Open space in Sewell Park is backyard for students

Mar 25 2009 - 9:37pm | Keff Ciardello

Whether you are looking to feed that competitive hunger, get a tan or just waste some time, there is an array of outdoor sports that are entertaining, inexpensive and easily accessible to students in San Marcos.

Students may lack the ability to compete in collegiate sports, but with a little creativity and practice, these outdoor activities can make the average Joe feel like Joe Montana in their own backyard.

There are always classic sports such as horseshoes and washers, but sometimes the same old sport can get boring. Alternative games such as corn hole and ladder golf can substitute for the other games.

Corn hole is a game similar to washers except bean bags are used. The same catcher is used as in washers, but the bags are placed further apart for intensified competition.

Ladder golf involves two golf balls hot-glued to the ends of a two-foot rope. The balls and rope are then tossed underhand towards a rectangular PVC pipe stand with three rows. The object of the game is to try to get the rope wrapped around one of the rows. The top row is worth three points, the middle is worth two and the bottom row is worth one. The game is usually played in pairs and first one to 21 wins.

College students likely do not have a backyard of their own to partake in such sports but San Marcos flourishes with open space, making it a prime area for outdoor sports enthusiasts.

Sewell Park is provides space for these sports. On one side of the river, the grassland slants on a hill and is usually a premiere spot for relaxing or studying. On the opposite side, the land is flat and is usually used for strenuous outdoor activities such as Frisbee, hacky sack or playing catch with a football.

However, if you don’t own a Frisbee, Dan Barry, San Marcos resident better known as “Frisbee Dan,” is here to help.

“$25 and I’ll sell you a Frisbee. I design them myself,” said Barry, holding up a large Frisbee with a display of colors portrayed on it. “It’s the best Frisbee you can buy around here.”

Sewell Park also has concrete to ride a longboard or skateboard around. The park includes a concrete bridge crossing over the San Marcos River.

Marshall Holmes, applied sociology sophomore, said he enjoys riding his longboard at Sewell Park.

“There is a lot of smooth cement here,” Holmes said. “I especially like the big circle (by the basketball hoop) because it’s perfect for sliding. It’s a cool atmosphere here at Sewell. Mixing it up with longboarding it makes it optimum.”

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