"VERMONT STRONG!" VTAHPERD CONFERENCE
Killington Grand Resort, Killington, VT
November 12-13, 2016
Close Doesn't Just Count in Horseshoes: Target Games with Fitness Activity
Presenters: Johnson State College Students
Anna Bingham, Shannon Grier, Kelsey Taylor, and Andrea Williams
Rationale:
Our presentation consists of a variety of lifelong recreational activities beneficial for all ages that
focus on hand-eye coordination and target sports. The main activities we will be focusing on are
shuffleboard, bocce, ladder ball, and bowling. To add more vigorous activities to our
presentation we have incorporated a mixture of both Health- and Performance-Related Fitness
activities in the transition between the games. These activities are beneficial for both middle and
high school curriculums because they focus on all the learning domains: psychomotor, cognitive,
social, and affective. As activities to be done in middle and high school, these games work on not
only hand-eye coordination but also teach students the rules and flow of games that they can play
recreationally, during summer vacation and after they are out of school and looking for some fun
games to play. These activities may be something new, engaging, fun, and friendly for the
students. They also help students become good sports in competitive yet fun games and learn
scoring for games that don’t have a more standard scoring system.
These are recreational target games that would be good to implement in a curriculum on one or
two days a month because it takes the student’s hand-eye coordination and accuracy to be
successful at these games. We would use some of these games as activities to do as a rainy day
plan, fun Friday afternoon games, and games to play on a half day or the last day of school
before a school vacation. A few of these games aren’t ones that can be effectively turned into full
units without running out of content after the first lesson. Bocce and ladder ball are games
requiring few skills and strategies, making them games that couldn’t be effectively be stretched
out over weeks. Shuffleboard and bowling do have a little more content, especially bowling with
the many different types of balls and different throwing forms and optional spin that the player
can put onto the ball. There is strategy in all of these games, including some forms of offensive
and defensive tactics in all but bowling.
The way we are going to be teaching the target games is appropriate for seventh and eighth
graders. The benefits of the way we are demonstrating these activities are that students get to
play new and challenging games with their classmates and they also get to do some vigorous
physical tasks in between these games to stay active.
Vermont/National PE Standards these activities address:
Standard 1 - The physically literate individual demonstrates competency in a variety of motor
skills and movement patterns.
Standard 2 - The physically literate individual applies knowledge of concepts, principles,
strategies and tactics related to movement and performance.
Standard 3 - The physically literate individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve
and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.
Standard 4 - The physically literate individual exhibits responsible personal and social behavior
that respects self and others.
Standard 5 - The physically literate individual recognizes the value of physical activity for
health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and/or social interaction.
Grade Level Expectations (7thgrade)
 Executes consistently (70% of the time) a mature underhand pattern for target games such as
bowling, bocce, or horseshoes. (S1.M18.7)
 Strikes, with an implement, a stationary object for accuracy and distance in activities such as
croquet, shuffleboard or golf. (S1.M19.7)
 Demonstrates correct technique for a variety of skills in 1 self-selected individualperformance activity. (S1.M24.7)
 Varies the speed and/or trajectory of the shot based on location of the object in relation to the
target. (S2.M9.7)
 Participates in a variety of lifetime dual and individual sports, martial arts or aquatic
activities. (S3.M5.7)
 Demonstrates knowledge of rules and etiquette by self-officiating modified physical
activities and games …. (S4.M6.7)
 Independently uses physical activity and exercise equipment appropriately and safely.
(S1.M7.7)
 Demonstrates the importance of social interaction by helping and encouraging others,
avoiding trash talk and providing support to classmates. (S5.M6.7)
Grade Level Expectations (8thgrade)
 Performs consistently (70% of the time) a mature underhand pattern with accuracy and
control for one target game such as bowling or bocce. (S1.M18.8)
 Strikes, with an implement, a stationary object for accuracy and power in activities such as
croquet, shuffleboard or golf. (S1.M19.8)
 Demonstrates correct technique for basic skills in at least 2 self-selected individualperformance activities. (S1.M24.8)
 Varies the speed, force and trajectory of the shot based on location of the object in relation to
the target. (S2.M9.8)
 Participates in a self-selected lifetime sport, dance, aquatic or outdoor activity outside of the
school day. (S3.M5.8)
 Applies rules and etiquette by acting as an official for modified physical activities and
games…. (S4.M6.8)
 Independently uses physical activity and fitness equipment appropriately, and identifies
specific safety concerns associated with the activity. (S1.M7.8)
 Demonstrates respect for self by asking for help and helping others in various physical
activities. (S5.M6.8)
BOCCE
Bocce is played with eight large balls and one smaller target or object ball called the jack, or
pallino. There are 4 balls to a side, or team, and they are made in two colors to distinguish the
balls of one team from the 4 balls of the opposing team.
