Single-Clock Game Day: Central Timekeeper and Rotations

A mini-sports game day on three courts synced to one central timekeeper with a whistle code; the event staff collects scores and announces rotations, aiming for zero delays. It builds event time management.

How to play

1. Three courts with cones: 3v3 basketball, soccer and team handball. Make 6 teams of 3 and a staff of 7: timekeeper, announcer, two runners, standings keeper and two court managers who referee (4 min).
2. Explain the code: one long whistle, start; two short, stop; three short, rotate. Games last 4 minutes and rotations 1 minute max (2 min).
3. Five rounds, a full 6-team round robin: three games at once, and every team changes court and opponent following a chart; the third game is self-officiated (20 min).
4. When a game ends, the winning captain fills out a slip and a runner takes it to the table; the announcer calls the next courts and the table logs the round's delay until every court is ready (included in the time above).
5. Wrap-up: announce the final standings and total delay; the staff explains what they'd change to cut it (4 min).

Rules

• No game starts or ends without the central signal.
• Scores reach the table only in writing, carried by the runners.
• If a court isn't ready, it plays anyway with the time left.
• Safety: rotate by walking along the marked aisle, never across a court in play.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: serves as central timekeeper or announcer.
• Deaf or hard of hearing: each whistle is paired with a raised pinnie.
• Advanced players: as captain, must have the team set on the new court in under 40 seconds.

Learning goals

• Manage time in a competition with several courts at once.
• Communicate scores and rotations clearly and in order.
• Stick to an event's timing as both player and organizer.

Equipment for a class of 25

• stopwatch: 1
• whistles: 5
• pinnies: 18
• cones: 32
• balls: 4
• worksheets: 10

Teacher tip

Put the central table where every court is visible and tape the rotation chart at each court.

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