"So... what are you going to make them do?" Sam asked as the two of them led
the little group from the cafeteria down to the gym.
"No clue." Jack shrugged. "I lost my cool and spouted off before thinking."
"But that's so unlike you..."
"That's enough of that, Major," Jack warned, but he smiled to soften the rebuke, and put his arm around her shoulder for a second. He was racking his brain trying to come up with a game. Any game. Something the kids wouldn't hate him for making them do. Something they could all do together.
"How about a basketball game, Jack?" Carter suggested. "There's too many kids to put them all on the court at the same time, but they could trade off and on, and you know they'd be rooting for their team, even if there was a boy on it, or a girl."
"You're a genius."
"Well... duh." She grinned.
They reached the gym, and Jack told the kids to all line up against the wall. Predictably, the boys lined up on one side, the girls lined up on the other.
"Oh, no. Boy girl boy girl." Jack told them.
There was a lot of grumbling, but they did as they were told, with a little scuffling as the girls tried to get the spots next to Daniel. Who sighed.
Carter placed herself in line as well, and so did Teal'c, Jean and Sally.
"We're going to play basketball," Jack announced. There were no groans, yet. Not from either gender. They liked basketball. But the kids were waiting for the shoe to drop. And it did.
"It's not going to be boys against girls."
Now they groaned. But it was only half-hearted. They still liked basketball. Jack smiled, and went down the line, pointing at every other boy, and every other girl. These he sent to one side of the centerline on the court. The others he left where they were.
"These are your team mates. No trading." He looked pointedly at the girls who were trying to convince the girls on Daniel's team to trade with them. They looked sheepishly back at him and hushed.
"You have five minutes to huddle up and come up with a team name, and decide on team captains. A boy and a girl from each team."
He went off into the little closet on the side of the gym as they huddled up, and the gym was filled with low murmurings, and some arguing as the kids decided on a name and captains. The counselors on the teams were there to keep any argument from becoming too loud, but aside from that, they left the decisions to the kids. Who eventually did what they were told. They broke their huddle when Jack called them back to him. He stood at center court with a basketball in one hand and a handful of blue and red jersey shirts in the other.
"Decided?" He asked. There were assorted nods, and he smiled.
"Good! Captains come here and get jerseys for your team."
Shawn and Shelly stepped forward from one team, and Simon and a girl named Danin stepped forward from the other team. Jack handed Shawn the red shirts with a smile, and he handed Danin the blue ones.
"What are your team names?"
"We're the Rockies," Shawn announced.
"We're the Lakers." Simon said.
Well, they weren't very original, Jack thought, but what did he expect? He nodded, and the captains handed out the shirts so the teams would be able to know who was on their side. Teal'c and Daniel were on different teams, which was planned. Daniel was hurt, and Teal'c didn't know any more about basketball than he did about horseback riding. They would offset each other.
"Pick your starters," Jack told them. "We'll be substituting whenever I blow my whistle."
The kids organized themselves fairly quickly and with as little fuss as necessary, and Jack waited for the two that would be playing center to come forward for the tip off. He was impressed with the kids. They'd already done a good job of mixing up their starters. A good ratio of boy girl.
"O'Neill," Teal'c said quietly as he came forward. "I do not understand this game."
"You want to put the ball through the hoop, Murray." Jack pointed to the hoop that Teal'c's team was going for. "Through that one, in particular. Each time you do, your team gets two points. You have to make sure you dribble the ball – bounce it – and once you stop bouncing it, you can't start again. You have to pass it, or shoot it."
"I have no weapon." His tone indicated he wasn't sure of the intelligence of a game that required shooting.
"Shoot the ball into the hoop, Teal'c." Jack grinned, "Just stand on the side and watch at first, you'll see. It's not that complicated."
"Indeed."
Teal'c walked over to stand beside Andrew and Gina, dwarfing the two of them. Gina looked up at Teal'c – way up – and he bowed slightly to her, smiling as gently as he knew how.
"I have never played this before," He told her.
"Really?"
"Indeed."
"It's not hard. My sister plays on the team at her school."
"It's fun, Murray. You'll like it." Andrew assured him. "Just make sure you don't double dribble or travel."
Teal'c didn't have a clue what either of them were, so he had no way of making sure he didn't do them, but he nodded anyways.
"I will do my best."
Jack waited for the kids who were starting the game to tell him they were ready, and then he threw up the ball and blew his whistle, and the game began.
