An American Gladiator Styled Event

I'm one of the volunteer youth leaders at the church I attend. Each year we plan a big event to kick-off our season. We've had great success in the past with attracting insane numbers of kids to these events and for this year we wanted to put together a fun, exciting, competitive event for our youth group that was based on the popular television competition, the American Gladiators. We developed games we could play that were based on the competitions that the participants of the show participated in. In order to ensure safety, the kids had to compete against an adult "Gladiator." These adults were involved in the weekly ministry to the kids, so we had a chance to encourage a competitive atmosphere before the event as well as during the event.

We had 4 competitions that the kids could participate in. No one had to compete in any event, but they did have to watch their fellow teammates as they competed against the Gladiators. We utilized the two sides of a full-sized school gymnasium. The four competitions were designed so that one side of the gymnasium could be used while the other was being prepared for the next competition.

Proper equipment is essential to a safe and fun event. We had 35 kids come to our event, many of the kids played each game more than once, and we had no major injuries (excepting many black and blue marks, sore muscles, and a general inability to move the next day on the part of the Gladiators). I believe that the things that contributed to a safe event were:

The Gladiators had safety on their minds at all times.

Although each of the events involved heavy physical contact, all contact was within a controlled environment.

Proper equipment (padding of the players and the floor).

It was easy for the Gladiators to "spoil" the actions of the players.

In each of the competitions the means for the Gladiator to eliminate the competitors didn't involve contact that provided a high risk of injury to the players. If the kids took us seriously, and were big boys, we could compete with them on their physical level. If the kids were smaller, or less athletic, we knew we could compete with them on a lower level that didn't involve heavy contact, and yet still enable them to compete at a high level and have the potential to score well. Success at any of these games didn't require strength or outstanding athletic ability. Each of the competitors were able to use their own skills to beat the Gladiators and score some points.

The Gladiators were obviously bigger and stronger than the kids, just as it is in the actual American Gladiators. But no matter how hard we tried to beat the kids we still couldn't dominate the kids in any of the competitions. There were a lot more of them than there were of us. They tired us out quickly and they had the opportunity to rest for 10 minutes or more before they took us on again, and we were continuously involved in fierce competition. They were competing one team against another, we were just the spoilers, yet they were able to compete against us as well. It was fun for all, and all felt as if they had a shot to play and win.

The four competitions we developed were:

The Target Throw

The Wrestling Competition

Power Ball

The Football Run

We knew that some of the kids would not appreciate some of the competitions, and that's OK. You can't please everyone all the time. We just went with what we had planned and let the kids decide the level of participation in each event. You may want to have an alternative activity happening for those who would rather not get sweaty (we had some kids like this).

As the kids came in the door we had them fill out an Entry Form. The Entry Form had a place for their name, address, phone number, what church they attended, and skill level. The skill levels were: OK, Average, and Awesome. We then tried to assign teams according to sex and skill levels. We wanted an equal mix between the red team and the blue team and this accomplished the goal. With their team designation they headed into the gymnasium for the competitions.

The Target Throw

Be sure to refer to The diagrams and read through The Equipment Specifications, and review The Scoring for each of the games.

The first competition was the Target Throw. This competition was the first because it involved a good deal of set-up time and really had to be set up ahead of time. The competition was set up from one corner of the gym to the other corner of the gym. In one corner there stood a target, about 4 feet off of the ground. Scattered at different intervals from the target, throughout the gym, were blinds that the kids could hide behind. We used folding tables that were placed on their sides for each of the blinds. At each of the blinds there were two different kinds of balls that the kids used to attempt to hit the target. At the same time, the Gladiator stood on the bleachers, at the level of the target and just to the side of the target, throwing tennis balls at the player. If the player was hit with a tennis ball the game was over. If the player hit the target the game was also over. The player was encouraged to swiftly make their way through the course. A 60 second time interval could be set, if desired, or the player may just hide behind a blind in lieu of being hit by a tennis ball.

There needs to be a mark made on the gym wall near the target. If the player has thrown all of the balls from behind the blinds and has not hit the target, and the player has not been hit by a tennis ball, the player can tag the mark and score some extra points. The mark must be positioned so that the Gladiator has a pretty good chance to hit the person with a tennis ball as they are running between the last blind and the mark on the wall.

The Gladiator in this event is throwing tennis balls as fast as he/she can at the player. Throughout the course there are other Gladiators who are collecting the thrown tennis balls and returning them to the bin that the Gladiator is throwing from. If the Gladiator runs out of balls, the player gets a big time break and should take advantage of it. Of course, at the same time the other Gladiators are collecting the balls and returning them to the Gladiator who is throwing them. You must rotate Gladiators throughout this event. Throwing tennis balls across the gym, as rapidly as you do in this game, takes a lot out of your arm, and you're going to need arm strength for the other events.

Each of the players must wear elbow pads, knee pads, and hockey helmet with a cage. The elbow pads and knee pads protect as they dive and slide behind the blinds. The hockey helmet and cage are a MUST! As the player peeks up from behind a blind to prepare to throw a ball, the only part of them that can be hit is their head. A hockey helmet, not a rollerbladeing helmet, and a hockey cage, not a goalie face mask, are designed to take hard hits without effecting the player. The player won't even feel the effects of a fast tennis ball ricocheting off of the cage or helmet.

