The Woodlawn Croquet Players welcomed students, teachers, and chaperones from four of the six Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC) schools on Thursday, May 18 for a rollicking hour of croquet instruction and fun.
After welcoming the nearly 20 students and equally as many teachers and chaperones, the group learned mallet grip, stance, and mallet swing. After hitting a few distance balls and a few wickets, it was Game On! for what is known as Golf Croquet. According to Woodlawn croquet volunteer, Perry Mattson, “This is our third year helping the Outer Island students learn the game of golf croquet, which is a great forerunner to the game of six wicket croquet.” The Woodlawn players also offer instruction in golf croquet to the public each Tuesday afternoon from June through October.
The Outer Islands Croquet League formed in 2015 after a summer resident donated tournament quality equipment including indoor carpeting and wickets to each of the island schools. The League is overseen by an advisory board comprised of local and summer residents. The student golf croquet program was an effort to increase activity for youth and community on the islands. Each school became a member of the United States Croquet Association whose motto is Wicket Hoops / Wicked Fun, much to the delight of the students. This is the third year that the schools have come for instruction with the Woodlawn Croquet Players and been able to experience Woodlawn’s tournament sized court.
The Outer Islands TLC (Teaching and Learning Collaborative) is a group of Maine island educators who are committed to creating a virtual classroom community where teachers and students have access to a rich and supportive inter-island peer network. The Outer Islands TLC serves the one and two room school communities of Cliff, Frenchboro, Isle au Haut, the Cranberry Islands, Matinicus, and Monhegan.