This past Thursday was St. Patrick’s Day, the day when St. Patrick drove all of the snakes out Ireland and is a cultural celebration of the Irish people and of the conversion of pagans to Christianity. But do your really care about St. Patrick’s Day? At 4SEB, we like to think that we do. We even had a couple of Irish people show up… none of them played but there were there. Needless to say, green was worn, those who didn’t have it on were pinched and 4 Square was played. While the details of the night got fuzzier and fuzzier, I’m sure that we had a lot of fun. Oh, we listened to Flogging Molly and danced around too!

Pretty sure a whole lot of people showed up. The quality of conversation was definitely better thanks to some of the trappings of St. Paddy’s Day. Players were: Jessica, Steph, Liz, Angie, Mike, Jerome, Leah, Sanjay, Judy, Anne Marie, Jordan, Sam, Jack, Robert, Uriah, Casey, Lola, Justin, Rasha, Max, Nick, Micky, Eric, Rachel, Vi, Adam, Roxanne, Chelsea and Jimmy. No one had the green to win a 4 Square Challenge but elimination was another story. While it was a battle, Jack stood strong and won a green apple soda. Yum!

A crew of folks chose to enjoy the goodness of Guinness at Ben & Nick’s after and that was super fun too. Maybe you’ll be there next week? Thanks for reading and even more thanks if you played! Usually this blog goes up on Friday, but something about that day is now so so wrong. Learn about it so we can all get it back to the way it was. Have a safe day and stay dry!

CRREEAAAK… the coffin lid opens, the dirt is pushed aside and the 4SEB blog rises again.

So sorry for not reporting on the games from the end of February through early March, but I caught a nasty gross lay-you-out sickness that kept me horizontal for two weeks and not playing 4 Square. But like the undead, you just can’t stop the Square. Even though there have been no blog posts for the past 3 weeks, games have happened. These games have been hard-fought, thrilling and rained upon. For the last two weeks of February, the players who gather in the Rockridge BART parking lot on Thursday nights were joined by precipitation. Undaunted, they played anyway. Wet and dirty hands smacked balls and nimble feet dodged puddles. The square did have to be moved and retaped to avoid being swept away, but what needed to be done got done and fun was the result.

I’d like to take a moment right now to give a big thank you shout out to Robert Wong, who held it down like gravity and made sure the square was set up, that all who showed up were noted and photos were taken. He’s been sending me the info for the past couple weeks, but I’ve been slacking. My bad. Here are photos for you to enjoy!

Okay let’s do the run down of who was there when it happened.

2/17/11 players: Uriah, Julian, Jessica, Robert, Lali, Jordan, Judi, Leah, Jack, Justin, Phil, Paul, Vi, Chelsea, Adam (birthday boy) and a couple more! Challenge winner: Jordan. Elimination winner: Vi. This night was very cold, so props to the bodies that showed up and played. Thanks to Uriah and Lali for your rocking music…

2/24/11 players: Robert, Jessica, Max, Eric, Sanjay, Lali, Jerome, Michele, Leah, Jack and Phil. Players who did not play, but went to Ben & Nick’s instead: Lee, Uriah, Gabby, Jordan, Judi, Paul, Adam and Anne-Marie. Again, this night was cold AND wet. Gross. Robert brought the music and though the night started late and ended early, Leah walked away with an elimination win. Way to go!

3/3/11 players: Lee, Robert, Julian, Sanjay, Travis, Liz, Vi, Paul, Brittany, Rachel, Judi, Sam, Jack, Leah, Mike, Adam, Laura, Lisa, William, Elom, Rachel and Charlie. The night was not rainy or even that cold. Win. Speaking of winning, congrats to Mike for winning elimination! What is this, your 50th time as a winner? Whata playa…

3/10/11 players: Robert, Jordan, Sam, Sanjay, Phil, Blake, Anna, Claire, Kevin, Adam, Lali, Judi, Leah, Jack and Leah. Special guest appearance by Sam’s parents. They did not play. The games picked up and went all the way to the end. Elimination was won by Robert who really, really deserves it. High Five!

