Where Fun Meets Function: GiGi’s Croquet Pilot

Every Friday afternoon during the month of May Gigi’s Playhouse Denver erupted with joy and
laughter as about 14 participants learned to play croquet inside the Denver Playhouse.

A picture is worth a thousand words so here are just a few of our favorites –

Our first couple of sessions focused on learning and practicing The 3 Skills to Play Like a
Champion which are the basic building blocks for good play. We practiced them and used the
scoring system in the Leader Handbooks so that all players could track their progress. Each
week we enjoyed playing at least 3 games together. Everyone likes to whack stuff and croquet
seems to be the easy, accessible and inclusive way to do that!

The group concluded sessions by forming a circle and giving each player a chance to share their
response to the question – “What was your magic moment playing here this afternoon?”
Here are some of the magic moments from Friday, May 23:

• “Being with my family and friends.”
• “Playing with my sister.”
• “Playing with David my friend.”
• “Playing 3 games with Amy.”
• “Playing like Alice in Wonderland. It’s my favorite game.”
• “It was super fun to learn.”
• “Just playing this game with you.”

The games provided a way for some of the participants to coach some of their friends. Some wonderful leadership skills were on display week after week. It was amazing to watch and quickly became a volunteer favorite. Joy was the takeaway — and everyone brought some home.

The training and equipment were provided by James Creasey, the founder of the Denver based
non-profit Jiminy Wicket®. Creasey says, “Play is our passion and croquet is our game.”
Jiminy Wicket® brings the transformative power of play to positively impact the lives of people
living with physical and intellectual disabilities. Playing together creates inclusion, joy and
friendships for people of all ages and abilities.