Guest Post on Party

Medicine Man wrote his own blog entry about the party, and I'm stealing his description of managing the pinata:

I had the kids line up by height, which they did in an impressively ordered fashion, and then we commenced the succession of blindfolded, broom swinging contenders. The youngest children are really fun to watch because they can’t get much power behind their cuts. They rapidly tap the piñata, and as the official I like it because the risk of injury is very low. The little ones also love the entire piñata experience. They sport large smiles as they wait in line, during their turn, and after they are done.

For some reason there is a huge difference between a 9 year old and a 10 year old when it comes to swinging a stick. If a 9 year old swings like Randy Johnson, than a 10 year old can swing like Jim Thome on speed and juice. When the heavy hitting lumber jacks start chopping on the piñata I have to hold back the anxious little ones. It’s funny how children will totally disregard their safety to get closer to the action. But really, who cares about taking a blow to the head when candy is on the line?

One of the larger boys smacked it pretty squarely, but instead of breaking the piñata came off the rope and flew up into the air. Before the papier-mache star reached the apex of its flight all the children had gathered under it. I have never seen kids move faster than when a piñata is defeated. The object landed in the middle of the pack and then there was a huge dog pile. It reminded me a lot of a pile onto of a fumbled football. The older kids were at the bottom scratching, elbowing, and kneeing each other while the little ones got tossed around on top.

I remember John Madden saying, “You don’t want to know what happens on the bottom of those piles,” and I got a glimpse of it from the piñata experience.

All the adults just stood around and watched for a while as the children fought it out. I decided to snap a few pictures. Then some sensible woman yells, “Hey stop, break it up!! Stop it right now!” Evidently she did not condone the barbaric practices implemented by the children. As the official I stepped in and helped her break it up. The little ones could be peeled off the pile easily, but we had to fight with the older ones to get the piñata free. One of the guests then ripped open the piñata and threw the candy everywhere. It was fantastic.