TETHER BALL

The same as tether tennis, which see.

TETHER TENNIS

This game has been developed out of lawn tennis.  A wooden pole extending 10 feet above the surface is placed in a vertical position and firmly imbedded in the ground.  The pole must be 7-1/2 inches in circumference at the ground and may taper to the top.  Six feet above the ground a black band 2 inches wide is painted around the pole.  The court is a smooth piece of sod or clay similar to a tennis court, but a piece of ground 20 feet square is sufficient.

At the base of the pole a circle is described with a 3-foot radius.  A line 20 feet long bisects this circle, and 6 feet from the pole on each side are two crosses, which are known as service crosses.

An ordinary tennis ball is used which has been fitted with a tight-fitting linen cover.  The ball is fastened to the pole by means of a piece of heavy braided line.  Ordinary heavy fish line will do.  The ball should hang 7-1/2 feet from the top of the pole or 2-1/2 feet from the ground.  Regulation tennis rackets are used.

The game consists in endeavouring to wind the ball and string around the pole above the black mark in a direction previously determined.  The opponent meanwhile tries to prevent this and to wind the ball in the opposite direction by striking it as one would volley in tennis.

Each player must keep in his own court.  The points are scored as “fouls.”  Eleven games constitute a set.  A game is won when the string is completely wound around the pole above the black mark.  The penalty for a foul, such as stepping outside of one’s court, allowing the string to wind around the handle of the racket or around the pole below the black mark, provides for a free hit by one’s opponent.

THREE-LEGGED RACING

A race in which the contestants are paired off by being strapped together at the ankles and thighs.  Remarkable speed can be obtained by practice under this handicap.  There are definite rules to govern three-legged races, and official harness may be bought from sporting goods outfitters.  As a race, however, it is like sack racing, to be classed among the sports designed to afford amusement rather than as a display of skill.

TUB RACING

These races are often held in shallow lakes.  Each contestant sits in a wash tub, and by using his hands as paddles endeavours to paddle the course first.  As a wash tub is not a particularly seaworthy craft, and spills are of frequent occurrence, it is well for the tub racers also to know how to swim.

VOLLEY BALL

This game is extremely simple and may be played by any number of players, provided that there is space and that the sides are evenly divided.  The best dimensions for a volley ball court are 25 feet wide and 50 feet long, but any square space evenly divided into two courts will do.  The game consists of twenty-one points.