There are a few things that delay this game. The players putting on the equipment, returning the throwing objects behind the blinds, and the collecting of the tennis balls. If you have two sets of protective equipment, and if you rush the kids through the donning of the equipment, you can have one player ready just about when the other player is done with the game. If you have Gladiators who can help put the balls behind the blinds and collect the tennis balls as the game is being played, there will be little time between competitions.

You will definitely want to grab a couple of kids and practice this game before the event starts to get a feel for how to make it work best.

This game was the favorite of the players and the Gladiators. It's a lot of fun.

The Wrestling Competition

Be sure to refer to The diagrams and read through The Equipment Specifications, and review The Scoring for each of the games.

The second competition was the Wrestling Competition. This competition was set up on the other side of the gym before the event began. This competition was the most physically demanding competition for the Gladiators. Two large, tournament sized wrestling mats were placed in the center of the half of the gym. Other smaller mats were placed around the perimeter of the two large mats. The object of the game is simple. The kids try to stay on the mat for 30 seconds. The Gladiator is only trying to get them to step off the mat.

The kids get points for 15 seconds on the mat and 30 seconds on the mat. We only had one kid who could stay on the mat for 15 seconds, and he did make it for all 30 seconds as well, but all the rest were off the mat within 10 seconds. What seemed to be impossible odds for the kids didn't matter. They wanted to play this game long after the Gladiators were done.

The equipment requirements for this one are obvious. The high rate of speed with which the kids engaged the Gladiators was surprising. A quick throw of the Gladiator's weight could send a kid crashing off of the mat. The kids quickly identified that dodging the advances of the Gladiator was a much better strategy than engaging us and hoping to keep us engaged until the time was up.

At this point we took a 30 minute break. After the wrestling competition, the Gladiators really needed the break.

Power Ball

Be sure to refer to The diagrams and read through The Equipment Specifications, and review The Scoring for each of the games.

This game gave The Target Throw a running for the favorite of the players, and the Gladiators. It's a lot of fun, and it's much more intense than the Target Throw.

The game is designed just as the game on the American Gladiators was designed. We went right back to the wrestling mats for this game and set up five small garbage cans on the mats. The object of this game is to grab one softball at a time from the perimeter of the mats and place it in one of the five cans. The players have 30 seconds to score as many points as possible. The Gladiators are attempting to "kill" the ball that is in the player's hand. If the ball hits the ground, it's dead. If the player's knee hits the ground, the ball is dead. If the player steps off of the mat, the ball is dead. A dead ball must be tossed from the area of play and the player must go and retrieve a ball from the perimeter again.

Players from both teams compete at the same time, along with two Gladiators. There are bodies flying all over the place in this game, so it is very important for the Gladiators to keep track of where the players are and how their action will impact the other players. If you're going to take a player down to a knee, be sure they won't go into a basket or another player. If you're going to knock a ball out of their hand, be sure it's not going to go flying and hit someone else, or be in a position where it can be stepped on. And be sure you don't push the two players into each other. They may be going at a high rate of speed and the other player is far from their mind. You could cause an incredible collision that could lead to injury. This is where the helmets come in handy.

This game was literally awesome! There are bodies flying all over the place in this game. The kids love the physical aspects of this game. It's like football and basketball put together. They can just dive full out onto the mats to get a ball into the center basket, or they can take you on physically to push you out of the way and put the ball in the basket. Invariably, the Gladiators get their assignments mixed up and a ball or two are slipped into baskets without their knowing it. The game only lasts 30 seconds, so the players have to make all of their time count. Don't blink in this game.

As it was in the other games, the protective equipment the kids are wearing is key. Be sure you have other Gladiators on hand to collect the softballs that miss the baskets. They could make their way to the other side of the gymnasium in a hurry. The time that it takes to switch gear in this game gives the Gladiators a well earned rest.

The Football Run

Be sure to refer to The diagrams and read through The Equipment Specifications, and review The Scoring for each of the games.

This was by far the simplest competition that we did, and probably the least fun one, too. You may want to leave this one out and replace it with another, change it a bit, or use it as it is. We used the same competition that the American Gladiators used with a couple of minor adjustments. We lined up the wrestling mats from end to end and used that as our football field. The goal of this event was for the player to be able to run from one end of the mats to the other without being pushed out of bounds or dropping the football. The Gladiators were positioned on the mat so that the player had to get by one Gladiator at a time, with a decent stretch of open mat between them. The only restriction on the Gladiators is that they can only take one step in any direction.

If the player stepped off the mat, they were out. If they dropped the ball, they were out. We had players running from both ends of the mat, one at a time. When one player was done the Gladiators had only to turn around and address the player ready at the other end of the mat. The facilitated an easy transition of equipment as well.

Conclusion

I hope that you can use this information to duplicate the event that we put on for our youth group. Have the Ben-Gay ready and be sure to let the Gladiators take a few days off of strenuous physical activity - they'll need it.

If you wish to be able to put more kids through each of the events then you should have more of the protective equipment on hand. An extra set of helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads will allow one player to be suiting up while a player is playing the game. But you must be sure to double the number of Gladiators that you have as well. The kids will tire the Gladiators out long before they themselves will tire, so if you increase the number of kids participating in the events you have to increase the number of Gladiators participating as well.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you might have on how you can use these materials to produce an exciting program for your church group.

Be sure to refer to The diagrams and read through The Equipment Specifications, and review The Scoring for each of the games.

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