Playtime is over. Killjoys and the Snowball Terror.

[Yorkshireman]

Childhood fun is officially dead in a Devonshire school. Another tale from the Great British "you could'nt make it up." See story linked.


snowballing consent

So from now on pupils need consent from the target of their traditional winter sport. What next ? Legal documents drafted and signed before battle commences! Disclaimer forms and insurance incase of snowball related injury ? Part of childhood is recieving the numbing sting of a well aimed iceball to the earhole and nothing beats the satisfaction of a direct hit on the back of a teachers head at 50 paces.

This is part of a growing trend in schools throughout Britain where traditional playground pursuits are outlawed on dreaded health and safety grounds or fear of litigous parents sueing the education authority because Little Johnny grazed his knee playing Bulldogs across or some other form of robust pursuit.

On a more incredible turn the police are now getting involved, with earlier this week North Wales Police effectively criminalising the snowball attack. A spokesman stated,

"NWP will endeavour to make patrols to minimise incidents of anti-social behaviour sucn as snowballing"

So childrens fun is now anti-social behaviour. Patrols are said to be on the lookout for offenders! I'm surprised it has'nt been incorperated into the War on Terror!

All this comes the year after schools across the land started issuing a blanket ban on the most beloved of schoolboy pastimes, the conker fight. Health and safety hysteria over the danger these WMD posed to kids led to one school in Carlile ordering that safety goggles be worn whilst playing. I'm not sure what the figures are for conker related deaths, but I did'nt think they were reaching dangerous levels that called for such drastic action.

Snowballs down the back of the neck. conkers on the knuckles, footballs in the face on freezing days and cuts and bruises are part of growing up and school life (as I remember it) and you can't legislate to prevent it.

We are becoming a nation of killjoys inventing rules to stifle natural childhood enjoyment.

Children in Carlile sport the latest in anti-conker warfare protection.

[Perikles]

When it snowed at my school last week we wern't allowed to throw snowballs.
Throwing Snowballs= Instant Detention!
The conkers 'goggles' thing was absolutely mad. But the school is scared that some one could get hurt and then sue...
Welcome to Britain's Compensation Culture!
Which is fast becoming like America's...

Edit-Bulldogs was also banned at my Old School and football and tig! All we could do was talk up until the age of 11!

[theking994]

Edit-Bulldogs was also banned at my Old School and football and tig!

Football? Not that strange that people are getting bigger if you can't do any sports at all between the lessons.

We didn't have a ban on it in my old school but we were only allowed to throw snowballs at a certain area. Of course nobody cared about that rule, neither did the teachers, except one or 2 who became every student's target.

[Perikles]

Football? Not that strange that people are getting bigger if you can't do any sports at all between the lessons.

We didn't have a ban on it in my old school but we were only allowed to throw snowballs at a certain area. Of course nobody cared about that rule, neither did the teachers, except one or 2 who became every student's target.

Yes Football! Its because litttle kids kept running onto the football pitch and getting hit by the ball. We could not play 'tig because' we 'had' to actually 'run' and therefore might send a little kid flying. Bulldogs was banned for obvious reasons!

[Erik]

Traditional British kids don't play.
They read books and play cricket once a week.

(jk).

[Yorkshireman]

Traditional British kids don't play.
They read books and play cricket once a week.

(jk).

As usual mister negative. You obviously have a far superiour knowledge of British school life than me. Where you got it growing up in Holland I don't know, but I congratulate you on your expertise.

[Erik]

As usual mister negative. You obviously have a far superiour knowledge of British school life than me. Where you got it growing up in Holland I don't know, but I congratulate you on your expertise.

I was just kidding.

But I did go to school in England for one year. (I was about 7 IIRC)
And the main thing I remembered from that time was that I was considered the "wild boy", and all my british classmates were scared of me

And my British cousins went to a private school where they had to wear a uniform+tie every day since the age of 6.

[Yorkshireman]

I was just kidding.

But I did go to school in England for one year. (I was about 7 IIRC)
And the main thing I remembered from that time was that I was considered the "wild boy", and all my british classmates were scared of me

And my British cousins went to a private school where they had to wear a uniform+tie every day since the age of 6.

I know, I'm just one of those angry heads who's quick to take offence, don't take any notice of it!

I suppose it depends where you were brought up. I went to a state school on a council estate (we were all scruffs) and snowballing involved vicious and painfull battles, all good fun though.

[Mathias]

what is happening to this world, no more snowballs
Doesnt the parents and politicians know how satisfying it is to hit someone in the head with a snowball.
I remember last week when I hit a boy in the head 30meters away.Ah that was good times... good times.....

[Last Roman]

he said he was just kidding

[Yorkshireman]

he said he was just kidding

Fair enough, I'm always quick to snap.

[Mathias]

Luckily for me I dont live in England, but it is illegal in schools here in Norway too, but it isnt taken that seriously. We dont have Patrols and if a teacher sees us throwing snowballs all we get is a warning. (if we get 6warnings, they MIGHT lower our behavior grade)

[King Henry V]

I was in some pretty rough snow ball fights when I was younger, and I even got into fisticuffs with a really aggresive snowballer. I made him eat snow.

[IronBrig4]

In the US, dodgeball is banned in a lot of schools. Kids get hit in the head, and their parents sue.

If I see a litigious parent who sues schools because their kids throw snowballs, I'm gonna hurl an ICEBALL at them! If they want to use legal technicality, I have technically not violated their pussy rules.

[Mathias]

In the US, dodgeball is banned in a lot of schools. Kids get hit in the head, and their parents sue.

Im under the impression that you can sue people for everything in the US (and so is everybody else here).
Cant they just play dogdeball with a softer ball, its not like anyone is getting killed or seriously wounded.

[Reidy]

In the US, dodgeball is banned in a lot of schools. Kids get hit in the head, and their parents sue.

:sign_rofl I was under the impression that the whole point of dodgeball, was to dodge the ball, so if you get hit it's your own damn fault.

Regarding the consent for snowballing - that's a load of ********. It takes away the fun (and the whole point). Isn't it supposed to be a suprise and a laugh, not organised target practice.

[GORE]

im glad i missed this over-protective nature in schools, i cant remember anything that was banned apart from the obvious, like throwing stones or giving someone a good kicking etc., and those make sense. this stuff doesnt, kids are remarkably resilient, not as fragile as alot of parent make out.

no wonder were getting so many yobs now, ASBO's are the new 'game' as everything else is being banned by the nanny state.

[scottishranger]

In the US, dodgeball is banned in a lot of schools. Kids get hit in the head, and their parents sue.

No dodgeball! In my school we play with these stupid foam ball that are impossible to throw more than 5mph. But still it was dodgeball, it builds character. Its a proud human tradition of all the strong kids ganging up on the weaker ones.

Back on topic: at my school were not even allowed to pick up snow.As if anyone cares! We just start a massive gurrila warfare when the teachers are not looking. :laughing: Unseen and unheard is every snowballers motto at our school.

[Reidy]

Meh. That wouldn't bother me much anyway. It hasn't snowed properly where I live for 2 years! :sign_lame

[Mathias]

Meh. That wouldn't bother me much anyway. It hasn't snowed properly where I live for 2 years! :sign_lame

to much snow can be a bad thing to. where I live its about 1 meter deep snow. I dont mind, but it came in only a few days, so there was a big problem to keep to roads open and clear of snow those days