Daaamn, that’s a wrap! Muy bueno if you read this entire thing. Really I was just expecting people to look at the pictures. Thanks again to all the players who have played. Though it’s been cold (is this the Bay Area winter?) have no fear that the games will pick up as the weather gets nicer. Remember, it’s your job to bring new people! 4SEB could not happen without you.

Big shout out to the folks on the East Coast because Boston’s own Squarefour had their annual World Championships of Four Square in Maine at the end of February. Check this out and see what the tourney looks like. Could we take them? Maybe…

Also, our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by the earthquake off of the coast of Japan. As Californians, we know all too well the dangers of living with the threat of an unpredictable natural disaster. To help victims, you can give to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.  And you should be safe yourself! Are you prepared for a disaster? Check out 72hours.org and put together a plan and go-bag for everyone in your house. I’ve got mine, it’s got water, food, blankets, a radio, a ball and some chalk.

Be safe! It feels so good to be back among the living…

Why do they put the holiday about love and warmth in the middle of cold winter? Thank goodness 4 Square of the East Bay is located in the East Bay, the sunny side of the bay. Also it helps to have no winter, kinda like the winter we’ve been experiencing. Well, whatever the weather, we’ll be together, whether you like it or not. In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, the Square was full of love on Thursday night, but it manifested itself as a whole bunch of smack talk, some beer drinking, yells of frustration and the occasional taunting. It was like middle school love. While the couples cuddled up at the end of the line, the hoards of bitter single people decided to go all out in a frenzy of stunning slams and sickening spins. At the end, everyone was sweaty and feeling good. Isn’t that what love is all about?

Whether single or shackled, everyone at 4SEB loves to play the game. Let’s send hugs and kisses to all our players including Jessica, Mitchell, Vi, Robert, Sam, Paul, Roxanne, Eric, Lali (thanks for the cinnamon buns!), Leah, Jordan, Lee, Jack, Mike, Justin, Julian, Sanjay, Adam, Judi and probably more! At least one of them will be your valentine…

Rules were shown some love and people played like pirates, with elbows, like animals, while shouting out things but play was mostly rough and tumble. Lee made a 4 Square Challenge. And won. Wooooooooooo?

Elimination came to Square 1 first and then swept to Square 2 (like revolutions?) where the love was locked down. When it was all over, all of the losers had no love for Lee. Because he won. Who. Ray.

That wraps it up for this week. If you need some urban gaming organization to be your valentine, 4SEB is there for you. As more than just a friend.

Speaking of friends, the East Bay Bike Party is doing it’s thang tonight! It’s a mustache ride so sport your stache with pride and head down to Lake Merritt BART at 7:30pm. The party will eventually wind up at the Parkway Lounge with beer and food! Wear a helmet.

Lastly, we want to show love to the people of Egypt and the people in another square (Tahrir Square), which is full of the love of the people. When President Hosni Mubarak stepped down this morning, their revolution has been realized, but it is just the first step towards building a truly egalitarian society. The struggle does not stop now so here is to hopes that their momentum carries them to a brighter future for their country and for our world. Stay up to date on what is happening in North Africa by tuning into Al Jazeera English. Be safe world, we’ll play games as long as we can.

People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted and are often lucky in 4 Square. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. They spend much of their time standing in line, quietly talking trash about other players, but seldom follow through on their smack talk. They are clever at the business of making rules to suit them, but are very conscientious, never cheating or backing out of an agreement. They are most compatible with those born in the years of the Sheep, Pig and Dog.

Gong Hay Fat Choy! 4SEB met on Lunar New Year this week! We didn’t have any firecrackers, lion dancers, red envelopes, oranges or any of the traditional New Years accoutrement but we did get loud and have a great time. Players were Robert, Liz, Meira, Justin, Eric, Sam, Mitch, Sanjay, Phil, Jordan, Angela, Paul, Mike, Judi, Laura, Celeste, Vi, Rebbecca, Rachel, Julian and Adam. Thanks to those who brought the food and drink, it made us full and un-thirsty. Yum!

