"In
Junkyard Sports, Bernie DeKoven has brought us a wonderful gift that
has been cleverly disguised. When you first look through the pages, you'll
think it's a collection of zany things you can do with junk that you
find. And,
of course, it is that. However, if you're really ready to think about
the nature of play and fun, it's very much more. It's like singing
along with a song that you realize you've never heard before. Once you
begin singing along with Junkyard Sports, it will begin to seem like
your own. What was it that you really liked about scout camp or wrestling
with your dog or junior high basketball or playing in the waves? What
didn't you like? In Junkyard Sports, Bernie gives us permission to simply
HAVE FUN, no more, no less. In doing so, he provides some profound observations
about sports, games and life. Listen for the tune and like me, you'll
soon be humming along, delighted with where the song is taking you."
"...And Benie DeKoven's book is just that--- a gift of creativity
and team building and joyful celebration. This is a revolutionary new
book, and a must-read for anyone interested in a profound new way to
look at the ideas of "play" and "community" and "fun." One
word of caution: don't expect to read this book all the way through at
one sitting--- you'll be too excited to sit still. At some point I guarantee
you'll have to put the book down and run right outside and round up some
new friends... and start teaching them to play Junkyard Sports!"
"...Nowadays
most forms of play are owned by powerful franchises. The idea that people
can not only play on their own but can in fact make up their
own sports is radical in the extreme. Even more disruptive is the notion
that folks can change the rules of the game so that everybody has fun.
I remember watching a game of jump rope with six fourth grade girls,
two of whom where recent immigrants to San Francisco from Taiwan. The
poor newcomers just couldn’t understand when the other girls changed
the rules. Indeed their game was totally about changing the rules. This
taking charge of the game was most unsettling to children who had been
educated that they had to “play by the rules.” We tend to
think that we live in a “free” society but in fact most of
the fun things in life have become businesses. What we are loosing when
we allow all the fun to be owned by others is the ability to be spontaneous,
to be able to think on our feet and engage life in the moment. This book
is a roadmap for anyone who would like to reintroduce spontaneous games
into their lives, their classrooms, their business environment, and in
so doing reawaken the spark of life that comes when people are having
fun."
"In
Junkyard Sports, Bernie DeKoven has brought us a wonderful gift that
has been cleverly disguised. When you first look through the pages, you'll
think it's a collection of zany things you can do with junk that you
find. And,
of course, it is that. However, if you're really ready to think about
the nature of play and fun, it's very much more. It's like singing
along with a song that you realize you've never heard before. Once you
begin singing along with Junkyard Sports, it will begin to seem like
your own. What was it that you really liked about scout camp or wrestling
with your dog or junior high basketball or playing in the waves? What
didn't you like? In Junkyard Sports, Bernie gives us permission to simply
HAVE FUN, no more, no less. In doing so, he provides some profound observations
about sports, games and life. Listen for the tune and like me, you'll
soon be humming along, delighted with where the song is taking you."
"...And Benie DeKoven's book is just that--- a gift of creativity
and team building and joyful celebration. This is a revolutionary new
book, and a must-read for anyone interested in a profound new way to
look at the ideas of "play" and "community" and "fun." One
word of caution: don't expect to read this book all the way through at
one sitting--- you'll be too excited to sit still. At some point I guarantee
you'll have to put the book down and run right outside and round up some
new friends... and start teaching them to play Junkyard Sports!"
"...Nowadays
most forms of play are owned by powerful franchises. The idea that people
can not only play on their own but can in fact make up their
own sports is radical in the extreme. Even more disruptive is the notion
that folks can change the rules of the game so that everybody has fun.
I remember watching a game of jump rope with six fourth grade girls,
two of whom where recent immigrants to San Francisco from Taiwan. The
poor newcomers just couldn’t understand when the other girls changed
the rules. Indeed their game was totally about changing the rules. This
taking charge of the game was most unsettling to children who had been
educated that they had to “play by the rules.” We tend to
think that we live in a “free” society but in fact most of
the fun things in life have become businesses. What we are loosing when
we allow all the fun to be owned by others is the ability to be spontaneous,
to be able to think on our feet and engage life in the moment. This book
is a roadmap for anyone who would like to reintroduce spontaneous games
into their lives, their classrooms, their business environment, and in
so doing reawaken the spark of life that comes when people are having
fun." 
