Well, it’s not really defunct, but I’m sure Kaatsen is pretty obscure outside of Fryslan. OK, it’s just a variant of handball (in fact the Frisian Kaatsers have to play by official handball rules in international tournaments), but you could probably become a World class (in other words Frisian class) Kaatser with some training.
Even cooler is Fierljeppen, also known as “Polsstokspringen”, which is basically jumping across a small body of water while holding on to a really long stick for dear life.
Riiiiight, you ever bowl before in your life? You’re throwing a 16lb ball 60 feet down an alley, and need to place it within about a 2 inch area to get a reliable strike. Throw a hook, and that area widens, but then you need to deal with uncertain lane conditions that significantly affect the amount of hook. Better equipment has made getting a perfect 300 more common than in the past, but it sure as hell isn’t easy.
To be world champ in something… the only way is to find a sport that you’re very good in, but that doesn’t have a lot of competition. Too much competition, and you’re sure to have at least a couple world class athletes who can win on talent alone.
They’re all equally difficult. Whatever the sport, the top levels are done at the limit of human ability. Whether it’s mountain climbing or cup stacking**, you’re pushing the limit of what a human can do when you’re going for the top levels.
Yep, my sentiments exactly. I’ve got a co-worker, a very average athlete, who was telling us all he was “trying out for the Olympics” in, of course, curling.
I’m sure someone will come along to inform just how difficult it really is but given the athleticism required and the current dearth of competition it still ranks as my #1 choice.
Didn’t the actress Geena Davis do exactly this? She practiced archery and then tried out for the Olympic team, although she didn’t make it. By the way, specializing in an obscure sport might also be a good way to get an athletic scholarship to college.
Eh, it’s a little more complicated than that. There’a lot of tricky steering and sports psychology and motivation that go into being a coxswain (beyond the whole 110 pound weight issue ). A good coxswain is like a good coach and can make or break a boat. I’ve coxed a fair amount and even though I’m an excellent steerer, I’m really bad at calling races.
Maybe if you’re female. Since Title IX, the number of sports scholarships available for guys has gone down dramatically. Many male college crew teams and gymnastics teams are club sports now as well as most of the other less well-known sports. If you’re not into baseball, football, or basketball and you’re male, your chances of a scholarship are extremely low. Tho’ if you’re female and atheletic, it’s a whole 'nother story…
It does seem like that no matter how obscure or rarely practiced a sport or activity is, you’re gonna find people insanely devoted to it. And while it’d be easier to be a big fish in a small pond (for example, I’m active in the rowing world and I’ve met Olympians. If I were in a “bigger” sport, I’d probable never have had the opportunity to meet these guys.), I think you still need some natural aptitude to be the best.
Hmmm, I once read a science fiction story with an agency that specialized in finding your ideal parallel universe. A guy went in who wanted to be the champion of the world but the only thing he was good at was blowing spit bubbles. So they sent him to a reality where blowing spit bubbles was revered and he was worshipped. So you just have to find that agency…
Imaginary sports and wishful thinking aside, the easiest sports of which to be champion are those for which the best contenders are involved in other sports.
Let’s take that candlepin bowling as an example. All the best bowlers, the professionals, the champions, compete in standard (“big ball”) bowling. This draws off the talent pool for candlepin bowling, leaving a lower level of competition for the would-be champ.
Let’s take ice dancing. These people have the same skill set as figure skaters, but all the best figure skaters do figure skating – the ice dancers, I suspect, would fail miserably at it. Many figure skaters wouldn’t be very good ice dancers (frankly, many ice dancers aren’t very good either), but the best figure skaters would annihilate the ice dancing competition because of their absolute mastery of skating – choreographers can be hired, after all, and the best figure skaters have grace and atheticism in equal measure.
((I’ve tried curling. I was absolutely awful at it and ended up with curling injuries (which is humiliating). But any sport that writes having a drink after the competition into the rules is not all bad.))
The horse does not do all the work. Those riders are working pretty darned hard and it takes a lot of skill to get to the top. However, I don’t want to hijack this thread (especially since others have discussed it on this board better than I could), so I’ll offer you this…
Come out to Maryland and I’ll let you ride on my mare. You tell me how easy it is to get Miss Lazybones to do anything other than eat or follow the horse in front of her. If that’s too much, I’ll put you on the longeline–you won’t have to make the horsie go or even steer. I’ll take care of that. I’ll even let you have a neck rope to hang onto. All you have to do is follow the horse’s movements. I’ll bet the first one to break a sweat will not be the horse!
Who is daring enough to give Fierljeppen a try? The World Record is 19.40 metres.
It is indeed a very cool sport, perhaps you feel like watching a video…
And for those who want to try and win the worldtitle. The people from the website listed above are very willing to give you all the support needed.
Wow, nice user name!!! I didn’t know there were other Fierljeppen fans. You wouldn’t happen to be from the Netherlands or Fryslan would you? If yes, “de groeten”. I never tried it myself, but I would love to try it once. It must be a real rush when you’re hanging on to that pole and swinging across. It’s probably the closest any of us low-landers will ever get to feeling like Tarzan on a vine.
). A good coxswain is like a good coach and can make or break a boat. I’ve coxed a fair amount and even though I’m an excellent steerer, I’m really bad at calling races.