“I have big plans for Eau Claire,” said Eric Anderson, coordinator of the U.S. National Kubb Championship in Boyd Park on July 17. What’s that? You’ve never heard of kubb and don’t even have any idea how to pronounce it? You must not have made Anderson’s acquaintance yet. He is more or less (but mostly more) responsible for kubb’s infiltration of the Chippewa Valley. He’s passionate about kubb and wants to make it a part of our daily lives.

VIKING CHESS ... OR NOT

First things first. Kubb (pronounced “koob” and rhymes with tube) is a modern version of an old European lawn game. Grass is nice, but it can really be played almost anywhere, even on a foot of snow as was the case at Volume One’s Winter After Hours socials in Boyd Park. The basic idea is to knock over all of the opposing team’s kubb and then their king. It’s often been called Viking chess because of its alleged medieval Nordic beginnings and the strategy involved.

    Those medieval beginnings are alleged because no one really has any idea how long kubb has been around. At the very least, our Nordic friends have been playing it since way back in the 1980s when it became popular on a small Swedish island called Gotland. The island hosts a popular medieval week and is home to a medieval World Heritage site. Kubb quickly became associated as “Gotlandic” to Swedes, and to Swedes “Gotlandic” equals medieval. So kubb may only be a few decades old, or it’s entirely possible that it actually is a newly rediscovered medieval game that was played by Erik the Red.1 

Either way, our part in the kubb story picks up a few years ago when Anderson went to Sweden for a year of grad studies. He got hooked on kubb and brought it with him to Eau Claire. Realizing it was a great way to meet people in his new home, he organized a tournament in the summer of 2007 on the green space across the street from the old Just Local Food (the walking bridge on West Grand).

The championship has expanded every year and has drawn more and more people from far-flung states, so Anderson has decided to call it the U.S. National Kubb Championship. “I thought, nobody else is doing it. People are coming from all over so we might as well call it the nationals and push the envelope a little bit.”

There is no U.S. Kubb Association (yet) to regulate this sort of thing, but this tournament is large enough to warrant the title. In fact, with 48 teams and a waiting list, last year’s was the fourth largest tournament in the world and the largest outside of Europe (the World Championships in Sweden hosts more than 165 teams). Anderson is limiting this year’s tourney to 64 teams – the most Boyd Park can handle – and if it gets any larger in future years he’s going to have to search for a new spot.

“I don’t want to say I’m thinking big because … well, it’s just kubb,” he said a bit sheepishly, but he has so much enthusiasm for the lawn game that it’s easy to get swept up in kubb fever.

“I know this sounds crazy, but when I talk to people who are looking to buy a house, some people actually make sure they have an area in the yard for a kubb pitch,” he said. “A guy I know up in Chippewa Falls is going to put little cement circles in the yard that designate where the four corners and king go.”

• KEEP READING ...
  » Why not Eau Claire?
  » Uniting People and Bringing Peace on Earth
  » Join the Kubbolution
  » Rules & Strategies

---

WHY NOT EAU CLAIRE?

I asked quite a few people why they liked this little game of dubious origins, and they all said that there’s just something about it that gets a hold of you. “I saw Eric playing it and I wanted to play it. It was really that simple,” said Aaron Ellringer, who is tossing around the idea of starting a U.S. Kubb Association. “We’re going to spend the next year figuring out what it means and how to put it into place. It seems like Eau Claire is a willing community, and there are a lot of people in town who would support that.” Anderson really likes the social aspect of kubb, and says that every time he plays a passerby stops or a motorist pulls over to ask what he’s playing. “It’s a cool way to bring people together, and I’ve seen and met people around town who I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

What makes them think little ol’ Eau Claire is mighty enough to host the kubb nationals or even a national association? Anderson rejects that question and asks, why not Eau Claire? Although kubb is played in some other places in the country – there are clubs in New York and Seattle – the Upper Midwest has quite a few kubb tournaments, including annual events in Dallas, WI and Duluth, MN.

Even more importantly, Anderson believes Eau Claire to be perfectly situated in what he calls the Nordic Corridor, attracting people from nearby cities with large Scandinavian populations. “What I’m hoping is that Eau Claire is going to be the hub between the Twin Cities, Chicago, Madison, Rockford, and we are the kubb capital,” he said, and then chuckled at himself. “This is sounding crazy.”

In fact, Anderson thinks it’s fairly safe to say that, per capita, kubb is played more in Eau Claire than anywhere else in the U.S. This may have something to do with our nostalgia for the motherland. All of Anderson’s grandparents came from Sweden. He enjoys the emotional connection to his “cultural DNA” and figures that probably appeals to a lot of other people, too. “There are so many people living here with Scandinavian background or German background. I think it’s easy to get excited about something that’s part of our history.”

