Unusual Sports

Weird and strange sports that exist!

5-25-18

Cost: $1.99
Top 5 most unusual
Sports Played in the
Olympics!
“Handball? Tug-of-War?”

Quidditch is Real!
“Dodgeballs and volleyballs
as substitutes! By Madison Hiller
 Table Of Contents
“Kids and teens usually want everything
they think they need for a sport,” --
‘Financials for Adults’...Pg. 7
Table of contents…………………………………………………….…...Pg. 1

‘Five Offbeat Sports That Were or Are Played In the Olympics’..............Pg. 2

‘Quidditch Is Real!’....................................................................................Pg. 3

‘World Pillow Fight Championship’..........................................................Pg. 4

Sports Poll………………………………………………………………. Pg. 5

‘Squash Is More Than A Fruit’..................................................................Pg. 6

‘Financials for Adults’...............................................................................Pg. 7

‘Fun Sports and Activities For Friends and Family’.................................Pg. 8

‘Bad Jokes At Bad Times’.........................................................................Pg. 9

‘Why Can’t Women Play Baseball Now?’.................................................Pg. 9

‘Ads On Profesional Jerseys: An Editorial’...............................................Pg. 10

Sports Fun!.................................................................................................Pg. 11

Citations………………………………………………………….……….Pg. 12

Pg. 1
 5 Offbeat Sports That
Were or Are Played In
the Olympics
The Olympics come every other year, and that means there's
much time to practice and train for your sport if you are
heading their. However, how do you train for a sport much as
tug of war? Here are 5 unbelievable sports that were once
played in the olympics, and some that didn't even make to the
next upcoming world-wide games.

1. Swimming obstacle race:

This crazy sport was performed at the 1900 olympics in Paris with swimmers from five different
nations participated. Three different obstacles were placed throughout the course, which was 200 meters long.
The first two obstacles required climbing over a pole and a row of boats, and the third obstacle included
swimming under another row of boats. 10 of 12 swimmers from each heat move on to the finals.
2. Tug-of-war:
It seems pretty unbelievable, but tug-of-war was once played in the olympics, and not only for one year,
but for 1900 to 1920. It was first played in the Ancient Olympics, held in 500 B.C.
Each team consists of 8 players, and if nobody wins after 5 minutes, whichever team that pulled the most got
declared the winner.
3. Handball:
As crazy as it sounds, handball is a summer olympic still played, starting in 1972. Handball is actually
very similar to soccer, or football. Teams consist of 7 players, and when you get the ball, you can only have it
for three seconds, before dribbling, passing, or throwing it to another player. The field handball is played on is
set up similarly to a soccer, or football, field as well.
4. Croquet:
Yes, croquet was a olympic sport that 10 competitors from each nation came to play. However, when
croquet made it’s one time appearance, only players came from France, which meant all the medals were
awarded to, you guessed it, France. Out of the ten competitors, seven were men, and three were women.
5. Racewalking:
Most races are running, jogging, even riding bikes. But, have you ever heard of Racewalking? Sounds
ridiculous on it’s own, but what about it being played in the olympics? The number one rule of this unusual
sport is that you need to have one foot touching the ground at all times. It’s still featured in the olympics, with
two different races. The 20 kilometer race is for men and women, and the 50 kilometer race is performed by
men only.
Pg. 2
 If you are a fan of Harry Potter, this would be
exciting news for you. As played in the book series
Harry Potter, quidditch is played in real life.
However, it’s not as exciting, because we don’t have
real flying brooms. Real life quidditch is also played
on broom, but you have to run around holding the
broom like it is flying. Just like the famous book
story, there is 1 seeker, 3 chasers, 2 beaters and 1
keeper. Along with that, their is also 1 snitch, 1
quaffle and 3 bludgers. Bludgers are substituted with
dodgeballs, the quaffle is replaced with a volleyball
and the snitch situation is sort of strange. Their is a
position called the snitch runner, who wears all
Quidditch Is Real! yellow and has the snitch attached to their wrist.

In order to catch the snitch, a

player must pull on the snitch
runners’ tail, which is a piece
of fabric tied around their
waist.
In order to catch the snitch, a player must pull on the
snitch runners’ tail, which is a piece of fabric tied
around their waist. Each team contains 7 players, but
only 4 players that identify by the same gender on the
same team is allowed on the field at the same time,
which means that quidditch is a gender neutral sport,
or game. The quaffle is worth 10 points, and the
snitch is only worth 30 points, not 150. The Glass
City Classic game(s) are in Toledo, Ohio on April
7th, the US quidditch cup 11 is held in Bound Rock,
Texas on April 14th-15th, the King's Cup 2018
Syracuse, New York on April 21st, and the Best
Coast Classic 3 is on San Jose on April 21st. This
sounds pretty crazy, but hey, if you love Harry Potter,
this may be your kind of thing.
Pg. 3
World Pillow Fight Championship

