As promised from the post yesterday, here are myTop Yard Games to play outside before club starts.Cornhole/Bag TossIf you have been to a tailgate party, frat house, or the beach over the past few years, you’ve surely already had the sheer joy of tossing a corn-filled bean bag through a hole in a wooden board 45ft away. If not, trust me, you’re life is incomplete. If you don’t own a set of cornhole boards, you should. But if not, odds are that a friend of YL in the area does, so tweet it out and borrow a set. Heavier boards are way more fun than the $30 plastic set at Walmart, but it would be fun to build your own custom YL set. Could be a great Campaigners project! I’d recommend purchasing well constructed bean bags instead of making your own.
The Human Slingshot(SADLY HAS BEEN OUTLAWED BY YOUNG LIFE DUE TO HIGH RISK OF INJURY. DO NOT USE)A YL leader in CO invented this insane backyard game. It’s a fast-paced game that involves four people slinging each other back and forth within a human sized stretchable spandex band. You can check out videos and buy one at The Human Slingshot website. Its pretty dangerous, but that’s why kids like it. Its also a great novelty item since they have probably never seen one before. I sent out a mass text last year during the school day that said “Come get slung by The Human Slingshot” tonight at YL” and it created a buzz and actually brought new kids to club. They weren’t disappointed!
Fricket(“Frisbee Cricket” or “Flimsee” or “Cups”)
This is a cheap, fun, and unique game that any skill level can play. It basically involves throwing a frisbee between two 5 ft poles with plastic cups on top of each pole. You score points in a variety of ways by either avoiding the cups or by knocking them off. You can get the rules at the “official Fricket website.” I went to Home Depot and bought skinny pvc pipe and made my own poles, but they don’t stick in the ground very easily. Here is a set you can buy for $20 on Amazon. Ski poles actually work, but you want a flimsy pole (thus its sometimes referred to by the name “Flimsee”.) Here’s a random video of some folks playing.
Ladder GolfYou swing a rope with a ball on each end and try to get it hung on a “ladder.” Its easy to play for any skill level, cheap, and easily portable
.WashersI like this game for its old school simplicity. You just need 2 old large cans (coffee or Costco green beans) and a few washers from the hardware store. Not as fun as cornhole, but the same principle and its cheaper.
UPDATE:
Have you heard of SPIKEBALL???
I first learned of the game this past summer while at Sharptop Cove. It’s an intense mix between four square and volleyball, described on the Spikeball web site as “A taut Hula Hoop-sized net is placed at ankle level between a pair of two-player teams. You smack the palm-sized ball down on the net so it ricochets up at your opponents. They have up to three hits between them to control it and bounce it back to you. When they miss, you score. First team to 21 wins.”
Here’s a video of the Spikeball craze that has caught on at Harvard:
