Obscure Sports on the Rise

I always thought that in order to compete in any event on a national level, I would have had to be the best at a given sport since I was four. I remember seeing Tiger Woods on "Real People" when he was barely more than a toddler, doing amazing things with a golf ball. Look at him now!

What I didn't realize, however, is that there are hundreds of thousands of people like me, who would love to play sports, but find most sports reserved for the super-talented and uber-competitive. Who can compete with the elite basketball and baseball players of our day, much less ingest enough anabolic steroids to stay upright and erect on an NFL football field on any given Sunday?

Now, it would seem, the prayers of John Q. Public have been answered. There are hundreds of new leagues popping up around the country, in large part thanks to the 2004 movie "Dodgeball", where the "Average Joe" has the opportunity to excell in both amateur and professional sports.

Yes, there is a niche in the world of sports for each of us, as obscure as it may be. There is room for the geeks, the freaks, the wierdos, the couch potatos and even those of us without much coordination whatsoever. And there's big money out there in some of these tournaments that average folks are making money being professional athletes.

From Log Rolling to Tiddlywinks, leagues and organizations are popping up everywhere, garnering a devoted following and gaining popularity.

Here are but a few...

The National Professional Paintball League will be holding their National Championship Tournament this month at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, MO. In order to become a professional paintballer, you need to get together with up to 11 of your friends to form a team and have to be at least 10 years old. Entry fees to professional competition can be pretty steep (as high as $2950), but the team that takes home the first place trophy earns themselves twelve medals and $25,000. For more information on becoming a professional paintballer or just to follow a team, go to http://www.nppl.tv/site/ .

Remember kickball? Every elementary school student has played it. Now you can join a league! The World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) will be holding the 2007 Founders Cup World Kickball Championship in Boston, MA this Labor Day Weekend. Teams that complete their seasons by August 5 and place first or second in the division tournament or come in first in the regular season will get an invitation to compete in Founders Cup 2007. WAKA's mantra is "Join - Play - Party".

You can also contact the North American Tiddlywinks Association for regulation tournaments in your area. This regulation play may differ somewhat from the game you played as a child. In the children's version, a tiddlywink is flicked into a cup. In adult regulation play, this basic shot is also used, but there are two other very important shots in play as well. The squop shot flicks a wink onto opponents' winks, thus immobilizing them and putting them out of play until freed. The approach shot is a strategic shot which protects your own or your partner's winks from an enemy squop or set up a pile. All shots are made with a squidger, a larger plastic disc. An individual or team wins when all of their winks are in the cup or, if time runs out, garnering the most points.

Ever hear of Broomball? Check out USA Broomball. Like hockey, the game is played on ice with a goalie, three forwards and two defense men. Unlike hockey, the players wear shoes, use modified brooms and are unable to "check" one another (except in Class A men's division). Playing on ice with shoes puts men and women on a more level field of play and many leagues have co-ed teams for this reason. As with any other sport, the start-up costs can be pretty pricey. League fees alone can be anywhere from $250-$2,000 and equipment can cost up to $500 per team member. Tournament fees can range from $120 to $800. But the popularity of this sport is really on the rise with official leagues in almost every state.

Another popular winter sport is ice boating. According to the Minnesota Iceboating Association, "Iceboating is an inherently dangerous sport; anybody suggesting it's safe is lying. In fact if you do it long enough, it's sure to either kill, cripple or maim you." Sound like fun?

If you were ever any good at miniature golf, perhaps you'd like to try league play with the Professional Miniature Golf Association. Or, if walking the entire course is just too much for you, perhaps you'd rather try your hand in the Professional Putter's Association. Both these organizations offer tournament play with sizable purses of as much as $270! That's right! Almost enough to pay for gas, food and lodging for going to the tournament in the first place!

If you don't feel like even going outside, you never have to leave your house to participate in the World Cyber Games. If you're any good at games like Starcraft, Command and Conquor or Quake, you can qualify for the International Championships from the comfort of your own computer desk. Check Spike TV this October 3-7 for coverage of the Grand Final of the World Cyber Games from Seattle, WA. Over $400,000 in total prize money will be given away.

There are also regular tournaments on Full Tilt Poker allowing you to participate in actual dollar prizes in poker. Some tournament play results in a $25,000 purse awarded to the top poker player and a spot on Poker After Dark, one of the many late-night poker TV shows. While playing on Full Tilt, you may find yourself up against professional poker players who actually play in casinos.

Back outside the house, there's racing action to be had. If you don't have the time, energy, effort and, most of all, money to invest in professional NASCAR racing, perhaps you could dust off that old lawn mower and join the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association. After removing the lawn mower blades, your mower is ready for competition. Stock class races only go about 6-8 miles per hour and Prepared classes race at about 35-40 mph. Factory Experimental classes (the biggest mow-geeks of all and with the most money to devote to the sport) can get their mowers up to 60 mph on the track. The U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association does not officially pay out winners' purses, however, and only races for trophies.

The U.S. Log Rolling Association will sponsor their national championships this November in Wisconsin. There are leagues for all ages with corresponding log sizes and time limits. The log roller starts with both feet on the log at the starting dock and has a designated time limit in which to propel the log to the finish line using both feet in a walking motion. Falling from the log results in disqualification/loss. But it might be beneficial to learn some balance and coordination, as winner's purses in log rolling can be $5,000 and up. For those without the balance necessary to roll a log from one dock to another, perhaps Boom Running is another event that might be right for you. Also sponsored by the USLRA, boom running is an event in which the runner runs across several logs tied end to end in the water, runs around an obstacle, then back over the logs to the starting dock. Again, good-sized winner's purses in this event as well.

If these sports are too trying, perhaps tournament Ping Pong is right for you. The U.S.A. Table Tennis Association is also the governing body for selection for Olympic play. At the official web site, you can find all the tournament listings, rules and league locations. The rather intricate points system is listed as well, but it would appear that any schmo with a ping-pong table in his garage can play competively and possibly earn a little money on the side.

So, there's hope for all of us who never excelled at traditional sports. Do a quick Google search and find the wierd, wacky obscure sport that's right for you. As for me? I'll see you at next year's kickball tournament!