Pillow Fights are clearly meant for sleepovers or

hanging out with friends- but in this case, pillow fights are
serious, and even rules apply. In this championship, feather
pillows get soaked in water and the contestants sits on a slippery
steel pole and hope they don’t fall while trying to make their
opponent fall off the pole by hitting and smacking them with the
soaked feather pillow. But don’t wear white- if you fall, you land
in mud. This crazy sport or activity was created in California. This
championship travels around the country, and the last one was
taken place in Arizona. Pillow Fight Championships have been
around for 50 years, and started when a fundraiser to improve the
originating town. People from all across the world travel to take
part in this crazy fun event. All different types of people can and
do participate in the large championships all around the country,
and even the world.

Pillow fight championships have been around for 50

years... Pg. 4
 Sports Poll
Everybody has their own opinion,
especially when it comes to sports. I took
a poll of 100 people about what their
favorite sport was. The results were very
diverse among all the different sports that
were included in the poll.
The As you can see, the winning sport
was football with 17 votes! In second was
Winner is... a tie between basketball and ‘other’, both
with 16 votes, in third was soccer with 12
votes, in fourth was softball with 11 votes,
and in fifth was volleyball with 10 votes.
Running up close to that was baseball in
sixth with 9 votes, then in 7th was hockey
with 5 votes, 8th place was tennis with 3
votes, and in 9th was golf with 1 vote. I
was actually very surprised with how
many people voted ‘other’ instead of the
different sport choices that were given in
the poll.

Pg. 5
Squash Is More Than A Fruit
Usually when you hear the word ‘squash’ you think of the yellow, brown, and green
fruit. Yet, in this case, squash is a sport. You probably have seen it played, but still had no
idea it was called squash. Squash consists of two players in a four wall room taking turns
hitting a hollow rubber ball against a wall. The ball can only hit the ground once, and any
player can run or walk around the court at any time. Each game is played until someone hits
11 points, and if you miss the ball, the other player gets the point. Squash is also played with
a raquet, just like tennis. Since the risk of eyes in this sport is crucial, everybody must wear
protective eye wear.
There are 3 types of squash balls: pro, competition,
progress and max. The max ball is 12% larger than the pro and competition balls,
and hangs 40% longer than the pro ball. Squash is mostly played in the United States, Egypt,
and the United Kingdom, which squash originated in England.

Pg. 6
 Financials for Adults
Trying to be involved in your kid’s sports is sometimes tricky, especially with the high costs
of all the equipment. However, you don’t want your kid to have nothing for their extra activities.
Here are 3 tips to save money on your kid’s sports without missing out.
1. Get Involved
Getting involved by being a coach or an assistant can help out with some high costs in your kid’s
equipment. Usually coaches get special discounts on some sport supplies, and that means it won’t
cost nearly as much as it did before when you are just a viewer of games.
2. Don’t Buy Unnecessary Accessories
Kids and teens usually want everything that they think they need for their sports. But, so you can
cut down on some costs, try to get what they need, not what they want. Maybe try to negotiate with
them and get what they want for them as a reward when they do their chores or hit a home run!
3. Carpool
The cost of gas goes up and down constantly, so if you would like to save gas and money as well,
try to carpool with your kid’s friends. It will save you time, and give your kids some extra social
time so they concentrate a little more on the game and don’t social talk as much. It can also get you
connected better with some of the parents also.

Pg. 7
 Fun Sports and Activities For
Friends and Family
1. 2. 3.

1. Playing with friends or family does make bonds and laughs stronger, so why not do it
with outdoor sports and activities? How about lawn twister? This is a fun outdoor activity for
parties outside, just hanging around or family get-togethers! All you need is four or five
different color spray paints for grass, and that’s all! First, spray paint each color in a circle in
rows of six, then, have fun!

2.Water balloon dodgeball sounds amazingly fun, too! Basically all you need is two teams,
water balloons and...well, water! This is an insanely fun sport for a hot summer day or night.
Be careful, though. Getting hit in the face might hurt... a lot.

3. If you hate bowling, this one is not for you...glow in the dark
bowling! All you need is ten empty water bottles, and ten glow
sticks. For a ball, use something simple, such as a soccer ball, but
for something challenging, maybe use something bouncy like a
rubber bouncy ball. This would be a huge hit with a sleepover,
party, or just something to do while sitting around a campfire!

Pg. 8
 Bad Jokes At Bad Times

Why Can’t Women Play Baseball Now?