No 4 Square Challenges were won, but the challenge of the game and the prospect of a New Year was enough for those who were playing. Elimination made it’s way around and the final game between Sanjay and Laura resulted in a win for Sanjay. Whoot! See folks, if you hang around 4 Square enough, you’ll eventually win something …

Heads up to everyone out there, February is the month for the World Championships of 4 Square that are happening in Maine. Yeah we wanted to go, but it’s soooo far and soooo cold and expensive. Solution? We are gonna have our own 4 Square tourney, complete with balls and players! Wanna help plan it? Great, show up at the square and we can talk it out. Also, the World Dodgeball Society is launching a league in San Jose on Wednesday, February 16th! Wanna go? Let’s do it! They first hit is free…

Also, we’d be remiss to not say anything about what is going on in Egypt and the Arab world right now, but honestly this is not 4 Square’s area of expertise. Instead, we are just gonna link to a blog post that has been circulating about how not to say stupid stuff about Egypt. Take a read.

Lastly, this Sunday is Superbowl in which the Green Bay Packers face-off against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While you might not follow football, a lot of people do and many have mixed feelings about the Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, who was accused of sexual assault and suspended for the first part of the season for violating the NFL’s code of conduct. Check out this article and have a conversation about how men treat women in our society so that this type of sexism doesn’t continue into the next generation of athletes.

Have a Happy New Year!

My fellow players, our modern world faces many challenges, but 4SEB stands here today to promise you a brighter future, full of games, laughter and joy. While the past year has not been kind to us economically we take solace in the fact we can gather  together underneath the freeway in the Rockridge BART parking lot for no charge other than a smile and friendly conversation. As we work together to draw more squares than in our past, to recruit more players than the week before, to stay in the game longer than our last round, we must remember that this community revolves around the people. While 4SEB seems like a Thursday night staple, it is only this way because of your vigorous participation. From our humble beginnings on myspace, to our now well known presence on facebook 4 Square of the East Bay has cemented itself in the consciousness of the East Bay Area. As we look towards the future, our hopes are to expand the good feelings that we share on a weekly basis to those that need it most. The losers, those at the back of the line, the people who are too scared to play, the people trying to get to their cars. 4SEB opens its arms and say “Welcome, you are part of our 4 Square family!” Thank you, thank you! God bless you, and God bless 4 Square of the East Bay!

Thanks to all the players who showed up: Leah, Lee, Uriah, Rachel, Robert, Mike, Meira, Eric, Gabby, Kendall, Laura, Mike, Paul, Cassandra, Lisa, Mike, Steve, Mika, Anne Marie, Greg, Justin, Judi, Kyle, Adam, Vi, Casey, Jordan, Sam and Rasha! Much thanks to ROBERT for bringing the stereo, setting up the square and taking these new fancy pictures! Big ups to ROBERT and MEIRA for providing yummy snacks for the eating! Shout out to LEE for bringing the ball because no one else had balls (sorry folks for starting so late). And a huge hug goes to JORDAN because it was her BIRTHDAY and she let everyone know!

In other news, Lee won a 4 Square Challenge. Someone should stop him, he’s got too many pictures on this blog. But I guess when you look this good, you deserve to win?

The elimination rounds were super confusing last night. In an unprecedented move, both Square 1 & Square 2 called elimination simultaneously. This was chaos because as soon as someone was eliminated they would walk to the other square where they would be yelled at because the line had been closed. This led to the weird idea that a player could be eliminated in each square once and that the winner of each elimination square would duel each other. This might have worked, but it totally didn’t. There was confusion, yelling, cheating and being cheated. Whatever, it’s just a game. In the end Vi and Mike faced off and Mike won, but due to utter confusion they both get their picture on the blog. It’s just that Mike gets to hold the ball. Yay!

