Archive Category: Sports

Wingsuit BASE Jumping

We’ve posted about Loic Jean Albert skydiving with a wingsuit a while ago, but this YouTube clip still took my breath away.

Behold Loic and a couple of his colleagues BASE jumping with the wingsuit - they got so close to the side of the mountain they could practically touch it!

Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - Thanks Tyler Henderson!

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Blind Bowler’s Perfect Score

78-year-old Dale Davis lost his sight due to macular degeneration 11 years ago. He only has a sliver of peripheral vision left. He fell in love with bowling for a second time after his sister dragged him back to the bowling alley three years ago. Davis once scored as high as 299, before he went blind. This past season, he has averaged a score of 180. IN several games, he had bowled a string of four or five strikes. On May 3rd, Davis found himself with a string of 11 strikes and one frame left.

Century Lanes had pretty much shut down at that point. No one else was bowling. And everyone had left the bar. They all stood behind Lanes 3 and 4, waiting and watching to see whether Davis could bowl the alley’s first perfect game in its 24-year history.

A second later, Davis’ ball crashed into the pins, unleashing a crackle that echoed through the four-lane alley. He knew all the pins had fallen because of the response of everyone who had been watching.

A perfect 300.

“Everybody starting hugging me, shaking my hand, hitting my hand,” Davis said. “It was great.”

Link -via J-Walk Blog

(image credit: Dolores Cullen, The Storm Lake Times)

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Kung Fu Finger Smashes Through Coconut

Meet Ho Eng Hui, the 56-year-old Kung Fu king/street performer in Malaysia that used his index finger to smash through the tough shells of coconuts.

After doing weekly performances for 8 years, Ho is retiring. If you’re wondering why the finger is crooked, Ho broke it in 1993, but perservered to win an entry in the Malaysian Book of Records for breaking through 3 coconuts in just over a minute.

Paul Chapman of Reuters reports: Link [Reuters video]

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Hydrojump by Travis Pastrana

Photo: Travispastrana.com

Oh, to be Travis Pastrana: bored by motocross/supercross, freestyle motoX, rally racing, doing a double backflip and jumping out of a plane without a parachute, he invented the new sport of Hydrojump: basically hydroplaning and then launching a bike off a floating ramp.

By late afternoon we headed back to the Hydrojump and Jim was ready to get this one over with. He geared up and let 'er rip! The tricky part on this one was the run up, there was a 90 degree turn at the top of the hill you came down then you had to line up with not a lot of time to hit the water after the 90, also having to keep your momentum for a great amount of speed to reach the ramp, not to mention it had been rain off and on all day and it was slick as heck! A lot to think about as your coming up to a 110 foot long hydroplane off a 4 foot wide freestyle ramp. Just thread the needle boys!

They're still looking for that bike at the bottom of the lake. Link: Travis' website | Gallery at Autoblog | Youtube clip at Didn't You Hear...

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500 Years Later, Parachutist Proved Leonardo da Vinci’s Parachute Works

Swedish parachutist Olivier Vietti-Teppa finally proved, after 500 years, that Leonardo da Vinci’s parachute design actually does work!

Link - via Scribal Terror

BBC News has the video clip: Link

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The Deadly Sport of Nigerian Boxing

No Marquess of Queensberry rules here … This is Dembe, a brutal and sometimes deadly Nigerian boxing:

"Before the bout starts, the boxer will wet the flax cord wrapped around his hand and cover it in sand to maximize the pain he can infict. Wrapped inside his fist are small animal skin packets containing bird feathers or other charms the boxer believes protect him."

BBC News has a fascinating photo gallery of the sport: Link - via Look at This

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World’s Longest Foosball Table

As an ad gimmick for Amstel Beer, Airworks built this XXL foosball table to accomodate 2 entire soccer teams (22 players): Link - via Gizmodo

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Nutzapper and Other Really Dirty Racehorse Names

Just in time for Kentucky Derby, here’s a list of dirty, names of racehorses:

Earlier this year, a man named Andy Hillis decided to christen his racehorse Nutzapper. A Tonight Show guest had used the term when referring, jokingly, to a male contraceptive; since his horse had been gelded, Hillis thought he had a good fit. But naming a Thoroughbred isn’t as simple as coming up with a good double-entendre. The Jockey Club, the 103-year-old organization that holds the reins to the Sport of Kings in North America, has to sign off on every moniker. Hillis explained to the registry poobahs that as a young boy in Canada, he loved to zap walnuts in boiling oil and sprinkle them on salads. Satisfied that the name had a tasty, not tasteless, origin, the Jockey Club approved Nutzapper. Hillis, unable to contain his glee, boasted about the name to a Daily Racing Form reporter. "I’ve never even been to Canada," he said. "I just made the whole thing up on the spot."

