one—the players in the other group attempt to throw spears through the hoops. The Cheyenne named two months of the year after the game: January is known as Ok sey' e shi his, "Hoop-and-stick game moon", and February as Mak ok sey' i shi, "Big hoop-and-stick game moon". Among the Blackfeet, children would play the game by throwing a feathered stick through the rolling hoop. Salish and Pend d'Oreilles youth played hoop and arrow games "to become skillful at bringing down small game for the village" in early spring, when the men were gone in search of large game. Among the European settlers, hoop-rolling was a seasonal sport, seeing the greatest activity in the winter. Children, besides rolling the hoops, also tossed them back and forth, catching them on their sticks. In the 1830s, hoop trundling was seen as an activity so characteristic of the young that it was adopted by a fanatic sect in Kentucky whose members mimicked children's activities in order to gain access to heaven. Hoop driving was also seen as a remedy for the sedentary and overprotected lives led by many American girls of the mid-19th century. The game was popular with both girls and boys: in an 1898 survey of 1000 boys and 1000 girls in Massachusetts, both the girls and the boys named hoop and stick their favorite toy. In Ohio, the wood of the American elm (Ulmus americana) was particularly valued for making hoop-poles. At Bryn Mawr College, Wellesley College, and Wheaton College, the Hoop Rolling Contest is an annual spring tradition that dates back to 1895, and is only open to graduating seniors on that college's May Day celebration. See also Chunkey Hooping Hula hoop References Sources Boys' toys and games Girls' toys and games Games of physical skill Physical activity and dexterity toys Traditional toys Ancient Greek sports Ancient Roman sports Children's street culture Wooden toys Metal toys