'PK chewing gum, penny a packet, first you chew it, then you crack it, then you stick it on your jacket…" That rhyme has been stuck in my brain for the past six hours like a well masticated piece of chuggie – so I'm sorry, but I don't see why anyone else should be spared.
It's what we used to sing as children as we threw tennis balls at whichever flat surface (and in one doomed experiment, the small, fragile window next to our back door) we could find, adding more balls and throwing faster until we won the envy and ad
miration of our peers, dropped a ball, or fell over. Anything could happen. I haven't gone to the lengths of getting my hands on a couple of tennis balls yet, but it may happen soon…
What has provoked this trip down memory lane to the land of childhood games and foul-tasting confectionery? The news that double-dutch skipping is to be officially recognised as a 'varsity' sport in New York City schools as of next spring. This means there will be teams, strips and leagues. Hell, it's America we're talking about, there will probably be cheerleaders, multimillion dollar sponsorship deals and scholarships that will catapult expert rope-jumpers through Ivy League educations.
The official aim of elevating the game – believed to have been first played by Dutch settlers in the US but named by the British – to varsity status is to encourage schoolchildren, particularly girls, to participate in competitive athletics. Given our national problem with childhood obesity and the growing awareness that sitting in front of a games console or PC for hours each day might not lead to active, healthy lifestyles, maybe it's time we looked across the pond for some tips. But which games should be brought back?
I was never any good at skipping – nerves (and fear of being whipped by a cold, wet rope) meant I'd always jump in too quickly and tentatively. I used to insist on turning the rope to avoid the ignominy of it all. I do recall being rather good at marbles, though. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I coulda been a contender if only marbles was a sport that was encouraged. Or in any way good for you. Let's face it, even when marbles reaches a peak of excitement – usually when a favoured, lethal bully (of the glass variety) was being deployed – it could never be called 'athletic'. Hunched up on all fours, with only thumbs required, safe to say it's even less of a dexterity sport than darts.
But as we worry about the squeeze on school playing fields and the tyranny of health and safety concerns (you'll take someone's eye out with that Lolo ball!), lots of playground games have been lost and forgotten. Now may be the time to resurrect them. And yes, for the boy at my school whose lung was punctured in a particularly committed game of leap-frog, some safety concerns are probably legitimate, but children have got to play.
According to Play Scotland, as well as being good for their physical health, play also teaches them how to share, take turns, develop self-discipline and be tolerant of others. Not quite my memory of British Bulldog, but there we have it.
In the educational stakes, hopscotch, or peevers if you'd prefer, comes out tops, I reckon. Development of spatial awareness is vital in drawing out the squares on the ground; hand-eye co-ordination is required to throw the stone accurately and then there's the physical dexterity needed to hop up and down. (If you think it sounds easy – try hopping. The last time I did it, granted after a glass or two of wine, I thought my knee was going to give out). At this point I must state that The Scotsman takes no responsibility for any injuries sustained as you reacquaint yourself with this playground classic.
For steely nerves, perhaps conkers is the way to go? Not only would it involve painstaking preparation as they search for the right, rock-solid match-winner, it would give children a chance to get reacquainted with nature. Recent reports suggest that lots of children struggle to identify certain types of tree, though funnily enough they seldom struggle with logos and trademarks: who needs to know how to recognise an oak tree if you can spot the golden arches from a mile away?
If we were to adopt the varsity model and bring back childhood classics, just think of the possibilities. Conkers leagues sponsored by Sarsons Malt Vinegar, hospital tig teams sponsored by BUPA, elastics (we never called it French skipping in my day) play-offs sponsored by Marks & Spencer (their knicker elastic was always best).
Scotland has been worrying about its sporting prowess of late, but this is surely the way to build a nation of elite athletes keen to take on the fiercest competition, single-minded in their desire to win. Or, we could give rise to a generation yelling 'the gemme's a bogie'. Either way, it sounds like a winner to me.
The full article contains 858 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
