Tennis Ball Olympics - Family Version

Here are some tips for the less active who wish to participate in competitive events, events that may never make it into the real Olympics. The up front investment is nearly insignificant which will make it easier for the Third World counties to train and then participate. So far there are only 2 Tennis Ball events; no doubt there are others which will surface once word gets around.

The first Tennis Ball Olympic event requires the purchase of one canister of tennis balls; that’s takes into consideration that most people already own a sofa, loveseat, couch or an arm chair. This is an indoor event requiring limited preparation. Empty all three tennis balls from the canister, place the empty canister in the crook of a chair with the open end up at approximately 45 degrees, step off a set distance to the other side of the room where all contestants are able to gently toss the tennis balls in an arch with the goal of having it land inside the now empty canister. Sounds simple enough; however, there are various levels of competition from “beginner” to “journeyman” depending on how much of the canister has been submerged into the seat cushion. Oddly enough, the three tennis balls which came out of the canister are exactly the number of tennis balls used for each round of competition.

The second Tennis Ball Olympic event is an outdoor competition requiring a two story house with obstructions such as a chimney or other similar object, a dog’s water bowl and, needless to say, at least one tennis ball. Fill the dog’s bowl with water, step off a distance to create a difficult bank shot off of the second floor roof or wall necessitating a blind portion where the ball goes behind an obstruction such as a chimney and then permits a perfect shot to land in the bowl. Half a point is awarded if the ball bounces on the ground and then into the bowl, a full point for catching only “air” and a bonus point is awarded if some innocent bystander happens to get splashed while walking past; but only if that person looks up and asks, “Hey, what are you guys doing?”, as the ball lands in the water.

I’m sure that there are many variations which will accommodate most any setting; the point is it shouldn’t cost a fortune to have some mindless entertainment and competition. Think of it, thousands of folks standing in line waiting for a chance to purchase one of those new X-Box 360’s and all they really need is a canister of tennis balls.