|
|
|
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.
If you can't find what you're looking for here then why not try our related categories section.
Advantages Of A Gym Exercise Equipment
Now is a good season for the health conscious to check up on the latest in gym exercise equipment. A wide variety of gym exercise equipment is available in the market each designed to tone the specific part of the body. So for that lasting...
Air Soft Guns - Everything You Need to Know
The sport of air soft has been all the rage the last few years, and its growth shows no signs of slowing any time soon. But don’t let the name of the sport fool you. An air soft gun shoots BBs at speeds that can easily cause serious injury. If...
Golf and Fishing what have they got in common?
Golf and fishing could not be more different but they both have something in common and that being is, how they give enjoyment and pleasure to all who participate in the sport. For most people they are hobbies and for others it is how they make...
Inline Skates and Exercise Benefits
Inline Skates and Exercise Benefits http://www.popularfitness.com Inline skating is a fun way to get in shape and stay fit especially on warm sunny days when it's a lot more enjoyable to exercise outdoors than on a treadmill or exercise bike...
Sports - Great Golf Tips For Beginners
Tips for Golf Beginners
If you have played golf a couple of times, you know how
addictive it can be. Golf is a great game, but it can be
complex. Here are some tips to get acquainted with the game of
golf as well as equipment that is needed...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|