"No clue." Jack shrugged. "I lost my cool and spouted off before thinking."
"But that's so unlike you..."
"That's enough of that, Major," Jack warned, but he smiled to soften the rebuke, and put his arm around her shoulder for a second. He was racking his brain trying to come up with a game. Any game. Something the kids wouldn't hate him for making them do. Something they could all do together.
"How about a basketball game, Jack?" Carter suggested. "There's too many kids to put them all on the court at the same time, but they could trade off and on, and you know they'd be rooting for their team, even if there was a boy on it, or a girl."
"You're a genius."
"Well... duh." She grinned.
They reached the gym, and Jack told the kids to all line up against the wall. Predictably, the boys lined up on one side, the girls lined up on the other.
"Oh, no. Boy girl boy girl." Jack told them.
There was a lot of grumbling, but they did as they were told, with a little scuffling as the girls tried to get the spots next to Daniel. Who sighed.
Carter placed herself in line as well, and so did Teal'c, Jean and Sally.
"We're going to play basketball," Jack announced. There were no groans, yet. Not from either gender. They liked basketball. But the kids were waiting for the shoe to drop. And it did.
"It's not going to be boys against girls."
Now they groaned. But it was only half-hearted. They still liked basketball. Jack smiled, and went down the line, pointing at every other boy, and every other girl. These he sent to one side of the centerline on the court. The others he left where they were.
"These are your team mates. No trading." He looked pointedly at the girls who were trying to convince the girls on Daniel's team to trade with them. They looked sheepishly back at him and hushed.
"You have five minutes to huddle up and come up with a team name, and decide on team captains. A boy and a girl from each team."
He went off into the little closet on the side of the gym as they huddled up, and the gym was filled with low murmurings, and some arguing as the kids decided on a name and captains. The counselors on the teams were there to keep any argument from becoming too loud, but aside from that, they left the decisions to the kids. Who eventually did what they were told. They broke their huddle when Jack called them back to him. He stood at center court with a basketball in one hand and a handful of blue and red jersey shirts in the other.
"Decided?" He asked. There were assorted nods, and he smiled.
"Good! Captains come here and get jerseys for your team."
Shawn and Shelly stepped forward from one team, and Simon and a girl named Danin stepped forward from the other team. Jack handed Shawn the red shirts with a smile, and he handed Danin the blue ones.
"What are your team names?"
"We're the Rockies," Shawn announced.
"We're the Lakers." Simon said.
Well, they weren't very original, Jack thought, but what did he expect? He nodded, and the captains handed out the shirts so the teams would be able to know who was on their side. Teal'c and Daniel were on different teams, which was planned. Daniel was hurt, and Teal'c didn't know any more about basketball than he did about horseback riding. They would offset each other.
"Pick your starters," Jack told them. "We'll be substituting whenever I blow my whistle."
The kids organized themselves fairly quickly and with as little fuss as necessary, and Jack waited for the two that would be playing center to come forward for the tip off. He was impressed with the kids. They'd already done a good job of mixing up their starters. A good ratio of boy girl.
"O'Neill," Teal'c said quietly as he came forward. "I do not understand this game."
"You want to put the ball through the hoop, Murray." Jack pointed to the hoop that Teal'c's team was going for. "Through that one, in particular. Each time you do, your team gets two points. You have to make sure you dribble the ball – bounce it – and once you stop bouncing it, you can't start again. You have to pass it, or shoot it."
"I have no weapon." His tone indicated he wasn't sure of the intelligence of a game that required shooting.
"Shoot the ball into the hoop, Teal'c." Jack grinned, "Just stand on the side and watch at first, you'll see. It's not that complicated."
"Indeed."
Teal'c walked over to stand beside Andrew and Gina, dwarfing the two of them. Gina looked up at Teal'c – way up – and he bowed slightly to her, smiling as gently as he knew how.
"I have never played this before," He told her.
"Really?"
"Indeed."
"It's not hard. My sister plays on the team at her school."
"It's fun, Murray. You'll like it." Andrew assured him. "Just make sure you don't double dribble or travel."
Teal'c didn't have a clue what either of them were, so he had no way of making sure he didn't do them, but he nodded anyways.
"I will do my best."
Jack waited for the kids who were starting the game to tell him they were ready, and then he threw up the ball and blew his whistle, and the game began.