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PAGE 7 -PLA1NDKALER - TUESDAY, DECEMBER Q, IM*. With holiday spirit, Johnsburg High School hosted the fun event to raise money for the local rescue squads and fire departments, while about 200 people gathered to watch eight mules frustrate the players and enchant the crowd. Donkey basketball is played much like regular basketball except that there is no out of bounds and dribbling is not required. Donkey basketball is a mix of eight stub­ born animals, eight flustered players and a roaring crowd, all fighting the system in order to have some fun and to entertain. The game is usually low scoring, very slow and hard on the behind, so why did the MCC Newman Club and the McHenry Fire Department decide to play? The answer is easy...to raise money. miri. owiiiiii t* i uti.Wit. Players must be saddled on the donkey's back when shooting, but can dismount the mule in order to retrieve a loose ball or advance down court. Needless to say, not many shots are taken as most of the time is spent trying to get the donkey to cooperate with the player's way of thinking. Unexpected kicks and flips are all part of the game, and as one player put it, "you uon't want to get him mad, whatever you do." One dark brown donkey seemed to be the most fiesty, continually bucking the rider off and trying to kick the player as he tried to remount. At one point, the angry mule decided to chase the shocked player into the bleechers. Fortunately, some money was raised, no injuries were incurred and to everyone's surprise, the floor was left undecorated with donkey droppings. By Joel Wakitsch and Photos Gary Adams, shooting at left over Skip Bellon's outstretched arms, found scoring easier than staying on his donkey. Adams scored 6 points in the Fire Departments 14- 8 win over the McHenry County College Newman Club, but the game presented some problems for Adams as he found mounting his companion quite a chore (at right). Below, Mike Anderson reaches for the ball, but his donkey has other ideas. Skip Bellon's stubborn friend continually headed for the sidelines and later chased a player up into the stands.