Baseball/Softball

Baseball is a sport in which two teams  of 9 take turns batting and defending. Runs are scored when players go around the bases. After nine innings the team with the most points wins.

Q. What does the term “Bases Loaded” mean ?

A. When the batting team has one person on each base. If the batter hits a home run it is called a “grand slam”.

Q. Why is a softball not soft?

A. Although many people think that the name represents gender roles at the time with girls being considered “softer” than boys, this is not true as softball, at the time of its creation, was for men just as much as for women. The name comes from the manufacturing of the softball of a looser bindings forming a less dense ball.

Q. What should I eat at a baseball game?

A. Traditional food to eat while watching a baseball game includes hot-dogs and cracker jacks, however nowadays exotic food such as fried grasshoppers can be found at the Seattle Mariners’ SafeCo Park.

Q. Why do all baseball players wear caps?

A. When baseball was created players often wore hats because it was the style, nowadays it is standard issue for players and helps to block out the sun.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a sport with Native American roots. It is played by catching and throwing a ball with intentions of throwing the ball into a goal, scoring a point.

Q. What is offside?

A. Offsides is called when a team either has less than four players behind the half line or if they have less  then three players in the opponents half. Traditionally defenders and goalies will stay on the defensive side whereas the three attackmen will remain in the opponents end. Switching is allowed.

Q. What is the circle that surrounds the goal?

A. The circle is called the crease. Only the defending goalie is allowed in this area.

Q. Why don’t girls wear helmets?

A. Girls’ Lacrosse is more about technique than the physicality of boys lacrosse. Many people believe introducing helmets would encourage more physical play.

Q. What is a draw/faceoff in lacrosse?

After a goal is scored or at the start of a half, two players line up at the center of the field to fight for possession of the ball. In girls lacrosse the draw is brought up to the air while in boys it stays on the ground.

Golf

Golf is a sport in which competitors  use a club to try to smack a ball into the hole in as few swings as possible.

Q. What is the difference between a birdie and an eagle?

A. A birdie is when the golfer needs 1 less stroke then the par to hit the ball into the hole, whereas an eagle is when the golfer needs 2 less shots than the par.

Q. Is the Hackley golf team allowed to use golf carts?

A. No! Golf carts are not permitted in either Hackley golf or the PGA Tour.

Q. What are the different types of clubs?

A. Each club has a number associated with it that reflects the angle of the club, then there are different types of clubs; these subsets are: drivers, woods, irons, wedges, and putters.

Q. What is a handicap?

A. One’s handicap is an index that measures their skill by using reported scores and factoring in course difficulties. Note: the average par for a course is 72 however many courses have a 70 as the par.

Q. What is a bunker?

A. It is the formal term for sandtrap.

Tennis

Tennis is a Racket sport where players must hit the ball over a net and the first person to fail to hit the ball over the net loses the point.

Q. What is a double fault?

A. When a player hits two serves out in a row. When a player double faults he forfeits the point

Q. How does the scoring work?

A. Tennis scoring is quite complex; when a point is won, that player goes up 15-0, then to 30, then to 40, and then if the person with 40 wins, the game is over. In the case that the game ends up tied at 40 the game is called a deuce and from there it is win by two. The first player to win 6 of those games wins the set, unless it is 6-5 in which another game is played, then if the leader wins, they win the set, however if the player who was losing the set goes into a tiebreak. A tiebreak is the first to 7 points, win by two. The first to win two of these sets wins the whole match.

Q. When do opponents switch sides?

A. After every odd game in a set and after each set.

Q. What should you call a woman standing in the middle of a tennis court? 

A. Annette

Track and Field

Track and field dates back to the early Greeks. It is a basic sport were participants compete in events of running, throwing, and jumping.

Q. What does P.R. stand for?

A. Personal Record

Q. How many laps around a track is a mile?

A. 4

Q. How long is one lap around the track?

A. 400 meters

Q. What is the fastest recorded 100 meter dash?

A. 9.58 seconds, set by Usain Bolt.

Q. Why do the long jumpers jump into sand?

A. Ancient Greeks did not jump into sand, but rather the landing pit of sand is a modern invention so that the jumper can have a easy landing and their imprint on the ground will be recorded.

Q.What material makes up the pole that polevaulters use?

A. Throughout the years, the pole used in the pole vault has changed, at first it was ash, then bamboo, and more recently aluminum, now it is made of fiberglass.