European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Pace 8 recreation scene stars and stripes sunday april o to s o 8 0 soccer bal sized equipment gives traditional croquet a kick i think the supersize the extreme Factor helps take away a Little bit of the Bob Alman former manager of National croquet Center dowdy wimpy elitist that the stereotype of croquet Bob Alman concedes a former manager at the National croquet Center he knows his sport has an image problem but Alman has an answer and Aneth dressed in White required on Tournai or set of adjectives for a hybrid soccer croquet courts and at some clubs and croquet game Hes helped invent set up their backyard set in goofy outrageous and Al terrain Hes hoping the new sport can boost croquet image played with coloured soccer balls that Are kicked instead of hit and jumbo sized wickets the hybrid game is called Touquet another version using Standard croquet mallets has been dubbed Mallet Ball i think of it As an extreme form of said Alman who is also Edi Tor of a croquet Magazine i think the supersize the extreme Factor helps take away a Little bit of the schools recreation departments clubs and even a juvenile Hall have already purchased sets of the balls and wickets Alman helps promote and he has taken to staging games at and around the West Palm Beach croquet Center billed As the worlds largest beginning in March he will take Mallet Ball on the Road giving free lessons everywhere from the Beach to a ban Yan Grove i really thought it was a said West Palm Beach resident Margaret Mihlon of the new game Mihlon was one of a number of adult players who tried the sport for the first time at the croquet Center in Early february a croquet player for 15 years Mihlon said she changed her views after playing with the soccer balls theres strategy involved she said the idea for jumbo croquet began a few years ago in Terre haute ind croquet fan Denny Ridgway created a giant version of the game with Basket balls but no mallets for a family re Union soon he was setting up courses for dinner parties and friends urged him to Market the game when Alman heard about the fledgling company he obtained a set for the croquet Center originating Mallet Ball by using Standard croquet mallets to play Ridgway later sold the game its now owned by Canad abased croquet Mallet manufacturer Don Oakley who Sells game equipment at the croquet Center and online for mallets modified specifically for soccer balls Cost extra Bob Alman the director off the National croquet Center is shown with new equipment used to play Touquet a new form of croquet Alman insists the game is ready to take off and it int the first time he has pushed the boundaries of traditional croquet while living in san Francisco in the 1980s he and friends sometimes played almost anywhere he said team the Vikings and strategy sized Only at the croquet Center the Basic rules one would shoot for the wicket in play Are teams of two alternate turns kicking while the other would set up for the places like an army base and the Lawn or knocking their Ball through the Wick following one the team they were ets the first person through playing Tori Perron and Emily Guz of it in in by Trump form of run Nilst the wicket gets a Point for the Man both 11 tried standing behind of it As an extreme torm of croquet team and whole group their so Gaet knocked moves on to the next a group of about 40 Stu dents from Meadow Park elementary school testing Touquet for the first time at the Center Learned quickly after a few minutes of instruction from Alman nicknamed or wicket by the the of a major corporation playing games students were guiding the soccer balls of guerrilla through the course Touquet and Mallet Ball Are an Exten Nicolas Parra 11 and his partner Sion of that irreverence and can be Andrew Buckmaster 10 named their out of position you have to use your brain and also your said Ramon Concepcion 10 Janet Catalano who played Mallet Ball several weeks later with a group of adults said she enjoyed the sport but Catalano who came wearing earrings with balls the colors used in croquet was not ready to give up the traditional game my Choice is still the Standard Cro she said floridians Cynnie Cagney right and Byers try Touquet at the National croquet Center in West Palm Beach
