Suggest sports for a Stag Do afternoon

July 5, 2010 8:35 AM

I need suggestions for stupid/weird events for a 'sports day' element to a Stag Do. We will have plenty of outdoor space for individual or team contests.

There will be approximately 22 of us at a Stag Do this August in England. I am trying to draw up a plan for sports events to provide some light-hearted competitive action. We've been thinking along the lines of wheelbarrow races, three-legged races, foot races whilst looking through binoculars, and a competition to see which pair can throw and cleanly catch a raw egg. Age range is 25 - 60, abilities vary.

Any suggestions of team sports, or individual contests (from table-top to football pitch-size) would be very welcome.

posted by tawny to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

There are several outdoor party games in Western NY that center around throwing a pair of weights (joined by a string) towards a sort of hurdle looking thing. It's kind of like horseshoes played with a bolo. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of any right now for reference. It would be easy to recreate but the joke could be spray-painting the weights flesh colored and making jokes about the guy throwing his balls away now that he's getting married - for some good natured ribbing.
posted by carlh at 8:41 AM on July 5, 2010

Sorry to double post but I found what I was referencing. Generally known as "ladder toss"! You can see the obvious masculinity joke on the wiki picture, along with the cheap construction costs.
posted by carlh at 8:45 AM on July 5, 2010

Frickets is a fun game you play with a couple of cricket wickets (or bamboo poles), plastic cups, and a frisbee. It's vaguely similar to cricket but with a frisbee and teams of two. It's quite quick to learn and pretty fun. More info here.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:47 AM on July 5, 2010

The relay race where you have to run to a broom then put your forehead on top of the end of it then run round it 10 times then run back is a killer to take part in but hilarious to watch.

There's also tug of war
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:53 AM on July 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

Ok, a nameless game for two, each with the same equipment. In your right hand hold an ordinary table knife by the blade, in your left hand you have a wet sponge. Only two actions are permitted, slapping the other person in the face with the wet sponge or hitting them on the knuckles with the handle of the knife. There is no scoring and it's mostly a test of agility and stress relief.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 8:59 AM on July 5, 2010

We just had a broomstick dash (what fearfulsymmetry refers to) at our company BBQ last weekend, and it was hilarious. I highly recommend it! We only had five rotations, and it worked just as well.
posted by ukdanae at 9:30 AM on July 5, 2010

Welly wanging
posted by Helga-woo at 9:39 AM on July 5, 2010

Obstacle course! See MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, aka Takeshi's Castle) or the North American variant Wipeout.

I mean yes you probably can't go as nuts as them, but I'm sure you could come up with some creative obstacles.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:20 AM on July 5, 2010

I was hoping there would have been more posts in this thread, it's the perfect time of year for silly games!

I'd get a kick out of arranging a timed trial of a series of simple but kind of specialized events. With a small group of diverse people it could be hilarious. Say you have an artist, a chef, and a brick layer. On "go" they have to draw a picture of, say, a dragon, peel a carrot and a potato with a spoon, and then stack ten dice on top of each other...then the group ranks teh drawings, the peelings....something like that. You get the picture. This may be impossible given the number of people at your even but perhaps they group with similar skills....and as with all Stag parties it's great if it's at least mildly suggestive. Maybe, "who can blow up the sex doll the fastest"...hah!
posted by carlh at 12:42 PM on July 5, 2010

I've been playing croquet every summer for years with a group of friends but not on a nicely manicured lawn. Oh no! our croquet pitch (that's what we call it) meanders in and out of a dirt alley, a small basketball court, a backyard lawn and an empty lot, has a couple water hazards, several cars you can get trapped under, lots of rough, a sand trap (OK, a big flower bed) and an opportunity on the 5th wicket to hit someone's ball down the paved street a block or so if the stars align. We always play teams and heckling is encouraged as well as cheating and bribery.
posted by fshgrl at 1:47 PM on July 5, 2010