Minute to Win It
Presented by: Jim Kamla Ph.D., Brooklyn Howell, and Andy Nelson
From: USC Upstate
The purpose of this presentation is to share a fun alternative for incorporating skill-related fitness in physical education. Minute to Win It is a television show that is seen on NBC and hosted by Guy Fieri ( as retrieved on May 5, 2012). The show challenges the competitors to complete 10 different challenges in order to win one million dollars. The ten challenges test the competitors’ intelligence, agility, balance, coordination, and speed by using simple household items ( as retrieved on May 5, 2012). These challenges can be easily modified for use in physical education. The activities are unique, fun, and skill enhancing.
The games used for this presentation include:
A Bit Dicey
Participants must balance six dice on a tongue depressor. The tongue depressor is held in the participant’s mouth. If the dice fall off the tongue depressor, the participant may try again. The participant has one minute to balance six dice.
Bouncer
Participants must get 20 ping pong balls into 20 pint glasses in consecutive order by bouncing them into the glass. One bounce is required. If the participant does not get a ping pong ball in the glass using one bounce they must start over at glass number one. The participants have one minute to get all 20 ping pong balls in the glass.
Bucket Head
Participants tie a small beach bucket to the top of their heads with a strap that goes under their chin. The participants must bounce a ping pong ball on the ground and then a wall and make the ping pong ball land inside the bucket on top of their head. Participants have one minute to successfully land a ping pong ball in their bucket.
Caddy Stack
Participants must stack 3 golf balls on top of each other in the shape of a snowman. The golf balls must remain standing for three seconds. Participants get one minute to successfully build a snowman.
Broomski Ball
Participants roll tennis balls over a taped down broom stick and jump them into three different buckets arranged at different heights from shortest to tallest right behind each other. Participants must get the ball in the shortest bucket before moving onto the next higher bucket.
Ping Tac Toe
Participants must bounce ping pong balls into a grid of small glasses similar to a tic-tac-toe grid in order to get 3 in a row. If the participant lands a ping pong ball in the incorrect glass, they must start over.
Loner
Participants must roll a marble 15 feet at a pencil that is balanced on its erasure end while lying on their stomachs. If the participant misses the pencil, they may retrieve the marble and return to the starting point and try again. Participants may make as many attempts as they can to knock over the pencil in 60 seconds.
Mega Bubble
Participants must blow a soap water bubble into the air and then blow the bubble 15 feet until it passes through a suspended hula hoop. If the bubble bursts or touches the ground the participant may go back to the starting line and try again.
Go the Distance
Participants will use a tape measurer to move 3 ping pong balls 5, 6, & 7 feet into a shot glass. If the ball falls and hits the table the participant may pick it up and try it again. Participants must start with the 7 foot shot glass first, then the 6 foot shot glass, and finally the 5 foot shot glass.
Rapid Fire
Participants must stand 6 feet away from a stool that has a pyramid of 6 empty pop cans. The participant must shoot a rubber band at the cans and knock them all off the stool within a minute to be successful.
Shoe Fly Shoe
Participants must stand 9 feet away from a table. The participant has one minute to kick the shoe from off of their foot and have it land on the table. If the shoe does not land on the table they may retrieve it and attempt this challenge again from the 9 foot mark.
Speed Eraser
Participants must bounce three pencils on a table, eraser end into three pint glasses lined up in a row (pencils should be unsharpened). Participants have one minute to get each pencil into a cup in order to be successful.