March 29, 2024

Column: All fun and games

I often think I had one of the best high school physical education teachers in the state. Mr. Dan Kopriva never failed to come up with fun and exciting things to get all of us lazy high schoolers to be active for 45 minutes without having to play dodgeball all the time.

We did play our fair share of dodgeball, but with different variations of the game. My favorite was what we called “Crazy Basketball.” It made use of the basketball hoops and backboards in the gym. If you happen to hit the backboard, anyone on your team who was out was allowed to re-enter the game, sort of like prisonball. If you made a basket; however, both teams had to rush to the bench and the last team to have all members seated lost. It was fun.

We played the other PE staples as well — softball, kickball, four square, wall ball, volleyball, basketball, hockey, soccer, some golf, tennis, bowling and flag football. We also played some games that are a little less “mainstream.” I learned how to play pickleball, badminton, disc golf (as I mentioned in a previous column), ping-pong and racquetball. I’m sure I’m missing some. We even had those four-wheel scooters that were hard on the back and the fingers — personally, I hated those things. We also had a skating unit where the class would strap on roller skates for a solid month. I had a blast with that one.

Another game we tried was croquet. Mr. Kopriva attempted to teach us the rules, and we made our way through a course set up just outside the school. We played a few times, but I don’t think it went well. We never played it again after that year.

When I was a kid, we had a few croquet mallets and balls in grandpa’s garage that my siblings and I would hit. We wouldn’t actually play the game; however, I have recently learned the set once belonged to my Grandma Rodgers. She used to play the game with her three sisters. I had no idea. It just makes me wish we still had it now.

The only reason I have given the game any thought recently was because my fiancé, Tim, and I tried and failed to arrange a family outing to the golf course. It just wasn’t going to work out. That’s when Tim mentioned if we had a croquet set, we could play that in the backyard instead.

I immediately acquired a cheap, but adequate set and gave it to Tim for his birthday. He loved it. We took it with us on a visit to my parents, and we played with my siblings. My dad was excited. He got up early and did some research, wanting to find the official rules and proper course setup. Did you know Wimbledon was originally a Croquet Club? I didn’t either but Dad found that in his research. The All England Croquet Club was formed in the late 1850s. The lawns were converted into tennis courts in the 1870s, and the rest as they say is history.

But I digress.

That first day was fun. We were all equally bad, but by the second and third round, we were improving. Tim and I brought the set with us for Memorial Day Weekend. We had my parents backyard all set with outdoor fun. We grilled out, ate watermelon, played bags and of course, croquet. The set was only for six players so we had to improvise with a few old baseballs Mom and Dad had laying around the house to get all eight of us into the game.  What a fantastic weekend it turned out to be.

Now, Tim says he has a badminton set he really wants me to try out. I’m just hoping all those skills Mr. Kopriva taught me aren’t too rusty when we do.

Contact Pam Rodgers
at prodgers@newtondailynews.com