Precision Star Whacking Welcome to the world of Precision Star Whacking! This page has everything you need to know about the newest game in town, including information on how to start your own team and join LPSW (the League of Precision Star Whackers).
Background
Objective
Equipment
Choosing your equipment
Playing the game
Ultimate Precision Star Whacking
LPSW
Glossary of terms
Background
Precision Star Whacking (or PSW) was born one day in late April, 1998,
in Melbourne, Florida by Gretchen Carlson and Katie Zajdel. While they
were simply trying to use a cardboard mailing tube to take some glow-in-the-dark
stars down off the ceiling (which was a little too high up), the game of
PSW was developed.
Objective
The objective of Precision Star Whacking is to take a glow-in-the-dark
star which is loosely hanging from the ceiling and hit it with a whacking
tube into a cup on the other side of the room. The player (or team) who
has the most stars in the cup when all the stars have been whacked is the
winner. If there are no stars in the cup at the end of the game, the player
(or team) with the star closest to the cup wins.
Equipment
Precision Star Whacking takes very little equipment to play, but it is best to choose one's equipment wisely. All one needs to enjoy a round of PSW is an whacking tube, hard glow-in-the-dark stars, and a ceiling. For Ultimate Precision Star Whacking equipment, see special section below.
Choosing your equipment
Since Precision Star Whacking is a finesse sport, one must be careful to apply a delicate touch while selecting PSW equipment.
i1. The whacking tube (or a more inexpensive option, an empty cardboard mailing tube) must not be too long (which inhibits one's swing and hits the ceiling prematurely) nor too short (in which case the tube will not reach the ceiling). For most people, a length of tube a little longer than one's arm will do nicely for novices. More advanced players may want to purchase a custom fit whacking tube. Make sure the whacking end is open, while the holding end is closed. The cardboard must be extremely sturdy, especially on the edge of the whacking end, for even advanced players hit the ceiling now and again (a whacking tube repair kit is also a good investment). If the end has any sort of artificial strengthener on it, it is disallowed for League play, so make sure you buy from a dealer you trust. Be creative once you find a whacking tube to your liking: painting and customizing is allowed if the League guidelines for such are followed.
i2. The glow-in-the-dark stars must be sufficiently large (two inches across is preferable), and made out of hard plastic which will not bend when pried or whacked. They can be any shape, as long as it is some sort of celestial shape (star, planet, moon, shooting star, etc.). The adhesive must be a putty-like substance suitable for hanging posters.
i3. The ceiling and the floor
provide much of the challenge of the sport, so they must be chosen properly.
While official League arenas have adjustable-height ceilings to accommodate
the many athletes, most players cannot afford this, so they must use a
permanently-fixed ceiling. The ceiling should preferably be two inches
higher than the player can loosely or casually raise the whacking tube
above his or her head while standing on the playing area. Having bumps
on the ceiling is also a great challenge, though it causes a bit more damage
to one's whacking tube. The area where the player (whacker) stands is also
adjustable to difficulty levels. The preferred playing area is on top of
a bed, although beginners should start on a regular, carpeted floor.
Playing the game
Precision Star Whacking is played when two players or teams of two or four (with numbers evenly matched between teams) compete to whack a glow-in-the-dark star nearest to a target, usually a cup, on the other side of the room. The cup has an open diameter of six inches in League play, and it is placed at a minimum of ten feet away from the star targeted to be whacked (whackeepree), depending on the difficulty of level of play. No obstacles may be in the way of the target.
The stars are placed in a random or constellation design on the ceiling
using putty adhesive. Players flip a coin to decide who will whack first.
The winner of the coin toss chooses their whackeepree and declares it.
The target is moved to the appropriate distance from the declared whackeepree.
The player then enters onto the playing area and, using their whacking
tube, begins to attempt to pry their whackeepree far enough off the ceiling
to whack it.
Caution must be used to avoid prying the star all the way off the ceiling
so that it falls: a whackeepree that falls all the way to the playing area
surface is considered a Dead Star and is out of play for the duration of
the match; the player's turn is then over.
When the whackeepree is hanging by the adhesive a comfortable distance
away from the ceiling, the player may then begin their whack attempts.
To do this, the player swings his or her whacking tube at the whackeepree,
trying to hit it into the target. The player may not touch the whackeepree
with his or her hands at any time.
Once the whackeepree is free in the air after it has been whacked,
it becomes a whackee. Once a player has a whackee, his or her turn is over
and the other player chooses their whackeepree, and so on. Once a player
has declared a whackeepree, he or she cannot choose another in that turn.
If a player feels that he or she cannot pry off his or her whackeepree,
a pass may be called, in which case the player's turn is over and the whackeepree
is left as is for any other player to try in their turn. A player may pass
only once in a match.
The game continues as such, with the players' turns rotating, until
all the stars have been whacked (each player must have had the opportunity
to whack the same number of stars). At this time, the official scorekeeper
(whose job it is to distinguish and mark each team's whackees after landing)
will determine if there are any whackees in the target cup. If so, the
player or team with the greatest number of whackees in the target cup is
the winner of that match. If each player or team has the same number of
whackees in the target cup, or if there are no whackees in the target cup,
the winner will be the player or team whose whackee landed closest to the
target cup.
During a whacking session, the opposing player or team may not interfere
with the active whacker or actively try to disrupt the active whacker's
concentration. The League official in charge of the match will determine
compliance with this rule. If this rule is broken, the offending player
or team will have one of their whackees in the target cup (or the nearest
one to the target if necessary) taken away for each transgression.
After the match, opposing players are expected to shake hands and conduct
themselves in a sportsmanlike manner.
For a complete listing of all the rules of Precision Star Whacking,
contact your local Precision Star Whacking chapter or sports equipment
store.
Ultimate Precision Star Whacking
Ultimate Precision Star Whacking (UPSW) is Precision Star Whacking with
an added twist: players are usually running or jumping while trying to
star whack. This can be a sort of Musical Chairs, where a whacker must
keep moving while the music is going but stop as soon as the music stops
and immediately swing at the nearest star before going again with the music.
Or this can simply be a high-energy game of Precision Star Whacking. The
League's rules here are a bit looser, allowing for somewhat creative interpretations.
What about a group game of "Red Light, Green Light" Precision Star Whacking?
For more information and for a complete listing of Ultimate Precision Star
Whacking rules, contact your local Precision Star Whacking chapter or sports
equipment store.
The League of Precision Star Whackers (LPSW)
The League of Precision Star Whackers was founded in 1998. The League
holds championship tournaments, where the top ten Precision Star Whackers
from around North America and Europe meet to compete for the title of Supernova
Star Whacker, PSW's highest honor. The League officiates matches, develops
the rules, as well as hold PSW safety clinics around North America and
Europe. Contact the LPSW for information on forming your own PSW team.
There are currently 10 professional PSW teams in the League. Call 1-888-STARWHACK
to contact the LPSW (please don't call this number. It's made up).
Glossary of terms
whackee.............a whackeepree that has been hit free: it
is no longer attached to the ceiling
whackeepree......a star on the ceiling that has been selected
by a player to try to whack: short for "preferred whackee"
whacker.............a player of Precision Star Whacking
whacking tube....the tube used to dislodge and whack stars
This page last updated April 9, 2001.
