Coneball

Coneball, sometimes spelled as cone ball, is a team sport that usually involves the use of soft, sometimes foam, balls, and bowling pins. There are many different varieties of play for this sport, most of which are undocumented. This article (currently) deals with only one of these varieties.:"For a description of another game called coneball, go to the bottom of this page

General gameplay

In coneball, there are two teams of various, but equal, numbers of players. Each team is given six ordinary balls at the start of the game. Anyone is allowed to pick up these balls. The goal of the game is to knock down any two of the three bowling pins on the opposing team’s side. Also, hitting an opponent with a ball knocks them out of the game, an aspect reminiscent of dodge ball. In coneball, however, catching a thrown ball does not knock the person who threw it out.

The three bowling pins are positioned as the corners of a triangle with its apex pointing towards the opposing side. Each pin is allowed one goaltender, of which anybody on the team can be. When a goalie gets knocked out of the game, another person can replace him or her. If everybody on one team gets knocked out of the game, the opposing team has not won. They still must knock down at least two pins. This means that if every throw is a miss and all of the balls are stuck on the empty team’s side, the game is a draw.

The game is usually played by a timer. Most timers are set for 5 to 10 minutes. If no pin or one pin on each side has been knocked down by the end of this time, the game ends in a draw. If one pin is knocked down on only one side by the end of the game, the game ends in a victory for the side with three pins. Most full coneball matches contain about 6 to 9 games. The winner of the most games is the winner of the match.

pecialty balls

Other than the standard throwing ball, other balls with certain specialties are also often added to the game. This is a list of some of them and their specialty.

* Dr. Death – usually black; knocking down any cone with this ball ends the game immediately; also, anyone knocked out of the game with Dr. Death is permanently out for that game.
* Team Reviver – red with white stripes; when playing on a basketball court, this ball is thrown into the opposing team’s basketball goal to revive all members that are out on the non-opposing team.
* The Virus – usually yellow; hitting someone with this ball immediately puts them on your team for the remainder of the game.

Court setup

A typical coneball court is the same size as a regulation basketball court. A central strip convert|15|ft|m wide in the middle marks no man’s land, an area where no team is allowed to be in. Out of bounds extends for convert|10|ft|m out from the court. Past this, there is a wall. The wall is allowed to be used for rebounds and throws. The bowling pins are referred to as cones, thus the name coneball. Below is a picture for better help.

Popularity

Coneball, in its most basic form, is not a very popular or widely known sport. It is mostly played in gymnasiums in elementary schools and middle schools. The rules and gameplay of coneball thus vary on a local scale.

Gameplay

Like the version described above, there are two teams of equal numbers of players. Here, there is one ball and just two cones. The goal of the game is to knock down the opposing team’s cone with the ball. There are very few rules; you can run with the ball, pass the ball, kick the ball, whatever. The opposing team can block, tackle, intercept... Anyone can be anywhere on the court. Punching or hitting with intent to injure is frowned upon and there are often heated debates about the civility of hitting a player who does not have the ball.

The court should be set up with two cones about convert|50|ft|m from each other on a soft surface. The ball is placed at midfield. Every player must start behind his/her own cone. Together the teams yell "3...2...1... CONEBALL", and the game begins. When one team successfully knocks down the other team's cone with the ball they are awarded with the praise of their peers. There are ongoing discussions whether or not to adopt some sort of scoring mechanism, although they have gained little traction.

Historical Variation

The rules of coneball circa 2000-2002 at College of the Atlantic were slightly simpler. It could be played in any reasonably large open area with a forgiving surface. Rain, mud, slush, snow, and large puddles were ideal conditions. Requirements were two teams of 3 to 5 or so players, one round ball such as a soccer, volley, or playground ball, and two orange traffic cones set some distance apart. The object: knock over the other team's cone with the ball. The rules: first - try not to hurt anybody; second - no score is kept.

ee also

* Physical Education
* Tapawai