New RSO turns solitaire into physical activity

Students were diving, sliding and colliding into one another Friday
evening in Larzelere Hall while playing one of their favorite team
contact sports: solitaire.

The birth of a unique version of the popular card game, called
“Hoorah,” is a main reason why a new Registered Student Organization
was recently formed for students to meet and play.

Woodhaven junior Mike Pearcy said he has tried getting students to
play the new version of the game since fall 2003.

“I wanted to give people an opportunity to get involved, get around
and meet people, not just sit around and watch TV and play video
games,” he said.

In the game, players get into teams of two and form a circle, and
each team gets a deck of cards. One teammate is dealt 13 cards; the
other gets the rest.

One teammate begins playing solitaire as fast as possible, while the
other teammate tries to play their 13 cards. Aces are played in the
middle of the circle.

The player with the 13 cards can either play on their teammate’s
cards or play them on the aces in the middle.

The first team to play all 13 cards yells “Hoorah!” and the hand is
over. All cards remaining in the hand are counted as negative points –
the ones played in the middle are positive.

The first team with 100 points wins the game.

Pearcy said he started playing “Hoorah” with students in the fall of
2003, but just recently started the RSO.

He said he learned the game from a friend while attending Tri-State
University in Indiana.

The game was called “Nurtz,” Pearcy said, when he first learned.

Pearcy’s friend forgot the word once while playing though and yelled
“Hoorah!” instead. Pearcy thought it was funny and has called the game
by that name since.

The RSO meets 8 p.m. Friday nights in the Larzelere Recreation Room.

Warren freshman Felisha Andary has been playing “Hoorah” since
September.

She said Pearcy scours the building before games each week to
recruit players.

“He pestered me for weeks, and weeks and weeks,” she said.

Andary’s mother Lisa was visiting Friday and decided to play a few
rounds.

“I never worked out before playing solitaire,” Lisa joked. “I
definitely think you need to stretch before you start playing.”

Another regular “Hoorah” player is Livonia senior Tim Ellis.

He said the game gets pretty physical at times.

“The knees tend to get roughed up,’ Ellis said. “You get rug-burns
on the knees.”