King of the Hill

When I was 9 or 10 my summer league coach called it Peel-Offs. I like the idea of making it more of a game, so I call it King of the Hill. The object is to get to the first position and defend it for as long as you can or simply get as close to the "King" as possible. The "King" jumps in first and when he hits the water the next person gets to jump in and when they hit the water the next person gets to jump in and on and on until you get to the last person. If you can touch the wall before the person that jumped in before you, then you switch positions and move your way up. I like it because the kids race....I mean they really RACE. They don't want to let their friends beat them and getting passed is not an option to most of these animals. I like to remind them that any little mistake can cost them their spot. A bad breakout, a weak dive, or a poor finish can really blow it for you in this game. I usually give them between 30 to 90 seconds rest between races. My summer league coach made the first person leave when the last person touched. That just seemed to brutal for my kids, especially because we usually play for 20 to 30 minutes straight. That is a lot of racing and they really go hard for this game.