until finally they have all “holed out” by “putting” their balls into the hole, and the lowest score wins the hole.

Golf is a game in which form is more essential than physical strength and which is adapted for elderly people as well as the young. The wooden clubs are usually made with either dogwood or persimmon heads and with split hickory handles or shafts. The handles are usually wound with a leather grip. Golf clubs of good quality will cost from two to three dollars apiece and a set for most purposes will consist of four to six clubs. The caddy bag to carry the clubs is made of canvas or leather and will cost from two dollars up. Standard quality golf balls will cost about nine dollars a dozen. Almost any loose-fitting outdoor costume is suitable for playing golf and the tendency in recent years is to wear long trousers in preference to what are known as “golf trousers.”

A golf course—sometimes called a “links,” from a Scotch word meaning a flat stretch of ground near the seashore—should be kept in good condition in order to enjoy the game properly. The leading golf clubs maintain a large force of men who are constantly cutting the grass, repairing damages to the turf, and rolling the greens. For this reason it is a game only adapted to club control unless one is very wealthy and can afford to maintain private links.

GOLF-CROQUET

This game may be played either by two or four persons. Wickets are placed at irregular distances, and the object of the game is to drive a wooden ball 2¾ inches in diameter through these wickets. It may be played either as “all strokes,” in which the total number of strokes to get through all the wickets is the final score, or as in golf, “all wickets,” in which the score for each wicket is taken separately, as each hole in golf is played. The mallet used is somewhat different from a croquet mallet. The handle is longer and a bevel is made on one end to raise or “loft” the ball as in golf.

The size of a golf-croquet course will depend upon the field available. A field 200 yards long will make a good six-wicket course.

HAB-ENIHAN

This game is played with smooth stones about the size of a butter dish. A target is marked on the sand or on any smooth piece of ground, or if played on the grass the target must be marked with lime similar to marks on a tennis court. The outside circle of the target should be six feet in diameter, and every six inches another circle described with a piece of string and two pegs for a compass.

The object of the game is to stand at a stated distance from the “enihan,” or target, and to toss the “habs” as in the game of quoits. The player getting the best score counting from the inside ring or bull’s-eye wins the game.

HALEY OVER

The players, equally divided, take positions on opposite sides of a building such as a barn, so that they can not be seen by their opponents. A player on one side then throws the ball over the roof and one of his opponents attempts to catch it and to rush around the corner of the building and throw it at one of the opposing side. If he succeeds, the one hit is a prisoner of war and must go over to the other side. The game continues until all of one side are captured.

HAND BALL

A game of ancient Irish origin which is much played by baseball players and other athletes to keep in good condition during the winter when most outdoor sports are impossible.

A regulation hand ball court has a back wall 30 feet high and 50 feet wide. Each game consists of twenty-one “aces.” The ball is 1⅞ inches in diameter and weighs 1⅝ ounces. The ball is served and returned against the playing wall just as in many of the other indoor games and is similar in principle to squash and rackets.

HAND POLO

A game played with a tennis ball in which two opposing sides of six players each endeavour to score goals by striking the ball with the hands. The ball must be struck with the open hand. In play, the contestants oppose each other by shouldering and bucking and in this way the game can be made a dangerous one.

The goal is made into a cage form 3 feet 6 inches square. At the beginning of the game the ball is placed in the centre of the playing surface and the players rush for it. The umpire in hand polo is a very important official and calls all fouls, such as tripping, catching, holding, kicking, pushing, or throwing an opponent. Three fouls will count as a goal for the opponents.

HAND TENNIS

A game of lawn tennis in which the hand is used in place of a racket. A hand tennis court is smaller than a regulation tennis court. Its dimensions are 40 feet long and 16 feet wide. The net is 2 feet high. The server is called the “hand in” and his opponent the “hand out.” A player first scoring twenty-five points wins the game. A player can only score when he is the server.

A foul line is drawn 3 feet on each side of the net, inside of which play is not allowed. In all essential particulars of the rules the game is similar to lawn tennis.

HAT BALL

This game is very similar to Roley Boley or Nigger Baby except that hats are used instead of hollows in the ground. The ball is tossed to the hats and the first boy to get five stones, or “babies,” in his hat has to crawl through the legs of his opponents and submit to the punishment of being paddled.

HIGH KICK

A tin pan or wooden disk is suspended from a frame by means of a string and the contestants in turn kick it as it is drawn higher and higher until finally, as in high jumping, it reaches a point where the survivor alone succeeds in touching it with his toe.

HOCKEY

Hockey is usually played on the ice by players on skates, although, like the old game of shinney, it may be played on any level piece of ground. The hockey stick is a curved piece of Canadian rock elm with a flat blade. Instead of a ball the modern game of ice hockey is played with a rubber disk called a “puck.” In hockey, as in many other games, the whole object is to drive the puck into your opponents’ goal and to prevent them from driving it into yours. Almost any number of boys can play hockey, but a modern team consists of five players. Hockey skates are of special construction with long flat blades attached to the shoes. The standard length of blade is from 14½ to 15½ inches. They cost from three to six dollars. The hockey player’s uniform is a jersey, either padded trousers or tights, depending upon his position, and padded shin guards for the goal tenders.

