Pooh sticks, anyone?
Summer sports season is well underway, from the Olympics to kids’ camps and school athletes training for fun and fulfillment of athletic dreams.
The wide range of the world of sports seems to have something for everyone, including some rather less traditional.
A few of the more unusual sports are:
Trebuchets: From the French “trebucher” (to throw over), but likely invented in ancient China, a trebuchet is a form of leverage artillery — a huge catapult that uses a springing mechanism to toss things (and long ago, people) far away. Once used in medieval wars, the Science Olympiad now includes it in their competitions and trebuchets made an appearance in "The Lord of the Rings" movie.
Boomerangs: Beginning as a sport in the 1960s, boomerang competitions are now hosted by 25 countries, with a World Cup every two years.
Skijoring: (“ski-driving”) In this Norwegian sport, a cross-country skier is pulled by a dog.
Wing chun: Bruce Lee fans may know that wing chun is the only style of martial arts created by a woman, using simultaneous attack and defense techniques — low kicks and fast hand techniques are used to defeat an opponent.
Birling: No, that’s not a typo. Probably better known in Idaho, it’s also called log rolling. Two contestants spin a floating log rapidly with their feet. The contestants stop the log suddenly and reverse motion, trying to throw their opponent off the log.
Ice boating: Fast, 16- to 20-foot boats holding two seated pilots race on ice on a 3-mile course. The long hull looks like an early airplane; under the hull are two sled runners attached to the cross piece.
Underwater hockey: Originally known as Octopush, it was invented in the early 1950s by sub-aqua divers in England and has spread to much of the world, from Australia to America, Canada to Columbia, New Zealand to the Netherlands. Players wear snorkeling gear and use sticks (“pushers”) to pass a 3-pound puck in a pool.
Hovercraft racing: Certainly more popular in recent years. A hovercraft vehicle skims across the water or ground on a cushion of air blown below the hull. A skirt around the craft's perimeter contains the air cushion, while vents help control direction and speed. Because there is little friction between the craft and the surface, hovercrafts move more efficiently than a boat. They’re not just for fun and sport; the largest in commercial operation is a 150-ton British ferry that moves cars and passengers across the English Channel.
Scooting: Much like the air boats of the Florida everglades, scoots are boat-like vehicles powered by an aircraft propeller mounted at the rear, raced over broken ice.
Mountain unicycling (MUni): Also called rough terrain or all-terrain unicycling, it’s just like it sounds. Tricky.
And my favorite of all:
Pooh-sticking: Inspired by Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh, the World Pooh-sticking competition occurs annually in Oxfordshire, England. Contestants drop their sticks into the river, then see how long it takes for each to reach a finish point.
Silly old bear.
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email Sholeh@cdapress.com.