Games in Venezuela
Trompo
To play trompo you need a special toy called a top (el tampo) and atleast two players. The object of the game is to knock over the other persons tops with your top. The persons whose top is spinning at the end is the winner. The boys usually put things on the points of their tops to make them spin faster so they can win. The tranditional top in Venezuela is made of wood, but it can also be made of plastic and other materials.
Bolas Criollas
In this game, two teams of two participants equipped with eight heavy balls throw in turns and attempt to place them as close as possible to a much smaller metal ball. The team that reaches a maximum of 100 points in several attempts wins the match. This game is played in a court shaped as a rectangle and is usually enclosed by logs, concrete slabs or wooden boards. In Venezuela the National Bolas Criollas championships take place every year during August and September.
Marbles
Marbles is played by two opposing teams. Official games are played with six people per team. Singles is fine - just follow the same rules with one player per team. The objective for the team is to knock more marbles outside the ring than the opposing team. To begin, the forty nine marbles are compressed into a circular "pack" at the middle of the ring.To decide who starts, the captain of each team "tolleys off" by holding their tolley to the tip of their nose and letting it drop into the ring. The captain of the tolley that finishes closest to the edge of the ring without going outside the ring plays first.Players from the two teams take turns to shoot at the marbles in the ring. Each shot must be taken with a knuckle touching the ring surface. The tolley is placed in the crook of the index finger and the thumb then used to flick it in the appropriate direction.The game ends when the last marble is knocked outside the ring. At that point the team that collected the most marbles, wins.
Other Sports in Venzuela
Baseball
Young people who had attended U.S. universities and U.S. citizens working the country’s oil industry introduced baseball in Venezuela in the early 20th century. The first Venezuelan to play on an MLB team was Alex Carrasquel, who debuted with the Washington Senators as a pitcher on April 23, 1939. On June 4, 2012, Johan Santana of the New York Mets made MLB history when he pitched the team’s first ever no-hit no- run game. Santana is the fourth Venezuelan pitcher to pull off a no-hitter.
Soccer
In Venezulea, soccer has been slow to develop and catch popularity because the main sport followed in this country is baseball. Venezuela is the one of the only South American countries to have never made it to the World Cup finals.
Football
In the past few decades, football has also acquired a place in the heart of every Venezuelan. Young children are taking an active interest in this particular game. The national football team of Venezuela has been representing their country in several matches and has gained world-class recognition.
Tennis
Tennis is a very popular sport that is played in Venezuela. People of Venezuela look foward to the Venzuelan Fed Cup and Venzuelan Davis Cup where the Venzuelan teams compete with Northern American teams.
