I took my childhood games seriously. I stood with my calculator when we played leapfrog, trying to determine the exact amount of speed and thrust I'd need to leap over opponents. If some kid's back rises two inches over the norm it screws up the numbers.
With hopscotch, the same basic elements come into play. But balance and quickness are paramount. I usually emptied both pockets of marbles before I entered the fray. Buck Buck combined speed, thrust, balance and courage. If you landed wrong, either you fell off or your testicles got crushed.
Flipping baseball cards is all about angle of release, the twist of the wrist, footwork on the release. Plus you had to compensate for wind gusts. Careful analysis, using illustrations on my Etch-A-Sketch, gave me the advantage.
Spin the Bottle is all about percentages. I'd punch in numbers to the point where I could predict where the bottle would stop and position myself accordingly. Size and weight of the bottle, circumference of the circle of participants, room temperature, in or outdoors, relative strength of twist action for each individual, etc. all were factored into my calculations.
Yes, I did quite well at these games, but for some strange reason the other kids hated me. Go figure.
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