But it’s not just about reaching back to a community across the pond; it’s also about building something new. “You think about the people you meet because of kubb, and I think there’s something about it that brings people together and helps build community.” A key aspect to this may be that kubb is not just a game, but a community event. Kubb has been a part of local happenings like the farmer’s market, the Sounds Like Summer concerts, the Rock-n-Roll Kickball Classic, and WHYS Bluegrass Festival. Some kubb games even organically transform themselves into events. Anderson recalled the second kubb friendly he organized in April 2008, which was held at Peace Park across from the old Just Local Food. Fellow kubb-head Zac Barnes had run into some members of New North String Band the day before and invited them to come by. They ended up playing for a couple hours. Some other people brought some grills, others brought soccer balls and Frisbees. In the end at least 60 people showed up. “What was great was that I did not even know over half the people there,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s end goal is to have kubb be part of the Valley culture, something that we all share together as a community – not just those of us who trace our ancestry to the cold parts of Europe. He and Barnes were invited to teach kubb to fourth and fifth graders at Flynn Elementary, and Anderson said that about a fifth of the kids said they had played before. He sees this as further proof that Eau Claire and kubb belong together. “Nowhere else in North America are a fifth of the kids at a school saying that they have already played it.”

“I think it is safe to say that the goal for a lot of us here (such as the local kubb club Eau Claire Berserkers) is for kubb and Eau Claire to be synonymous,” he said. “There are two types of people in Eau Claire: those who have heard about kubb and played it, and those who will shortly hear about it and play.”

---

UNITING PEOPLE & BRINGING PEACE ON EARTH

If kubb does take over the Valley, it will be a benevolent process. Kubb’s tongue-in-cheek (sort of) motto is “Kubb unites people and creates peace on earth.” It’s a silly slogan, but there’s something in it aside from the community-building aspect. From the very first, Eric has tied the tournament to fundraising. Every year it has raised money for the refugees in Darfur. Anderson also wanted to contribute funds for a local charity, so he added the local chapter of Girls on the Run, a program that teaches girls empowerment skills and healthy living.

The Nationals aren’t the only game in town. The Chippewa Valley Habitat for Humanity has gotten in on the act and will be hosting its own tournament in September to raise money for its programs. Tim Haukeness, administrative director of the Chippewa Valley Habitat for Humanity, said this may be a lower pressure event for new players since it’s mainly just for locals.

Habitat is also organizing volunteers to come to their center and make kubb sets that people can receive in exchange for donations. Kubb is a great fit for Habitat. “It’s a family activity, that’s the part that excited us. It fits right in with Habitat’s mission for low-income families,” Haukeness said, adding that Habitat would like to be known as the kubb makers for the Chippewa Valley.

Students at UWEC have been getting in on the kubb scene, too. At the Fresh Start Farmer’s Market on campus, students had a chance to play kubb with farmers – a worthy endeavor, according to co-organizer Zac Barnes, because these two groups might not have otherwise gone out of their way to meet each other and find common ground. The Foodlums have also been active in the kubb community. “Foodlums and kubb have quickly made a social event out of games and food bringing together students to find ways to improve the local community in the university bubble, hoping to get a better understanding and vision of the possibilities for growth on UWEC’s campus,” Barnes said

One of the more exciting events that Barnes has been working on is a fun day for the Special Olympics at Phoenix Park on July 31. He and the Eau Claire Berserkers are going to teach the athletes how to play kubb in the hopes that they will be inspired to form their own team.

---

JOIN THE KUBBOLUTION

The easiest way to get in on the kubb revolution would be to get yourself a kubb set, find a friend or few, and follow the rules printed with this article. Log on to the Wisconsin Kubb web site at www.wisconsinkubb.com for information on where to get your hands on a kubb set and on upcoming tournaments and game days. You could also join a kubb club like the Eau Claire Berserkers.

As kubb in Eau Claire takes on an aspect of social change, your experience won’t be complete until you put your kubb skills to good use. Although Eric has plenty of volunteers for the nationals (thanks to the Eastside Hill Neighborhood Association), Habitat could use some help for their tourney and with crafting the kubb sets.

As more people discover the charms of this simple yet complex game, Anderson hopes the Valley community will become even more closely knit and coherent, and maybe even do some good along the way. Even with the exponential success kubb has already enjoyed here in a few short years, Anderson believes this is just the beginning. “I think to myself, where does this stop? And I don’t know, maybe it just keeps growing.”

Kubb on.

