There's some Crazy Sports out there

  • Pooh-Sticks
The unusually named sport of Pooh-Sticks comes from the popular children's stories of Winnie the Pooh. Not only is the name a little unusual, so is the sport. It involves standing on a bridge and dropping your stick in the water, then racing to the other side to see who’s stick goes the fastest. Wow, what excitement.

Pooh Sticks started when a lock-keeper noticed walkers throwing their sticks into the river and rushing to the other side of the bridge to see whose stick emerged first.
This gave her the idea of creating a fundraising event using this sport, and so the World Pooh Sticks Championships was born.

 

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Teams sit facing each other in a dragon boats and attempt to paddle toward each other.
Also called "tug of oars" or "dragon war". In this sport, teams of six or eight rowers sit facing each other in a dragon boat, and attempt to paddle toward each other.

The sport is a version of Dragon Boat Racing, in the form of tug-of-war, in which one team tries to push the boat forward, while the other team tries to rwo back in the oppositite direction.

The sport has gained some popularity after coming to the world's attention when video of a tug-of-oars competition was held at the National Dragon Boat Competition in Olsztyn, in Poland in 2015.

There have been examples of similar events held since, but there are no regular competitions and no leagues or championships, though we would love to see this sport become more popular.

 
A unique form of hockey that is played only at Rossall School in England, combining elements of hockey and rugby.
Think about it - rugby with sticks!

A very physical sport that was born out of rugby but is played with sticks similar to ones used for hockey.

The game is played on a beach near the Rossall School in England. The pitch has to be 80 paces long. The markings for the field are drawn with sticks before each match. There is a goal post on both ends and a "D" box around the goal post.

During game play the ball can be handled only with the stick and no other body part can be used. The ball can only be passed backwards and forward passes are considered as a foul.

A game starts with a bully, which consists of seven players from each team lined up against each other at the center circle. Three players each from both teams called flies standout of the bully.

At the start of the match teams try to wrench the ball from the other team's control. After one team gains possession of the ball from the bully, they try to move the ball towards the opponents goal, and force it between the opponents goalposts. Goals can be scored only from within the "D" area.

 

Running of the reindeer
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An annual event held in Anchorage Alaska, as part of the Fur Rendezvous Festival (known locally as the Fur Rondy).
The event was first held in 2008, and involves people running down a four-block downtown street, with a group of reindeer released behind them, charging through the runners in a homage to Pamplona's more well-known Running of the Bulls.

In this fun event, participants brave the cold in a variety of attire, or lack thereof. The run features domesticated caribou, so does not hold the same level of danger as the similar running of the bulls event in Spain.

running of the Reindeer

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An Australian tradition racing crustaceans.
A the term for freshwater crustaceans found in dams in many places around Australia. Many young kids grew up catching them with a piece of string and some meat. In a few places they even race them, such as in the small Victorian town of Talbot, where they hold an annual Yabbie Festival. Races are also held in Moonie, Kajabbi and Windorah in Queensland.

For the Windorah's 'International Yabby races', the event consists of four races of 10 yabbies slowly ambling towards a green line spray painted onto gravel.

When the tiny town of Windorah in outback Queensland was about to lose its only post office – it was yabby money that helped buy a whole new building.

 
There are plenty of sheep in Australia, and here is another use for them - racing. Is it sport, or just an excuse to have a break from the farm and have a few beers?

The Booligal Sheep Races is held each year on the October long weekend at the Booligal Cricket Ground, in NSW Australia.

Also on the sheep racing calendar is the Sheep Grand National, takes place every year at Hoo Farm in Telford, Shropshire. This race is held over a furlong (about one-eighth of a mile or 200m), on a horseshoe-shaped course.

 
The Oxenhope Straw Race is held every summer in the Pennine village of Oxenhope, near Keighley, UK.
The race was started by two men who made a bet about racing from one pub to the next carrying a bale of straw.
As often he case, an offhand remark in a pub becomes a major event.

