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."
jdalrymple@sltrib.com
Twitter: @jimmycdii