--

• For More Information
• U.S. National Kubb Championship July 17: www.wisconsinkubb.com • Eau Claire Berserkers: Eric Anderson, eric@wisconsinkubb.com
  
• Special Olympics Kubb, July 31: Patty Knez, pknez@specialolympicswisconsin.org • Old Time Games, www.oldtimegames.com
  
• Chippewa Valley Habitat For Humanity kubb sets, tournament (September 18), and volunteering: Timothy Haukeness, info@cvh4h.org

 

---

KUBB RULES

Kubb is typically played on a rectangular pitch approximately 5 meters by 8 meters. The two shorter sides are the baselines and five kubb are evenly spaced along each baseline (there are 10 total). The king is placed in the middle of the pitch on the centerline. The area between the baselines and the centerline is called the field, and any kubb thrown in those areas are called field kubb.

The game starts when Team A throws the six throwing pins, from their baseline, at their opponent’s lined-up baseline kubb. Throws must be under-hand, and the sticks must spin end over end. Throwing sticks sideways or spinning them side-to-side is not allowed.

Kubb that are successfully knocked down are then thrown (under-handed) by Team B onto Team A’s half of the pitch (Team A’s field). Team A stands the kubb on end. These newly thrown kubb are called field kubb.

Team B then throws the pins at Team A’s kubb, but must first knock down any standing field kubb. (Field kubb that right themselves due to the momentum of the impact are considered knocked down.) Again, kubb that are knocked down are thrown back over onto the opposing team’s field and then stood.

If either team leaves field kubb standing, the kubb closest to the king now represents that side’s baseline, and throwers may step up to that line to throw at their opponent’s kubb. This rule applies to field and baseline kubb only; fallen kubb are thrown from the original baseline, as are attempts to knock over the king.

Play continues until a team is able to knock down all field and baseline kubb on their opponent’s side. If that team still has throwing pins left, they now attempt to knock over the king. If a thrower successfully topples the king, they have won the game.

KUBB STRATEGIES

It may seem like an overly simple game; all you have to do is knock over a block with a stick. But as any player can tell you, kubb is a nearly perfect combination of skill, strategy, and luck. We begged and pleaded with local players for their most closely guarded kubb strategies. We also promised (with our fingers crossed) that their secrets would be safe with us, so don’t tell anyone where you got these tips.

Composing the team
    In the national championship each team needs to have at least two players, although you could play with more. However, nearly all the folks we talked agreed that a two-person team is ideal for domination in a tournament. The fewer people you have throwing the pins, the more practice each person gets, and the more easily he or she can fall into a rhythm and rely on muscle memory. It’s also a good idea to have the same person throw the kubb every turn. Each pitch is going to have its own characteristics that make the kubb bounce differently. Your neighbor’s backyard is probably going to be soft with plenty of mole tunnels and bumps, but the ground in Boyd Park is rather hard and flat, and the kubb will bounce a lot more when you’re trying to place them. Kubb also land differently in grass than in snow. If your team has one designated kubb thrower, they’ll learn the peculiarities of the pitch faster, giving you a huge advantage.

Throwing the kubb
    The harder the playing surface, the more challenging it is to get kubb to stick where you throw them without bouncing all over the pitch. Anderson uses a technique he calls “drilling” the kubb. It takes practice, but it helps the kubb stick when they land. As you throw the kubb (under-handed of course), rotate your hand counter-clockwise if you’re right-handed, clockwise if you’re left-handed. This will make the kubb spiral like a football. This technique could really save your game on a hard pitch like Boyd Park.

Kubb placement in the field
    By far the most strategy revolves around where you throw the field kubb. “If you can place the kubb well, it really does help,” said Manny Fernandez, who competed in last year’s tournament. “Getting them where you want to at the moment you want them is key.” Most players will tell you that you either want the field kubb close to the baseline or to the centerline, depending on what stage you’re at in the game. If you have a lot of field kubb to knock down, you generally want to throw them towards the back so if you can’t knock them all down the opposing team doesn’t get the huge advantage of standing close to the centerline to throw its pins. Avoid throwing the kubb in the middle of the field.

Even more importantly, aim the kubb so they land close together or in a line. You might be able to get two or three knocked down with the same throwing pin. Moves like this can really reverse the direction of the game.

Learn your own strategies
    You’ll discover your own techniques with practice. Jessica Miller always aims to the left of where she actually wants the pin to go to compensate for an off-kilter throw. “If I look at my place and aim for it, I won’t hit it.”

Josh Miller knows only too well the fickleness of the kubb gods when he played in Duluth last year.  “We had them against the rope, but a few bad throws can really change the momentum.” So don’t get cocky.

Totomi Kakegawa knows that it’s not just skill and strategy that will win a game. “There’s a lot of luck in it. I’m not too skillful, but I can still hit the kubb.” As for the strategy, she finds that it doesn’t take long to pick up enough tips to do just fine in a game.

And Fernandez had one last word of advice: “sunscreen.”