Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Bumball
Though you need special equipment in order to play Bumball (i.e. Bumball clothes which feature a large patch of velcro on your chest and your, well, bum; and an inflatable ball covered with velcro strips), Bumball is, in concept and affect, a Junkyard Sport of the highest order. Witness: Bumball tip #7: "Adjusting the rules to fit the players, the surroundings and the intention of being together will make a perfect Bumball game."As for goals, they "are determined by the two teams jointly, for instance wall bars, hula hoops, mattresses or anything at hand. The number of scoring spots depends on the number of players. Two teams of 4 players allow 5 scoring spots, two teams of 5 allow 6 etc. Please beware that Hula hoops may be slippery on smooth surfaces. Instead you may use existing lines on the floor, or use adhesive tape to line up the scoring spots.
Finally, players are encouraged to create new rules. The rationale given: "In the process of creating new rules and testing them, children learn a great number of qualifying elements. They learn how to solve conflicts, negotiate and critically evaluate other players' proposals. Not all games will be improved, however, seeing that it takes practice, luck and a great deal of testing and adjustment to change the rules of a game. Still, children will gain invaluable insight into evaluation, dialogue and problem solving."
Which, of course, is the whole point of Junkyard Sports.
As for the rules, for example:
Bumball rule #1: "Players are always allowed to run with the ball when it is sticking to their bum."
However, according to Bumball rule #9: "Players cannot score a goal when they run with the ball sticking to their bum."
For a more detailed explication of the rules of the game, see: this.





