If you’re tired of your regular mainstream sport, check out this list of unique sporting options. Which one is best for you and your team?
1) KRONUM
Kronum combines elements of soccer, basketball, handball, and rugby for all you multi-talented athletes. The sport features a circular field, and no less than four specially designed Kronum goals. Depending on the “zone”, points can be scored by kicking, throwing or dunking the ball. There are currently 7 official teams playing this sport exclusively out of the Philadelphia area, but the league is looking to expand. It may be slow to catch on, but this promo video will get you pumped to play.
2) FIREBALL
Regular soccer too boring for you? Give Fireball a whirl*. Take a coconut fibre ball, set it on fire, and game on! This sport is mostly played in Indonesia and hasn’t cracked the Sport & Social lineup yet due to complications with insurance.
*Don’t actually try this at home.
3) INNER TUBE WATER POLO
Underestimated by most, Water Polo is a deadly aggressive sport requiring incredible strength, stamina and a penchant for kicking people underwater. If you think treading water for 20 minutes is tough, try adding in swimming, catching and shooting while someone tries to drown you.
Enter the inner tube. Not to be confused with floating up to a swim-up bar, this game still requires considerable arm strength and strategy. You may have seen this sport played at your University or College. For those of us no longer allowed to play intramurals, there is a 12 team Sport & Social league that plays on Sunday nights in Toronto.
4) QUIDDITCH
You’ve read the books. You’ve seen the movies. Now you too can play on the Quidditch field. There may not be any magic involved, but broomsticks are mandatory – no joke! Avoid chasers and beaters, score with a quaffle, and catch the snitch to end the game. But of course you already know the rules, right? This young sport is governed by the International Quidditch Association, of which Quidditch Canada is a member.
5) SHIN KICKING
This English combat sport features two athletes who attempt to kick each other in the shins until someone falls to the ground. (So basically beginner soccer without the ball). As protection, the competitors stuff their pants with straw, but watch out for steel toe boots! Check out the Shin Kicking Association of Britain to read about why they think this should be an Olympic sport.
6) ULTIMATE TAZER BALL
Wanna see a grown man cry? Picture a 4 on 4 soccer game with a jumbo sized ball, and no-holds-barred tackling. Oh and each competitor is armed with a 300,000 volt electroshock gun for zapping opponents with spasm-inducing shots of electricity. What could go wrong? Ironically, the sport was invented by Canadians, but cannot be played in the country due to common sense local laws.
7) BOSSABALL
Welcome to volleyball on steroids. The court is a giant inflatable structure that includes built-in trampolines. With samba music playing in the background to inspire your creativity you’ve got 5 contacts to create something beautiful. You see, with Bossaball, winning takes a back seat to looking good. That is, until you learn to play the game like these people. *DJ not included.
8) CHESSBOXING
The combination of skiing and gun shooting was already taken, so the next logical set of non-related activities was face punching and board games. During a match, opponents alternate between 3 minute rounds of boxing and then chess. To win? Knockout, technical knockout, or checkmate.
According to the World Chessboxing Association, you need to be tough, you need to have endurance and you need to know how to pull off a successful pawn storm. Imagine what the pay-per-view ratings could have been for a Mike Tyson – Bobby Fisher showdown.
9) CHEESE ROLLING
One of the oldest (and strangest) annual events takes place each spring in the village of Brockworth, (near Gloucester, England). Since the 15th century, participants have chased a 9 lb wheel of cheese down an impossibly steep hill, with the cheese being awarded to the first person to reach the bottom. Significant injuries and hospital visits are inevitable for many competitors.
Closer to home, Whistler Blackcomb now recreates this event every August with their own “Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival”. The Canadian version is slightly commercialized but you can’t beat good ole’ Canadian Aged Cheddar (and of course helmets are mandatory in Canada).
10) FINGER JOUSTING
Just when you thought you had mastered the art of Thumb Wars, in comes Finger Jousting. As the name implies the goal is less about pinning, and more about poking. Lock hands with your opponents and try to stab them with your finger before they get you. Groin shots and long finger nails are expressly forbidden. Learn the basics from the World Finger Jousting Federation.
~Written by Rob Davies