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August Photo of the Month (2009)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thy/ / CC BY 2.0

Product: Mallethead Shirts and Hats

Mallethead Ringer - Purchase Online

Croquet Network has launched a new product line through Cafepress. The mallethead shirts, hats and other attire and accessories are a not so subtle way to show your love for croquet. You can visit the Mallethead store here.

Mallethead T-Shirt - Purchase Online



Mallethead Golf Shirt - Purchase Online



Our first Croquet Network Store:
It Takes Balls

News Clips: Nontuple, Jerry Stark, Ben Rothman

Can anyone tell me what a nontuple is?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFjjXE1jm8M

This Jerry Stark magazine article must be posted for archiving purposes. This link is for the digital edition (see page 40):
http://www.emag-americanwaymag.com/july_15_09.html

Ben Rothman has a blog going. This will be a must-read:
http://croquetpro.blogspot.com/

Croquet the Sport vs Croquet the Joke

USCA Stock Photo

Any kind of press is good press right?

As I skim the Google croquet news feed on a regular basis, I can say that the sheer number of events that roll through the feed indicate that quite a bit of croquet is being played. It supports the belief that despite having roughly 3,000 registered USCA players in the U.S. for example, there are likely tens of thousands more that are playing the game in the backyard setting. So, that's good right?

Sure, I guess. However, I'm more often having a harder time not feeling disappointed when I click on the latest story only to gaze upon photos of people dressed in theme-wear of some sort and playing with toy mallets and giant wire wickets (example). Often times, comments on the game seem condescending.

The standard approach for the serious croquet player is that there are just different types of croquet to be played and after all it's meant to be a social, fun game. In my heart, I believe and enjoy that as well. After all, you don't see golfers sweating over miniature golf. Of course, I would also propose that all levels of croquet are fun and social.

So, why let another write-up on a social croquet event get under the skin? As a proponent of the game, you sometimes exist in an isolated world of people who take great pride in the game. Ultimately, to have so many stories come through portraying your passion as a bit of joke bruises the ego to some degree.

Of course, real croquet players know that the ego hardly matters. Plus, I suppose that level of misunderstanding by the general public is a bit of the enjoyment as well. For the people who get the sport of croquet, it's an exclusive little worldwide club that enjoys a wonderful little secret -- once you do get it, the game will blow your mind.

If competition croquet ever exploded, would losing that underground cult status ruin the fun? I hope not, but oddly enough, I think in the next decade we may find out. I can't quite quantify it, but for some reason their just seems to be a buzz about the game.

A final thought. Looking through this column it appears to be a little over the top bitter. I do see the newsworthiness of these entertaining little events; however, I would like to see a little balance with actual croquet coverage. Where is the SI coverage of Ben Rothman's crazy run at the World Championships? Where was the highlight clip from ESPN, Versus or Fox on that action? I think it's time for the sports media to learn the game.


Flickr CC Photo -- Payton Chung

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paytonc/ / CC BY 2.0

Links of the Month: Maui and USCA

After changing platforms, I realize I need to build up my links again in the right column. A site I find to be extremely useful is the Maui Croquet Club website. Tons of useful information and probably the best list of club links around.

And of course, the USCA website is a critical link. Normally, it has a good list of news in the lower section, though nothing new has popped up since mid-July.

First Shot: Consistency of Rules

Another summer is reaching it's final weeks, but I was able to put in a lot of work on the croquet fields. My little social backyard club here in Kansas City successfully implemented some golf croquet events that seemed to breathe new life into the summer tour. I've gotten a chance to play more six-wicket at the Kactus Creek Croquet Club up in Parkville, Missouri. I know now that's where I want to be -- the six wicket game.

Still, Kansas City is nine-wicket country and the September 25-27 USCA Nine-Wicket National Championship is now in the wheelhouse. I was eavesdropping on a discussion about consistency of rules between the nine-wicket game and six-wicket. I suppose that's all up for debate depending what the goal of nine-wicket game should be. I'd like to see more uniformity, but that is a post for another time.

It reminded me though that during the annual cutthroat nine-wicket that my backyard club holds, a veteran of that scene wanted to debate the out of bounds rule. In nine-wicket my interpretation has been that if the ball touches the line, it is out of bounds. We've always played it that way and I was surprised that this player wasn't aware of this. It of course differs from the six-wicket halfway rule, but I think makes sense for deeper grass of the nine-wicket game which often utilizes painted boundaries. Finding the true center of a painted line will always bring up debates.

This player argued though that it should be all the way out to match the all the way through the wicket rule. He lost the debate of course; however, I'd never really thought of it that way and frankly, I have to agree with his point. For simplicity, it seems that the OOB for nine-wicket and six-wicket should match the through the wicket rule. I suppose though that the nearly two inches of extra field could have profound effect on the six-wicket. Still, as I hop back and forth between the different games, I sure would love some consistency.

Dylan-Publisher / Croquet Network