Hillis shouldn’tve boasted - the Jockey Club barred his name afterwards. But Slate has found some really dirty and weird names that apparently went under the association registrars’ noses. For example:

You want explicit commands? How about Blow Me (1945), Get It On (both 1971 and 1986), On Your Knees (1977 and 2005), Spank It (1985), or 1963’s Go Down, whose sire, of course, was Service. Like ‘em young? Embarrassingly enough, Jail Bait (1947 and 1983), Barely Legal (1982 and 1989), and Date More Minors (1998) all made it into the staid registry.

A Slate article by T.D. Thornton: Link - via FanIQ, thanks Geoff Bough!

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Rally Trouble - Ayayay!

This particular spot seems to be really great for the spectators and really bad for the rally car drivers! After watching this, I just had to say “ayayay” at everything that went wrong today!

Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - Thanks Christophe!

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The Ultimate Act of Sportsmanship

Two NCAA Division II schools were playing softball. Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky had never hit a home run in her college career, but with the score tied 0-0, she hit one out of the park. Two players on base ran home, and Tucholsky ran toward first base, missed it, then turned around. Her knee suddenly gave out and she collapsed. Tucholsky could not reach first base.

If she received any help from her coach or teammates, she would be out. The coach could replace her with another runner and keep a two-run single, but that would rob Tucholsky of her only possible collegiate homer.

That’s when the opposing team stepped in. Central Washington senior and scoring leader Mallory Holtman asked if she and her teammates could carry Tucholsky to each base.

“Honestly, it’s one of those things that I hope anyone would do it for me,” Holtman said. “She hit the ball over her fence. She’s a senior; it’s her last year. … I don’t know, it’s just one of those things I guess that maybe because compared to everyone on the field at the time, I had been playing longer and knew we could touch her, it was my idea first. But I think anyone who knew that we could touch her would have offered to do it, just because it’s the right thing to do. She was obviously in agony.”

Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace lifted Tucholsky off the ground and supported her weight between them as they began a slow trip around the bases, stopping at each one so Tucholsky’s left foot could secure her passage onward. Even with Tucholsky feeling the pain of what trainers subsequently came to believe was a torn ACL (she was scheduled for tests to confirm the injury on Monday), the surreal quality of perhaps the longest and most crowded home run trot in the game’s history hit all three players.

After that, does it really matter who won the game? You can read the entire story at ESPN. Link -via Metafilter

(image credit: Stephen Katin/WOU)

Update: See a picture of Tucholsky “running the bases” in this story.

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Crying Sumo Contest for Babies

Over the weekend, there was the "crying sumo" contest for babies:

In crying sumo the babies are held up by amateur sumo wrestlers in a ring, and the baby who cries first is the winner. If both babies cry, then the one that cries loudest wins. A total of 84 babies born last year participated in the contest at the temple.

Link | Photo Gallery at Xinhua - via Arbroath

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Tightrope Driving

If you think your commute is horrendous, check out what Liu Suozhu of Henan Province, China, had to drive on:

A Chinese man performed a breathtaking stunt by driving a car across two steel cables suspended 150ft above a river.

Liu Suozhu, 48, of Henan province, completed the 750ft journey over Miluo River in Pingjiang city, Hunan province. Liu, who is nicknamed the Car King in China, drove the motor from a platform in front of tens of thousands of cheering spectators.

Link

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The Toughest Race on Earth: The Sahara Marathon

If you think that running the marathon is tough, that’s cakewalk as compared to this: Marathon Des Sables, or Marathon of the Sand, 156 miles over 7 days (that’s like running 6 marathons back to back) … across the Sahara Desert!

Here’s a very interesting report by Clarissa Ward of the ABC World News Webcast: Link

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Tetris + Arm Wrestling = Tresling!

