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List of all Articles in Sports
Here you can browse through a list of all the article titles in this category, or maybe search for an article that you have seen before and want to read again.
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Confessions of a Stream Angler
A HeartlandOutdoorsman.com Production..... (Leave this intact as it is considered permission to reproduce) The routine hadn't changed much in the last 30 years or so. A typical Saturday morning would find Frank Malone rising well before...
How do I choose a scuba and snorkeling mask?
Your basic scuba masks consist of a silicon seal that acts as a suction on your face preventing water from entering. What are the MOST IMPORTANT things look for in buying a scuba mask or snorkeling mask? The mask is a long term investment. With...
How Will He Run Today?
A Horse's past performaces are the main cirteria that a handicapper looks at when deciding on his bets. Considering other aspects of the horse and race, the handicapper can not just rely on past performances and "Speed Figures." Countless factors...
Outdoor Batting Cages
Batting cages are a crucial ingredient in any baseball or softball training regimen. They are used both by batting coaches and by recreational athletes to help improve a batter's speed and accuracy in hitting a ball. Outdoor batting cages are a...
Why Coach Soccer? And How To Have Fun.
Warren Buffet might not know soccer, but when he said, "Tell me your heroes and I'll tell you how your life will end up", he was onto something. When it comes to coaching, everyone wants a say but few are willing to turn their words into...
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Croquet - A Gentleman’s Sport?
George Gershwin, an early American musical genius, transformed public opinion on a style of music that was up until that time found mainly in such “unrepeatable” places as bars and speak-easies. The uniquely American sounds of early jazz received a broad new audience with the advent of Gershwin’s phenomenal hit orchestration, Rhapsody in Blue. Almost single-handedly he brought a “tavern sound” of ragtime to the mainstream public and can now be found in high-brow music collections.
Like pre-Gershwin jazz, Croquet in its early days kept some unruly company. In the 1890’s Croquet at the Boston Common, one of the United State’s oldest public parks, gathered gambling, drinking and licentious crowds. Boston clergymen decried this filthy behavior, which tainted Croquet’s image as a public sport.
Croquet in the United States began as a watered-down version of the courtlier British Commonwealth 6-wicket Croquet. This posh sport was and is still played among the Brits on neatly cut greens similar to those found on golf courses. Heavier wooden mallets and balls are necessary to obtain high accuracy. Intense skill and strategy were aspects of 6-wicket Croquet that the US version did not contain at first. Garden Croquet, as it is known (among other aliases), has remained popular in the US since its introduction over a hundred years ago. US players though, considered it more of a light hearted game than a sport and thus failed to maintain the high status of the English 6-wicket.
It was not until the late 1970’s that the United States began to capture on a widespread basis the original essence of Croquet. Finally it had regained it standing and elegance as a refined sport through a bit of effort by Jack Osborn in 1977. Despite its small beginnings, Osborn’s United States Croquet Association has grown to include nearly 10,000 croquet players playing across the US and Canada on over 600 well-groomed lawns. While Croquet the garden game still enjoys a large following in the U.S., there is also now room for players who are passionate about the more competitive type of croquet that includes deep skill and focus.
Both versions of the game can be purchased and participated in by those interested in this British construction. The milder form of Croquet is great for family reunions, company parties, birthday parties and other get-togethers. The classy 6-wicket Croquet is typically played in clubs where membership fees can pay to maintain the manicured greens. With well documented rules for both versions one can easily learn how to play Croquet at any level, although it may be preferable for beginners to start with a more basic set of rules. A simpler version of the game called Golf Croquet can be easily learned and game time can be as short as 30 minutes. Domestic and international rules apply to club and tournament play and slightly differ from one another.
Croquet has truly transformed into a gentlemen’s, and for that matter, a lady’s sport, requiring physical skills similar to those found in billiards and golf, yet the strategic mind of a chess player. George Gershwin would be proud to see the progress of Croquet in America and perhaps even respect the mainstream attention that it has received, I’m sure he was a croquet enthusiast.
About the Author
Ryan Mendenhall is a yard game enthusiast with http://www.Kubbin.com – “The place for the Swedish Game Kubb”. For more information about Croquet and Croquet Sets please visit http://www.PlayCroquet.com
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