Bizzare Sport #2
Posted by: Bradley McDonald
Washer-Board
My sister called the other day and was telling me about a strange game she had heard of called "Holey-Board." I realized she was talking about a "sport" that I play every LSU gameday with my tailgating crew. We call it "Washer-Board" and I never really thought about it being bizarre until she mentioned it to me.
The game can be compared to horseshoes, even though there are no equals to this challenging and highly skillful sport (typed with tongue planted firmly in cheek). The materials are simple: regular metal washers (around 2.5 inches in diameter) and two rectangular boards with three holes cut in each. The holes are cut just big enough so that the washers fit. The object of the game is to toss the washers into the holes in the board (hence the name "Washer-Board"). The rules are a little more complex. This website does a good job of explaining the rules by which we play.
Washer-Board
My sister called the other day and was telling me about a strange game she had heard of called "Holey-Board." I realized she was talking about a "sport" that I play every LSU gameday with my tailgating crew. We call it "Washer-Board" and I never really thought about it being bizarre until she mentioned it to me.
The game can be compared to horseshoes, even though there are no equals to this challenging and highly skillful sport (typed with tongue planted firmly in cheek). The materials are simple: regular metal washers (around 2.5 inches in diameter) and two rectangular boards with three holes cut in each. The holes are cut just big enough so that the washers fit. The object of the game is to toss the washers into the holes in the board (hence the name "Washer-Board"). The rules are a little more complex. This website does a good job of explaining the rules by which we play.
The boards are rectangular, carpet-covered boxes that are 3.5-feet long and one-foot wide. Each box contains three identical holes, evenly spaced on top.Simple, yet amazingly addictive. The game is actually pretty popular around the LSU campus on football gamedays, but there are still plenty of people who stare in bewilderment trying to figure out what we're doing. I'd be interested to know if anyone outside of the south has heard of this game. Let me know if you have!
Normally, a 10-foot length of rope connects the two boxes that are stretched out to keep them separated by that distance.
To toss your washers, you can straddle the board, stand atop the board, or on either side.
Each player gets to toss three washers. The hole closest to the shooter is one point. The middle hole is worth three and the farthest hole scores five points. The washer must go fully into the hole to score. If someone shoots after you and knocks your washer into a hole, you get the score.
After one person throws his three washers, the next person has the opportunity to cancel the first player’s score. If, for example, my washer goes in the three-point hole and yours goes in the same hole, our scores are canceled for that hole.
The player who scores last gets to throw first in the next round. In this game, you must reach precisely 21 points to win. If you go over 21, you are penalized. For example, if you have 18 points and throw a washer into the five-hole, you go back five points to 13 for the next round.