That’s all for today! Enjoy your weekend it’s gonna be a good one. Be back next week for your chance to be awesome!

That’s right, it a new year and that year is 2011! 4SEB has hella things planned for this year, including sweatshirts, a 4 Square tournament on the West Coast, appearances at many street fests and weekly games! In fact there is so much planning to do, I don’t even have time to write a proper blog post! But, as Rachel described, the blog usually goes like this “Woooo! 4 Square is awesome! People were here! Yay, rules! Yay 4 Square! Lee wins!” Well, that’s semi-accurate, but this time, Uriah won a 4 Square Challenge and the elimination winners for the last two weeks were Paul and Sam! Here are pictures!

Thanks for looking, we wanna have a strong year! Hopefully, the quality of posts and events will pick up as the plan gets put together. Have a safe day!

It’s New Years Eve and that means it’s probably time for a “Year In Review” type post. Considering this is the first ‘year’ this blog has been going, it’s probably a good idea. This way we can up noobs on what 4SEB has been doing… and start taking over all of the 4 Square world in 2011! But first, gotta review the games from last night (which were hella fun btw) …

We had folks come out even though it seemed like no one would show up. Shout out to Jordan, Ian, Lee, Sam, Paul, Adam, Robert, Judi, Meira, Liz, Mike, Samantha, Sydney, Justin, Leah, Ikru, Bernard, Amy, Dorian, Anne Marie and Laura! The play was vicious, there were less rules and more ass kicking. Seriously, people got served like all night diners. There were many 4 Square Challenges but only one winner. Lee = winner. Who-Ray! After midnight, elimination came though and Adam held it down for the last day of 2010. Way to be the best Adam, and good job at closing out the year in style.

As 4 Square of the East Bay looks back, we can appreciate that it has been a really good year for us. Even though 4SEB has been around since mid-2008, 2010 brought the beginning of this blog! Now you can share the experience of 4 Square with those who might not live in the East Bay! As our social media skills grew, we expanded beyond myspace to really blow up our facebook, twitter and (to some extend) our vimeo. This brought in more popularity as we were asked to come through and host different Squares at different community events around the East Bay like the reopening of the Oakland Museum, Oaklavía, Albany Streets, The Old Oakland Beer Fest and the rededication of Jefferson Square Park! 4SEB also commented on issues happening in our community, covering the aftermath of the Johannes Mehserle verdict in downtown Oakland and giving folks a unique perspective on Oakland’s Mayoral race.

But one of the crowning achievements of 2010 had to be joint pancake breakfast/4 Square Tournament that Strive For ____ and 4SEB put together. We dabbled in keeping score and changed some of the parking lot rules, but we focused on what was really important. FUN!

The other two very successful events that 4 Square of the East Bay had was our 2nd Birthday Party and our annual Costume Square! Considering that this event happens weekly, for FREE, many wonderful people came to the Rockridge BART Parking lot with food, friendly attitudes and had a great time! At both events, the love was palpable, the food was consumed, there were many pictures taken and the games were off the charts! Great job, East Bay, you are so totally worth living in!

Looking forward into the next year, 4SEB hopes to keep meeting on a weekly basis, hopes to keep providing a space for people to socialize in a safe, fun and competitive environment and hopes to become know all over the Bay Area and beyond.  While we had wishes of going to the World Championships for Four Square in Maine, the money and weather were both factors. As a result 4 Square of the East Bay hopes to start up our own International (intergalactic?) West Coast 4 Square Tournament where all those ballers who can’t get to the snowy East Coast can compete and really see who is the best. If you want to help with any part of this (organizing, fund raising, design, PR, food) contact us through facebook, email 4squareeastbay@gmail.com or just show up at the Rockridge BART Parking lot on a Thursday night between 9pm and midnight. Also we wanna make hoodies.

That’s it for this year! 2010 has been kickass! Thanks to everyone who comes and plays and donates time, blood, sweat and tears to this semi-organized event! Without you, it’d be really lonely in the parking lot. Keep balling and we are gonna leave you with the 4SEB’s Episode II. Watch, remember and enjoy… Be safe!

