[quote]We also used to play "gladiator" by taking a whiffle bat, wrapping it with duct tape and calling it a sword and used a metal garbage can lid as a shield. We'd then try to beat the stuffing out of each other during the remainder of the afternoon.
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This is very similar to an event that happened here last year.

My teenage son had to instruct/demonstrate a sport in his Gym class and he picked "Gladiator Games" to compare them to modern games (boxing, wrestling, UFC, etc). So we went to the dollars store and bought 4 wire waste baskets, 4 foam swords and 4 different colours of duct tape. We forced the waste baskets into helmets, made cardboard vest type armour and modified Rubbermaid Tote lids to be shields. All of these items were boldly decorated with a colour of duct tape to identify the combatants (e.g. Red Diamond Gladiator). My son's speech on todays Gladiators went well but when he suited-up 4 of his classmates and held a competition the class got very involved. The teacher was crowned "Emperor" and ruled on who lived or died, depending on how well they participated. The event was a big success and my youngest daughter still pulls out the costumes about once a month to play with the neighbourhood kids.

Old time fun is not lost on todays youth, it just needs a little prompting to get the imagination working.

Mike