Skill Performance Cues:
 Fingers spread evenly across the bottom of the ball
 Sit the ball on the palm of the hand
 Spread feet slightly apart, the width of your shoulders
 Bend knee slightly
 Roll or throw ball with a small arc
Rules and Scoring:
1. Have an area to play that is flat, on packed dirt surface or grassy.
2. The area of play (or court) should just be about 60 - 70 feet long and about 10 - 12 feet wide.
3. One to four bocce players per team. Ultimately, one player per ball. If you're by yourself,
throw all four balls. Or four teams with four players each. Each player, one ball.
4. A random individual throws the pallino to the opposite side of the court (must pass the
halfway line).
5. Same person or team starts the game by throwing their bocce ball, attempting to get close to
the pallino.
6. People not throwing keep track of where the balls land.
7. The "nearest ball", rule governs the sequence of thrown balls. The side whose bocce is the
closest to the jack is called the "in" ball and the opposing side the "out" ball. Whenever a
team gets "in," it steps aside and allows the "out" team to bowl.
8. A player also has the option of "spocking" or hitting out any ball in play in trying to obtain a
point, or decreasing the opposing team's points.
9. Both teams and persons continue to throw until everyone has used all their bocce.
Scoring
 Scoring (of one point each) is made by each person’s or team’s bocce closest to the pallino.
Only balls which are distinguishably closer to the pallino than any opponent's balls may be
awarded points.
 Game continues again until either person or team reaches 13 points.
 No points are given to two bocce balls landing at the same exact distance from the pallino.
 Any throw touching the pallino does not gain a point.
Safety concerns/reminders:
The students need to understand that is not okay for them to throw the balls anywhere near other
people. Everyone should be standing behind the thrower.
http://www.playaboule.com/How_to_play_bocce.aspx
SHUFFLEBOARD
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson students will have a new appreciation for the game of shuffleboard. It
will focus on hand-eye coordination and target skills that can be adapted for a variety of other
activities. The participants will understand specific game tactics that will involve problem
solving and teamwork. The goal is to influence the students to create opportunities that promote
lifelong physical activity with exposure to new activities.
Skill Performance Cues
Athletic Stance: prepare for weight transfer forward, aim for your target, utilize space and force;
knock out the other team’s disc. (Motivational & correctional performance cues: keep working
hard, use good teamwork, use more legs and not just arms for force.)
Rules and Regulations
1. A game will consist of 8 frames. A frame is when all four players have played their discs.
The choice of disc color will be decided by "Lagging".
2. All players will be allowed 4 non-interrupted practice shots.
3. In doubles, the 2 partners stand at opposite ends of the court facing each other throughout the
game and shall not leave their own end until the game is completed.
4. To start a game, discs of one color will be placed on the right-hand side of the court. All
discs will be placed in the 10 ft. area. This color disc is shot first, alternating until discs are
all shot. The other color disc shoots first to start the second frame, with the color alternating
to start each frame.
5. Discs must be launched from anywhere within the shooting player’s half of the court area.
Players change sides halfway through the game, and play with the same color of disc for all
the frames.
6. The shooting player’s feet must not come in contact with the baseline or step over at any time
during the execution of the shot. Penalty: –10 ft.
7. A disc, which stops in the area between the furthest deadline and starting area is dead and
shall be removed before further play. If a disc is touching the furthest deadline, it is in play.
A delivered disc coming in contact with a disc touching the deadlines becomes a dead disc
and is removed unless this disc is also in contact with deadline.
8. A disc that comes to rest within the 10-ft. area without touching any outside lines is scored a
minus ten. The separating triangle is not considered a line, so a disc coming to rest in contact
with the triangle will be scored as a minus ten.
