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Madisonians, have you ever played kubb?

An obscure game is making headway in Wisconsin.

Three people by the lake are playing the game of kubb, throwing wooden sticks and wooden blocks.jpeg

The Madison Kubb League season begins at the end of May in Monona. | Photo via Madison Kubb League

“It’s a great activity to get out of the house, have a drink on the lake, and throw some wood at wood,” said Jerry Schuster, who runs the Madison Kubb League. That sounds good to us. But, for the uninitiated, what the heck is kubb?

The game

Kubb is a lawn game where the objective is to knock over wooden blocks by throwing wooden batons at them. Think: a cross between bowling and horseshoes.

It goes like this:

  • Blocks are placed at both ends of a pitch.
  • A “king,” a larger block, is placed in the middle of the pitch.
  • Players try to knock over the blocks by tossing batons at them.
  • Whomever knocks down “the king” first, wins.

The play

“We’re a great group of people,” Schuster said. “We welcome beginners, and everyone is very helpful. We play out back right on the lake by the tiki bar.”

  • When: Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. from May 29 through Aug. 14
  • Where: East Side Club, 3735 Monona Dr.

There are local tournaments all the time culminating at the US National Kubb Championship in Eau Claire in mid-July.

Every tournament and league have no prerequisites for signing up and those there are eager to teach beginners.

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