It’s All Fun and Games

HEAD OUTSIDE WITH LOCAL LAWN GAME ENTHUSIASTS

By Chelsea Risley

Photography by Ryan Long & Jered Scott/Volume Collective

On Location at Chanticleer Inn Bed & Breakfast and Moxy Chattanooga

Games of all kinds ranging from badminton to giant Jenga are an idyllic way to spend time with family and friends in the backyard, especially in the South, where good weather can be found nearly year-round. Whether you’re seriously competitive or just serious about having fun, read on for the stories behind some of the most widely beloved games – croquet, cornhole, bocce, and pétanque – plus tips and tidbits from local lawn game enthusiasts.

Cornhole

There are many possible origins of cornhole and many impassioned supporters of each legend. Some say the game was invented by members of the Blackhawk tribe in Illinois, others contend it was a farmer in Kentucky, and still others credit a German cabinet-maker in the 1300s with popularizing the game in Europe. One version of that story claims that German immigrants brought it to Cincinnati, Ohio, where its popularity took off in the U.S.

Perhaps the most evidence-based theory is that cornhole evolved from a game called Parlor Quoits, patented in 1883 by Heyliger de Windt, which consisted of a slanted board with a square hole. The game has had many iterations since then and is called by many things – bean bag toss, bags, baggo, hillbilly toss, to name a few –but its popularity today can arguably be traced back to a 1974 Popular Mechanics article detailing how to build your own “Bean-bag bull’s-eye.”

The game has ballooned from a casual pastime to a professional sport with the founding of the American Cornhole League (ACL) in 2016. As the official governing body of cornhole in the U.S., it establishes the regulations and hosts tournaments for amateurs, pros, college students, and kids. ESPN began airing cornhole starting in 2017, and the ACL hopes to grow the sport worldwide and eventually make it an Olympic sport.

Of course, it’s still the perfect backyard party or tailgating activity. “The original intent of the game was to have fun,” says Chris Lusk, who has played cornhole locally for years. “The opportunity for meeting new folks with a similar passion for the game is one of the things I have enjoyed most. Whether it’s learning something about the game from a different perspective, or just learning about another person, it’s always a meaningful experience.”

The Trickiest Skills

Garnet Chapin

The croquet jump shot requires the player make their ball “jump” into the air to clear another ball between theirs and the wicket. I regard it to be something of an art, and it inevitably elicits a rousing cheer from all of the players and spectators.

Chris Lusk

In cornhole, airmail shots are when you throw the bag directly into the hole without touching the board. I feel it takes the most precision of any shot taken.

Frank Knight

The trickiest bocce skill to perfect would be what we would call touch, or the "punta" roll – rolling the ball at the speed necessary to get as close as possible to the target ball, the pallino.

Ken Chance

There are two basic skills in pétanque: pointing, placing your thrown ball (or boule) close to the target ball (the cochonnet); and shooting, throwing your boule to displace an opponent’s boule or the cochonnet. Learning to point with consistency takes the longest to learn. Shooting is showy, but pointing is the dominant skill.

There is much debate about how and where croquet originally came to be. The game as we know it today is said to have evolved from a French game, paille-maille, which was played as early as the 13th century and was later introduced in England in the 16th century. In paille-maille, or pall-mall in English, a wooden mallet was used to hit a ball through a hoop, and to score, the ball had to touch a peg. The concept grew from there, and modern-day croquet includes a series of wickets that must be played through in a certain order.

Though the rules can vary by country, in the United States, casual lawn croquet is played with nine wickets and two stakes. Competitive croquet is played with only six wickets and one stake in the center of the court, and it requires heavier equipment and much shorter wickets. A standard court is 100 feet by 50 feet, though you can pick up a set and adjust the court size to play in any flat grassy area, as long as there are six feet between each stake and its nearest wicket. The game can be played in singles or doubles, and wicket scores are made by passing a ball through the right wicket in the right direction and sequence. Local croquet aficionado, Garnet Chapin, enjoys the friendly competition, but always keeps the main goal in mind – “though we all want to be on the winning team, everyone is having fun!”

Like many lawn games, croquet is wonderful for building community –Chapin explains that he’s “refreshed old

ALL-STAR MOMENTS & MEMORIES

Garnet Chapin

I was playing with Chattanooga friends at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach and took lessons from their pro on the jump shot. My favorite method was to face away from the ball and strike down on the ball to make it jump over the obstructing ball and through the wicket. On the final strike, I was able to jump over my opponent’s ball for the win. Our loud cheering may have interrupted the decorum of the National Center, but it was great fun!

Chris Lusk

There have been many. But, I would have to say probably winning my first cornhole tournament. It was a small local tournament, nothing big, but it was still pretty cool to win. Admittedly, it was mostly due to my partner though.

Frank Knight

My favorite memories are of the annual tournaments that were once held at Bluff View Bocce Court. A couple of Italian Americans from Chicago and Boston ran the tournament, and it was great to meet them and learn more about bocce from them.

Ken Chance

One year I went with friends to Mondial la Marseillaise à Pétanque, the world championship of pétanque in Marseilles. Eventually the final two teams met in the main stadium, with 20,000 or so watching. Every boule throw was awaited with absolute silence, and then met with gasps, applause, shouting, groans of sympathy – it was clear that every single person in attendance themselves played. What sporting event does one ever attend where every spectator is also an avid player?