Dome Hockey

First date fun on a pocket of quarters

Skee-ball makes a decent first date. Air hockey is fun, but with pucks rocketing off the table, your courtship could end before the first goal is scored. There's always mini-golf, but this putt-putt cliche may have your date taking a mulligan with someone else. If you want to impress someone, but the only cash you've got to spare is a little silver, then, dome hockey is your salvation.

Recipe for romance
Beneath its crystalline shell, dome hockey harbors all the elements to a successful first date:

• Preoccupation- First and foremost, dome hockey provides the two of you with a distraction from the potential awkwardness of a first date. There's no need to fumble clumsily for a topic of conversation when you can exchange banter about the game!
  
• Eye contact- Perhaps most importantly, the configuration of a dome hockey table plants the two of you face to face. Be sure to look up from the game from time to time to exchange a few blushful gazes.
  
• Playful competition- A game of dome hockey shows your playful side, and even if you lose, you can't lose! Upon winning, your date will enjoy a radiating boost in self-confidence. If you emerge victorious, you will have demonstrated your coordination and prowess.
  
• The boo button- Dome hockey is known for the boo button. While it may seem rude to boo the object of your affection, properly done, a few coquettish depressions of the boo button coupled with a winning smile can result in a dose of effective flirtation.

A rose by any other name
If things go well, you may be calling each other sugar-pie and honeybee within a few weeks. Indeed, a thing beloved has many names. That explains why the ever-popular dome hockey boasts a list of aliases to rival a wanted poster:

• Bubble hockey- Super Chexx bubble hockey, manufactured by Innovative Concepts in Entertainment (ICE) was the first of its kind. Several other manufacturers use the term bubble hockey, but the Supper Chexx table is the original.
  
• Stick hockey- Shelti and Carrom often refer to their tables as stick hockey. They offer versions with and without domes.
  
• Table hockey- The predecessor to all stick and dome hockey games. Originally manufactured by the Swedish company Stiga, this smaller version is usually set on a tabletop during game play.
  
• Rod hockey- Yet another catch-all name for dome hockey. Regent-Halex, Harvard, Spartan Sports, and Stiga all use this name to refer to a selection of their hockey tables.