Twas a night before Christmas, and all through the lot
Some people bounced balls, noses dripping with snot,
The square was drawn on the asphalt with care,
In hopes that hella players soon would be there.

The ballers were amped all ready for the games,
While visions of winning danced in their brains.
As cops in their cars made folks stash their booze,
The Square before Christmas featured a whole lot of Jews.

When out of the boombox there arose such a racket,
I sprung into action, with fly moves to match it.
All  in the Square, I soon rose to the top,
With all of my skill, there was no way I would stop.

The moon over Rockridge gave folks a great view,
Of me serving everyone, yes even you.
When, what to my wondering eyes should show up,
But more folks wanting to play, thinking they’re tough.

With a little old move, so lively and quick,
I got fools out with a monster slam hit.
More rapid than eagles these ballers they came,
And I whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Liz! now, Greg! now, Justin and Lee!
C’mon, Caroline! C’mon, Robert! Three Mikes and a Keith!
What up Sam? What up Laura? Hey Eric and Lali!
I’ll get you out Martin, you’ll be hatin’ me prob’ly!”

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the air,
Folks talking about how I should be out of A Square,
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
They jumped into the square with a furious bound.

They were dressed all funny, with scraves round their faces,
Cutting in line and fighting about places,
A bundle of moves they introduced to the game,
But everyone who tried, got out just the same. .

Their eyes-how they cried! Their smiles were not there!
Why was it so serious, this game of 4 Square?
They talked mad shit, their temper was bitter,
One of them vowed to practice all winter.

I laughed in their faces, utterly certain,
That I would stay in, and their attitude worsened,
I jumped and I hit, showed guile and malice,
So much that a player cried “I 4 Square challenge!”

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had something to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
Getting out players (they called him a jerk).
And laying his eyes firmly on me,
He raised up one finger, finger number three.

He sprang to the ball, the line gave a shout,
And away the ball bounced and then I was out!
I heard him exclaim, as he started to sing,
“It’s the night before Xmas, and I am the King!”

We are in the middle of the winter season! Ah December, the month between Thanksgiving and New Years … you know, the one where you eat a lot, hang out with family and spend more than you should. While our memories of childhood Decembers might be peppered with greed and anticipation of gifts (what? goodwill towards men? peace on earth? um, gimme toys…) it is important to remember that this is a time of reflection and generosity. As folks grow up and budgets tighten (even more), the people of the American must take the little things in life as gifts. 4 Square of the East Bay would like to buy everyone a turkey and an iTunes card, but we just can’t afford it right now, so 4SEB would like to offer itself up as a present. With this gift of games and community, people from all over can come, relax, have a laugh in a silly environment and feel free to be themselves. Sometimes life can be overwhelming and we hope that 4 Square can offer just a little bit of celebration to your week as you dance around a parking lot, getting your hands dirty on rubber balls. Everyone needs to have real interactions and what better way to spend the holidays than by trying to get a person you just met out before they slam a ball in your square?

The games on Thursday were full of mirth and cider. Sleightbells were not heard, but occasionally the parking lot did ring out with the melodic carols of “Redo!” and “CAAAR!” The players were numerous, too numerous to name. Let’s just say that the line was long and full of cold noses in need of warming up next to a hot fire (hot fire being A square). The rules seemed to play the part of Scrooge and did not care for the season which meant there were no holiday rules called, just stupid ones like the Commie Rule, the On-Deck Rule, Non-Dominant hand, Breakfast Cereals, Profession Sports Teams, Superheroes and Countries of the World. Still, 4SEB stuffed everyones stockings with a whole lot of fun.

No 4 Square Challenges were won, but elimination came a little bit after midnight. Both Square 1 and 2 were cheerful and competitive, but the last rounds found Anne Marie and Eric trying to see who would be atop 4SEBs ‘Good’ list and receive the present of having a crappy picture put of them on the blog. It was Eric. Merry 4 Square, Eric!

