This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A black bear in Nevada proved over the weekend that you don't need friends to dominate on the tetherball court.
Youtube user laserjobs uploaded the video of the ball-playing bear Saturday. It shows the bear batting the ball around a bit before getting the hang of things; soon he repeatedly manages to get the chain to wrap around the pole — which if I recall is the whole point of the game. Eventually, the bear even masters various kinds of dodges and hitting styles, which would make him a formidable opponent on any playground, even if he wasn't a bear.
Information included with the video indicates that the bear lives at the wildlife sanctuary Animal Ark, in Reno. Monday afternoon, the sanctuary tweeted that the ursine tetherball champion is Eli, a 2-year-old bear who has "no ear flaps."
Twitter: @jimmycdii