Donkey Basketball! Have you ever played? Watched?
If not, you are so missing out!
It's March of 1983. Outside it's getting dark and is cold and snowy. You enter the high school through the double doors, stomping the snow off your feet on the black industrial carpets just inside the door. Excitement is in the air as you pay your $1.50 and gain admittance to the Elgin High School gymnasium. The old wooden bleachers are filling up quickly. You spy your friends sitting up top and scramble over other spectators to get to them. The chatter and laughter of a small town gathering surrounds you.
There will be several games tonight, the first one between the teachers and the local volunteer firemen. The teams mount their donkeys and the game begins. Not at a fast pace mind you, as donkey's have a mind of their own. Nothing is quite so funny as watching your math teacher trying to get his donkey to move down the court towards the proper basket when that donkey only seems to want to turn left-handed circles. Wait, their goes Mr. Scoubes at a fast clip, basketball in hand. Will he make it? Yay! Score two points for the teachers. Oops! With a kick of the heels and a little braying action, one of the fireman is on the floor. The crowd goes wild and the game heats up.
On we go, with more players hitting the floor, donkeys that should be going down the court one way instead running in the opposite direction; the crowd hooping and hollering.
The whistle blows calling game three to a close and donkey basketball is over for another year. Another successful fundraiser for the FFA organization. The crowd once again struggles back in to their coats and hats and you say goodbye to your friends and head out the door.
The sky is clear, stars sparkling in the dark sky as you walk the half a block to Grandma's house where you will be spending the night. Grandma's watching tv and waiting for you to come in so she can go to bed knowing you're safe and sound. She wants to know all about the game, so you chatter on until you're both worn out and can now drift off to sleep with pleasant dreams of another lively game in your head.
Boy do I remember those days and we actually had donkey basketball at our high school...I was a majorette and performed at half time..but had to wait for the floor to be 'cleaned' heh
ReplyDeleteI can't say I've ever heard of such a thing! What fun that would have been ... smelly perhaps but fun!
ReplyDeletePaula, I am not for certain I ever attended a Donkey Basketball game, but I do know they were held in my small town as fundraisers as well. Have a wonderful weekend. Bonnie
ReplyDeleteI used to love going to the Donkey Baseball games. So much fun. Never saw a donkey basketball game though.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! We where so lucky to have Grandma so close to the school and all the goings on. Pretty handy for us country kids to stay in town and enjoy city life. We went to a donkey basket ball game in Drake a couple of years ago.
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