Sinister: so you've never played duck duck goose before?
Kieran Devaney
antipopconsortium at xxx.com
Sat Jun 29 18:25:40 BST 2002
Dear Sinister,
The people across the road are gardening. Not the ones with no plantlife in
their front garden (I think Ive mentioned this before, they stripped it
completely bare two summers ago and have left it like that since. I blame
the dad of the family, who can sometimes be seen standing just outside his
front gate watching the sky turn from grey to orange, as if thinking
Neither flora nor fauna shall pass my steely gaze nature was mine to
conquer, and conquered her I have!), but the other ones, the ones that
dont have a back garden, just a back yard. Ive been bowling, but I didnt
win. We played with the bumpers up, so you arent supposed to be able to get
the ball into there, but I managed that a couple of times anyway. However,
Im not here to talk about mindless pedestrian dross like bowling or
gardening, oh no. Instead I am both proud and excited to present:
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO DUCK DUCK GOOSE version 1.0
INTRODUCTION
Although association football may have surpassed duck duck goose as our
nations favourite pastime, this most noble of sports still has a place in
the hearts and minds of young and old and is still practiced regularly in
parks, playgrounds, gymnasiums and clubhouses across the land. Regarding why
the sport seems to have fallen out of favour with the mainstream media is a
question to wide and contentious to address properly here, but suffice to
say that there are far more people playing duck duck goose than you are
likely to hear about on the six oclock news. But Im getting ahead of
myself since this guide should serve newcomers to the sport as well as
seasoned professionals, and so I shall begin by giving an overview on the
game, and talk a little about its history and the benefits of playing. Duck
duck goose was founded in 1721 in the little village of Truro in Cornwall,
which lies on the south coast of England. Credit for the invention of the
game is a much-debated subject, with most people being of the belief that it
was first played under the guidance of J. William Blaverstock on Truro
village green, and the event is recorded in his diary entry for the 7th July
1721:
when I chanced upon an idea for a new gamme, which we sette about playing
on the greene for severel hours. I call the gamme duck duck duck goose and
much frivolity ensused when the gamme was struck up
The extra duck in the sports name was eventually dropped in 1863 at the
behest of Mallard Cookson, chairman of the Professional Association of Duck
Duck Duck Goose Players of England at the time, of course this change lead
to a change in the name of the association as well, and the game has
remained unchanged ever since. That Blaverstock was at the first game of
duck duck goose is not questioned, but doubts have been cast over whether he
did, in fact, invent the game, and various other accounts point to Rev.
Patrick Monahan as the creator. Those interested in pursuing this debate
will be pleased to know that a lengthy article can be found on our website
http://www.duckduckgooseassociation.org/media/blaverstock.html
Duck duck goose is a game like no other on Earth. It requires skill,
strategy, fitness, poise and sportsmanship in healthy doses to be
successful, and yet even the most unskilled can, and indeed are encouraged
to participate. It is an easy game to learn, and can be played at all
levels, but to master it takes years of dedication just ask Pierre
Dutronc, current world champion:
I started playing when I was just six years old, but something about the
game made me keep coming back and when I learned of the professional
leagues, nothing could hold me back. I played every day, kept on training
and after many years I became champion. It was the best day of my life, and
I hope I can repeat it next year.
HOW TO PLAY
Duck duck goose is one of the most versatile sports on the planet, since it
does not require a specific number of people, nor a specific playing area,
neither does it require special equipment or clothing, but specialist duck
duck goose shoes, hats and protective guards are available from most good
sports shops, or via our website. However, there are a few guidelines you
should follow to ensure a successful game. Firstly, having the right amount
of players is essential debates have raged on for years over the optimum
number for a game, and current tournaments generally play with 23 players,
but we suggest playing with somewhere between 10 and 40 participants. Less
than ten and the game becomes repetitive and tiring, more than forty and it
becomes unwieldy and people get left out. Anyone, young or old can play, and
mixed games are also not unknown, so the makeup of your group is entirely up
to you. Once you have your group together, then finding the right surface to
play on is also imperative duck duck goose clubs will often have their own
specially constructed pitches, but accessing these is not always practical
and so we suggest an even surface that isnt too slippery, but which is also
large enough to comfortably accommodate your game Ive heard too many
stories of serious accidents and even deaths resulting from playing in
overly tight areas, so be careful and choose wisely.
Once you have your group together, and have found a surface then youre
ready to start playing! Arrange yourselves into a rough circle and sit down
try to intersperse more athletic or experienced players evenly around the
circle to that the talent is fairly distributed, nothing is more
disheartening than rivalries resulting from an unbalanced circle. When this
is done a starting player must be chosen often someone will volunteer, but
if there is more than one volunteer, or none at all then a player must be
chosen at random. We suggest picking numbers, dice or drawing straws, though
association accredited duck duck goose official spinners are available from
our website. The chosen player then stands up and the circle tightens to
fill up the space they have vacated. He or she then commences a
circumnavigation of the playing area (tournament play is anti-clockwise, but
for non official games, then either direction is fine. But bear in mind that
once a game starts the direction of flow CANNOT be changed committing this
offence whether by accident or intentionally results in immediate
disqualification from the game). The player touches the head of each member
of the circle as they pass, saying either duck or goose. If duck is
chosen then the player carries on around the circle until they choose
someone as the goose. When goose is said, the player immediately starts
running around the circle, in an attempt to complete one full circuit, at
which point they sit down in the place of the goose, whose task it is to
rise from their place in the circle and chase the player. If the player is
caught in this chase then they must continue being the player, and the game
starts again. However, if the player completes the circuit and successfully
takes the gooses place in the circle, then the goose adopts the role of the
player and the game restarts like that, and continues thusly.
