Teen Pool Party Game: Gutterball

by Stacy
(Kansas, USA)

(Photo from AndyFitz via Flickr)

This teen pool party game is called "Gutterball". It can be played anywhere with water, but a pool is usually the best place. It is meant to be played by children and teens ages Eight and above (if you have a younger child who you feel having comfortable in the water, they can participate).

To play Gutterball, you first need a small, soft ball of some kind. It is VERY important to use a ball that is soft. After locating the ball you wish to play with, divide everyone up into two teams (Gutterball can be played with any number of people per side).

Each team is assigned one side of the designated playing area. Decide between yourselves which team will get the ball first. Now it's time to play! Each team takes turns throwing the ball at the other team in an attempt to score points. You score points in three different ways.

Step 1:

The first way to score is to hit a member of the opposing team with the ball. This earns you ONE point.

Step 2:

The second way is to catch a ball thrown by the opposing team. This also earns you ONE point.

Step 3:

The third way is the hardest, but most rewarding. If you can successfully hit the sidewall of the pool (on the opposite side) with the ball, you earn your team FIVE points. This is a risky strategy because the opposing team will have a much easier time of catching the ball when it is thrown at the wall.

The game can end when one team reaches a predetermined number of points, such as 25. If you don't want to use that method, or you are having too much fun to quit at the number you decided on, feel free to just play until people get tired or have to go home.

Happy Gutterballing at your teen pool party!