LEADER AND FOOTER
50 to 60 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
This is a leapfrog game. One player is chosen to be "back," and he chooses a leader, generally the poorest jumper, and a "footer"—the best jumper. A starting or "taw" line is drawn on the ground and the back stands with his side parallel to it. The other players line up in single file at some distance, with the leader at the head and the footer at the rear of the line. The footer dictates the way in which the back is to be cleared and his distance from taw. For instance, he may, having put a long distance between the back and the line, require a run of a limited number of steps, or a hop and skip (specifying the number), before the jump. The leader makes the first jump as prescribed by footer, and the others, in turn, including the footer. Any player failing in the feat becomes back. Any player who is doubtful of success may call upon the footer to perform the feat. If the footer fails, he becomes the back. If the challenge be successfully met, the one making the challenge becomes back.