Prisoners of their own game

Danette Goulet

* SCHOOL’S OUT is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot education

writer Danette Goulet visits a summer camp in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa

and writes about her experience.

CORONA DEL MAR -- A ball covered entirely with silver duct tape flew

over the wall, landing between two children who swung their little arms

in a vain attempt to keep it from hitting the blacktop.

The jailbreak was a success.

It was a rousing game of Prison Ball for campers enrolled in the Kids

Summer Sports Camp at the Community Youth Center in Grant Howald Park.

For those such as myself who have never heard of such a thing, Prison

Ball is a game where two teams stand on either side of a ball wall.

The team with the ball calls out the name of an opposing team member

just before hurling the ball over the wall. If the ball is caught, it is

the other team’s turn. If the ball is not caught, however, the person

whose name was called is out.

Once people are out, their teammates can call out the word “prisoner”

instead of a name to bring the imprisoned players back into the game. If

three or more teammates are out, “jailbreak” may be called out to bring

them all back.

If you think that’s confusing, then you should have heard 7-year-old

Kalen Sprigs breathlessly trying to explain the game as he dashed around

the ball wall to spy on the other team.

I have no idea how he did it, but that little boy with Band-Aids on

both elbows who was never paying attention to the game always seemed to

be the last one standing on his team.

He also invariably lost the game each time because he could not stand

still long enough to catch the ball.

But Prison Ball is just one of many games these children will play

this week.

It is the fourth session of an eight-week camp that run from 7 a.m. to

6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The camp is designed to entertain energetic

children ages 6 to 12.

Therefore, the program has a lively staff who are in their late teens

and early 20s. The staff members have a long list of indoor and outdoor

sports, as well as numerous crafts to keep the campers busy.

Naturally, when Prison Ball was finished and we all trooped inside,

spunky little Kalen took it upon himself to give me a tour -- or at least

a look at the game closet.

“We have Monopoly and Battleship and Candyland and ...,” and on and on

he listed them. “And Triominos, but I don’t know how to play that one.”

With all of this to do each evening, parents will be picking up a

bunch of tired campers -- except, perhaps, for Kalen.

FYI

WHAT: Kids Summer Sports Camp

WHERE: Grant Howald Park in Corona del Mar

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday

CALL: (949) 644-3151