Simpson College intramurals is adding four square to its list of events. Nicole Darling, assistant director of student activities/intramurals director, came up with the idea after reading an article about four square in the Des Moines Register.

According to the article, the game four square is played in a four-square grid. Four players bounce a ball back and forth to each other, trying to keep the ball in motion. Each of the four squares is assigned a rank. The player in the highest square, square four, is the server. The ball is served to one of the other players, who must keep the ball in play by hitting it to another player. Kicking the ball is not allowed.

Similar to tennis, the ball has to bounce in a square, but can only bounce once per square. If a player misses or hits the ball out of bounds, he or she is moved back to the lowest square. From there, he or she begins the climb up to square four. If there are more than four players, the others wait on the sidelines. The next one in line can enter in square one when a player misses or hits a ball out.

Although she knows that a lot of people haven’t played four square since elementary or middle school, if they have played at all, Darling is eager to bring the game to Simpson College.

“We’re really excited about it,” Darling said.

Sign up for intramural four square began on Sept. 12. The event will be held on the basketball court south of Barker Hall on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 27.

According to Darling, a system of hierarchy, possibly seniority, will be used to determine who will be placed in each of the four squares for the first game.

Darling isn’t quite sure yet how the winner will be chosen. It is possible that the game will be played for a certain amount of time, and the person who remains in square four the longest will win. The first place prize will be the classic intramural t-shirt. According to senior Nate Thomson, intramural council officer, the shirts are a crowd favorite.

“The t-shirts are the big selling point,” Thomson said. “That’s the trophy. That’s what everybody wants.”

Participation in intramural events has been higher than previous years so far.

“I know this year, even though we’ve only had five events, turnout has been increased quite a bit, which is what we want to see,” Thomson said. “We want to see as many people as we can. We want new people to come out.”

Sophomore Chris Kunze, an Intramural Council member, plays intramurals for the competition. He advises other students to participate.

“I love to compete,” Kunze said. “I do it to stay in shape and keep active. Come and play. It’s really fun. It’s a good way to stay in shape, too.”

Thomson hopes freshmen will give four square a try, especially if they haven’t participated in an intramural event yet. He also said to expect lots of free give-aways.

“It’s a really great opportunity to meet people,” Thomson said. “Don’t be shy. I know my freshman year I was kind of worried about coming out for sports because there was going to be upperclassmen there, but it’s not as super-competitive as people are maybe worried about. So come out get some good exercise in, meet new people, have a good time and maybe win some prizes.”