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Capturing crokinole matches on film

So last week this space was dedicated to what will be a three-part series on crokinole, touching on its Canadian origins, long history, and my general love of the game. That love of the game had me searching crokinole at www.YouTube.com one day.

So last week this space was dedicated to what will be a three-part series on crokinole, touching on its Canadian origins, long history, and my general love of the game.

That love of the game had me searching crokinole at www.YouTube.com one day. The video upload site is actually a great board game resource as many people post game reviews, and equally important game play through videos. Even the most seasoned board gamer will find some rulesets difficult to fathom, and in many cases we learn more easily by watching. In most cases when a new game pops up to interest me, I head to YouTube for a look at how the game plays.

In the case of crokinole the rules are ultra-simple, it’s the skill required to be good at it, which sets the game above the rest.

So I was hoping for some technique videos, or to simply find some to drool over as players made great shots.

That search took me to a series of videos by the Crokinole Centre highlighting matches from various tournaments held in Ontario. I’ll note here I am insanely jealous of there being a series of events in Ontario while here in Yorkton there is not even a club. It is unusual but many have played the game, and enjoyed it, but I think they see it as more a kid’s game, or family activity during holidays, but it can be a reason to gather in the fellowship of friendly competition too. So if anyone reads this and is interested in club, or even occasional crokinole play, email me at calmardan@sasktel.net

But back to the YouTube channel. It is operated by Nathan Walsh, and I figured who better to talk crokinole with, so I contacted him, finding out that like many he was introduced to the game at a young age by family.

“Crokinole was a family game when I was really young,” he told me. “Being the youngest sibling I appreciated games that gave me a fighting chance to win, but for a while the game didn’t stand out too much more than a standard board game.

“It wasn’t until I learned about the World Championship tournament that I started to look at the game more seriously. It was from that, that I found a much greater appreciation for the game. A good deal of skill, strategy and focus are required. And after attending my first crokinole tournament, I was hooked on the great mixture of fun and competitiveness you can find in crokinole.”

And the interest grew for Walsh.

“Beyond my initial feelings for the game, I’ve found crokinole interesting for many reasons,” he said. “One being the people you find playing crokinole fanatically. I’ve made a lot of friends through crokinole I would have never met by any other means.

“A second reason, which contributes to the first, is the age diversity in crokinole. The fact that so many people can play competitively in seconds makes it a great social game.”

Walsh said having a tour for players has made Ontario a hotspot for the game.

“There has been a formalized tour, called the National Crokinole Association (NCA) since 2009 that’s tracked players’ results and ranked them for their yearly performance,” he said. “It’s now in its seventh season which will have a total of eight stops. Two of those are actually outside of Ontario; one in Oliver, BC and the other in Lewiston, New York.

“Even well before the creation of the NCA though, tournaments had been played all over Ontario. The NCA was a nice way to connect them all and spread the word about the other tournaments.

“Additionally, there’s a couple more tournaments in Ontario. One takes place in Waterloo at the Joseph Schneider Haus museum. It outdates the World Championship and has been going on since 1993.

“There’s also a provincial championship in PEI.”

And the events have a following.

“The numbers are definitely the biggest at the World Championships where there’s usually a couple hundred people,” said Walsh. “Attendance at the other tournaments throughout the year is usually between 30 and 60 people.

“So far the numbers have had a nice increase this year, which is a good change from what looked to be a steady decline in the past few years.

“Part of what has worked against crokinole, was that it is an old game in the modern era. It certainly isn’t the most exciting spectacle, and is generally more popular with older generations. I would attribute the recent jump this year in numbers to more people being aware that the tournaments exist, and looking to revisit a game that they thoroughly enjoyed many years ago.”

The increased interest may in part be because of the video exposure Walsh creates.

“The idea of videotaping crokinole games wasn’t originally mine,” he said. “I had heard other people mention that it would be a good idea to record the World Championship games for a couple of years before I finally did it.

Initially I wanted to study the games of the best players, but I also wanted there to be some sort of online presence for crokinole that would hopefully attract new players to tournaments.

“The response to the videos has been pretty positive. Some people are camera shy and would rather not have their mistakes recorded, but a lot of people get behind the videos as being a good promotional tool. I’ve heard from others, both in Ontario and far away, that they also use the videos as a way to learn the game and pick up tips on how to play competitively.”

So with all the attention in tournaments, and the skills required, does crokinole go beyond board game to be a sport? It was a question I put to Walsh.

“I don’t care too much for the debate on sport versus game,” he said. “I personally wouldn’t be offended if it was called a ‘board game’, though the aspects of skill and precision do challenge that label. I would also be a little surprised to see it called a sport, as that would normally refer to more physical exertion then what the average crokinole game might have.”

In terms of flicking/dexterity games crokinole is the only one Walsh plays though.

“I don’t play any other ‘flicking games’, though I wouldn’t mind playing carrom due to its similarities with crokinole,” he said. “That being said, even if there are other flicking/dexterity games that are similar, crokinole will always be a favourite of mine that is hard to top on levels of camaraderie, strategy, skill and fun.”

Check out the videos on line, or Walsh also has an online blog on the game at http://crokinolecentre.blogspot.ca/

Next week, I’ll take one more look at this wonderful game via an interview with a world champion.