9. Any disc that clearly leaves the court beyond the furthest baseline, or comes to rest outside
the sideline, is a dead disc.
10. A disc, which stops beyond the furthest baseline or beyond the sideline, shall be removed.
11. A disc or discs returning to, or remaining on the playing area, of the court after having struck
an object outside the playing area, shall be removed from further play.
12. The baseline is the line continuing on the outside of the court for six feet six inches, at each
end and also the line signifying the end of the court at each end.
Scoring:
 After all 8 discs have been shot, the score is counted. A disc scores in the area in which it
comes to rest. Discs touching a division line do not score.
 Discs cannot be removed until the scorekeeper, or umpire has verified the score. The penalty
for this infraction will be: movement of own disc, then that disc will not be counted; removal
of opponent’s disc, the disc will be put back as close as possible to previous position.
 A standard playing court measuring six feet in width and 52 feet in length will be used.
 The playing area shall be 39 feet in length from baseline to baseline.
Safety Concerns/Shuffleboard Courtesies
1. After a player has shot, he/she should take at least one step to the rear and hold his/her cue in
an upright position. The player must not interfere in any way with the opponent.
2. Player must wait until opponent’s disc comes to rest before shooting.
3. Any remark or motion to partner that indicates coaching is prohibited.
4. Players must not make remarks to disconcert opponent’s play.
5. Player must not leave court except with opponent’s permission.
6. Players must not intentionally delay or stall a game
(Cited from Canada 55+ Games, https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chromeinstant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Canada+55%2B+Games )
LADDER BALL (LADDER GOLF)
The Game
Ladder Golf is played with 2 or more players or teams. Each player has 3 golf ball bolas. A bola
is 2 golf balls attached by a nylon rope. The object of the game is to wrap your bolas around the
steps of the ladder. The ladder consists of 3 steps, a top, middle and a bottom step.
Skill Performance Cues
Two-step approach, follow through pointing at target, and release at different levels depending
on which part of the ladder you are aiming for: so low release by middle thigh for lowest ladder
rung, by your hip for middle rung, and just above for highest rung.
Rules and Scoring
1. The ladders will be 15 ft. apart
2. Either singles or pairs playing, with your partner opposite you.
3. Flip a coin to see who goes first,
4. The person that wins throws all three bolas at once and then the opponent does the same.
5. You add up the score depending on which rung each of your bolas land on: the bottom is
worth 1 pt., middle is 2 pts., and top is 3 pts.
6. If your opponent and you land on the same rung, it cancels the score out. But if you have two
bolas on the 3-pt. rung, for example, and your opponent has one bola on that same rung, then
only one of them would cancel and you would still get 3 pts.
7. Players can knock off bolas during the course of the game. In fact, knocking-off other
players’ bolas is encouraged and a good way to play defensively. Bolas that are knocked off
during play do not count as points. Only bolas that are left hanging after all bolas are tossed
are counted as points.
8. Games are played to an exact point total of 21. In order to win, a player must be the only one
to score exactly 21 points after the completion of a round.
9. If a player goes over the exact point total, that players points for that round do not count. For
example: A player with 18 points needs 3 points to get the exact score of 21 in order to win.
If that player has 5 points hanging on the ladder after all the players have tossed all strands,
none of those points count and the player will enter the next round with 18 points again
needing 3 points to win.
10. In the case of a tie, the players that tie will play as many overtime rounds as needed until one
player ends a complete round 2 points ahead of the other player. The 2-point rule only
applies in overtime rounds. During regular play any player can win as long as that player is
the only one to score an exact total of 21 points at the end of that round no matter how many
points the other players have.
11. There will be a line put down that you may not cross while throwing your bolas or it won't
count.
12. If your bola bounces and lands on a rung it does not count.
Safety Concerns/Reminders
When throwing your bola, make sure you check the area around you to make sure no one is in
the way, so you don’t accidentally hit anyone. Stay in control of your body actions and be
responsible with the bola. Don’t be throwing them wildly, because you could injure someone. If
you are playing in pairs, move out of the way so they don’t have to worry about hitting you. Be
honest when scoring and HAVE FUN!!!
http://laddergolf.com/pages/official-rules
BOWLING
The Game
The playing surface is a lane, 60 feet long from the foul line to the head pin 42 inches wide. On
either side of the lane are gutters; if the ball goes off the edge of the lane, it will drop into the
gutter and be carried past the pins. The approach is an area 15 feet long, ending at the foul line.
