Gaga (game)

Gaga is played in a large fenced-in area (usually an octagon or hexagon) called a gaga pit. The gaga pit generally consists of flat walls atop a smooth dirt, turf, sand, or rubberized surface. The gaga ball can vary in size and form, generally ranging from a foam dodgeball to a rubber kickball. In some games, the ball may not actually take the shape of a sphere if the proper equipment is not available. The game begins when one player or a referee throws the gaga ball into the air; while the players' backs or hands are set against the wall, they shout "Ga” on each of the first two bounces, and “ball” on the third. After three bounces, the ball is in play, and the players may leave the wall and hit the ball at each other in the pit. A player who is hit by the ball or breaks a rule is eliminated and must leave the game. Players may not hit the ball twice in a row, and a player who causes the ball to leave the pit is out. When the ball is caught in the air on a fly, the last person to hit the ball is out. ==General rules==

• A player can hit the ball with their hands, but picking up the ball and throwing it at a player is not allowed. Some versions do not permit scooping, or curling one's fingers while hitting the ball, so as to project the ball into the air. In some games, only open hand hits are allowed to prevent striking injury to small children and also to enable greater control of the ball, keeping it low and inbounds. • A players knees or lower legs may not touch the ground as an act of defense. This is often referred to as turtling. If the player unintentionally touches the ground with their knee no penalty is assigned. However, players will often target a player who has done so numerous times as to avoid further explicit turtling. ==Origin of the game==

The origins of gaga have remained largely a mystery since its first appearance in the mid-20th century, though the predominant theory is that it was invented in Israel and exported to other countries around the world, usually as a game played by children at summer camps. Australia Competitive gaga was reportedly popular in the Australian Jewish communities of Perth, Western Australia, in the 1980s, primarily through the exchange of Israeli madrikhim (counselors) to Australia, or Australian madrikhim returning from Israel. Although those claims remain largely anecdotal, fans of the game often cite Australia as a country in which the gaga community was especially active. North America Gaga is most frequently said to have been brought to the United States by Israeli counselors working at Jewish summer camps, arriving in the northeastern region as early as the 1950s, then spreading nationwide over the ensuing decades. Gaga continued its U.S. expansion to Manhattan with the 2011 opening of The Gaga Center, New York's first facility dedicated to the sport. Tablet magazine investigation In 2016 and 2017, Tablet magazine reporter Stephen Silver wrote a two-part investigation of gaga's origins, sifting through the various theories and rumors that had circulated over the preceding 60 years. In the second of the two articles, titled "Is the Mystery of Ga-Ga, Everyone's Favorite Summer-Camp Game, Finally Solved?" Silver interviewed a 61-year-old native of Baltimore, Maryland, Steve Steinberg, who claimed to have invented gaga ball in 1975 as a teenage camp counselor to six-year-old boys at Camp Milldale, a Jewish Community Center camp in the Baltimore area. "[Steinberg] says he started the game for the same reason it’s still played today at countless summer camps," Silver wrote, "to keep campers busy on rainy days." Contrary to the theory that the game's name derives from the Hebrew word meaning "touch-touch," Steinberg explained to Silver that during a moment of frustration with his campers, he'd told them that they "all look like a bunch of babies," and that the children responded by chanting "goo-goo, ga-ga." Steinberg said that the game became very popular with his campers, and that he eventually shortened the name to "ga-ga" so that it would fit on the printed activity schedule. The Steinberg story has been repeated in many other magazines, journals and blogs across the country. ==In popular culture==

• In the season 8 episode of ''Bob's Burgers'', "Y Tu Ga-Ga Tambien", the students of Wagstaff become obsessed with gaga after it is introduced by guidance counsellor Mr. Frond. The game quickly takes over recess, becoming the only thing anyone wants to do or talk about. However, Gene feels that just because something is fun and popular doesn't mean it should be the only thing you want to do, and that others shouldn't be afraid to dislike it or want to do something else. ==See also==