Octopush

Allowing hockey to be played in new ways, Octopush is a sport that was created by Alan Blake for divers in England. Essentially underwater hockey, Octopush is played at the bottom of a swimming pool and the object of the game is to score the most points into the opposing team’s goal.

The layout of the game includes two goals three meters apart, a puck similar to a hockey puck surrounded by plastic and six players on each team during play. Players wear diving masks, swimfins, snorkels, a glove, and use a stick no more than 350 mm long. Blocking the puck’s path and physical contact with other players is illegal.

Spectators must enter the pool with their own set of fins, snorkel and mask to view the underwater game. Octopush has reached great popularity in many countries and holds two World Championships per year in varying locations which over 40 teams attend.

Chessboxing

The origin of chessboxing is a mystery. Though it has been featured in movies and books throughout the past several decades, the basis of the rules were written in the graphic novel Froid Equateur. The idea behind chessboxing is that chessboxers are pushed to their mental and physical limits by switching between boxing and playing chess. In chessboxing, members engage in 11 successive rounds. They begin by playing chess for 4 minutes, and then switch to boxing for two minutes. They continuously switch off, engaging in six rounds of chess and five rounds of boxing. After several rounds, its becomes more and more difficult to make proper, strategic moves within chess. The fighters are only able to win in four ways: knockout, checkmate, by points given in boxing or if the opponent uses all twelve minutes on their chess clock. The newly formed World Chess Boxing Organization (WCBO) continues to host chessboxing matches. Through this new sport, the fighters aim to completely incorporate WCBO’s motto, “Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board.”

Bog Snorkeling

Established in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, Bog Snorkeling takes place in a 60-yard trench cut through a peat bog, a wetland filled with dead plant material and mud, which is then filled with water. Competitors race for the fastest time in completing two consecutive lengths of the bog.

Very few rules accompany Bog Snorkeling, but wearing snorkles and flippers is strongly enforced. The most important rule of Bog Snorkeling is that conventional swimming styles are not allowed. Participants must swim the whole race with only their flippers and not their arms.

Competitions are primarily held in Wales, where the World Bog Snorkeling Championships have taken place ever year on the August Bank Holiday since 1985. The sport also benefits people in need, donating its proceeds to local charities that support causes such as cystic fibrosis.

Cheese Rolling

On top of Cooper Hill in Gloucester, England, a crowd gathers for the famous Cheese Rolling Competition every last Monday in May. The Master of Ceremonies counts off the race, and a guest roller rolls the cheese down the hill. The thrill seekers begin tumbling head first down Cooper’s Hill, hoping to catch the ever-coveted Double Gloucester cheese. However, the cheese rolls too fast down the steep hill for anybody to catch, making the competition simply a race to the bottom of the hill. Runners prepare for a rough tumble down the hill, flipping and spinning all the way to the bottom. Once only open to the nearby locals, this event now attracts people from all over the world.

The participants who attempt to overcome the hill are the most daring, fit and insane adrenaline junkies. However, some runners are unable to complete the challenge. Within this last year, there were 11 serious injuries, including two spinal injuries and a dislocated shoulder.