27. Conger Cuddling

Conger Cuddling was born about thirty years ago in Dorset, England. During the event, dead conger eel is tossed to the members of the RNLI or Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

 

Richard Fox organized the first conger cuddling in the 1970s and became a ritual for the town.

 

The Conger eel throwing was patterned after Skittles, an old European sport similar to bowling. The 5-foot eel is hurled towards nine people who are positioned on flowerpots. The team with the last man standing wins the game.

 

The yearly Conger cuddling is held as part of the Lifeboat Week, which attracts around three thousand people. The funds raised during the event are used for charitable works.

 

Animal activists do not agree with the idea of having fun using a dead fish. They campaigned for the banning of the event, which is why organizers have opted for buoys or fake eels rather than dead fish to be thrown to the participants.

 

Proponents of conger cuddling, though protesting since the tradition, will be altered with the introduction of plastic or inflatable fish. The experience according to them is not at all close to throwing fish that has been dead for two months.

 

While the humans are arguing about the right “gear” to use, the tradition nevertheless continues. Everyone still gets wet every year.

 

There is nothing fishy about the proceeds of the event going to charity. The fish has also never complained of being hurled since all it hears is the thud of the men on flowerpots and the laughter of the big crowd.

26. Capoeira

Capoeira has been disguised as a form of dance by the African slaves who were brought to Brazil between the 16th and 19th century. It really looks like a dance but the behind the grace lies the power of the deadly strokes.

 

The Golden Law in Brazil banned this form of martial arts in 1888, since the time slaves were freed. The practice of the killer dance was forced underground back then.

 

A circle called a roda is formed when people play capoeira. Sparring individuals display their art and skills in the middle of the meeting. The game, since it was camouflaged as a dance, is always played with music.  Even in the olden times, the musicians would play a special song to signal the others that the capoeira must be stopped when authorities are approaching.

 

There are two forms of the deadly dance: the Capoeira Angola and the Capoeria Regional. The maestros for these forms of Capoeira were Mestre Bimba for the Regional and Mestre Pastinha for the Angola.

 

The dance is all about movements to strike an opponent. Of course, during a roda, hits are faked and are not followed through. Like any other form of martial arts, the offensive has a countermovement called negativas, which are used to block or evade the hits. The grace of complementing offensives and negativas make the dance a very graceful and beautiful sight to watch.

 

The players move as one with the music. The rocking of the body and swaying kicks may look very tricky, making the game very strategic.

 

For those who don’t have a chance to try the real thing, Tekken lets you use Eddy Gordo and Christie Monteiro, both Capoeira masters.

24. World Toe Wrestling Championship

The World Toe Wrestling Championship doesn’t involve fancy knock-over moves or high-wire wrestling stunts. Toe wrestling is a competition where toes are the stars, bad outfits are the attention getters, and puns tickle everyone’s imagination.

 

The toe wrestling championship is held annually in Bentley Brook Inn in Derbyshire, UK. It was started in the ‘Ye Olde Royal Oak Inn in 1976 where locals came up with the idea that locking toes might be exciting.

 

During a fight, two opposing players are on other sides of the Toedium. With the big toes locked, the players try to force the opponent’s foot to the bookend of the toerack. Players wrestle the left and right foot with the motivation of ale and ice cream courtesy of the event organizers and sponsors. The players also come in their best costume to intimidate the opponent or just to entertain the audience.

 

The participants come up with flashy names fit for wrestling world superstars like former toe wrestling champions Allan “Nasty” Nash, Ian “ The Destroyer “ Davis, or Karen “ Kamikaze” Davies.

 

The world toe wrestling championship is open to any gender. However, strict referee screening takes place to make sure that all feet are healthy, odour free, and fungi free. Every applicant is advised to have clean feet before attempting to be screened by the organizers.

 

The proceeds of the event go to the charity institution called Wish Upon a Star. The world toe wrestling championship does prove the feet can go a long way when it comes to making dreams come true. Toerific feet of glory!

23. World Pooh Stick Racing

The World Pooh Stick Racing Championship is held annually in Oxfordshire, England. Teams from around the globe converge to see whose stick travels the fastest down the river.

 

The event was inspired by the Walt Disney cartoon Winnie the Pooh who plays the same game in his TV series. To conform to the cartoon tale made by A.A. Milne, spectators and contestants attend in their fancy costumes.

 

The original inspiration of the game between Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin is said to be the bridge in Ashdown Forest near Hartfield, East Sussex.

 

The competition entails individual and team championships. Six individuals belonging to different teams drop their coloured sticks at the same time from the bridges at the lock and watch which stick will go fastest.

 

Aside from the stick dropping championships, a colourful castle, balloon races, and best dressed teddy bears are the other attractions during the event. Souvenirs are also sold in stalls, which undeniably focus on selling Winnie the Pooh and teddy bears.

 

The event doesn’t only honour the Walt Disney cartoon but raises charities to help different humanitarian missions. Lynn David was the first to organize the World Pooh Stick Championship but has turned over the work to the Rotary Club of Sinodun.

 

Although started in Oxfordshire, people from the United States, Japan, New Zealand, and other parts of the globe join and excel in the Pooh Stick Championships.