The amount of time that a game should take is another contentious issue, and
current championship games consist of two halves of twenty minutes each, the
makeup of the circle is changed completely for the second half. More casual
games can be ended whenever the players wish, and do not necessarily have to
stop if one or more players wishes to retire. As I type this the Grimsby
duck duck goose club are attempting to get into the record books by playing
the longest continuous game of duck duck goose ever at the moment theyve
been playing for a year and ten minutes, but they still have a long way to
go to be the Reykjavik clubs long standing current record of four years,
seven months, one week, two days, eight hours, twenty three minutes and
sixteen seconds.
The beauty of duck duck goose is that there are no winners or losers, and
everyone gets something from the game, whether its the glory of having the
most catches or successful runs, or just the unsurpassed sense of community
and brotherhood that playing can bring. Ive heard tell of dozens of
marriages that have started with a simple game of duck duck goose, long lost
siblings who have met at clubs and whole hosts of friends brought together
at clubs and games for the benefit of all. The power of the game was
celebrated by Japanese poet Basho Matsuo in haiku form, the original copy of
which is now framed and hung in the great hall at the Duck duck goose
association building in London:
Balance looks eastward
The children play duck duck goose
Tea swirls in its cup
STRATEGY
Although duck duck goose can naively be seen as a purely physical game, a
newcomer to the sport will often be daunted by the complex strategies
employed by experienced players to outwit his or her opponents. This short,
and by no means comprehensive strategy guide is intended to help beginners
with their game, though it is advised that you play a few games before
reading to get a feel for the game, so that these strategies do not cloud
your playing.
1. The Speedy Goose
When your turn comes around, most people will settle back as you start your
circumnavigation thinking youll do at least one full circuit to size up
each player. However, if youre confident enough, calling goose very early
on in your round, even on the first person you come to can be an excellent
surprise tactic which should give you a good headstart for your run.
2. The Sleeping Goose
The opposite of the above tactic, while most championship games impose a
three-minute time limit on each players round, for more casual games you
can spend even longer going around the circle, until everyone is quite bored
with you and has become quite lethargic, then you strike! It will take your
goose some seconds to recover from their drowsiness, by which time you
should already be halfway back round. Time limits were introduced to the
game in 1931, when Russian player Sergi Yevkenov spent a little over eight
hours going round the circle, his chosen goose had fallen asleep by this
time, and did not even get up or give chase an offence which saw him being
disqualified from the game, and Yevkenov becoming Russias only World
Champion to date. Another advantage of this tactic is that it allows you
time to recover energy after running.
3. The Double Goose Return
When youre the player, if you have previously given chase and failed, or
been caught by faster sprinters, but think you have better stamina it is
often a good tactic to pick the person who chose you as goose, or who caught
you previously again a second time. They will be as tired as you are after
the run, putting you on a relatively level setting and you stand a better
chance of evading them. Repeatedly picking the same player even if you keep
getting caught is not very sporting, although it can be an amusing tactic,
and often will force the goose into submission, though dont be surprised if
someone beaten by this tactic then starts employing it on you when theyre
the player. A tactic to be employed sparingly since it works only at the
exclusion of the rest of the group.
4. The Weakened Goose
Any savvy player will know at least a little about all their opponents
before entering a game, and while picking the slowest player during your
turn will not present much of a challenge for you it will greatly increase
you chances of re-entering the circle. Fat or weak players are essential to
any game, for a floundering or tired player to have a rest, and they can
later be let win so that more skilled players can enter the game. A word
of advice: try not to play with people who are all faster and better than
you or you will end up as the weakened goose, or runt as they are known in
professional circles. Also, try not to make it too obvious who is the runt
of the game, since them knowing is often conducive to them not playing.
CONCLUSION
Id like first to thank everyone who helped me with this guide, or
contributed to it in any way, especially the fine people who run our website
http://www.duckduckgooseassociation.org I hope it will encourage more of you
to take up duck duck goose, either as a casual hobby or something more
serious (though as many of our regulars will tell you, one can quite quickly
develop into the other!). Much more information, as well as fixture lists,
articles, videos and pictures as well as a full product range can be found
on our website, and lively discussion forums ensure there is always
something to go back for. You can also find a list of clubs in your area on
the site, and how to join and if there isnt a club nearby, why not start
one? We can offer advice and guidance on starting and running your club, and
on the more practical side of duck duck goose such as finding players,
arranging tournaments and advertising. All that remains to be said is good
luck with your games of duck duck goose, and who knows, maybe well be
hearing from you soon!
Best Wishes,
Kieran Devaney (Chairman of the Duck Duck Goose Players of England)
p.s. The first person to say something about 'having too much time on your
hands' will get a furrowed brow in their direction. 10p if anyone can spot
two (or possibly more) factual errors in the guide.
_________________________________________________________________
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