Riverboarding

A riverboarder floats down the Kern River at about 4,000 cfs

Riverboarding is the North American name for a boardsport in which the participant is prone on the board with fins on his/her feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed in Europe and white-water sledging in New Zealand. Riverboarding includes recreational and the swiftwater rescue practice of using a high-flotation riverboard, designed for buoyancy in highly aerated water.

Origins

Riverboarding is believed to have originated in the late 1970s. It is claimed to have originated in France, when raft guides stuffed a burlap mail sack with life vests and went down rapids. Soon, riders adapted a personal submarine shell for their molds and the plastic version of the riverboard was born. Sometime in the late 1980s, Carlson began running rivers in California using an ocean bodyboard and ended up making his own board that was bigger, thicker and handles.

Collection of Stupid sports

Oina

Oina is a Romanian traditional ball sport, similar in many ways to baseball

Oina was first mentioned during the rule of Vlaicu Vodă in 1364, when it spread all across Wallachia. It originated as a game played by shepherds.

In 1899, Spiru Haret, the minister of education decided that oina was to be played in schools in Physical education classes. He organized the first annual oina competitions.

The Romanian Oina Federation was founded in 1932, and reactivated at the beginning of the 1950s.

Today, there are two Oina Federations: one in Bucharest, Romania and another one in Chişinău, Moldova.

Rules

There are two teams, one that is "at bat" ("la bătaie") and one that is "at catching" ("la prindere").

The game begins with the team "at bat", with one of the players throwing the ball while another player of the same team has to hit it with a wooden bat ("bâtă") and send it as far as he can towards the adversary field. After that, the player has to run the "back-and-forth lanes" (culoarele de ducere şi întoarcere) that are to be found in the adversary field before the adversary receives the ball from his co-players.

Kilikiti

Equipment

The ball is made of a very hard rubber wrapped in pandanus. Players are not protected by any padding or masks, and will often wear only a lava-lava. The sennit-wrapped wooden bats, which are shaped to individual players' likings and can be over a meter long, are three-sided, which means that the path of a hit ball is extremely hard to predict.

Rules

The rules of kilikiti are flexible. Indeed, the majority of reports written on the game simply say that the rules can only be known by those playing.

Similarities to cricket

There is a batting team and a fielding team, and a pitch (sometimes of concrete). The bowl alternates between two bowlers, one at each end of the pitch; accordingly, there are two wicket keepers (this as opposed to the single bowler and wicket keeper in cricket).

Major points on which kilikiti differs from cricket

There is no limit to team size, and teams are made up of whoever turns up regardless of gender or age (tourist accounts referenced below mention that strangers are often welcomed). Players are typically all-rounders. A kilikiti game is a multi-day community event full of singing, dancing, and feasting. Entire villages will compete and everyone will be involved, whether as player, cook, or spectator. (According to one source (see India Engineers Cricket Club in "External links") the only universal rule is that the host team forfeits if it cannot provide enough food.)

Standardization

The New Zealand Kilikiti Association (NZKA) is working to standardize the rules of kilikiti. In 1999 the NZKA started a national tournament, called the Supercific Kilikiti Tournament, and in 2001 it introduced the international World Cup Kilikiti Tournament. Games have been cut to a television-friendly 70 minutes (2 innings, the first being 30 minutes long and the second bowling the same number of balls as the first). The NZKA has also added the scoring of 4's and 6's.

Gili-Danda

Equipment

Gilli-danda have no official requirements for equipment. The game is played with a gilli or guli and danda, which are both wooden sticks. The danda is longer (suitably handmade by the player) which one can swing easily. The gilli is smaller and is tapered on both sides so that the ends become conical shaped. The gilli is analogous to a cricket bail and the danda is analogous to cricket bat.

There is no standard length defined for the danda or gilli. Usually, however, the gilli is 3 to 6 inches long and the danda is (12 to 18 inches) in length.

Rules

The objective of the sport is to use the danda (used like a baseball bat) to strike the gilli (similar to striking a ball in cricket or baseball). For this purpose, a circle is drawn in the ground in which a small, oblong- or spindle-shaped hole (overall shape looks like a traditional boat) is dug. This hole is smaller than the gilli but as the play progresses the size may increase due to wear. The gilli is inserted into the hole either orthogonally, or at an angle. The danda is then swung (similar to a golf swing) and strikes the gilli. Another variation is when the danda lifts or pries the gilli out of the hole at a high speed. As it is quite similar to cricket, many people believe that cricket originated from gilli-danda.

Scoring and outs

There are many variations to scoring and they generally vary with region.

The gilli becomes airborne after it is struck. If a fielder from the opposing team catches the gilli, the striker is out. If the gilli lands on the ground, the fielder closest to the gilli has one chance to hit the danda (which has to be placed on top of the hole used) with a throw (similar to a run out in cricket). If the fielder is successful, the striker is out, if not, the striker scores one score and gets another opportunity to strike. The team (or individual) with the most points wins the game. If the striker fails to hit gilli in three tries, the striker is out (similar to a strikeout in baseball).

Teams

There is no official limit on the number of players in gilli-danda or the number of teams. Gilli-danda can be played where each individual plays for themselves, or between two teams.