What do you get when you cross tetris with arm wrestling? Behold the next revolution in video game by Tom Gerhardt: Tresling!

They said it couldn’t be done. Mixing Tetris and arm wrestling… not possible. But just like Stallone in "Over the Top," the impossible happened, dreams came true, tears were shed. I give you Tresling: Not just a two-player version of best game on earth, not just a fist-pumping, back ally arm wrestling match to end all matches… but a mash-up so heroic Zeus himself could not imagine it.

Link | YouTube Link - via Make

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Unsung Sports Heroes

Why should Wheaties boxes only showcase football, basketball, and Olympics stars when there are so many other sports? In an article from mental_floss magazine, you’ll find the fascinating stories of ten sports heroes who gave their all in sports that don’t make the headlines, such as sumo wrestling, elephant polo, bullfighting, and tug-of-war. Then you’re invited to leave a comment to sign a petition to get these athletes on a box of Wheaties. Link

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White Sox Banned Bottled Water in the Dugout: Must Protect Gatorade’s Image!

Ed Price, who covers the New York Yankees for New Jersey’s The Star Ledger, noticed that there’s an odd sign in the dugout of the White Sox’s stadium: "NO BOTTLED WATER ON THE BENCH." (Even in the humid Chicago summers!)

Gatorade is Major League Baseball’s "official sports drink." So instructions were sent that no player could be seen drinking anything but Gatorade in the dugout. Not even Aquafina, which is the "official water" of MLB. Not even bottles of water with the labels removed.

White Sox clubhouse personnel said if players take bottled water onto the bench, all the bottled water will be removed from the clubhouse as punishment.

Link - via J-Walk Blog

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The Many Moves of Japanese Pro Wrestler Takuya Sugi

Takuya Sugi, Photo: Zedi [wikipedia]

Takuya Sugi is one badass Japanese Pro Wrestler. Actually, the entire Japanese Pro Wrestling scene is much better than the American counterpart (and perhaps the Mexican lucha libre - with this notable exception).

For one, the costumes are fantastic. And the moves are much more stylish. Consider this YouTube clip below, where Takuya Sugi performs his many acrobatic moves (in his many wrestling personalities):

(Warning: loud music, turn down your speaker if you don’t like screeching hard rock)

Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] | See also Top 10 Moves of Takuya Sugi [YouTube] if you want to see what some of those moves are called (Blind Spaceman Moonsault! Cyclone Elbow Strike! Blazing Arrow!) - via One Large Prawn

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Quote: Phyllis Diller on Golf

"The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can’t see him laughing."

- Phyllis Diller, comedienne, on golf

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Awareness Test

Go ahead and take the Awareness Test. Trust me - it’s worth it - and trust me that it’s not of the genre to calm you down and then terrify you with a screaming monster head or something. Scouts honor. I promise. Nope. YouTube.

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Jesus Price.

Hockey is a religion in Montreal, Quebec.

So it’s no surprise that someone made a Jesus Christ / Carey Price video on YouTube. Carey Price is the Montreal Canadiens’ rookie goalie. Talk about putting a whole lotta pressure on the young 20 year old!

Click play or go to link here.

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Trivia: Heisman’s Contribution to American Football

Coach John Heisman (yes, of the American football trophy fame) divided the game into quarters, invented the center snap and the "hike" yell, and made popular the forward pass.

Ever year, the Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding college football player in the United States. No Heisman Trophy winner has ever visited John Heisman’s grave in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. (Photo: Robert J. La Verghetta [Wikipedia])

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Skating Cowboys

This one’s for all you female Neatorama readers. Guys (straight ones, I mean): don’t Hit Play or Go to Link [YouTube] - via Miss Cellania

Excuse me while I go wash my eyes. With bleach.

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London Marathon Update

The Flora London Marathon was held yesterday, and was won by Martin Lel of Kenya who set a record time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 15 seconds. It was his third win in four years. See the list of winners, and read on for updates on runners previously featured at Neatorama.

Buster Martin ran the marathon yesterday in slightly more than ten hours, but officials from the Guinness Book of World Records are holding off on certifying him as the oldest marathon runner ever. Martin does not have proof of his age. Evidence has surfaced that Martin is a mere 94 years old, not 101 as previously claimed.

