Does anyone at your school play marbles? Every spring, Burnsville Elementary School students in Mrs. Cathy McCoy's Physical Education classes participate in a Marble Tournament. Parents and school staff serve as judges and the winners progress to the county and even state and national level tournaments. In 1996 and 1997, former student, Dyan Fox (now a student at Braxton County Middle School) won a $1000 college scholarship at the National Marble Tournament in New Jersey.

Here are directions for playing "ringer"

SETUP: "Ringer" is played in a circle 10 feet in diameter. (We practice on mats made of carpet remnants, 4 feet square.) Thirteen marbles are placed on a cross marked in the center of the ring. Each player uses a larger marble, the "shooter," to knock the smaller marbles out of the ring.

PLAYING THE GAME: A player starts his turn from any spot outside the ring. All shots are made with at least one knuckle of the hand touching the ground. Hunching (moving the hand forward) is forbidden when shooting. If he knocks a marble out of the ring, he may shoot again from where the "shooter" came to rest. If the "shooter" leaves the ring, the player may shoot from anywhere outside the ring. If the "shooter" slips from the player's hand and does not move more than 10 inches, the player calls "slips" and shoots again. Each player's turn continues until he misses the marbles with his "shooter". The "shooter" is then picked up and the turn ends.

WINNING: The first player to shoot seven marbles out of the ring wins. We play 7 innings. Some people play "for keeps" and keep the marbles they shoot from the ring. Often the game is played "for fair" and marbles are returned to their owner.

If you would like more information about marble playing in West Virginia, please write to this address:

West Virginia Marble Association

P.O. Box 4002

Clarksburg, WV 26302

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