GAMES WE PLAYED

GAMES WE PLAYED

No, I'm not old enough to have played “kick the can,” although we did kick almost anything we found. In the small town where I grew up all the kids knew each other because the total population of the town was 200. I know it was 200 because I sat down and counted them one day when I didn't have anything else to do. We all knew each other, but we didn't necessarily all like each other. I do remember the day, in our teen years, when an incident lasting only a few seconds resulted in split knuckles for one guy and missing front teeth for another. That wasn't the norm – we usually got along well even if we were competitive.

You could play tag even if you had only three people. Well, you really could do it with two people, but you had to rule out tag-backs. There were few, if any, fences in Kantner, so we roamed across and through many yards. There were some that we did stay out of, however, mainly because no kids lived there, but also out of respect. No one really wanted to disturb Mrs. _________ when she was napping in her chair on her front porch. (That's what the older people did – they sat on their front porches and watched the world go by – or napped.) Come to think of it, that might be fun about now, sitting on the front porch of a home in a small town watching the sights and listening to the sounds of life.

TAG – a great game. No equipment required and in a town with lots of houses, garages, shops, and other out-buildings, it was FUN. Although we all ran at different speeds, you could always catch someone, perhaps someone who was too sure of his speed and didn't anticipate just when you were going to charge. It was important to be able to feign extreme tiredness in order to lure the “speedy ones” close and then spring at the opportune moment.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Here I come, ready or not. All 'round my base are caught.” The numerous buildings made HIDE AND GO SEEK extremely enjoyable. There were lots of places to hide, but you had to keep the person who was “it” in sight so he didn't sneak up on you while you were looking around another corner of a building. Sometimes the person who was “it” would hide someplace close to the base in hopes of convincing someone that he wasn't around. Then while someone was sauntering towards the base, the “it” person would jump out and tag the saunterer. Finding an extremely good hiding place worked one of two ways. 1. It got boring because no one got close to finding you. 2. It got exciting because people searched within sight of the hider and still didn't see him. What a joy it was to be so well hidden that everybody had to search for you and still didn't find you until you stepped out and cried “Boo!”

STRAWBERRY DROP was a little different. While the “it” person counted to ten, people moved away from him but didn't necessarily hide. At the count of “ten” everyone stopped and dropped to the ground. “It”, keeping his eyes closed (or blindfolded), began searching for people. When he found someone, he had to identify the person. If he was wrong, he had to keep going, but if he was right, the person he identified became “it.” A person could search a long time and not find anyone unless hints were given, so every so often someone would make a sound.

Of course, if someone had a bat and a ball, baseball ensued, or frequently, in the fall, someone would have a football, and football broke out. Of course you couldn't rush the passer, but then he couldn't run either. There were many long and convoluted patterns run by receivers trying to get open. “Touch, two hand touch, tackle” were the choices. Touch and two hand touch invaribly resulted in arguments – “Got you.” “No, you didn't.” “Yes, I got your shirt.” I didn't feel it.” I'm not sure how those arguments were ever resolved, but we did have fun. Sometimes we just showcased our passing, catching, or kicking skills.

In a game somewhat similar to “THREE FLIES UP,” the football was passed or kicked (punted or drop-kicked) toward the opponents. The opponent stopped when and where he caught the ball. He then passed or kicked the ball back in hopes of getting it over your head. The idea was to drive the opponent back past his goal to catch the ball. By the way, doesn't anyone drop-kick anymore?

Periodically, our parents would literally have to tell us to come in out of the rain. Those calls were often answered with “It's not raining that hard.” Of course, by the time we got home our shirts and sometimes pants would be soaked, but “It wasn't raining that hard.”

On some Saturdays, the high school gym was open, and we could play basketball inside with regulation height baskets. Of course, someone had to come up with a basketball. Infrequently, a basketball that became even too old to be used for high school basketball practice would be left out in the gym and we could use it. Most often, however, the ball was rubber and probably bounced higher than it should or didn't bounce at all because it had a hole. Bicycle tire patches plugged many a hole in basketballs, but the constant bouncing eventually worked them loose. We used to pretend we were the high school team starting the first game of the year, and the announcer would say, as we emerged from the locker room, “Here they are. Your defending state champions , the Forbes Jets!” Well, it never quite worked out. Not all of us made the team in high school, and the high school team never won the state championship.

No, our teams and games were not organized except by the participants. Sure, we had disagreements and arguments, but parents didn't yell at the coaches, and coaches didn't have to decide who would play. Everyone played, and that has to count for something. Hey, we got outside, and we ran around a lot. Perhaps it would be good for youngsters today to do more time doing that and less time sitting in front of a tv or video game.