Amarilis Espinoza, of Guinesss World Records, said: “We’re not denying that he is obviously an old man running the marathon. But at this point he has not yet sent any documents we can use as definitive proof for a record attempt.”

Four of the six Maasai warriors from Tanzania completed the race in 5 hours, 24 minutes, but one was taken to the hospital, and another accompanied him. They raised at least £26,000 in their quest for a water system for their village, which is expected to be more once the donations are counted.

Dave Heeley crossed the finish line in 5 hours, 20 minutes, and completed his goal of being the first blind runner to accomplish seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.

See pictures from the marathon at the BBC.

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Blind Golfer Gets A Hole In One

An 85-year-old legally blind golfer from southern Arizona made a hole-in-one this week on a par-3 course.

Playing with a group of fellow blind veterans enrolled in a Veterans Affairs health care system program, Dunham’s volunteer assistant lined him up with the ball, handed him a 9-iron and stepped back.

Dunham swung through the ball, hit it squarely and it landed softly on the green, taking one hop before nestling into the bottom of the cup.

Guess I just need to quit when a blind golfer plays better than I.

Link

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Banned From The Gym For … Sweating Too Much!

Andy Heatman from Liverpool, England, got banned from his local gym for … sweating too much!

The 42-year-old psychiatric nurse, who teaches patients about cleanliness and hygiene, was confronted by staff at Cheshire Lines Health Club, in Maghull.

He said: “I was on the bike doing part of my usual routine when a member of staff walked over and sniffed me.

“I felt a bit paranoid but it was later in the week I was taken into the office to be told about the complaints. “I kept waiting for the punchline but there wasn’t one, and when I went back as usual later in the week I was stopped from going any further than the entrance.”

The news has a happy ending: he signed up at a gym even closer to home, where the managers said that "he was allowed to sweat as much as he liked."

Link - Thanks Raul!

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The Best Game Ever!

(YouTube link)
What do you take with you to a Little League game? If you’re Improv Everywhere, you take a cheering section, a Jumbotron, some play-by-play announcers, and a blimp. It sent a bunch of unsuspecting ten-year-old players (and their parents) to baseball heaven. Read the particulars at Improv Everywhere. Link -via Metafilter

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Trivia: Deaf Student Invented the (American) Football Huddle

The American football huddle was invented by Paul Hubbard, a deaf player at Gallaudet University, to avoid the other team see his signs.

Gallaudet University is the world’s premiere liberal arts university for the deaf and the hearing-impaired. Its all-deaf players football team was disbanded in 1994 for "lack of interest." The Gallaudet Bisons hadn’t won more than three games a season since 1930. (Source)

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Five Races That Make Running Fun (and one that might kill you)

I’ve just gotten into running in the past nine months or so. I went for my first run on my birthday last year – July 21. I mean, I worked out before that – I used to be a big fan of the elliptical. But I really wanted to be able to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in October ‘08 because my mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer just a year prior to that. So that was my motivation. I trained from July to October (and let me tell you, running in Iowa’s 90 percent humidity when it’s 90 degrees out is no piece of cake) and completed the race swimmingly. Since then, I’ve found myself getting kind of addicted to races. I did the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving at the Iowa State Fairgrounds (less guilt for gorging later that day), signed up for the Red Flannel Run in February (but ended up being out of town), completed the five-mile Run for the Egg the day before Easter and managed to show up for the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick 5k after downing an entire bottle of wine all by myself the night before (whoops). I’m just amazed at how many races are going on at any given time – there’s a whole running community I had no idea existed. This probably seems silly to you seasoned runners, but I just honestly did not have a clue. Des Moines is not a small town by any means, but it’s certainly not a bustling metropolis either. Yet, I could easily find a 5k to run every single weekend if I wanted to.

Anyway, in the spirit of my newfound motivation, I thought I’d write about interesting races. Whether it’s the cause that seems questionable, the costumes people wear or an interesting race route, the races below are sure to catch your attention.

