Beach SwingBall

Happy Fatherhood Friday!

The boys and I have invented a new game, called Beach SwingBall".

Lately, we've been spending some time after dinner outside on the swing set.

Similar to the picture below, we have three swings, so that the boys can all swing simultaneously.

Big Brother has a "regular" swing, and the other two boys have a "bucket"/child's swing.

You can imagine the fun and chaos of trying to assist 3 boys simultaneously in such an endeavor.

It feels like one of those jugglers who spins plates on tall poles.  "Dad-E, can you push me?  From the back.  No, the front.  Dad-E, I want to go higher?  Can I pretend to kick you when I swing?  Can you fall over on the ground when I pretend to kick you?  Higher, Dad-E.  Higher!  Dad-E, push me!"

Bab-E Brother in particular has his idiosyncrasies while swinging.

For several days, he kept saying, "I want to go higher."

It seemed like no matter what Mom-E or I would do - push his swing in front, in back, stop the swing, etc, etc - nothing would suit, and he'd just continue to scream, "I want to go higher."

Turned out that "go higher" mean grab ahold of the swing, pull him up in the air (like you're about to set a pendulum in motion), and let go.  All smiles and giggles with that.  Only problem is he asks you to "go higher again" about every 27 seconds.

The boys are also obsessed with a large plastic beach ball that currently inhabits our back yard near the swings.

One day, probably out of frustration from trying to assist 3 crabby swingers and their whims, "Dad-E, can I hold the beach ball while I swing?" I threw the ball in their direction.

The timing was just right, and one of them managed to kick the ball - pretty hard - in mid-air while swinging, and it sailed over my head.

Thus, the sport of Beach SwingBall was born.

It's a pretty simple game, although quite a cardiovascular workout for the accompanying adult.

How to Play:

1.  Allow all players on swings to "go higher" to suitable height.  (You'll have to do this repeatedly throughout the match.)

2.  The Pitcher (adult) throws the ball to each Batter/Kicker, one at a time, timing the pitch so they have a chance to kick the beachball in mid-air.

3.  When the ball is kicked, if the pitcher catches the ball before it touches the ground, the batter scores 0 points and the Pitcher scores 1 point.

4.  Points are scored by Batters as follows:

-Kick the ball and it goes forward and is NOT  caught by the pitcher = 1 point

-Kick the ball over the pitcher's head = 2 points

-Kick the ball to another batter, and that 2nd batter kicks the ball after it touches the ground, and it is not caught by the pitcher = 2 points

-Kick the ball to another batter, and that 2nd batter kicks the ball without it touching the ground, and it is not caught by the pitcher = 3 points

-Kick the ball to another batter, and that 2nd batter kicks the ball without it touching the ground, and it goes over the pitcher's head = 4 points

5.  Winner is the first player to score 10 points.

(Disclaimer: Not my boys.)

Have a good weekend,

Go out and play!

Busy-Dad-E