By Nikki Phipps
Everyone knows about football and baseball but there is another side to the sporting life, the world of unusual sports. For instance, in Wales there is a famous race called the Man Versus Horse Marathon, where human competitors test their stamina against a group of chosen horses in a cross-country course. This and other unusual sporting events may not be common to most of us; however, they are quite popular among some spectators and athletes.
While not a well-known sport, Canoe Jousting is said to be a fun thing to do. In this unique sport, two canoes race up river to a designated point. Once reached by both canoes, the jousting begins. The object of the game is to submerse your opponent’s canoe by whatever means possible, without the use of tools, such as your paddles. Another interesting sport, albeit different to say the least, is an annual competition of tuna throwing. This event takes place each year in South Australia. In fact, there is an Olympic Gold medalist weight lifter by the name of Dean Lukin who is also a champion tuna thrower. It seems he performed some of his Olympic training while on the boats hurling around fully-grown tuna fish, which can weigh as much as an adult human.
In the Fenlands, Ditch Snorkeling takes place. People snorkel and swim up courses that are laid out among the drainage ditches. Since the ditches are extremely muddy, the participants must wear a mask to protect their eyes. Because of this, competitors have very poor visibility and oftentimes injuries may occur. Kind of makes you wonder what the point is. Another form of ditch snorkeling, known as bog snorkeling, takes place in the West Midlands of England. Bog snorkeling is similar to ditch snorkeling; however, this sporting event involves pushing their way through a peat bog rather than a ditch. Another unusual underwater sport includes the game of underwater rugby. This one is played in a swimming pool. Two teams of 11 players try to make a goal by getting the weighted ball in the opposing team’s basket, which of course is located at the bottom of the pool. Similar games, such as underwater hockey are also played in pools.
Some sports are much stranger than others such as cheese rolling. Cheese rolling is an event whereby its contestants send a good-sized cheese down a steep hill and then chase after it. Don’t see the logic here, but ok. Similar to this one includes log rolling, otherwise known as Birling. Birling originated in the 1800s in the lumberjack camps of New England. This is a sport where two contestants spin a floating log rapidly with their feet. The contestants then stop the log suddenly and reverse motion, trying to throw their opponent off the log. Contestants begin on logs 15 inches in diameter, and as the competition continues, the logs get smaller. The first person to fall two out of three times loses. Mountain Unicycling is not only unusual but a challenging and rewarding sport for many. This year-round sport combines both finesse and precision to stay on one wheel as well as endurance to ride over rough mountain terrain.
While these unusual sports may not be for everyone, the athletes that do take part in them are as serious about it as most of us are with football and other popular sports. You have to at least give these athletes credit for daring to be different if nothing else.