Photos by Miranda Stamps
Sharpen up your skills, sports fans. It's time for...
Mölkky!
Never heard of it? You're not alone, as it's been around for only ten or so years, and in the US for a considerably shorter time. And had it not been for a chance walk through Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn on a warm summer day in early August, your faithful blogger would be among you.
My hubby, my son-in-law, and a friend were out for a stroll when they spotted unusual activity in the park. Wooden pins with numbers on them, two men and a ten-year-old boy, and a not inconsiderable amount of alcohol were at work (on the part of the people with the pins, not my family, of course), engaged in a serious game of undetermined origin.
Next they knew, they were called over by a man who'd been imbibing a bit, who went on to explain that on a trip to visit his girlfriend in Scandinavia, he discovered the Finnish game, Mölkky. Similar to bowling but not really, the game involves setting up the pins, called skittles, in a particular pattern, then heaving the mölkky (a cylindrical piece of wood) at them. Points accrue on the basis of how many pins you knock over in a bizarre system whereby you actually can get fewer points by knocking over more pins (go figure).
We've imported the game to New England. Perhaps we're the first (though there are a few others to be sure in the US). Tournament to come. Join us.
