Monstrous Collection of Cool Rules
A long time ago, we started the Wikipedia article on Four Square and since then it has grown into a very useful summary of how to play the game. It was also a repository for any grade schooler to toss in his or her special rules, which unfortunately doesn't jive with Wikipedia's citation and original research policies.
Our own league member Kayle recently recovered a huge list of special rules that had been edited out of the original Wiki article and we present it here for posterity. Here it is, unabridged and unabashed, just as it was originally presented in Wikipedia...
Crushed Collar Bone
You know I don't want to cheapen the Hall of Pain with so many non-four square related injuries but it's worth mentioning our league member, Amos, and his crushed collar bone. He earned this on his bike this month and as you can see it will likely take him out of the season for a little while. We got together and all autographed a ball for him to keep in the house and fill him with purpose while he heals. He writes us from his percoset-lair:
More hip injuries
Christian Housh, a regular contributor to the Hall of Pain, turn in this hip shiner from the Nov 22, 2009, season game. While I certainly didn't see it happen, I can claim to have heard the flesh-on-floor screech that caused it.
The Annual "League Shirt Color" Vote
It is again that time to cast your vote for the best of four color selections, and of course, talk smack about each other's choices of colors in the comments. If ever there were time for you to weigh in and be counted, now is that time.
Vote (login required):
http://www.squarefour.org/node/935
Fault vs. Blackjack: Round One!
Recently, our members threw down about the fault rules for the receiver. The big dispute based on this scenario:
Special rule in play was "black jack" which means that players may attempt to catch a ball before it bounces in their square in order to eject the player who last hit it. On the serve, the player in four square serves the ball cleanly into the one square. The player in one square hits the ball into two square. The player in two square catches the ball using the black jack rule which would imply that player number one is out. The player in one square claims this was a fault (we call it "one bad") and asks for the ball to be served again.
