"Polingo"

When I was younger, there was an outdoor game that kids around seemed to enjoy very much. I don’t see it being played around anymore; I guess the internet, cable tv, online gaming, and movie streaming apps have taken over much of our outdoor activities. The game was called Polingo. I don’t know if it was created by the kids in my community or if it was derived from a sport played in another part of the world. Polingo is a simple game both in the rules and methods of play. All one needed to score a point was to get the rope wrapped completely around the pole.

The sport was a two-man game. The equipment were pretty basic; a strong wooden or metal pole, a small ball, a wooden bat and a rope. The pole is dug into the ground and at the top of the pole, the rope is tied. The small ball is attached to the other end of the rope. The two opponents, each holding a wooden bat that could look vaguely like a table tennis bat, would stand on either side of the pole. The first player holds the ball and hits it with the aim of making it wrap clockwise around the pole while his opponent tries to hit the ball anti-clockwise. Whoever gets to wrap the rope and ball around the pole in their chosen direction is declared the winner.

It could be a rather lengthy sweaty game. The players would be sweating and laughing hard as they both hit the flailing ball again and again. Tall folks with longer limbs always got ahead in the game but anyone who understood how to manipulate the ball and the rope could get a win. I think it is a game that could be resurrected and developed into a proper source of much-needed exercise for children and adults alike. I sure would like to give it a try right now. I'm quite fed up with gym exercises that are purely functional and no fun at all.