Get your outdoor game on

A variety of fun awaits players of all ages

BY MELINDA LAVINE

The time to get out is now, and what better way to ring in the warmth with some outdoor gaming.

Stores like Menards started stocking the goods in February, and Duluthians start buying: “Once the sun comes out,” said Matt Young, first assistant manager at Menards in West Duluth.

The store carries the general selection of bean bag toss, horseshoes, badminton, yard dice, lawn darts and ladder toss. Young gravitates to the latter; he’s not very good at horseshoes, he said. People typically buy whatever looks fun, he added, but common go-tos are the classic bean bags and horseshoes.

One newer pick at Legacy Toys in Duluth is Ogo Disc. It comes with a cushy ball and two frisbees with mini trampolines on the inside. You can play frisbee, catch and badminton, said Liz Allen, assistant store manager. There’s also the self-explanatory Glove A Bubble, Mashoonga (foam warrior sabers) and Djubi, the net of a lacrosse stick with slingshot capabilities. If you’re in the market for something new, Allen suggested looking at the age group listed so you don’t leave out any kiddos in attendance.

Some outdoor games are popular enough to have weekly adult leagues.

Skyline Lanes hosts a bocce ball league three nights a week, and this is the third summer it has hosted adult bean bag nights, manager Jake Mertz said. But as far as tips for bean bags, he has none up his sleeve. “If you’re not doing good, have another beverage,” he jokingly said.

Away from the competition at Skyline, Mertz sees handy people making their own game equipment. The draw of bean bags or other outdoor games is how laid-back they are, he said. People can relax with their friends and have a good time.

BEAN BAG TOSS (CORNHOLE)

You’ll need eight bean bags and two wooden boxes (or cornhole platforms). Set up on a flat surface about 27 feet apart. Play with two to four people; scoring is simple: one point if the bag makes the platform, three if you make a “basket.” It’s all-ages and can be high-competitish or casual, so establish the rules and scoring before you start.

BOCCE BALL

A little like bowling or curling, the objective is to throw balls underhanded down a lane. A small ball thrown first becomes the target for all the other throws. Different games and scoring can be used. Can be played on a bocce court or on grass.

CROQUET

Remember those color-in mazes on children’s place mats in restaurants? Croquet is like that but with mallets, hoops (or “wickets”) and balls. Start at the first stake, hit the ball through the hoops, being mindful it’s going through in the right direction. Once you make it down the maze, repeat in the opposite direction. Whoever makes it back first is the winner. Famously played in “Alice in Wonderland” with flamingos as mallets.

Allen said she likes catch or frisbee, games that are “easy to convince people to play,” she said.

The biggest draw for outdoor games are the people and the environment, she added.

“It’s great to be outside and enjoy the fresh air … rather than sitting in your bedroom playing a video game,” she said.

If you’re feeling the urge, here are some games to dip into while the weather is warm.

Melinda Lavine is a features reporter for the Duluth News Tribune.

DISC GOLF (FRISBEE GOLF, FROLFING)

Find a course, get your friends and frisbees. The objective, like in golf, is to get the disc from the starting point to the basket in the least amount of throws. Some courses: The College of St. Scholastica, Miller Creek (Lake Superior College), Mont du Lac, Morgan Park and the University of Minnesota Duluth.

GAGA

Think dodgeball in a smaller, enclosed space. Any hit below the knee counts, and players use their hands and one ball to strike others out. Once you enter the hexagon, you can run and jump, but you can’t hide. (Cloquet’s Churchill Elementary has its own pit.)

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Giant Jenga

Played like tabletop Jenga, you can DIY it or buy a set, just be sure to get out of the way when the towering wooden pieces plummet

Horseshoes

Two metal stakes, four horseshoes, and it’s all about the ringer, baby. Hook your shoe around the stake for three points or score one for the closest toss. Stakes go in the ground 40 feet apart. If you want to really get into it, consult the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association for all your pit needs.

KUBB

There are two facing lines of wooden batons, or kubbs. Team 1 throws kubbs across the way to knock over their opponent’s kubbs. It’s all in an effort to eventually snag the wooden king in the center. You can play with two to six players. It’s sometimes called “Vikings Chess,” and fun fact: Eau Claire is the the Kubb Capital of North America.

LADDER TOSS (LADDER GOLF)

Two plastic ladders + many ropes with balls on either end. Toss it at said ladder, and hope for the best. Each ladder rung is worth a different score, and the first to hit 21 (or whatever random number you pick) wins.

Parachute Games

Seriously, get a parachute, have a group of people grab a handle, and let your imagination run wild. There’s popcorn, where you toss several balls in the center, wave the parachute and see how long you can keep them on top. Do the same with a beach ball. Make waves with your ’chute or camp out by jumping under it on the count of three. The possibilities are endless.

Rampshot

Looks like cornhole mixed with handball mixed with something else. You’ve got two ramps with cornholes and springboards placed several feet apart. Toss a bouncy ball and try to make the basket for three points. If the ball bounces, though, there’s more fun to be had.

Ring Toss

What you’ll need: several rings, stakes, a score sheet. This game is easily adjustable to suit your players, and the first to hit the goal score wins.

Spikeball

It’s like volleyball, but you want to be in the net. The mini spikeball is served into what looks like a netted singleperson trampoline. The opposing team has one, two, three hits before it has to return it / bounce it back off the net. For added fun, once that ball is served, it’s a 360-degree game.

Water Balloon Dodgeball

Take your balloon fighting to the next level, but avoid face shots. Ramp it up with a water balloon launcher.

Yardzee

It’s like Yahtzee but with huge dice. Super easy to DIY, all you need is a bucket, five big dice and scorecards.