The bowler, in making the approach, must not step over the line; 60 feet beyond it is the headpin.
The pins are arranged in four rows, with one pin in the first row, two in the second, three in the
third, and four in the fourth. They are numbered 1-10; the pins themselves don't carry specific
numbers, but the spots on which they are placed do. A ball may have two or three finger holes;
most bowlers use the three-holed ball, inserting the two middle fingers and the thumb into the
holes.
A game is made up of 10 frames. Each frame represents one turn for the bowler, and in each turn
the player is allowed to roll the ball twice. If the player knocks down all the pins with the first
roll, it is a strike; if not, a second roll at the pins still standing is attempted. If all the pins are
knocked down with two balls, it is a spare; if any pins are left standing, it is an "open frame."
If a bowler commits a foul, by stepping over the foul line during delivery, it counts as a shot, and
any pins knocked down are re-spotted without counting. If pins are knocked down by a ball that
has entered the gutter, or by a ball bouncing off the rear cushion, they do not count, and are respotted.
Scoring
 We will not be covering scoring of bowling in this workshop; we will primarily be focusing
on the delivery and aiming technique, and emphasize the following points:
o Don’t cross the foul line with your foot
o Be sure to roll the ball and not throw it
Official Scoring Rules:
In an open frame, a bowler simply gets credit for the number of pins knocked down. In the case
of a spare, a slash mark is recorded in a small square in the upper right-hand corner of that frame
on the score sheet, and no score is entered until the first ball of the next frame is rolled.
Then credit is given for 10 plus the number of pins knocked down with that next ball. For
example, a player rolls a spare in the first frame; with the first ball of the second frame, the
player knocks down seven pins. The first frame, then, gets 17 points. If two of the remaining
three pins get knocked down, 9 pins are added, for a total of 26 in the second frame.
If a bowler gets a strike, it is recorded with an X in the small square, the score being 10 plus the
total number of pins knocked down in the next two rolls. Thus, the bowler who rolls three strikes
in a row in the first three frames gets credit for 30 points in the first frame.
Bowling's perfect score, a 300 game, represents 12 strikes in a row--a total of 120 pins knocked
down. Why 12 strikes, instead of 10? Because, if a bowler gets a strike in the last frame, the
score for that frame can't be recorded before rolling twice more. Similarly, if a bowler rolls a
spare in the last frame, one more roll is required before the final score can be tallied.
http://www.pba.com/Resources/Bowling101/
Bowling Skill Performance Cues
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Middle and ring finger in the holes that look like eyes
Thumb in the hole that looks like a mouth
Eyes looking at head pin, or lane dots if available, to throw the ball
Take your 4-step approach that you previously marked out
Release ball when it swings to waist height
Follow through with hand face up and open not away/down and closed
Safety Concerns and Reminders
 There will be no lane bumpers or gutters
 Balls will be rolled back up by an assistant and there will be a backstop-like support off the
back and sides to prevent pins and balls from flying around.
 Other players should be sure to stand well back of the bowler.
FUN & FITNESS ACTVITIES
Rationale
These fitness activities are for the students to be able to get in vigorous activity in-between the
recreational target games where there isn’t much physical activity involved. These activities
include upper body, core, and legs fitness and are focused for seventh and eighth graders. The
activities used in this workshop between the rotations to each target game are as follows:
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Spider push ups
Russian twists
Jumping squats
Mountain climbers
Jumping jacks
Scooter and hula hoops relay
Parachute pig toss
Row boat
Ski jumpers
Plank wars
Foot fire (also called: Thunder step, Rapid Fire, Stutter Step)
Safety Reminders:
 Make sure the students are in their own personal space for the activities. Make sure there is
no stray equipment in the space being used for the fitness activities.
 When on scooters be cautious of fingers, long hair, lose hoodie strings and other articles of
lose clothing that could get caught in a wheel. Hold onto the scooter’s handles.
 Make sure you don’t overdo it if you haven't stretched your muscles to protect your body
from potential injury.
 CHALLENGE YOURSELF SAFELY!