Four-Square

[Rain Man]

Okay, so I was passing by an elementary school the other day, and since I didn't have any candy in the car I didn't stop. But as I drove by, I noticed some kids playing four square.

How does that game survive? I remember being invited to play it when I was six or seven, and after about five minutes I thought "Heck with this. I'm doing something else."

On the other hand, I strongly coveted those red kickballs when I was a little kid. They were such a versatile piece of equipment - kickball, dodgeball, and for the less-coordinated, four square. God, I wanted one of those balls, but I don't think that a civilian could even buy them. I never saw one for sale at the store. I think the military delivered them, and they were part of some huge government program or something.

But anyway, is there something about four square that I missed? Was there a version of the game that was more challenging than bounce-catch-bounce-catch?

[FAX]

I long for the innocent days of youth when we children filled our summers with the joys of kicking a goat spleen full of lead.

FAX

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by FAX

I long for the innocent days of youth when we children filled our summers with the joys of kicking a goat spleen full of lead.

FAX

You had it too easy. When I was a kid, we removed our own spleens and filled them with lead.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by JimNasium

Were they those big, red-laced hiking boots or square-toed cowboy boots? I never could quite figure out those red-laced hiking boots. They weighed in at at least 20 pounds a boot. I figured the most I could go in those things would be a quarter-mile before I collapsed from exhaustion.

Actually, they were harness boots (See illustration below, but without the Harley logo). Those things were all the rage in the early 1970s, and this kid was ahead of the trend.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by Katipan

reb rubber balls?

for kickball?

pillowbiter!

we used soccer balls.

Ha. Soccer was unheard of in our tiny little town. I was probably in high school before I saw a soccer ball in real life. We wouldn't let the girls play either.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by kepp

Ha. Soccer was unheard of in our tiny little town. I was probably in high school before I saw a soccer ball in real life. We wouldn't let the girls play either.

Yeah, I don't think soccer had been invented back when I was playing kickball. I grew up in a much more manly era than kids today.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yeah, I don't think soccer had been invented back when I was playing kickball. I grew up in a much more manly era than kids today.

And then there were the kids that my wife grew up with in private school in the "Hills" in L.A. They just paid the public school kids to come and play for them.