Competitors race in teams of two (male, female or mixed). The start is at the Waggon & Horses Inn. From there it is 1 mile to the Bay Horse Inn where a bale of straw is picked up. From there the course heads along 1 1/2 miles up a gentle hill, via the Social Club, the Lamb Inn and the former Shoulder of Mutton, to the finish at the Dog & Gun. A pint of beer is drunk by teams at each stop.


There are concessions for female competitors. Females may carry carry 1/2 bales if they wish, and only half-pint of beer has to be drunk by female teams.
 
  • A variation of football in which three teams played instead of just two teams.
Danish artist Asger Jorn invented the sport of three-sided football in the 1960’s, a variation of the sport of soccer, Jorn used the game to explain his notion of triolectics, his refinement on the Marxian concept of dialectics, as well as to just confuse us all with big words and unusual concepts.

This games is usually played until everyone decides that the game is over, again, no rules. This is more of a recreational sport rather than competitive.

The first known game was organized by the London Psychogeographical Association at the Glasgow Anarchist Summer School in 1993, and a few other games have been played since.

Three-sided football - Wikipedia

 
  • Volcano Surfing — athletes ride downhill on slopes that are covered with volcano ash using a surfboard.
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A sport that was derived from sandboarding, in which, athletes ride downhill on slopes that are covered with volcano ash, using a surfboard. The sport, also commonly known as ash boarding, was invented by an adventurer journalist named Zoltan Istvan, while on a trip to Vanuatu Islands in 2002. Volcano surfing is considered as an extreme sport and there are not many practicing it.

The inventor of the sport classifies volcano surfing into two types, surfing on active volcanoes, and surfing on inactive volcanoes, the only difference being that, the lava and gases from an active volcano presents more challenges and makes the ride more difficult.

Most riders use sandsurfing boards with binding and boots. But volcano surfing can also be done with thin plywood of any other metal board. Riders also wear goggles and other safety gear as needed.

Most riders prefer the standing position and follow a slalom like pattern. But it is also common to see riders use seated position or a luge like position.

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Volcano surfing is not contested at a competitive level but is rather practiced only at a recreational level. It is totally reserved for the high adrenaline adventurers who cannot get enough out of sand surfing.
 
Exciting races with snails.

"the slowest sport in the world", is a fun entertainment where two or more slow moving snails race against each other. Snail races also take place in different parts of the world, though predominantly events are held in the United Kingdom.

snail racing


Snail racing started with a terminology, “Ready, Steady, Slow”. This phrase was first heard during the first competitive live snail race in London called “The Guinness Gastropod Championship” in 1999.

The race usually happens on a circular track where the snails start in the middle and race to the perimeter. Snail owners are not allowed to touch your snail during the race, change snails or doing something that would make your snail go faster than it should. The track is made up of a damp cloth on top of a flat surface and has a radius of 13 to 14 inches. The race number of each snail contestant is marked on their shell. The first snail to touch the outer circle of the ring is crowned the winner.

There is a World Championships for Snail Racing, which began in the 1960s in Congham, Norfolk in the East of England, founded Tom Elwes. He was inspired by a snail race he witnessed in France.

 
Participants incorporate breakdancing, gymnastics, and even martial arts-inspired moves while displaying an advertising sign.

It traces its roots back to the early 2000s when companies trained employees to add flair to their street-side advertising. What began as simple spins and flips quickly turned into an art form, with spinners incorporating breakdancing, gymnastics, and even martial arts-inspired moves. The sport gained momentum, and before long, official competitions were born.

While holding the corrugated plastic sign with custom edging, athletes perform choreographed routines to music, blending freestyle creativity with high-speed spins, flips, and catches. All signs have ads from sponsors or endorsements.

In competitions, participants must ensure the sign can't hit anyone, they cannot leave the ring, and drops are detrimental to the performance. The best spinners get two attempts per heat to achieve the best overall score.

