Octopush

Countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa play underwater hockey. There is no contact while playing and they use sticks a little smaller then a ruler. Other then that same principles apply. They push the puck into the net and whichever team has the most goals by the end of the game wins. The players use underwater respirators, this would come to a disadvantage for those who wanted to play outside the league. April 18th of this year will be the Newport 10 year anniversary for the sport. The British Octopush Association organizes the events. I think this game would be a lot of fun. I love to swim and I love hockey. Its interesting to see how Europe brings to life new ways of playing traditional sports.

Pin Your Toes

Toe wrestling is a competitive sport. It started in the 70's in the United Kingdom. You lock toes with your opponent and who ever forces the other player's foot to the ground first wins.

All money that is earned by the event is donated to the Derbyshire charit or the Make a Wish Foundation. I think its interesting to see what strength and control just your foot can apply in a sport. I can see many broken ankles happening. This could be something I'm good at because dancers have very strong feet.

Men and Women, Equal Partners

Finland decided to create a sport where men carry women for much longer then the 10 seconds from the honeymoon door to the bedroom. The contestants carry a woman upside down on their back through an obstacle course. The tradition has been going on world-wide in Finland for the past 14 years. Madis Uusorg holds the world record for 56.9 seconds in a 250 meter path.

The tradition started with men carrying potatoe sacks on their backs through a course. Now they feel that carrying women is more appropriate. I highly doubt we will see the day when a man will have the security to let a woman carry them through an obstacle course. The winners recieve money. They also get beer in the same weight as the that of the woman they carry. I think this event is sexist and gives the males some twisted sense of male dominance and heroism. Now what is to say about the women that agree to do this? They are hanging upside down with their face in the rear-end of their partners.

Fist ball

Fist ball is takes place mostly in Finland. Today its more commonly known as volleyball or tennis. But originally you play with two people on a volley ball court. The server hits the ball and tries to hit it on the other side of the net where the opponent cant retrive it. Bounces are excepted, but you only have 3 times to make contact with the ball. You cannot use the palm of your hand, only your fist. The sport is featured in the World Games. Nowadays it is referred to as handball and their are teams. I like using my fist more in volleyball then the palm of my hand. It definitly gives you greater force and speed.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Yes, there is a USA Rock Paper Scissors League. They state the history of the game back to the stone age. Cavemen use to communicate with hand gestures and wrote their meanings on stone walls for future generations to follow. The different symbols they would make with their hands did imply things such as rock and knife. The meanings were broken down into what we know of as rock, paper, scissor today. The sign language was then created into the game. It is also said that certain war generals would decifer battle strategies by playing this game.

I think this game is foolish. There is no real strategy involved.

Footbag

The 30th Annual Footbag Championships will take place in July in Berlin. Think of hackeysack and volleyball put together. Hackey sack is when you continuously kick a beanbag with your feet to try to keep it from hitting the ground for as long as possible. In Footbag there are two teams, a net and you can only use your feet to hit the bag back and forth. There are over 80, 000 registered players and 20-30 tournaments that go on around the world. I think this is very different. Not many people play hackeysack anymore. I love how people are combining sports together to make them into something completely different. Hackey sack isn't very competitive but when you throw in the division of the net it creates a competitive, exciting game. Some people would say that traditional sports should be left alone. I don't see anything wrong in expanding our creativity to find new activites to learn from and engage in. Traditional sports history will always be kept alive but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be able to build on their concepts to format new sports to play.

Chess and Boxing?

There is an actual World Chess Boxing Organization. The first chessboxing match occurred in Russia. There are different ways of playing but typically there is 12 rounds, each consisting of 4 minutes of chess followed by 2 minutes of boxing. This is interesting because I don't know many boxers who know how to play chess. In fact, I don't know many people who know how to play chess period. I like the fact that there correlating brains with brawn. Not to say that regular athletes aren't using their brains, but this sport allows the player to switch between two completely different forms of intensity. In a way chess and boxing are quite alike. In both, the player needs to focus and concentrate. They need to try and anticipate their opponents next move. Each requires a high level of thinking because a single mistake can lead to your disposal.

