@sussyleg.310shorts7, 2022
"My Own Scene- Tetherball"
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of the game "Tetherball" played by school children.
This post also presents information about the game "tetherball".
In addition, this pancocojams post also presents all of the examples of the foot stomping cheer that has the title "Tetherball" that I have found online.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, recreational. and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those whose memories of these foot stomping cheers are included in this compilation.
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WHAT IS TETHERBALL?
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetherball
"Tetherball is a North American game for two opposing players. The equipment consists of a 10 ft (3.2 m), stationary metal pole, from which is hung a ball from a rope, or tether. The two players stand on opposite sides of the pole. Each player tries to hit the ball one way; one clockwise, and one counterclockwise. The game ends when one player manages to wind the ball all the way around the pole so that it is stopped by the rope.”
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AI Results About Tetherball (retrieved on July 15, 2025)
"Tetherball is not as common on school playgrounds as it once
was due to safety concerns and potential for injury. While some schools still
have tetherball, many have banned it or restricted its use because of the risk
of collisions with the pole or the ball hitting a player's face or hands.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Safety:
Tetherball poles, especially on busy playgrounds, can be a
hazard for running children who might accidentally collide with them. The
tetherball itself, when hit, can also cause injuries like broken fingers or
facial injuries if it strikes a player.
Potential for conflict:
Tetherball, being a one-on-one game, can lead to
disagreements and arguments about rules or play, potentially escalating into
conflicts between students.
Risk Aversion:
Schools are increasingly cautious about potential lawsuits
related to injuries on school property. Tetherball, with its potential for
accidental injuries, has become a game that some schools choose to avoid.
Alternatives:
Schools may opt for other playground activities that are
perceived as less risky or that allow for more participation and less potential
for conflict."
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TETHERBALL FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
Foot stomping cheers are a sub-category of children's (usually girls) cheerleader cheers that have a distinctive call & response (word) structure and a distinctive foot stomping/hand clapping movement routine.
I've placed the tetherball foot stomping cheers that I've come across into the "sports and games" sub-set of foot stomping cheers.
Here are four other sub-sets of foot stomping cheers:
-Introduce Yourself (My name is __) cheers
-Dance style foot stomping cheers
-Bragging/confrontational cheers
--Romantic relationships cheers
Most foot stomping cheers are combinations of more than one of these sub-categories.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/some-examples-of-introduce-yourself-my.html for the pancocojams post whose title is "Some Examples of "Introduce Yourself (My Name Is ___" foot stomping cheers".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/some-examples-of-bragging-and.html for the pancocojams post whose title is "Some Examples of Bragging, Confrontational foot stomping cheers".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/some-examples-of-dance-style-foot.html for the pancocojams post whose title is "Some Examples Of Dance Style Foot Stomping Cheers."
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SOME EXAMPLES OF "TETHERBALL" FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
These are all of the examples of "Tetherball" foot stomping cheers that I have come across online.
These three examples are variant versions of the "Hula Hula" (Who think they bad)" bragging and confrontational foot stomping cheers that were much more commonly known throughout African American communities
Two of these examples are from Los Angeles, California.
Please share any examples of tetherball foot stomping cheers that you know. Remember to add when (year or decade) and where (city/state) that you first heard or learned that cheer. Thanks!
TETHER BALL [TEATHERBALL] (Example #1)
I have been taken BACK!!!! But I remember one that surprisingly (sp?) has not been said.I grew up in LA and I am sure this made across the US (Don't laugh at how I spell this stuff:
Teatherball, teatherball ooh sha asha
Teatherball, teatherball ooh sha asha
My name is _______, teatherball
I got Warren, teatherball
On my mind, teatherball
That boy, teatherball
I'm GONNA MAKE HIM MINE!
Teatherball, teatherball ooh sha asha
Teatherball, teatherball ooh sha asha
- bitsy196; http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=4123&page=4; “remember when”’-06-25-2003
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TETHER BALL (Example #2)
Little black girls at Windsor Hills Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA during the early 1990s chanted this rhythmic taunt in a circle on the playground:
(all) Tether ball (clap), tetherball (clap)
(all) ooosha-asha (twist body/butt from side to side)
(all) Tether ball (clap), tetherball (clap)
(all) ooosha-asha (twist body/butt from side to side)
(solo) My name (clap) is __________
(all) Tether (clap) ball
(solo) I'm (clap) (some adjective/adjective clause that describes yourself)
(all) Tether (clap) ball
(solo) You mess (clap) with me
(all) Tether (clap) ball
(solo) I'll (clap) (some adverbial clause that rhymes with your adjective/adjective clause and describes what you'll do to someone/how you'll protect yourself)
(all) Tether (clap) ball
-Milan W; (Los Angeles, California), November 18, 2009, cocojams.com
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TETHER BALL (Example #3
...Then there was this other call & response cipher (which I don't hear too many people mention outside my generation and region)...
Tether ball, tether ball/
Oosha, asha!/
Tether ball, tether ball/
Oosha, asha!/
My name's (enter your name)
(tether ball),
super cool,
(tether ball)
You mess with me
(tether ball)
You's a fool (tether ball)
I got this man
(tether ball)
On my mind (tether ball)
You mess with him
(tether ball)
Your butt is straight up mine.
Oooh.
Tether ball,
tether ball/
Oosha, Asha! etc.
-- You make up your own rhyme of bravado...
-Nikkole Salter (Los Angeles, California), comment in discussion thread for vlog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfzHL_1PdbY
Let's Discuss: Black Girl Childhood Hand Games and Sing Songs")
-snip-
I reformatted this example from sentence form to line form.
This
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