Bump

Yesterday, LilKat1 had a birthday party to go to at a friend's house down the street. It was a great party. There were several craft stations plus games like air hockey, so there were lots of things for the kids to do. I asked LilKat1 if he wanted me to stick around or leave. He said 'Leave', so I left.

On the way home, I noticed that a group of high school kids were lining up single file in the street in front of a portable basketball hoop. I knew exactly what this meant. I shouted at them 'Are you guys playing Bump?' They said yes. I asked if I could play, and they said yes again. I tossed my keys and wallet on the curb and hopped in line.

Bump is a game that I was first introduced to in college. We would gather a bunch of people from our dorm and play in our dorm courtyard. It was great fun. Basically, you have to make a shot before the person behind you in line makes a shot. If they make a shot before you, you're out. The winner is the last person left.

It was not easy getting used to the portable hoop. The rim was not at the right height and when you went to rebound your ball, you had to run downhill slightly towards the curb (which made my easily sprainable ankles a little nervous). But I got used to it fairly quickly.

One thing surprised me though. At one point, there were only a few of us left in the game. I was able to bump out one of the kids. And then all of a sudden, a whole group of them got back in the front of the line. I wasn't sure what was going on. The game wasn't over yet, but all these kids that were eliminated were back in the game.

Apparently, we were playing 'Ultimate Bump'. So when someone gets eliminated, all the people that they bumped out get to get back in the game. The only way you can win is if you bump out all each one of the other players. You know what? Ultimate Bump takes a looooooooong time.

At first it seemed a little ridiculous. The games were taking forever. We'd be down to 2 or 3 guys, and then all of a sudden, it would be back up to 6. But then I realized, what else am I going to do? I thought I would be hanging out at a birthday party. But instead, I get to play basketball in the street. So I learned to enjoy the marathon that is Ultimate Bump.

We played a total of about 5 games or so. I think I won 2 of them. You know what? Those kids play dirty! They will not hesitate to bump your ball 5 houses down the street and make you run after it. I had to do this several times. One time, I tried to get even with them. I bumped the other kid's ball as hard as I could...right at an SUV that was heading towards us. Fortunately, it didn't run over the ball, but it was close. I also got to yell at a girl. She was pretty good, obviously played for a team somewhere. But I was in line and needed her to make her shot so that I could bump out the kid in front of me. So I screamed 'MAKE YOUR SHOT AND GIVE ME THE BALL!' And another time, she couldn't bump out the kid that knocked me out so I yelled at her for letting me down once again. She knew I was just kidding though...I hope.

Playing with the kids brought back a lot of memories for me. Chasing the ball before it rolled down the hill. Pausing the game when a car drove by. Sitting on the curb waiting for your turn. Heckling the people that were still in the game. If there was an ice cream truck to run after for a few blocks before it stopped, it would've been perfect.