Sports & Leisure

Tennis Racket

The nation's passion for sports is obvious every day—at NASCAR races, kiddie soccer matches, and countless other contests. From a handball used by Abraham Lincoln to Chris Evert's tennis racket to a baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, the roughly 6.000 objects in the Museum's sports collections bear witness to the vital place of sports in the nation's history. Paper sports objects in the collections, such as souvenir programs and baseball cards, number in the hundreds of thousands.

Leisure collections encompass a different range of objects, including camping vehicles and gear, video games, playing cards, sportswear, exercise equipment, and Currier and Ives prints of fishing, hunting, and horseracing. Some 4,000 toys dating from the colonial period to the present are a special strength of the collections.

Topic: Children

Hummingbird OhZone Yo-Yo

This wooden "Oh!Zone" yo-yo was made by the Hummingbird Toy Company around 1992. It is yellow with an orange paint-drip design running through the center. A version appearing in the film "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2" (1991) popularized the model.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This wooden "Oh!Zone" yo-yo was made by the Hummingbird Toy Company around 1992. It is yellow with an orange paint-drip design running through the center. A version appearing in the film "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2" (1991) popularized the model.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Hummingbird
ID Number
2007.0158.15
accession number
2007.0158
catalog number
2007.0158.15

Orientation schedule for Camp Shriver

Orientation schedule given to Mary Hammerbacher (Manner) on her first day as a counselor at Camp Shriver, 1962.Camp Shriver began in Eunice Shriver’s backyard at her Timberlawn estate in 1962. Shriver, the sister of President John F.
Description (Brief)
Orientation schedule given to Mary Hammerbacher (Manner) on her first day as a counselor at Camp Shriver, 1962.
Camp Shriver began in Eunice Shriver’s backyard at her Timberlawn estate in 1962. Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and Rose, an intellectually disabled sister, decided to hold a day camp for intellectually disabled kids from DC and Maryland. The high school age counselors were taught how to teach the campers different skills through play and introduced them to horseback riding, swimming, canoeing and group games, many of the campers experiencing these activities for the first time. Camp Shriver continued each summer until 1968 when the first Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago which has grown into the largest organization for intellectually disabled athletes in the world. Mary Hammerbacher (Manner) applied to be a volunteer at the camp through her parochial high school and worked there from 1962-1967.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
user
Manner, Mary H.
ID Number
2017.0239.04
catalog number
2017.0239.04
accession number
2017.0239

Goofy Foot Skateboard

The ‘Goofy Foot Sidewalk Surfer’ from NASH, shown here, was one of the original, mass produced skateboards of the late 1960s. This was sold in toy stores and marketed to kids as a toy.
Description (Brief)
The ‘Goofy Foot Sidewalk Surfer’ from NASH, shown here, was one of the original, mass produced skateboards of the late 1960s. This was sold in toy stores and marketed to kids as a toy. The plastic wheels and metal ball bearings made riding dangerous and only the skilled rider could perform tricks or rode downhill with any success. It wasn't until 1970 with the introduction of the urethane wheel by Frank Nasworthy, that skateboarding became a legitimate competition sport. The urethane wheel provided a smooth ride and enabled skaters to go faster and maneuver the skateboard in ways they couldn’t with the cumbersome metal, clay or plastic wheel.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1960 - 1969
maker
Nash
ID Number
1992.0116.01
catalog number
1992.0116.01
accession number
1992.0116

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