Baltimore is full of unusual opportunities to get out and have a good time. A few weeks ago I joined a skeeball league organized by Baltimore Barskee and it’s been a blast!
For those of you not familiar with skeeball, it’s an arcade game invented in 1909 that’s similar to bowling. The player rolls a small, heavy ball up a short, inclined lane with the intention of getting the ball into one of the holes to score as many points as possible. The easier-reached holes have lower point values and the more difficult (higher) placed holes are worth more points.
In league play, two teams play a best of seven series at side-by-side machines. Each player rolls 3 balls until the game is finished and the first team to win 4 games wins that match.
I signed up as a free agent and was placed on a team with other free agents. The league assigned us green t-shirts and after some discussion, we settled on the team name of Green Machine. A few of the other teams incorporated skeeball into their team titles and are now known as Skee Patrol, BackSkeet Girls, etc. While some of us (okay, me) arrived with very little athleticism or skeeball experience, other members of my team brought natural ability and well-honed rolling skills.
Since it is skeeball, playing is competitive, but good natured. Players are encouranged to shake hands or high five after a match and socialize with other teams by joining a game of flipcup or trivia while waiting to play.
At our last match, my teammate Dan had a great idea. We were losing badly to the other team and had no chance of winning. Dan suggested we try for the 100 point holes at the far upper corners of the machine. It’s a gutsy move, since going for those holes can result in very low point values if you miss. With nothing to lose, the pressure was off and we all felt better about taking a risk. Surprisingly, a few of us scored 100 pointers!
So, what did I take away from this?
1. Competition is a good thing-it pushes us to bring our A-game and keeps the adrenaline pumping!
2. Take a risk every now and then, what have you really got to lose?
3. Sportsmanship is key-having a good attitude keeps everyone in good spirits
4. Fun and Games are not just for kids-there are leagues and clubs out there for kickball, badminton, bocce and all sorts of activities you would not expect to find in an organized format
Someday there might even be a Teltek skeeball team. We are all about friendly competition and bringing our A-game to work every single day. That’s how we roll 😉
Tell me what else is out there? What fun group activities do you play to stay active and young at heart?