With 1,500 spectators in the Lenox Oval in New York City, on May 25th, 1913, a
baseball game included a red team and a blue team was interrupted by police officer. He
handed the third baseman a subpoena. She was only one of the many women who were
playing a scrimmage game. Every player was a amateur, and a woman.
Women’s baseball teams date all the way back to 1866, with amateur leagues that
even challenged some local men’s teams. One time, even a couple men would dress as
women, however, one man once accidentally revealed himself when he threw a baseball all
the way from center outfield to home plate. But here is one question; why can’t women
play major league baseball now? I interviewed one person, a girl who plays softball herself,
and asked her two questions: Do you think women should be able to play major league
baseball and/or do you think there should be a major league softball team for girls?
I interviewed Hayden McDonald, one of my 7th grade classmates.. I asked her both
questions and here are her answers: “I think that girls and women should be able to do
whatever she wants to do, and play baseball. Of course I think that there should be a major
league softball team. Since boys and men can have their own team, why can’t women and
girls around the world have their own team as well? Softball is just as entertaining, fun, and
tough as baseball, and the girls and
women that play softball should
receive just as much recognition
as the baseball players do.”

Pg. 9
 Ads On One big question that many people
have debated on is the question, “Should ads
be featured on major league jerseys?” My

Professional
personal opinion is no, they should not.
Jerseys are a symbol of a team, not a
billboard. Sure, some teams, even for
example, little league jerseys, do need a

Jerseys: An sponsor and do say a company's name on it,

but when it comes to major league, it ruins the
purpose of a jersey. Yes, ads that provide a

Editorial some of a team’s needs do deserve

recognition, but obviously not on a players
shirt. Maybe the sponsor’s name can be
featured on something else, like water bottles,
or headbands that the players can choose to
wear. I feel as if it would be sort of an insult
to the player, as if they are just an
advertisement, and not a hard working athlete.
Many others may have other thoughts about
the subject, thinking that it’s a great way to
provide ads for your own company, although
it would probably cost a whole lot. I have to
say, it would be a great way to put your
company out there, so many, many pairs of
eyes can see the name of your company,
however, as i said before, it would, to me,
show as an insult to the players wearing your
advertisement, as if they don’t work as hard
as you do. Major league athletes are NOT
billboards or and ad in the newspaper, so
don’t treat then as if they are and don’t put
ads on major league jerseys. They work just
as hard as you do, so don’t make them feel
like fools and put a picture of a footlong with
“Subway” written under it.
Pg. 10
 Sports Fun!
R J W I N Z H N U Y P M F Q S

H E V B A S K E T B A L L A I

N L C G V N A F O W O I L R N

L E O C O O K T Q G H L X N N

R L V I O Q L P R F E F T Q E

B S C E B S D L O T P W T B T

T M X U C B K O E U Z G S S B

N O H D A A T L G Y H N Y T B

U H J A B B V W A O B D X N A

P M L G A P C A L L Q A T P S

E B R L L C Y F J W R H L Q E

W G L A N E Z K Z D V P G L B

Z S Z B X E D N C D C G J G A

C L Q L L A B T F O S E F M L

G F R T S F Y P P R L O U H L

BASEBALL BASKETBALL FOOTBALL

GOLF SOCCER SOFTBALL
TENNIS VOLLEYBALL
Pg. 11
 Citations
‘Five Offbeat Sports That Were or Are Played In the Olympics’..Pg. 2
"Rules." Ireland Handball. Accessed 9 Apr. 2018. "16 crazy Olympic sports that actually exist." CBS News.

Accessed 9 Apr. 2018. Hanstock, Bill. "12 Olympic Events You Didn't Know Were Olympic Events." SBNATION, 27

July 2012. Accessed 10 Apr. 2018.

‘Quidditch Is Real!’.......................................................................Pg. 3
"USQ." https://www.usquidditch.org/about/rules/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2018.

‘World Pillow Fight Championship’..............................................Pg. 4

https://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php

Sports Poll…………………….……………………...…………. Pg. 5

https://imgflip.com/i/29fe24

‘Squash Is More Than A Fruit’......................................................Pg. 6

"ABOUT SQUASH." http://www.squashrevolution.com/about-squash.html. Accessed 11 Apr. 2018.

‘Financials for Adults’...................................................................Pg. 7

Bakke, David. 7 Ways to Save Money on Your Kid's Sports. 1 ed., 2014. Accessed 3 May 2018.

‘Fun Sports and Activities For Friends and Family’.....................Pg. 8

"Lawn Twister." Accessed 13 Apr. 2018.

‘Bad Jokes At Bad Times’.............................................................Pg. 9

‘Why Can’t Women Play Baseball Now?’....................................Pg. 9

"Amateur women’s baseball teams existed as early as 1866." , edited by Helen Thompson. Accessed 23 May 2018.

‘Ads On Profesional Jerseys: An Editorial’..................................Pg. 10

Sports Fun.....................................................................................Pg. 11

Citations……………………………………………...………….Pg. 12

Pg. 12