RED ROVER, COME OVER

In conversation with a group, I mentioned my article about playing marbles.  One friend asked, "How about RED ROVER, ANDY OVER, and THE FOX AND THE GEESE?"

Those take me back to childhood and sweltering summer nights and frigid winter afternoons.

RED ROVER was a summertime game played when there were a large group of kids available to play.

Kids are divided into two equal teams. They form two lines at least 50 feet apart. The members of each team join hands together.

The team chosen to go first calls out a name to the opposite team:

"Red Rover, Red Rover, have Suzy (e.g.) come over." Then Suzy must run across and try to break through the line. If able to break through the line, she chooses one of the two players she broke through to return back with her to her team. If she fails to break through, she must join the other team.

The game is over when everyone is in one line.

Obviously, this can be a dangerous game. The following practices were not permitted when I was a kid:

1. Double-linking of arms instead of linking hands.
2. "Clotheslining"--raising arms up to hit the opponent in the throat or other places.
3. Thrusting joined hands outward to form a fist to jab the opponent