Racin in Muck and Guck

Another interesting sport held in Wales is swimming through a muddy bog. You can not use traditional swimming techniques. This places professional swimmers who form the majority of the participants at a disadvantage. You need to develop different stratagies that will push you through the thickness of the trench. You can only use goggles, a snorkel and your flippers. The bog is cold and wet. It is not a heated indoor pool. The water is very thick so this makes this twice as tricky. The winner is typically placed in the Guiness Book of World Records and any winnings are given to charity.

I think this sport is interesting. Nature places an edge on the swimmer's natural ability. I wonder if any wildlife has interfered with a player's performance.

Man vrs. Horse

In Llanwrtyd , Wells they have horse racing just like they do here in the US. But in Wells the horse is not prepared to beat another horse, but a human. They allow several mounted horses to race a bunch of skilled marathon runners. It started in 1980 when a man was arguing that he could beat a horse in a race. After 25 years of tradition, in 2004 a man named Huw Lobb beat a horse in a 22 mile race. Each year the prize money increases by 1, 000 dollars and Lobb won 25, 000 dollars. I think its good that the race is not focused primarily on making money. But people still gamble on this event. A man had to pay off a bet of 16/1 when Lobb won.

I think its offensive that its not enough that we abuse horses to such an extreme, but we also feel that we must now compete with them. We are stripping horses of their dignity.

Rolling Down the Hill next to Some Cheese

At one point it was acceptable to walk down a hill, run down it, and even roll down it. In this sport, people run down the hill as fast as humanly possible. Only this time they release a piece of Double Gloucester cheese first. Originally the intent was to see who could beat the cheese down to the bottom. Since it was made obvious that this clearly cant be accomplished, now whoever makes it to the bottom of the hill first wins. The cheese can reach up to 112km/hr. This event is held once a year in Gloucestershire, UK. I think this event is a little obscure. It seems like a unstoppable series of injuries and collisions. In fact, one time the cheese took a wrong turn and injured a spectator.

Kickball Coming Back

I think everyone played kickball as a child. Who would of thought that grown-ups would miss it so much that they would develop a World Adult Kickball Association. Kickball divisions are very popular in the U.S. The professional league has been around for over 10 years. The organization looks to continue and improve the intelect and enjoyment of its players and all thosed involved. I think its important that the nation looks to include more people in sports that are often lost once people reach adulthood. Its important for people to engage in something that is fun, athletic but not as intense.

Men Competing in Hair Growth

There is World Beard and Mustache Championships. Men are actually growing out their facial hair to see who has the most interesting style and cut by the time of the competition. The organization is hosting the event in the US for the second time this year in Anchorage, Alaska. In 2007 over 252 people participated in the event. Each country formats their own team and club name. The Australian Bushrangers will be bringing their band "The Beards" to the competition in Anchorage. I think this sport is rather ridiculous. I wonder if the people that compete in this event have any form of athletic ability.

Extreme Ironing

There will be no more ironing in the household. The only way this chore is going to get done is if a man can iron outdoors and under extreme conditions. You can snowboard, canoe, stand between two crevasses of a mountain, but you have to be ironing while doing it. People involved are always coming up with new clever ways to improve their ironing ability while still risking death in the process. I think this new sport is interesting and rather ironic. I guess regular household chores can be more worthwhile if done in a dangerous situation.

Mountain Unicycling

No more unicycling for clowns. No more moutain bikers riding on the average mountain bike. People are racing through the hills and trees on unicycles. All I know is that when my little brother had a unicycle he lost two teeth and broke his ankle. On a unicycle you can only go as fast as you can pedal, so it can be safer then traditional mountain biking. The sport is really popular in Sacramento, California. It is also popular in the UK, France and Australia. This sport is definitly a different trend. In standard mountain biking you just need to make sure you don't ride off a cliff, but in mountain unicycling you need to be looking out for every rock and hole because that can be what makes fly off your one-wheeled transportation.

Professional Mini-Golf

Put-Put is no longer simply for recreational purposes. Now its something worth practicing all the time for because there is a PMGA. There is definitly different skills to be mastered in mini-golf in comparison to regular golf. Anyone can be a part of the PGMA, with minimal qualifications. I think its exciting that they offer a league to miniature golf players. It offers a sense of variety.