Thanks for coming out last night on a rather cold evening with a slick surface and hard to see balls. It was fun! There are also other fun things happening this weekend, but mainly it’s the East Bay Bike Party’s Holiday Bike Party taking place tonight (Friday, December 10th) that we wanna talk about. This party on bikes is meeting at the Downtown Berkeley BART station around 7:30pm and leaving for a whimsical ride through the area and ending up in West Oakland at the Linden Street Brewery for a stationary party with food vendors, karaoke, dancing and live music. You should really be there.

Also, next week is the premier of Tron: Legacy. FYI many of the 4SEB mainstays will be attending the Friday morning (Thursday night) 1st screening so next week will be ‘BRING YOUR OWN BALL/CHALK/STEREO/IPOD’ night for 4 Square. Are you up to the challenge of making 4 Square work? Sure you are, you like your music better then the crap they play there anyway.

Well, we wish you a happy time as 2010 comes to a close. This year has been a wild and wonderful one for 4SEB as we’ve increased our presence in the East Bay’s mind have amassed at least 10 readers to this blog. Because of the interwebs accessibility we could be world famous and that’s kinda cool. Remember to give back to your community, to tell the people that you love that you love them and to have fun. Harbor no ill-will towards the people who got you out, because soon enough, they too will end up at the back of the line.

Whew, it’s been a busy couple of weeks! It seem that the end of the year is always that way. After the November break folks ride a fridge of leftovers and get swept into a December full of shopping, spending money, family and all sorts of drama. Throw into the mix the colder weather and it can be a kinda depressing formula (especially if you are losing at fantasy football). Luckily, the East Bay has stable institutions that offer Holiday hassled residents some sort of consistency through the end of the year. 4 Square of the East Bay is all to happy to provide company and games to those who gather under the freeway and bounce balls in the parking lot.

4SEB has had a couple of event since the last post, so a quick update in pictures. These are from the Eat, Play, Bark Festival at Jefferson Square Park on November 20th (shout out and thanks to Robert for setting this one up) and Save A Turkey Square which took place on Thanksgiving after dinner. We were stuffed … full of awesomeness.

The thankful players from Save a Turkey Square were Julian, Lee, Gabby, Keith, Sam, Liz, Ben, Robert, Mike, Paul, Caroline, Lali and featured a special appearance by John, a 4 Square Legend from LA who was one of the fathers of 4SEBs lineage. A favored rule of the night was ‘Stuff you ate today’. The list went on forever. There were winners too! Julian consumed himself a 4 Square Challenge and Caroline finished the night by taking a bite out of some elimination winner pie! Congrats!

And then we had games last night too! Heck yes! Though it was rainy, hella people showed up! Maybe they were lured by the promise of free kitchen items that Sam was giving away or maybe they are just in love with the game.

Regardless, the players were Vi, Sam, Robert, Adam, Lali, Laura, Nick, Caroline, Emilie, Ben, Ian, Mike, Mike, Anne Marie, Lee, Caroline, Amy, Justin, Steph, Logan, Kendall, Judi, Barry, Micah, Paul, Will, Meira and Uriah. 4 Square Challenge winners were Lee and Phil. Hand clap and a finger snap.

The games raged on and on, new squares were drawn and balls got wet from bouncing in the rain. Elimination showed up after midnight and Square 1 was closed out and players lined up for the final games in Square 2. As it got down to the end Mike and Sam bounced the ball between them to see if they could determine a winner, but the game was so fun that the BART police decided they wanted to play too. As the music blasted from the police cruiser, neighbors came out of their houses and chased away the noisy cops before we were able to finalize a winner. Here is a picture of the finalists, throwing up gang signs and generally being hooligans.

That’s it for now! Next week will be a new one full of games and fun! If you’re feeling cold, move your body and bounce balls with us. It’s super fun. If you don’t believe us, ask any kid on a playground and they’ll tell you. Be safe, don’t spend too much money. Happy Hanukkah!