How To Host and Set Up a Snowball Fight
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade— and when life gives you snow, you host an epic snowball fight.
Of all the battles you could be involved in, a snowball fight is, without a doubt, the best. And if you happen to win, the fun element only increases, and you will forever have bragging rights as the snowball fight champion. Not to mention it’s the only activity where it’s perfectly acceptable to chuck hard-packed objects at people. How can you not enjoy the fun winter pastime?
So, when the snow has come, and you’ve been blessed with that oh-so glorious phone call letting you know that school, college, or work is off... what do you do?
Stay inside bundled by the fire? Heck, no!
You have the aggressive spirit of a swan terrorizing the local park, not a couple of kittens in mittens. You’ve got a snowball fight to arrange. Spread the world and hit up the group chat: tell your pals and invite your arch-enemies. Send an embossed formal invite or go old fashion and throw down your glove as a challenge to their honor. Cuz’ it’s GO time.
Read on to learn everything you need to know to host and set up an epic snowball fight.
First Things First. What Exactly Is a Snowball Fight?
In a nutshell, a snowball fight is exactly how it sounds — a fight that involves whirling balls of snow at the enemy (aka, the opposing team). Kind of like capture the flag, but with snowballs. And well, there’s no flag. Unless, of course, you want to structure the snowball fight that way.
You see, there really isn’t a right or wrong way to have a snowball fight. You’re in control of the rules. It could be like capture the flag, and someone needs to get the other team’s flag in order to win. Or it could be like dodgeball, where if you get hit,you’re out.
Tips To Host an Epic Brawl
Hosting a snowball fight is an excellent way to bring everyone together. Or create family drama that simmers until everything explodes at Thanksgiving. Either way, you’ll form priceless memories.
To make your snowy battle an epic one, check out these tips below:
Tip #1: Start Planning
Sure, you can just call up a few comrades and start pelting snowballs at each other, but if you want to be the talk of the town for hosting a monumental snowball fight — you’re going to need to do a little planning. Start by creating a list of who you want to invite.
If you’re planning an epic battle for your little snowflakes, then you can invite their friends from school, the neighborhood kids, and family.
For kids-at-heart (formally known as “adults”), you can invite your pals, co-workers, neighbors, and even your arch-enemies who could benefit from a nice snowball to the face— just get enough people to make two or more teams. A good snowball fight team size is typically around five to 10 people.
Pick a day, pick a time, and pick the place. Let everyone know where to meet and to bring their A-game. When picking the location, a big open field with a fresh blanket of snow is best. The park is also a great idea because there are lots of hiding spots to post up for a surprise attack.
Tip #2: Put Together a Designated Area For Refreshments
It might be really cold out, but a snowball fight requires a whole lot of energy and can leave players drenched in sweat. What’s more, many people get less thirsty when the weather is nippy. These two things make for one dangerous recipe that can quickly lead to dehydration.
Another important point is to wear sunscreen. It may be cloudy, but that doesn’t mean the UV rays aren’t going to throw down.
Whether you host the snowball fight in your backyard or at the local park, be sure to set up a designated area for refreshments to keep everyone properly hydrated. Some of our winter favs include hot cocoa (with marshmallows!), warm apple cider, and chai tea. Of course, nothing is better than water to fuel some wintertime fun.
Tip #3: Set Some Ground Rules
On the day of the cold war, bring everyone together to discuss ground rules. Establish how you want to play (ex: capture the flag style, dodgeball, etc.) and make sure everyone knows not to throw balls of snow with rocks or stones in them: that’s not nice.
Here are a few more things to cover before battle:
- If the snow is super hard and icy — don’t throw it.
- Plan on being in the middle of the action? Wear goggles.
- Accept the fact that you might pick up a battle scar or two (it happens).
- Everyone needs to dress appropriately in warm clothes.
- Avoid pelting hard snowballs at the face (or below the belt…). Fluffy powdery snow for face hits only.
- Don’t throw (or eat) the yellow snow (for obvious reasons).
- The team fort is no man’s land. You can’t throw snowballs at people in their forts.
You’ll also want to go over the point system. How many points for body hits? Head hits? And who is the designated scorekeeper? Is there a prize for the superior team?
If anyone has other rules that they’d like to add, now is the time for them to speak up or forever hold their peace.
Tip #4: Split Everyone Up Into Teams
Generally, there are two teams. But if you have a whole bunch of players, you can make as many teams as you’d like. Just try to keep it to five to 10 players per team, and you’re good to go.
To decide who is on what team, go old school and pick captains. Let them choose a player one at a time until everyone has a team. (Give the person who was picked last a hug and remind them that the best is always saved for last.)
Tip #5: Strategy and Weapons of Mass Domination
Once everyone has been divided into teams, give them a chance to discuss strategy with their teammates. This is also the time to stock up on snowballs. After all, winners don’t start building up their arsenal after shots have been fired. Winners go into battle prepared — and this means all hands on deck before it’s game time to pre-make as many snowballs as humanly possible.
Some say it’s best to only allow each team to make a specific amount of snowballs before the snowy brawl, but we think it’s more fun to set a time limit and let them go crazy trying to produce a bunch of balls before the timer runs out.
What’s a good time limit, you ask? It’s totally up to you, but 10 minutes is probably more than enough time for the teams to strategize and prepare. If you have lots of kiddos in the fight, more prep time might be necessary.
Tip #6: Blow the Whistle and Take Cover
Teams are formed, the strategy was discussed, and snowballs have been made — it’s war.
If you have a designated scorekeeper, make sure they’re also keeping tabs on the time. They’ll announce the start of every round as well as its end and inform the players of how many more rounds are left.
The scorekeeper will review the game from a safe distance, ideally sipping on some hot chocolate on a comfy chair. They keep track of who is getting hit (what and where) and assign the points.
The Cold War
And there you have it: everything you need to know to host an epic snowball fight! To make the snowy shindig even better, set aside a few awesome sleds like our one-of-a-kind FUNBOY Snowmobile Sled. Or keep it classy with the FUNBOY Retro Plaid Snow Toboggan!
Here at FUNBOY, we have something to tickle everyone’s fancy. Winter sleigh snow sleds, inflatable snow tubes — we even have a low-pressure, high-volume portable pump designed to inflate your favorite FUNBOY inflatables in a matter of minutes. (Which makes it perfect to bring into a snowball fight battle.)
Make this winter an epic one and host a monumental snowball fight with plenty of cool snow sleds and all your pals. And in the words of our favorite dodgeball coach, don’t forget to “dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge.”
Have fun!
Sources:
What You Should Know About Winter Dehydration | Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas
10 'Dodgeball' quotes to celebrate 10 years of dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge | USA Today
