CrossFit comes in for a bit of stick from “non-CrossFitters.” Our friends have probably all poked fun at us at some-point and we just brush it off because we know how awesome CrossFit really is!
For people who have never taken part in a class, CrossFit can seem rather odd and, at times, a little crazy. It can even be difficult even explaining WHAT CrossFit actually is to people not in the know. Do you go with the official definition of CrossFit? Do you try and list all the movements you can expect in a daily workout? Or do you, like me, simply tell them to YouTube the CrossFit Games – in the secret hope that they will think that you look like one of those athletes underneath your gym gear?
Either way, CrossFit can seem rather bizarre to others. Just think back to how crazy you thought everyone was when you first started. It’s definitely that craziness that we fell in love with and it’s the same for all sports.
However, there are some sports out there that are a little more bizarre than others! There were certainly PLENTY to choose from when making this list.
The sport, which originated in England (classic hilarious Brits), is officially defined as ‘the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt.’ The most English sentence you ever did hear!
A quick browse of the official extreme ironing website and you will see photographs of people ironing in all manner of crazy scenarios. Base jumping, rock climbing, underwater, on the back of aircraft. No extreme conditions are out of bounds!
There was even a World Championship in which teams from around the world (Australia included) competed across five different environments; ‘Urban,’ ‘Water,’ ‘Forest,’ ‘Rocky’ and ‘Freestyle.’ Held in Germany, competitors were tested on their abilities to cope with five demanding ironing tests on a variety of fabrics across these five conditions. Competitors were then judged on their ‘creative ironing skills’ as well as the remaining creases in the clothing.
A select group of people have decided that regular hockey is not difficult enough and have taken the sport underwater. First there was field hockey, then ice hockey. So of course the natural progression is to go underwater!
The rules of underwater hockey are essentially the same as regular hockey except, you guessed it, it’s underwater. A number of sports of taken the plunge (get it?) into the world of underwater sports including wrestling, rugby, football and target shooting. Anyone for underwater CrossFit?
Another unusual sport, this time hailing from the Welsh – England’s equally crazy next-door neighbour. Bog snorkelling was first started as the result of an over the bar conversation. Which makes us wonder, how many sports could have been invented if we could all remember our drunken conversations the next day?
There has been a World Bog Snorkelling Championship held for the last thirty years! Surprisingly, it has continued to grow in popularity and now attracts more than 200 entrants EVERY YEAR.
Competitors have to snorkel along a water filled trench cut through a peat bog, in the shortest time possible. Participants wear a snorkel and flippers and must complete the course using only their flippers to propel them along. We just hope there is nothing ‘suspect’ floating along in the bog with them!
Wife carrying, which originated in Finland, is the sport in which male competitors race across an obstacle course more than 250m long while carrying their female teamate. The track has two dry obstacles and one water obstacle. The World Championships takes place in Sonkajärvi, Finland, each year and victors not only get the glory of being the number one ‘wife carrier’ in the world, but the winner also wins his wife’s weight in beer.
“The wife to be carried may be your own, or the neighbour’s, or you may have found her further afield; she must, however, be 17 years of age”
The Wife Carrying World Championships have not been won by anyone outside of Estonia or Finland since they began in 1997. Special prizes are also awarded for the most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the strongest carrier.
Yes, you read correctly. Cheese rolling. Who could have even thought up such a sport… it’s those barmy Brits again! Essentially, what happens is a 9lb round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled from the top of a hill and competitors start racing down the hill after it. The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese.
“In theory, competitors are aiming to catch the cheese; however, it has around a one-second head start and can reach speeds up to 70mph (112 km/h), enough to knock over and injure a spectator.”
The annual event was traditionally only completed by people from the village nearby, but now people from all over the world take part.
Archery Tag, which began in America, looks very similar to paintball and is apparently played with Dodgeball style rules. Except, you’re not firing small capsules of paint at each other. You’re shooting arrows. From an actual bow! I can imagine fans of Robin Hood or The Hunger Games franchise going crazy for this sport.
It’s probably important to note at this point that the arrows or neither pointy nor on fire. Instead they have a soft foam on the end enabling people to participate without losing an eye.
Word on the street is that two Archery Tag locations have opened up in Victoria and we can’t wait to book in, shoot at each other and pretend that we’re Legolas fighting off Orcs.
However bizarre the sport, the great thing is that these people are probably equally as obsessed with it as we are with CrossFit. Just like CrossFit, these sports provide a community for people to meet like-minded people. That’s what so awesome about sports, regardless of how wacky they are!
Now, we challenge you to come up with your own insanely crazy sport!
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