A Game Fit for a President 一项为总统“私人定制”的运动.docVIP

A Game Fit for a President 一项为总统“私人定制”的运动 　　Bert twists his upper body， gathers his strength， and hurls the ball back toward the opposing team. Back and forth the ball goes. Sweat rolls down the players faces as each three-man team scrambles to get under the ball and catch it on the fly. One thought is on their minds： dont let the ball touch the ground. The distant sound of a whistle blows， ending the game. Berts team wins， but the men will be back in the morning for a rematch1）. 　　Bert isnt just any player. He is Herbert Hoover， President of the United States. The ball field isnt ordinary either. It is the neatly trimmed2） White House lawn. And the game？ Hoover-ball. 　　Hoover didnt always like to exercise， but he did like to be healthy. 　　After his 1928 election， President Hoover noticed he had gained weight. Getting daily exercise to keep physically fit is always a problem for Presidents. Once the days work starts there is little chance to walk， to ride， or to take part in a game， Hoover admitted. Still the extra 20 pounds were enough to make him talk to his doctor， Admiral3） Joel T. Boone， about a fitness program. 　　Hoover mentioned a game called bull-in-the-ring. He had played it on the battleship Utah with the ships crew during a goodwill trip to South America. Players form a circle around one person. The player in the middle is the bull. Players toss an eight-pound ball to each other while the bull tries to catch it. 　　The Game Begins！ 　　Admiral Boone took parts of three games―bull-in-the-ring， tennis， and volleyball―to create a new sport. At first， Hoover didnt think anyone would join him at 7：00 a.m.， but he tried anyway. Armed with a heavy leather ball， President Hoover began playing just four days after he entered office. Soon 16 players showed up. Two years later， William Atherton Du Puy， a New York Times reporter， nicknamed the sport Hoover-ball. 　　The Presidents game used a six-pound medicine ball4）. （Injured patients in hospitals often exer