 

A colourful stick, a great river scene and people in costumes may just be well worth the time and money if everything goes to charity.

22. Mountain Unicycling

If mountain biking is considered one of the extreme sports, then how do we see mountain unicycling?

 

Mountain unicycling or Muni is an adventure sport which is fast gaining popularity. It is the art of traversing off road courses like grass, rock, snow, and dirt.

 

Unicycles demand a greater amount of energy since it doesn’t have any gear system. When one gets on a unicycle, he or she must pedal to move even on a down hill path since coasting is impossible with it.  Falls, fractures, scrapes, and bruises though are just like those that one gets from mountain biking.

 

The great thing about Muni is that unicycles are direct drives which allow one better control of the speed when hurdling a challenging course.

 

Muni is very popular in the US, Canada, and Australia. Unicyclists from these regions organize themselves for group training or competitions.

 

When one sees a unicycle, clowns will be the first to be remembered. Expert unicyclists though explain that the sport is very demanding physically and mentally that’s why minimalist or problem solvers are perfect for the sport. Unicycling is a very technical and focused sport as contrasted to mountain biking which deals mainly with the adrenaline rush.

 

Munifests have reported a number of injuries including bruised skins and broken bones. But no one can stop these sport extremists to ride a frame with one wheel and pedal all for glory and pride.

 

Experts do advise, when mountain unicycling an excellent health card may come very handy.

21. World Eskimo Indian Olympics

The World Eskimo Indian Olympics is a yearly competition organized to promote the preservation of the skills vital for the survival of the generations of the past. The event used to be held in Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska, but was recently relocated to Anchorage.

 

The gathering is a great display of stamina, balance, strength, endurance, and agility. Some of the famous events include the following:

 

Knuckle Hop — a game where players are in push up position from which they try to hop forward, maintaining the same posture.

 

Four Man Carry — this has been used to test the strength and endurance of the team. The skills involved were needed by the ancestors to carry heavy loads for long distances after a successful hunt.

 

Ear Weight — as the name suggests, weights are attached to the ears by strings. The player must go for distance carrying the weight without using any other parts of the body.  Before using lead plates, sacks of flour were tied to the player’s ears.

 

One Hand Reach — balancing is the name of the game. A player tries to balance his body on one hand while trying to reach the suspended object. The height of the object reached determines the winner.

 

Nalukataq or blanket Toss — a blanket made from walrus skin is used for this event. Members of the team hold the blanket and toss one team member as high as they can. It is believed that this practice has been used during a successful whaling season of their forefathers.

 

Aside from the sporting events above, Eskimo-Indians also hold dancing and story-telling activities.

20. Lutte

Lutte is also known as Senegalese wrestling and is native to Senegal and Gambia. The match is opened with the roaring of drums and singing of the tribe’s people. In olden times, tribes settled some disputes through a Lutte of their great warriors.

 

Lutte takes place in a sandy pit where contenders will play preliminaries until the battle of two champions. The warriors will just be wearing “wrapper” provided by their fiancé or women of the family.

 

The objective of the match is to throw the opponent to the ground by lifting him out of the provided pit. Players can hit his opponent’s arms, knees or back. Striking with the hand by punching or slapping is now allowed. Usually the fight begins with some hand strikes followed by surprising big blows or knockouts.

 

The wrestlers prepare by paying their marabout a visit. Marabouts are spiritual advisers who will motivate the wrestler to win and give him amulets to protect him from the powers of the opponent. The marabouts do this before every fight and pray to the ancestors of the wrestlers. A sacrifice is made to please the spirits. The marabout gets extract of the baobab tree, where spirits are known to live, to anoint the fighter.

 

Wrestlers train very hard following very rigorous routines to keep their bodies fit. Black magic rituals are also being performed prior to the match to improve their luck.

 

Today, Senegalese wrestling is an organized sport conducted in sports arenas. Promoters get wrestlers to fight before a big crowd and offer them prize money in return.

19. Calcio Storico

Calcio Storico is a sport in Florence, Italy, that resembles football and rugby. It is a traditional battle that started in the 15th century and entails bringing the ball across the other end of the field and defending your end of the ground.

 

In the olden times, Calcio Storico was a favourite sport amongst young aristocrats who wanted to show off their strength, skills, and passion to win. Today, the different districts of Florence participate in the games every 24th of June in their traditional colourful costumes. The different teams are from St. Croce, St. Maria Novella, St. Spirito, and St. Giovanni.

 

Calcio Storico is a brutal and bloody sport as witnessed by Charles V who came to the city but was ignored because the Florentines were very busy with this traditional game.

 

The opposing teams consist of twenty-seven players, and each are strategically positioned in three rows. The rule is very simple: throw the ball over the wooden wall that spans each end of the field. This is considered a goal or a caccia.

 

The tackles to defend the ball and one’s end of the field resemble the moves in a Greco-Roman wrestling match. It’s a no-holds-barred pinning down of opposing players on the sandy field. Costumes are torn apart and players end up bruised and bloodied after every encounter.

 

Winners of the match get to parade their flag around the game field. The arena is kept lively with thunderous drum beating and canon firing. After the game, merriments carry on with a continuous flow of food and drinks in addition to the fireworks that light the sky.