Zorbing
In 1994, Dwane van der Sluis and Andrew Akers conceived the idea for a type of sphere in Auckland, New Zealand, calling their invention the "Zorb". With two other investors they created the firm ZORB Limited, and set to work commercializing sphereing.
Zorbing entered the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in 2001 where it was defined as: "a sport in which a participant is secured inside an inner capsule in a large, transparent ball which is then rolled along the ground or down hills".
Although it’s one of the strangest extreme sports out there, zorbing is actually pretty simple: you should just climb inside a big inflated ball and roll down a hill or any sloping terrain. The plastic ball is double walled, so the rider bounces around and gets the thrill of speed, but is protected from the full impact of hitting the ground. There are two different kinds of zorb rides: wet and dry. In the water ride ten gallons of water are poured inside the ball and you and your friends crawl inside the sphere. The riders get soaked through as they slip and slide around the inside of the ball. This adventure activity is a unique experience of seeing world go round and round.
Although it may seem like something that would churn your stomach, zorbing doesn’t really affect the digestive system. Of the hundreds of thousands who have gone zorbing, only a couple of people have vomited or gotten an upset stomach. Even becoming dizzy and lightheaded after the rides is rare; the body is surprisingly well equipped to zorb.
Wacky sports: about underwater hockey
The British Navy invented underwater hockey in the 1950's to keep their divers fit and to improve their ability to move and work efficiently under water. The game came to Australia shortly after and has evolved into a fast dynamic sport played in more than 20 countries. Underwater hockey is played in a 25m x 15m pool that is between 2-4 m deep.
Each side has 12 players, the game lasts 15 minutes. A snorkel enables players to watch the progress of the game without having to remove their head from the water to breathe. This allows them to keep their correct position on the surface, ready to resume the game. Fins allow the player to swim faster through the water. The stick (also referred to as 'bat' or 'pusher') is relatively short (according to recent rules, not more than 350mm, including the handle) and is coloured white or black to indicate the player's team. The goals are three meters wide and are sited at opposite ends of the playing area on the pool bottom. The puck is made of lead and is coated with plastic, it weighs about 1.5 kg. The puck is in the middle of the pool. The puck must pass through the goal for a team to score the goal. The idea is to keep possession of the puck and outwit your opponents by using skill, speed, manoeuvrability and breathe hold.
Often players who are most successful in this game are strong swimmers, have a great ability to hold and recover their breath, and are able to produce great speed underwater, demonstrating learned skills in puck control. It is also important that they are able to work well with their team members and take full advantage of their individual skills.
Underwater hockey is not particularly spectator friendly. Very few pools have underwater viewing ports, andsince the action is all below the surface, one usually has to enter the water to see the skill and complexities of the game.
Sandsurfing
Enjoyed since the times of the Ancient Egyptians, and revived in the 1940s, sandboarding is a board sport similar to snowboarding. It is a recreational activity that takes place on sand dunes and beaches. It involves riding across or down a dune while standing with both feet strapped to a board, though some sandboarders use a board without bindings. It is less popular than snowboarding, partly because it is very difficult to build a mechanised ski lift on a sand dune, and so participants generally must walk back up to the top. Alternatively, they may ride a dune buggy or all-terrain vehicle back to the top of the dune. On the other hand, dunes are normally available year-round as opposed to ski resorts, which are usually seasonal. Erik Johnson, a professional snowboarder and sandboarder, holds the Guinness World Record for Speed on a Sandboard at 51 mph (82 km/h). Unofficial speeds of 60 mph (97 km/h) have reportedly been clocked.
The sandboard base is much harder than a snowboard, and is built mostly out of formica or laminex with special base materials now being made for this sport. To glide in the sand, the board bottom is often waxed, usually with a paraffin-based sandboard wax, before a run.
Most terrain sandboards are composed of hardwood ply, while 'full-size' sandboards are a wood, fiber glass, and plastic composite.
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