We’ve made it to mid-July, everyone, so let’s enjoy the peak of the summer to the best of our ability.
Chances are you’re spending much of your weekend free time outside with friends and family. Pool days, cookouts, beach trips and the like are all in play. And if you’re hanging out with a good-sized group, chances are you don’t plan on spending the day just sitting in lawn chairs while the kids are playing (if there are any). If that’s you, then maybe you’ve gotten bored of tailgate toss, the South’s favorite all-ages outdoor game.
If you want to bring something new to the table this summer, you’re reading the right column. I’ve got just what you need to mix things up and challenge yourself in the process.
If you don’t know what Kan Jam is, let me be the first to tell you. It was invented in my hometown of Buffalo, New York by a couple of guys who, using a Frisbee and two empty trash cans, created something I can best describe as tailgate toss mixed with disc golf, but more fun. You won’t have to use trash cans to play, as official sets can be bought online, but this game will come naturally to anyone who’s gotten adept at scoring points with bean bags.
Teams of two play until one side hits 21 points, or scores an instant win by putting the disc through the slot in the front of the bucket — no easy task from 50 feet away. One player throws the disc while the other attempts to deflect it into the bucket. One point is awarded for deflections that hit the bucket, two are awarded for unassisted bucket hits, and three are awarded for “slam dunks” where the deflector puts the disc through the hole in the top or the slot in the front.
I haven’t seen it a whole lot in Florida, so maybe it’s still a northern thing. You can’t go to a Bills tailgate, for example, without seeing Kan Jam sets in the same way that you can’t go to a college football tailgate anywhere south of Pennsylvania without seeing a ton of people playing tailgate toss. You may not be able to personalize the buckets to the degree that you can with tailgate toss boards — and I’ve seen some great-looking boards down here, no doubt — but you’ll probably end up spending a lot less money on it.
And to boot, I find it more fun because it’s more challenging. It’s much harder to accurately toss a disc in a breeze than a weighted bean bag, so your teammate is much more involved in each throw. Tailgate toss also doesn’t have that instant win option, which can keep any team in the game no matter how badly they’re losing. You really have to be on your toes the whole time.
I have fond memories of playing the game growing up, and whenever someone in college had brought a set to a beach or a cookout. I also wouldn’t be surprised if I end up playing when I go back to Buffalo for a wedding later this month. I swear this game is awesome, and you should give it a shot if you’re looking for something different this summer.
For the complete rulebook, and to order a set, go to KanJam.com.