.
NAYSI Activity Tip
July 27, 2001
No. 6
Shinny - a favorite of Joe Galat
A favorite street game of Joe Galat of American Youth Football among his playmates when he was growing up in Western Pennsylvania.
Shinny is an ice hockey type game that was played on paved streets. The sticks were discarded broom sticks. The puck was made of crushed soup cans and the goals were old lawn chairs. The distance between the goals changed according to the number of players and where the cars were parked. The game stopped to let cars pass.
In Shinny, there were two, three or four players per side, always boys. The girls did not play shinny in this neighborhood. Players were generally divided into attack and defense. A goal keeper was used if enough players were available. It was a rough game the way they played it but gloves, pads, helmets and other protective gear was not worn. Games were played to any number of points agreed upon or until they were called home to eat.
Variations: Today, there are many ice hockey and field hockey type games based on Shinny. It can be played indoors or outdoors on on ice skates, on in-line skates or roller skates and in tennis shoes using balls or street pucks. Goals can be nets, markers, lines or anything else that defines the target. There are other forms of hockey that are played with soft foam balls and heavily padded sticks.
Artificial ice is also available. It comes in sheets and can be installed on all kinds of surfaces. It acts much like real ice but needs no refrigeration.
Safety tips: There are two rules that are important in Shinny. First, players should not be permitted to lift their sticks above the waist or hit other players with the stick. Second, players should not be permitted to block (check) or trip other players. Emphasize skill, not brute strength and aggression.
In games involving sticks, rackets and moving objects, it is wise to use the proper safety gear. Protective equipment can include helmets, mouth guards, eye protection, gloves, as well as arm, knee and shin pads.
For more about Shinny, see the following Britannica link:
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=114961&tocid=29690
About Joe Galat: Shinny was a favorite street game of Joe Galat when he was six to 10 years of age growing up in Cresson, Pennyslvania. Galat is the President of American Youth Football and owner/operator of Camp America in College Corners (Oxford), Ohio. He is the former head coach and general manager of the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League and was an outstanding lineman and linebacker at the Cradle of Coaches, the Miami of Ohio Redhawks (formerly Redskins), coached by John Pont.