HOP OVER

All but one of the players, form a ring standing about two feet apart. Then by some “counting out” rhyme some one is made “it.” He then takes his place in the centre of the circle, holding a piece of stout string on the end of which is tied a small weight or a book. He whirls the string about and tries to strike the feet or ankles of some one in the circle, who must hop quickly as the string comes near him. If he fails to “hop over” he becomes “it.”

HOP SCOTCH

Hop scotch is a game that is played by children all over the world. A court about 20 feet long and 4 or 5 feet wide is drawn with chalk, coal, or a piece of soft brick on the sidewalk or scratched with a pointed stick on a piece of level ground. A line called the “taw line” is drawn a short distance from the court. The court is divided into various rectangles, usually eleven divisions, although this varies in different sections. At the end of the court a half circle is drawn, variously called the “cat’s cradle,” “pot,” or “plum pudding.” The players decide who is to be first, second, etc., and a flat stone or piece of broken crockery or sometimes a folded piece of tin is placed in division No. 1. The stone is called “potsherd.” The object of the game is to hop on one foot and to shoot the potsherd in and out of the court through the various divisions until they are all played. He then hops and straddles through the court. Whenever he fails to do the required thing the next player takes his turn.

HUNT THE SHEEP

Two captains are chosen and the players divided into equal sides. One side stays in the home goal and the other side finds a hiding place. The captain of the side that is hidden or “out” then goes back to the other side and they march in a straight line to find the hidden sheep. When they approach the hiding place their own captain shouts, “Apple!” which is a warning that danger is near. When he is sure of their capture or discovery he shouts, “Run, sheep, run!” and all the party make a dash for the goal.

INTERCOLLEGIATE AMATEUR ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

This association controls the field athletic contests between the colleges known as the “Intercollegiates.”

It is generally known as the I.C.A.A.A.A. To win a point for one’s college in this contest is the highest honour that a track athlete may obtain. In these games, which take place annually, the following thirteen events are contested for:

• Mile run
• Shotput
• 440-yard run
• 120-yard hurdles
• 100-yard dash
• Running high jump
• Two-mile run
• 880-yard run
• 220-yard low hurdles
• Pole vault
• Broad jump
• 220-yard dash
• Hammer throw

I SPY

This game is sometimes called “Hide and Seek,” One of the players is made “it” by any of the familiar counting-out rhymes. The rest then secure a hiding place while he counts fifty or one hundred. A certain tree or fence corner is considered “home.” “It” then attempts to spy his hidden playmates in their hiding places and to run “home” shouting, “I spy” and their names. If the one discovered can get home before “it,” he does so, shouting, “In free!” with all the breath that is left in him. The game is especially interesting just at dusk, when the uncertain light makes the “outs” brave in approaching home without detection. If “it” succeeds in capturing all the players the first one caught is “it” for the next game.

JACK FAGOTS

This game is the same in principle as Jackstraws except that fagots or sticks of wood two feet long are used in place of jackstraws. They are removed from a pile with a crooked stick and must be taken out one at a time without disturbing the rest. The number of sticks removed constitutes a player’s score. When any stick other than the one he is trying for is moved he loses his turn. The next player must attempt to remove the same stick that the other failed on. The game is won by the player having the greatest number of sticks to his credit.

JAPANESE FAN BALL

This game is especially adapted for a lawn party for girls. Either Japanese fans or the ordinary palm-leaf fans will do for rackets. The balls are made of paper and should be six or eight inches in diameter and in various colours. At opposite ends of a space about the size of a tennis court are erected goal posts similar to those used in football, but only six feet above ground. These may be made of light strips of wood. There is also a similar pair of posts and a crossbar midway between the goals.

The game is played by two contestants at a time. Each takes an opposite end of the court and tosses the ball into the air. Then by vigorous fanning she endeavours to keep it aloft and to drive it over the opponent’s goal-post. At the middle posts the ball must be “fanned” under the crossbar. If the ball falls to the ground it may be picked up on the fan and tossed aloft again, but it must not be touched by the hands. The winner is the one who first drives the ball the length of the court and over the crossbar.

KICK THE STICK

One player is chosen to be “it” and the rest are given a count of twenty-five or fifty to hide. A stick is leaned against a tree or wall and this is the home goal. As soon as the goal keeper can spy one of the players he runs in and touches the stick and makes a prisoner, who must come in and stand behind the stick. If one of the free players can run in and kick the stick before the goal tender touches it, he frees all the rest and they scurry to a place of hiding before the stick can again be set up and the count of twenty-five made. As the object of the game is to free your fellow-prisoners, the free players will attempt all sorts of ruses to approach the stick without being seen or to make a dash for it in hope of kicking it ahead of the goal keeper. The game is over when all the players are captured, and the first prisoner is “it” for the next game.

KING OF THE CASTLE

This can be made a very rough game, as it simply consists in a player taking a position on a mound or hillock and defying any one to dislodge him from his position by the taunting words: