Game Is Spreading Rapidly Across North America
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What is Kubb? 10 blocks. 6 sticks. 1 king. The Nordic lawn game is spreading rapidly across North America. BY RACHEL GUYAH Game on! PHOTO BY MASKOT BY PHOTO sonsofnorway.com VIKING JUNE 2017 19 hen it comes to king in the center of the field. The game Championships. The game continued even teams and tournaments as far as work as a team, and make new friends. the game of kubb consists of two teams, usually two to six to spread across Scandinavia, England, California and North Carolina, with Indeed, this game of wooden blocks W (pronounced “koob”), players per team. Germany and other European nations. new ones being added every year. seems to have a way of weaving itself the concept seems almost too simple: Since it’s more about strategy, into the fabric of a community. That’s tossing small chunks of wood at bigger skill and luck than brute strength, Coming to America Kubb for a Cause certainly been the case in Eau Claire, chunks of wood — saving the biggest kubb is a fun, family-friendly activity So how did this tossing game with When Anderson organized that first which, despite its modest population of chunk of all, the king, for last. for all ages — making it a popular Nordic roots reach the shores of kubb tournament in 2007, the goal 65,000, is known as the Kubb Capital And yet, it’s precisely this (somewhat choice for picnics, parties and family the New World? Most Eau Claire, wasn’t profit or pride — it was to of North America. “When I go to the deceptive) simplicity that draws so reunions. “It’s extremely inclusive,” Wisconsin, players can thank Anderson raise money and bring awareness to dentist, we talk kubb,” says Anderson. many people to this Nordic lawn game, says Anderson. “Players that are 10 for its arrival. Sometimes referred to as the heartbreaking humanitarian crisis “Last week, my stepdad and I were at which is now rapidly spreading across years and 75 years can compete with a the “godfather” of organized kubb in happening in Darfur, Sudan. “That the grocery store and saw two different North America. 24-year-old triathlete.” the United States, Anderson first played year we raised money for Save Darfur kubb players. Next thing you know, we “It’s a beautiful game and sport,” says kubb in 2002 while in Sweden. In 2005, and Aid Darfur, collected 40 pairs of start talking for 10 minutes to each of “Kubb” derives Eric Anderson, founder and director of Kubb’s History his love for the game flourished. One eyeglasses for Unite for Sight in Sierra them … about kubb. It’s such a part of from the the U.S. National Kubb Championship. Despite its popularity, kubb’s true origin day while celebrating Midsummer in the Leone, and assembled a large box of our community now. The hope is that FUN Swedish term “There is skill, strategy and luck. The is shrouded in mystery — though two Skåne countryside, Anderson and his school supplies for a refugee camp in it will continue to grow even more in “vedkubbar,” FA C T which means object is to knock things down, and I theories seem to prevail. friends played the game amid an idyllic Ghana,” says Anderson. the city.” “wooden blocks.” think it’s human nature to want to do The first theory relates to a game backdrop of an orchard, forest and lake. Fundraising continues to be a central that. Also, the basic principles of the Vikings would play after attacking “It was at that point that I fell in love tenet of the tournament, which is now game require people to interact and get villages. Using their enemies’ skulls as with kubb,” he says. “I didn’t want to a registered non-profit organization. to know each other. I think that not game pieces, they would try to knock stop playing.” The U.S. National Kubb Championship only do people enjoy that — they want down their opponent’s skulls by tossing Luckily for him — and for many (usakubb.org) donates to two local that in their lives.” femur (thigh) bones at them. Grisly? North American players today — he charities, which help war victims and Sometimes described as a Yes. True? Possibly, though there’s no didn’t. When Anderson, his wife and empower young girls. The championship combination of bowling, bocce and evidence to back that up. oldest daughter returned to the United has also set up the Steve Anderson Kubb horseshoes, kubb is an outdoor “We know that games were played States in July 2006, Anderson’s late Set Program (named after Eric’s late throwing game that can be played 1,000 years ago, but there is no proof father, Steve, had a kubb set waiting for father), which provides free kubb sets to competitively or recreationally. Using that the Vikings did or did not play them back home in Illinois. This would communities to introduce and promote wooden sticks (batons), the main kubb,” says Anderson. And yet, turn out to be the gift that launched a the game. Several tournaments that object of the game is to topple over the legend lives on — kubb is even thousand games. have cropped up in recent years have your opponents’ wooden blocks (called commonly referred to as “Viking In January 2007, when the family followed suit with that philanthropic “kubbs”), then at last knock down the chess.” moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, spirit, often giving away much of the BUY A The more modern (and verifiable) Anderson and his wife came up with registration fees to various charitable history of kubb traces its roots to the idea of hosting a small kubb organizations. KUBB SET Gotland — Sweden’s largest island tournament. That first year, the Country Kubb in the Baltic Sea. The first written tournament had 15 teams and 35 Living the Kubb Life countrykubb.com mention of “kubb” appears to be a players. A year later, those numbers For many players, kubb isn’t merely book published in 1931 by a Gotland doubled, and they’ve rapidly risen ever a game; it’s a way of life. The game’s JP’s Backyard Games ethnologist. Various versions of the since. In 2016, the roster swelled to 128 motto at the World Championship in jpsbackyardgames.com game were played throughout the island teams and 460 players — that’s 13 times Sweden is: “Kubb unites people and Yard Games and mainland, mostly on farmsteads or more players than the inaugural event. creates peace on Earth.” A lofty vision, yardgames.com in the countryside. During the 1980s In recent years, kubb clubs and but it just might work. When you knock Ingebretsen’s and 1990s, the game exploded after competitions have popped up down a kubb, you’re also knocking ingebretsens.com commercial sets became available. In throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, down barriers. Age, race, gender, class 1995, Gotland hosted its first World CHAMPIONSHIP KUBB NATIONAL THINGELSTAD,U.S. JAMIE PHOTOGRAPHY, BLIND BOTTOM): TO (TOP BY PHOTO PERSSON MAGNUS PER BY PHOTO Iowa and the Midwest. There are — all are welcome to toss a few sticks, 20 VIKING JUNE 2017 sonsofnorway.com sonsofnorway.com VIKING JUNE 2017 21 Standing behind their baseline, Team A throws its batons at the opposite baseline, attempting KUBB 1 to knock over Team B’s baseline kubbs. Team B gathers 101 any kubbs that 2 were knocked down and throws them to the other side of the field. Equipment These now become ‘field • 1 king kubbs,’ or additional kubbs 10 kubbs that Team B will have • After all field kubbs have 6 batons to knock down. • been thrown, Team A 4 corner stakes and • stands them up in place. 2 mid-pitch stakes (optional) 3 • Pitch (Field of Play) Teams Setup • 2 teams, • Place stakes at the 4 corners of 2–6 players each (sometimes more) the pitch and at the mid-pitch. • Place the king in the center of Objective the field. • Be the first team to knock down all • Place five kubbs on of your opponent’s kubbs, then last each baseline. Team B now throws its the king. batons from behind the • Knocking down the king before the B 4 baseline. They must first kubbs results in an automatic loss. knock down all field kubbs before toppling the baseline kubbs. Any baseline kubb that is knocked down before the field kubbs must be A stood back up and doesn’t count. Team A picks up any knocked down kubbs and throws them Incorrect 5 to the other side of the field to become field kubbs. Team B now stands them Correct up in place. Play continues this way until one team knocks down all of their field and baseline kubbs, then lastly topples the king. Throwing • To start the game, both teams throw a baton at the king. The closest to the king without knocking it over gets to decide who goes first or what Note: At any time, if a team fails to knock down all field side they want to be on. kubbs in their opponent’s half of the field during that turn, then • Throwing must be done underhand, the other team is allowed to move up from the baseline and throw end over end. Batons cannot be from an imaginary line running through the kubb closest to the center line. thrown horizontally or overhand. However, all attempts to topple the king must be thrown from the baseline. ILLUSTRATIONS BY RANDALL NELSON RANDALL BY ILLUSTRATIONS 22 VIKING JUNE 2017 sonsofnorway.com sonsofnorway.com VIKING JUNE 2017 23.