1. The Oatmeal 5k – Lafayette, Colo.

Lafayette holds the Oatmeal Festival every year. In addition to a health fair, Oatie the Quaker Oats Mascot and a giant, inflatable bowl of oatmeal, the Oatmeal Festival hosts the Oatmeal 5k. The best part really comes post-run though – all runners get to eat their fill of oatmeal with all of the trimmings. Considering the race occurs in January in Colorado, I bet a nice warm bowl of oatmeal is greatly appreciated after running 3.1 miles. Photo by Cliff Grassmick

2. Beat Beethoven 5k - lots of places

When I first read about this, I got a mental picture of a guy with wild white hair dressed up in period clothing running his heart out. But no. The point is to beat Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. At 33 minutes long, this would mean the runner would have to run slightly under 11 minute miles. A challenge for some, totally easy for others. Beat Beethoven is often held as a fundraiser for music departments. I bet some people dress up like Beethoven though. At least, I hope they do.

 

 

3. Living History Farms Cross Country Road Race - Clive, Iowa

This one is my goal for the year. It’s only seven miles, but the tricky part is the terrain you’re running on. You’re running through waist-deep ponds, through trenches, off small cliffs, using rope to pull yourself up steep inclines – it’s insane. And people dress insane. Check out this photo gallery from the Des Moines Register – in just one quick run-through, I spotted Superman, Santa Claus, Snow White and a number of ballerinas. There’s even one dude running with no shirt on – in late November in Iowa, that’s just asking for pneumonia (Oh God… I think I just channeled my mother). Photo from fitnesssports.com

4. Tower of Terror 13k - Orlando, Fla.

This is my other goal for the year, but really it’s just an excuse to get to Disney at Halloween. I LOVE Disney World at Halloween. In fact, I’m a lover of all things that are campy-creepy, so the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13k (get it… 13?!) is perfect for me. It starts at 9:30 at night and gives runners the chance to run through Disney properties late at night. Afterward, the Tower of Terror and several other rides at Hollywood Studios are open for the sweaty runners to enjoy. I. Can’t. Wait. Let’s just hope I can run eight miles by then. Photo by Stacy Conradt

5. The Doughnut Run 5k - Ames, Iowa

I’m not sure that it’s a great idea to run while stuffing your face full of glazed doughnuts, but the Iowa State Triathlon Club seems to think it’s not a problem. Here’s how it works: at each aid station along the route, you have the opportunity to scarf down doughnuts. If you eat one doughnut, you get to take 15 seconds off of your time. Two doughnuts gives you another 30 seconds off. Three doughnuts gets you 45 seconds off. So if you run the race in 20 minutes and eat two doughnuts, you get a total of 45 seconds off your race time – 15 seconds for doughnut #1 plus another 30 seconds for doughnut #2. But only the weak eat a mere two doughnuts. For every five doughnuts you eat past the first five, you get a bonus two minutes off your race. The catch? You have to keep the doughnuts down at least past the finish line.
Graphic from the Iowa State Triathlon Club

6. The Badwater Ultramarathon - Death Valley

It’s 135 miles, folks. ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE MILES. I’m in pain just thinking about it. Add that to 120 degree temps in the shade and you’ve got a marathon only the most hardcore runner would even consider running. Even then, 20-40 percent of participants don’t complete the race. The first time this race was completed was 1977, after several attempts by Al Arnold. Successful try #2 didn’t happen until 1981 when Jay Birmingham put himself through the torture. It became an official race in 1987, but only five runners completed the race. Making this race even harder is the fact that there are no water stops. Each runner has to provide his or her own pit crew complete with water, ice, food and first aid. You might think there’s a fantastic prize for finishing 135 miles in Death Valley, but not really. Runners who finish in 60 hours or less get a medal. Runners who complete the course in 48 hours or less get a belt buckle. Suffice it to say people are running for the glory, not the winnings. So far, no one has died. Photo by Geoff Tripple via badwater.com.

What crazy races have you participated in? OK, forget participation - what crazy races have you heard of?

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Self-inflicted Sports Injury

(YouTube link)
Russian tennis player Mikhail Youzhny became angry when he hit into the net during his third round match Monday against Nicolas Almagro at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. He reacted by hitting himself in the head -and drew blood! He later won the match, and also became a YouTube hit. Link -via Viral Video Chart

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Opening Day Snow

The Cleveland Indians found the playing field covered with snow on opening day 2007. Grounds crews went to work, and so did Dale Omori with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who took this time-lapse video. As the snow kept falling, the crews kept working. Link -via Metafilter

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