• A team is made up of 7 rodents, there is one ground player who plays in every game, the rest of the team is split into 2 groups of 3, during a tournament each team gets to chances to play, each time with a different "sub-team". However, only 4 rodents play in a game.

• Tail Tennis is played in a tree. The tree selected may not have more then 15 "landings" (branch areas).

• At the start of the game the 8 rodents playing must be 2 meters away from the tree trunk. A gold finch drops the "ball" (which is a hazelnut) and 3 rodents from each team scurry into the tree. The 4th team member (usually a rodent who is too heavy or can't climb trees) will catch the ball on their tail and "throw/slap" the ball upward again. It may not go higher than 5 "landings" at one point. There is no rule about who may get the ball first on the ground, so the 2 rodents often end up fighting for the ball. Once the ball is in the tree, the remaining 3 team members try to slap/bounce the ball into small hoops on the end of the branches (see picture on side). No more then 2 rodents may be on a "landing" at one time. If the ball falls on the ground, it will be picked up by the gold finch, and the team that dropped it will lose a point. If the ball goes through a hoop, the team scores 5 points. Also, if the ball is balanced on the tail for more then 10 seconds the team may get 1 point. When throwing/slapping/bouncing the ball to each other, the ball may not drop or be thrown up more than 3 landings.

• Rodents who do not have a tail wider then 1 centimeter, may use a tennis racket; their tail will be coiled through it. If a rodent does not have a tail (e.g. guinea pig, hamster) they may not play.

• The game is over after 15 minutes. If there is a tie, the ground players will have 1 shot to throw the ball (from the ground) into a hoop. If they do not make it through the hoop, the game continues normally until one team scores.

• A team is eliminated from a tournament if they eat the ball, or even nibble at it.

Reporter: Good afternoon, Mr. Spot! Have you ever played Tail Tennis?

Mr. Spot: I played the game once, 52 years ago.

Reporter: Why did you stop?

Mr. Spot: Have you ever played Tail Tennis? The players throw up the ball and then bat it with their tails, I used my wings.

Reporter: What happened?

Mr. Spot: If you know anything about butterflies, you surely know that you cannot touch our wings, they rip or have a hole in them after you touch them.

Reporter: So you can no longer fly?

Mr. Spot: Yes, but I still found a way to play.

Reporter: That is...

Mr. Spot: I am the referee, I don't need to be able to fly, and mind you, if a stray ball hits one of my wings...you can be assured that the team loses a point!

Reporter: But if they hit you, don't they still damage your wings?

Mr. Spot: No, I found some clear thin wrapping paper that I cover them with.

Reporter: Thank you for this amazing interview, Mr. Spot!

Helena Cashew is the coach of the Bushy Tails, AKA Hamstingtons international team. She is still a active player and is part of the New Guinea Pig City home team, where she lives. In her free time, Helena enjoys sewing, drawing, and dancing. She is the proud winner of the Hamstervill Dance off, held in Hamstervill 2016. The dance off happens every four years, this year it will be on October 1, 2020 in Lemmington. Helena loves winter and can often be found in her sisters cabin in Lemmingvill with a cup of cocoa.