No. 513 : The winners
Charles Seaton reports: Competitors were invited to invent a new game expressly designed to reverse the present trend in international sport and promote amity rather than enmity. Judging from the entries, this was harder than it looked, and most entries overlooked the international angle. The principle of prizes all round as in the caucus race was less popular than I had expected, though kissing all round found a certain amount of favour. Competitors who thought physical con- tact a source of conflict suggested a variety of means of avoiding it. E. 0. Parrott wins thiee guineas for his: Graciousness and courtesy are the main characteristics of Pat-a-ball, in which two teams pat a soft rubber beach-ball towards two pat-a- nets. No player is allowed within one yard of any other player. To ensure this rule is carried out players wear a kind of plastic cartwheel of the requisite diameter, the hub of the wheel going round the player's waist. Fairy lights on the wheel light up if a player 'touches' another player, whose team are then entitled to a free pat.
Several of the games had attractive titles, though they did not always live up to their promise. I liked Dorothy Brown's 'Cortesia' and G. J. Blundell's 'Out of the Slough.' Edward Samson wins my other prize of three guineas for his 'Amitathlon': The object of Amitathlon, suggested by the Security Council of Uno, and PALS (Peoples Association of Loveworthy Sports), is to sub- stitute humane sportsmanship for violent com- petitiveness. Two groups participate: the Samaritans, athletically successful (preferably bronze or gold medallists); the Limpodogs, physically unsuited to major athletics, or,.at the time, suffering such disabilities as torn muscles, untimely sex-change or are temperamentally chronic losers.
A course is laid out with stiles at regular intervals. At the release of a dove the Samari- tans rush to the first stile to await the Limpo- dogs who limp, hobble, or otherwise reach the stiles, over which the Samaritans help as many of them as possible. This is repeated at each stile until the course is completed. Nobody wins or loses but the greatest number of Limpo- dogs to finish are (at a signal) applauded, and, each Samaritan receives a miniature plastic halo.
Previous page