Vigoro

Vigoro is a sport like both cricket and baseball and has been mainly played by women. It is most popular in Australia.

Description

Vigoro is played on a pitch slightly shorter in length than a cricket pitch. The balls are much lighter than those for cricket, and the bat has a different shape with a long handle resembling the shape of a paddle.^[2]

There are two teams of 12 players which will bat and field two innings each (except in the event that a team wins with an innings in hand). The aim of the game is for a team to score more runs than the opposition team.

There are no overs and the batters bat from one end only. Two bowlers bowl alternately and can incorporate any type of "throwing" action as long as the ball is released above the shoulder (i.e. not underarm).

A run is completed each time both batters safely make it to the crease at the opposite end of the pitch. Fours and sixes also apply where the batter hits the ball past the boundary markers. In addition to shots made off the bat, byes and leg-byes add to the team's score.

Players may be dismissed by the same methods as in cricket - bowled, caught, run-out, stumped, LBW, hit wicket, handled ball and hit the ball twice.

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P.S. Can't find even pictures for Vigoro on google.com -- That's how famous and interesting is :))

Blind cricket

The rules of blind cricket are based on the standard Laws of cricket with some essential modifications.

In terms of playing equipment, the major adaptation is the ball, which is significantly larger than a standard cricket ball and filled with ball bearings. The size allows partially sighted players to see the ball and the contents allow blind players to hear it. The wicket (stumps) is also larger, to allow partially sighted players to see and blind players to touch it in order to correctly orient themselves when batting or bowling.

Various other modifications to the rules apply. Verbal signals are widely used both by umpires and players: in particular, the bowler must shout 'Play!' as he releases the ball. The delivery is required to pitch at least twice when bowled to a completely blind batsman (once when bowled to a partially sighted batsman), but must not be rolling. Totally blind batsmen cannot be out stumped, and must be found to be LBW twice before going out. Totally blind fielders are allowed to take a catch on the bounce.

Truck racing

Truck Racing at Brands Hatch in November 2006

Truck racing is a form of motor racing which involves modified versions of heavy trucks on racing circuits. This type of racing is popular in Europe. For the American version of pickup truck racing, see the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, or an earlier series, the NPTRA (National Pickup Truck Racing Association) founded by Buck Baker. For the Brazilian series, see Fórmula Truck. For the British series, see Pickup Truck Racing.

The sport started over twenty years ago and enjoyed great success, but declined in the 1990s. However, in the last few years the profile of truck racing in Europe and the United Kingdom has increased, and currently over 30 teams regularly compete. The sporting regulations came under the control of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) later, to ensure that the vehicles conform to the layout and original style of the truck, whilst defining the safety standards required to race.

Maximum race speed is restricted to 160km/h (100 mph) for safety reasons, and a minimum weight limit is 5500 kg. Races start from a rolling start, and commonly races last from 8 to 12 laps. Although a non contact sport, due to the physical size, and closeness of trucks to one another during races, minor collisions can often occur. However, injuries to drivers are very rare.

Unlike other forms of motor sport, race trucks look like, and conform to regulations, to ensure that major components used are the same as their road-going counterparts.

All drivers must hold a race licence issued by the Motor Sports Association, or the national motorsport body from the drivers country.

The makes of truck currently represented in truck racing cover most of the common marques over the last 20 years.

The regulations allow for trucks to compete in two classes, so trucks with less sophisticated engine management systems, suspension, and braking systems can compete effectively.

Manufacturers include: MAN AG, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Scania AB, ERF, Foden, Iveco, Seddon Atkinson, Sisu Auto, Renault Trucks, Scammell, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Zavod Imeni Likhacheva (ZIL)

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NO GOOD THING--- No aerodynamics, and above all the trucks are wehicles for pulling, not for racing... Anyway stupid and not atractive at all

Folkrace

Four typical folkrace-cars. Volvo 244 in foreground.

A VW Beetle used as a folkrace car.

Folkrace is a popular, inexpensive, and entry-level form of Swedish rallycross that originally came from Finland, where it was called jokamiesluokka. In Norway there is a similar motor sport called bilcross.

The races are run on special gravel or tarmac tracks, 800 meters in length. The tracks are designed to limit the top speed to 80 km/h. The competitions are divided into different classes depending on age and gender. Participants can be as young as 15 years of age.

The race is divided into different heats with usually six cars. The driver to win a race is awarded seven points, second five points, third four points and so on. When all the heats have been driven, the total score is calculated and the top six drivers get to race in the A final, the next six in the B final and so on. The winner of the A final wins the event.

To maintain its inexpensive nature, there is a rule on price. The races are run in standard cars, but participants are generally free to choose as long as they meet certain minimum safety regulations. Anyone can place a fix-price bid on any car, the buyer is then chosen randomly. The fixed price is 6500 SEK (ca USD 1000). Refusing to sell is grounds for having one's competition license revoked. Not included in the sale is personal equipment such as seat and safety harness. This type of system eliminates the motivation for sinking extensive amounts of work and money into a folkrace car.

Because old road cars are used up in folkrace, retro and antique car enthusiasts talk about "the folkrace death": The folkrace expend many cars that are too old to be considered usable for everyday driving but too new to have reached the status as a "veteran" or "antique"