It's Time for Recess

[Alex]

Yes, there is an episode of Twilight Zone where all the old people go out and play kick the can.

In fact, the episode is titled "Kick the Can"

[cirquelover]

Thank you Alex!

[Lauragar]

Originally Posted by Alex

I generally didn't try to catch the ball because I threw like a girl and wasn't likely to have much success there. It was more fun to just try and be last standing on my team. Though if I could get a ball to hold and deflect other balls that might be done.

But in addition to that, I'd love to have a spot where pickup games of badminton and pickleball are possible.

Alex,

What is pickleball? I have never hear of it.

[Alex]

Imagine a ping pong table blown up to tennis court size so that you can play standing on the table. Now play your giant ping pong using slightly enlarged paddles and a wiffleball. Essentially it is what you'd end up with if you bred table tennis with regular tennis.

The nature of the ball allows for wicked spin but its lightness prevents it from moving super fast through the air.

Start here for more information. It was invented in Washington so may have been over-represented in Washington school PE programs. But it was one of my favorites.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Alex

Imagine a ping pong table blown up to tennis court size so that you can play standing on the table. Now play your giant ping pong using slightly enlarged paddles and a wiffleball. Essentially it is what you'd end up with if you bred table tennis with regular tennis.

The nature of the ball allows for wicked spin but its lightness prevents it from moving super fast through the air.

Start here for more information. It was invented in Washington so may have been over-represented in Washington school PE programs. But it was one of my favorites.

A pickleball court is much smaller than a tennis court.

[Alex]

Yes, by official rules. But in giving a sense of the game I wasn't worried about exact dimensions.

We usually played on tennis courts in high school because we usually played outdoors and those were the courts that existed. With my college roommate we usually played on proper courts since the University of Washington had permanent indoor pickleball courts set up in the Intramural Activities building.

When pressed though we'd also play on volleyball courts, which are also larger than pickelball with the net removed if it couldn't be lowered (and an honor system for calling when the ball would have hit the net).

[Alex]

Oh, when we did play on tennis courts it we played inside the singles width and within the service boxes, which made it approximately the same size as a pickleball court (a bit wider and a bit shorter). The no-volley zone was either honor system or marked with cones.

[Disneyphile]

I so need some recess time. Sign me up.

[BDBopper]

One of my favorite games from school was a game in which the clas was divided into two teams and a ball was placed in the middle of the field. E ach team had their own of the field. Each porton of the game involved one person from each team racing to the middle of the field to get the ball. Whoever got it would run to their end of the field while the other team's player would try to tag the player with the ball out. If the player with the ball reached his team's zone that player's team would get a point.

I think the game was called Catch the Bacon or something. I know the name involved bacon.

[Betty]

Steal the Bacon - and we did it with erasers.