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Friday, January 18, 2013

Stick or Swap

Stick or Swap is novelty format good for larger groups. You will need plenty of playing cards.

Place two cones or other markers courtside. Divide players into two groups and have each group line up behind one of the markers. Once play begins they will be switching around - they are not on 'teams', so no need to try to divide the groups evenly skill-wise at the beginning.

Before play begins, have each player select a card. They may look at their own card but may not show it to anyone else or tell anyone else what they drew. Players are then sent on court to play against someone from the other line.

When they complete their game, they return to the coach and report the score. At that time the winner chooses to either stick with the card he/she was initially given, or swap it for the opponent's card. Remember, no player should know what anyone else's card is, so they are taking a chance here by swapping!

After reporting scores and stick/swap with the cards, players both return to the SAME line as each other (which may not be the same line they started in) to keep the pairings fresh.

There are two winners at the end of this event. One is the player who has won the most times. The other is the player with the highest card. Aces are highest, then king, queen, jack, etc.

Variation
Include a joker in the pack. If a joker is drawn, it doubles the value a card drawn randomly from the pack.

Hint: as I read through this activity, I kept wondering where the players would keep their card while they were playing. Pockets, yes, but I still have lots of players who forget to wear pockets. I don't have a solution yet, but thought I would mention.

Adapted from When Can I Play Again, www.evolve9.com

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