Thread: crack-the-whip

I'm still flying over the cuckoo's nest. There is a note about a game for kids "crack-the-whip", What is it and how do kids play it?

Originally Posted by Ken Kesey

— there were five thousand kids in green corduroy pants and white shirts under green pullover sweaters playing crack-the-whip across an acre of crushed gravel. The line popped and twisted and jerked like a snake, and every crack popped a little kid off the end, sent him rolling up against the fence like a tumbleweed. Every crack. And it was always the same little kid, over and over.

Does the bold part describe the real playing or, as it is typical for this book, the Chief just sees it his own way?

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

I'm still flying over the cuckoo's nest. There is a note about a game for kids "crack-the-whip", What is it and how do kids play it?
Does the bold part describe the real playing or, as it is typical for this book, the Chief just sees it his own way?

It's a real game. I remember it more for roller skating and ice skating than a yard or grass game.





Here's more info:

What you need: You need an open area and at least six players, but the more, the merrier.

How to play: Designate a leader and a caboose. Have everyone line up in a single file line, holding hands. The leader is at the front, and the caboose is at the back of the line.

The rules: At the starting signal, the leader starts running, leading everyone through twists and turns. Everyone must keep holding hands and not let go. If anyone lets go, he is out of the game. Once everyone runs at full speed and makes sharp turns, the caboose and people close to him get sent flying through the air. Both the leader and the caboose can hold on to the person next to them with two hands, if needed.

How to win: The winners are those left holding hands in the chain once everyone has stopped running.

What else you need to know: Players should be prepared to fall down and get dirty while playing this game.

Wow, that's a cool thing!