3 minute read
Traditional Fun of Bunnock
Traditional Fun of Bunnock
Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent
The steady moderate rainfall on the first day didn’t deter the comradely and high spirits of 41 teams at the 16th Annual Vegreville Bunnock Tournament held at the overflow parking lot of the Social Centre at Vegreville Agricultural Grounds on July 19 and 20.
Chair of the Vegreville Bunnock Association, Marvin Beaudette, said he has been playing bunnock for 40 years recreationally, with 10 of those years spent at this event. “The best part is meeting the different people in the groups. Over the years, we have established many friendships, as there are teams that have been here since it started.
Bunnock is a unique game because the majority of winning is based on skill, but luck also plays a role. Practice helps. The majority of people play in their backyards and get good at it that way.
This game is similar to bean bag toss. But you don’t have to worry about the bags getting wet because the bones don’t absorb water,” Beaudette explained.
Beaudette closed by saying he would like to see more local participants, as there were only around 40 local players.
A participant from Vegreville, Kelly Tschirren said she has been playing bunnock for 37 years. The best part is that it is something anyone can play. “The challenges are getting the guards down, which is aiming right, and luck. Another hard part is playing in the rain, as the bones are slippery and have sand on them. So, the bones slip out of your hands too soon.
But it is a lot of fun because you can play and visit at the same time.”
There was also a costume contest which was voted on by People Choice.
The Off Ramp Boys entertained the crowd later at Vegreville Agricultural Grounds in the evening, where there were comments before on how the participants were looking forward to the skillful performances by this local band.
Bunnock is a unique game. The Topendsports website cited Bunnock, also commonly known as "Game of Bones" and sometimes referred to as Glockenspiel, as a type of Skittles game played with bones. The game is believed to have been created as a pastime activity by Russian soldiers stationed in northern Siberia in the early 19th century. It is a fun game that later turned into a competitive sport.
Bunnock is a team sport in which the objective for each team is to knock down the other team's row of bones. The standing bones have to be knocked down in a specific order to be counted as valid.
Originally, soldiers used horses’ anklebones, but the modern bones are usually a resin replica of the horses’ anklebones.
