Recess has come to UF at last.
Amidst the crowds of the university's bustling plazas, two groups of students have conquered time and jumped back to their elementary school pasts - a time when black-top games were more than just games.
Since the spring of 2004, students have gathered on Turlington Plaza at about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday for a bout of four square.
For those of you without a childhood, the game is simple: four players must let the ball bounce only once in their individual square before hitting it into an opponent's square. If the ball does not bounce, or if it bounces more than once in a square, the player who failed to hit it is out.
Although four square could be considered an immature flashback to the days on the playground, some participants feel that this is mainly the reason they enjoy this game so much.
Caitlyn Shepard, a freshman nursing major, said playing the game at UF reminds her of her four-square victories in the fourth grade.
"Up here, it's almost nostalgic," Shepard said. "It's a nice way to end the week."
Her fellow four-square players agree.
John "Jelley" Kelley, a junior majoring in physics and geology, said that four square is a weird game to play on a Friday afternoon, but agreed it's a good way to start the weekend.
It's also a random, low-key way to spend the time in between classes, said Matt Randolph, a senior majoring in anthropology.
Randolph started playing four square in the spring of 2005. He said there were a lot of participants; everyone knew each other and each person had a nickname.
These days the crowds that line up for the game may not be as large, but the matches are still memorable as ever - sometimes painfully memorable.
Kevin Fillipps, a psychology and business administration sophomore, said he remembers one Friday when his friend went for a ball and slammed his neck into the brick wall surrounding Turlington.
Fillipps, who brings the four square ball each Friday, also got a dent in his leg while playing four square, for which he still bears the scar.
Despite the injuries reminiscent of the scrapes and bruises earned on the playground, Michelle Isgut, a freshman animal science major, said that the game's atmosphere is still very friendly and inviting as new faces mesh with those of veterans to create a fun-loving group.
While four square reigns over Turlington, a second group of students can be found down the road on the Plaza of the Americas, where Avi Leavitt, a sophomore computer engineering major, started a jump-rope group.
Leavitt's interest in jump rope began after trips to Disney and to the University of Central Florida, where Leavitt saw kids jumping rope and doing Double Dutch at a kid's fair. Leavitt, of course, jumped in.
When he got back to Gainesville at the end January, he decided to start a jump-rope Facebook group, which some of his friends have joined because "they enjoy being kids," Leavitt said.
Faryn Hart, an anthropology junior, said she likes the group because people come to it that she has never seen and never met and they can still bond with the activity.
Although the group is small, they are trying to build it up, said Josh Pollock, a senior majoring in wildlife ecology.
Regardless of what the future holds, returning to elementary school games on a college campus takes courage and confidence.
"It's such a good and simple exercise," said Joshua Freesman, a junior majoring in accounting. "It's a sign to people that 'Hey, it's okay to be yourself.'"
