There are many sports, or variation of sports and games, to play outside the traditional games that get recognition.
The winter season provides many difficult sporting situations for those who want to play a specific activity and are tired of playing the same old traditional sports. Heck, even if you are just looking for a new game to play, this is a good place to start.
Pioneerball
If you are suffering from a routine-sports syndrome, pioneerball is the game for you.
All you need to play is a volleyball net and a volleyball. Pioneerball is a variation of volleyball that requires anywhere from six to 18 players, making two teams of three to eight players.
One player throws the ball over the net to begin the game. A player on the other side must catch the ball without it hitting the ground.
“The best part was being able to catch the ball and slam it down,” said Zak Miller, a sophomore general education major from St. George. “It’s very similar to volleyball except you can catch the ball and throw it.”
According to the rules found on Wikipedia, that player must throw the ball back over the net without taking more than three steps. Within the group Miller played with, the rules were slightly different. The player could pass the ball to a teammate, but the ball could only be touched by three teammates before crossing the net again.
“It could be a great winter sport because you can play it indoors,” Miller said.
Breanne Woodbury, a senior psychology major from Hurricane, said she disagrees with it being a good winter sport because of the indoor court. She said it is more fun outside in the sand because of the challenge it offers.
“Pioneerball is fun because it is fast-paced and competitive,” said Woodbury “The best part is when you make a really cool play. (I like to) throw it to the outside corner (so) the (other) team can’t (catch) it.”
If you don’t think pioneerball is fast-paced enough, throw in a second ball.
Two players start the game by throwing the ball from each side to the opposite team for a serve. If both balls are on the same side of the court being held, the other team scores a point.
For variations of volleyball, search Wikipedia.
Wave
Hide-and-seek just got a little bit harder for the seeker.
Wave is a game for those who miss the good days of elementary school when they would play hide-and-seek during recess. Wave provides the same sensation, but it has a twist. If you are tagged, you won’t have to necessarily just sit in the designated jail area. All it takes is a little wave from a free friend and you’re safe to leave the jail.
First, you will need to designate a place to have the jail. It is better to have a place that is central to the hiding boundaries to make it more interesting because if the jailed players can see the boundaries well, they will have more of a chance to see someone wave.
Now you have to choose who will be the first seeker. The seeker will count to a certain number and then start searching for everyone.
“The person who is (seeking) has to go find every person, and when (he or she) finds a person, (the seeker) has to guess the person’s name correctly,” Woodbury said.
The hiders will obviously be hiding, but if they have a good enough spot where they won’t be found, it might not help anyone out. If everyone is caught outside of one hider, that hider needs to wave at the prisoners to save them. This is what makes it difficult for the seeker because his or her goal is to catch as many people without losing them as possible.
There are plenty of rules that can be added or taken out, depending on how long you want the game to go. Some groups of players like to play where the seeker has to physically touch the hider. This makes it interesting because the hider can then run from the seeker. If you don’t want to run much, you can just play that if the seeker is close enough, he or she can say the hiders’ names and make them go to jail.
The game ends when the seeker finds everybody or finds the same person three times. Either the first person caught or the person caught three times is the seeker for the next game.
“I like getting out of my hiding place to go wave at people to get them out of jail and then go back and hide without getting caught,” Woodbury said.