The biggest event in the sign-spinning world is the World Sign Spinning Championship, held annually in Las Vegas. Competitors from around the world gather to show off their skills in a judged format similar to extreme sports.

Judges score spinners on categories like:
  • Technical Ability – Complex tricks, seamless transitions, and how well they control the sign.
  • Style & Creativity – Unique moves and showmanship that set them apart.
  • Execution & Precision – How cleanly tricks are performed without dropping the sign.
What started as a clever way to grab attention, has become a full-fledged competitive sport—and it’s only getting bigger.

 
An international sports event organized annually in Hungary.

he Wheelbarrow Olympics is an unusual sports event organized annually in Hosszúhetény village in Baranya county, Hungary. Locally they call it Talicskaolimpia. The event has been running since 2001. The games are linked with cultural programs including concerts and dance performances.

The event involves many wheelbarrow races, either singularly or in teams, for men and women, adults and children races. Races usually involve pushing the wheelbarrow around a series of cones in an out and back course. The types of races include the following:
  • Solo - one person pushing a wheelbarrow
  • Double - two people pushing one wheelbarrow
  • Triple - three people pushing two wheelbarrows side by side, the middle person with a hand on each one.
  • Sandwich - one person racing with two wheelbarrows, one in front and one behind.
  • Speed and skill - a speed test involving take and retrieving items in the wheelbarrow.
Wheel Burrow Racing


Wheel Barrow Races (image source: Library of Congress, Bain News Service)
 
A pool cue is used to hit the ball instead of a golf putter, and the mini-golf hole is on a table top.

The unusual sport of mini-golf billiards has the mini-golf hole elevated onto a tabletop, and uses a pool cue to hit the ball instead of a golf putter. I'm not even sure if mini-golf billiards is the correct name for it - maybe it should be table-top golf, golf billiards, or pool golf.

mini-golf billiards game in Switzerland


Setup in the Swiss Alps, maybe having the mini-golf course off the ground enabled them to play in snow conditions, or easily put it away when there is snow.
There are a few of these such mini-golf courses around the world, but no actual tournaments. It is just another fun variation of golf.
 
Going for a paddle in a bath.

The unusual sport of racing in bathtubs, called bathtubbing, has been around for along time.
There are many variations, and there appears to be a few World Championships held around the world.
The bath tub can be either propelled by a motor, or paddled like a canoe.

bathtub race


One such event had the following races:
  • 100m individual time trial - race against the stopwatch around a 100m circuit.
  • Multi-Bathtub races - up to 4 bathtubs racing at a time around a 100m circuit.
  • Synchronized Bathtubbing - 2 people in a bathtub facing each other one must paddle backwards while the other paddles forwards. The pair must negotiate the 100m course in the quickest time.
The Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society organizes an event that was first held in 1967, in which motor powered bathtubs race over a 36 mile course.
The first event was mayhem on the water, which resulted in rules being put in place to limit the horsepower of the boats (baths).


 
Attempting to climb a slippery pole for a prize at the end.

Surprisingly the sporting event of climbing a greased-up slippery pole is quite common around the world.
These traditional events are essentially the same - there is a long pole covered in grease, lard, or some other lubricant, and participants attempt to climb or walk along the pole to get to the other end, where there may be a prize or flag to recover.

climbing a greased pole
 
Here is some greasy pole events held around the world:

  • Il-ġostra — In Malta, a greased pole is placed over the harbor at an angle.
  • The aim of the game is to run to the end of the pole and grab a flag.
  • Gloucester's Greasy Pole Contest — This event is held annually during St. Peter's Fiesta in Gloucester, Massachusetts USA.
  • Participants attempt to cross a horizontal wooden pole in the middle of Gloucester Harbor to grab an Italian flag at the end of the pole.
  • Panjat Pinang — a game played to celebrate Independence Day in Indonesia.
  • Participants climb a greased pole in groups trying to reach precious gifts on top of the pole.
 
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