Take a Second Look at Playing Marbles

Hear ye! Hear ye! Attention lovers of royalty and regal events: A king and queen shall be crowned with all trappings due to His and Her Highness upon the beach in Wildwood tomorrow (June 23) in the afternoon.
All subjects, brave enough to attend the coronation, shall slather upon themselves with tubes of suntan lotion, adorn their heads with proper sun hats and cloak themselves in protective attire against the scorching sun, and be prepared for that most stunning of all moments.
That time, surely eternal in the annals of history, shall happen when, according to long-standing tradition, His Highness plants a kiss upon the cheek of a squinting crown-adorned queen. The citizenry shall then erupt in applause, and the kingdom shall, for another year continue in peace and prosperity.
There won’t be an army of Secret Service agents flocking to the Wildwood Boardwalk. There won’t be a fleet of armored Rolls Royce limousines conveying the royal couple. If they are lucky, they might get a lift on the tramcar, and maybe sample some fudge and salt-water taffy.
Such will be the regal trappings of the king and queen of the 88th annual National Marbles Tournament that will be held at Ringer Stadium from June 20 at 8 a.m. until a new set of royalty out shoots the best of the best, and will return to their humble abodes with trophies, T-shirts, and some fond recollections of time on the wide Wildwood beach.
Marbles? Yes marbles.
Without much thought to this national event held in our backyard, or rather beachfront, when on vacation last month, in a gift shop that sells many interesting toys, there was a bin of glass marbles. We purchased a bag of “cat eyes” and one big shooter for our grandson, who was immediately amazed at the fun such humble spheres could be.
I confess I was on the floor with him, showing him how to shoot, a skill a modern 6-year-old still is perfecting, although he can out shoot anyone with a remote game control for electronic games. I lined up the marbles in a cross, just as they will do at Ringer Stadium, and tried to show him the rules of shooting.
It’s been a few decades since I spent time on the Wildwood beach where youngsters will shoot and shoot and shoot, sweating and sipping water as they try their best to eliminate their opponents.
Since marbles are not held in as high esteem locally as they were in the days of 1950s-60s boyhood, it is easy to understand why winners of the national marbles games in Wildwood are historically from such places as Standing Stone, Tenn., as is the 2010 king Cory Goolsby, or Allegheny County, Pa., as is the 2010 queen Penelope Bauer.
Only one, in decades, did Cape May County have an entrant in the marble games. The lad, although a good shooter, was outdone by others who, likely, had played marbles since they were in diapers.
A visit to the National Marbles Tournament website proved a treasure trove of information, especially for those who might want to start a marble team. It freely acknowledges, “Starting a marble program can be a BIG task.”
Think about it, in this time of budget crunches and trouble getting volunteers to do anything with kids, could marbles be a new fad in Cape May County? They are cheap, do not require batteries or computer programs, and the winner can actually feel the weight of marbles he or she has won. Stack that against a computer game that leaves nothing but legions of dead aliens, and what would you prefer for your child or grandchild?
The marbles’ website says, and I must believe it, the game has been played for 300-plus generations. That means there is a good chance George Washington and Abe Lincoln shot a few games, as did Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway. Who’s to say?
Here’s the chilling part: “Now it is time once again to pass it on to the next generation.
It is also a wonderful way to teach behavioral and sportsmanship skills, and how to interact socially.” Try that with a computer game! (Hey, are you listening? Can you HEAR ME?).
The website tells us we first need players, then we must find a sponsor. It acknowledges that because marbles are so inexpensive, sponsors should not be that difficult to locate. (How could some big law firm say no to a marbles team because it was too expensive?)
“Having a spring season is a must if you’re interested in attending the National Marbles Tournament; with the tournament being the week after Father’s Day, your players won’t have had enough practice if the last time they played was in December,” the site declares.
“While the National Marbles Tournament is for players aged 7 through 14 (the cutoff date for birthdays is the 10th of June) for any given year, marbles can be played by kids of all ages, and play between parents and their children is encouraged.” See, rings could be painted in rec centers and kids could be practicing all year long.
Passing on to youngsters a love of such simple games as marbles may be a stretch, but it is not impossible. The site continues, “To form a strong team, the love of the game needs to be built upon, and sportsmanship must be practiced. For some this means playing just for fun; not all players are in it for the competition, with many younger players enjoying many different games without worrying about who is winning as each in their own way is winning. Many different marble games can be played, and all center on how to shoot a marble.”
This next part could make marbles applicable to many adults. Read on and think about the words that focus on the simple game of marbles, “Sportsmanship is part of the game as well, and many of the groups focus heavily on sportsmanship. One of the earliest ways of determining a champion is seeing sportsmanship develop first. Many of the Nationals Champions were sportsmanship champions at the Nationals years before they won the competition.
Some groups will bring only players who they feel can win the sportsmanship title. Sportsmanship is as simple as cheering on their opponent’s game, shots, wins, or losses, helping to rack the marbles, and remembering to thank the referees for a job well done.”
All that from a game of marbles. Let’s actively consider marbles as a countywide pastime for our youngsters. For once, it cannot be said, “We can’t afford it.”