Five Stupefying Summer Sports

Everyone knows you play baseball and lacrosse in the summer. But what about volleyball on a trampoline court? Or hockey at the bottom of a pool? That might sound weird to you and me, but not to the people who play bossaball and underwater hockey. Those are just two of the interesting sports played by kids and adults all over the world during the summer months.

Here's a list of five of the strangest summer sports you might not have known existed. Who knows, they may spark an interest – or leave you completely dumbfounded. Read through the list, watch the videos, and let us know in the comments which sport you'd like to play!

Underwater Hockey

What’s better than swimming and hockey – combined?

Though hockey typically involves frozen water, this sport takes place at the bottom of a swimming pool. Teams use small sticks (similar to hockey sticks) to try and move a weighted puck across the floor into the opposing team’s net (similar to hockey goals).

Holding your breath for that long may sound intimidating, right? Players actually wear fins, masks, and snorkels, and usually aren’t underwater for more than 15 seconds at a time.

Don’t miss the 2013 CMAS Underwater Hockey World Championship, taking place August 23-September 1 in Eger, Hungary. And learn more about underwater hockey by checking out this video from the US Coast Guard Academy Underwater Hockey Team: 

Quidditch

Think that brooms are only for Halloween? Think again.

The game is inspired by the sport played by Harry Potter in the famous series of books and movies. Teams have seven players to a side, and each player is required to hold a broom while attempting to throw a ball (called the quaffle) into one of the opposing teams three hoops. In the mean time, opposing team’s players (called bludgers) will try to throw balls at you to catch you off guard. The ultimate prize is catching the snitch, because once you do, your team wins.

Teams from all over the world compete – with ages ranging from middle school all the way to college. There’s even an International Quidditch Association!

To see how the game is played, check out this video from the 2010 Quidditch World Cup:

Sport Stacking

If you think stacking cups is easy, try stacking and un-stacking them in less than a few seconds.

Sport stacking has been around since the 1980s and can be done individually or in a team. The goal is simple: Participants stack plastic cups in a particular sequence in the shortest time possible. Sport stacking still remains largely popular spanning from ages six and under to 60 and older competitions.

Here are a couple videos to show you how intense Sport Stacking can get:

The Junior Olympic Games Sport Stacking Championships will take place on July 26-27 in Detroit, Michigan. For more information, visit thewssa.com.


Bossaball

Bossaball combines not two, not three, but four different sports! This crazy game mixes up different aspects of soccer, volleyball, gymnastics and martial arts. Even the court that this game is played on is out of the ordinary. Bossaball is played on an inflatable court with trampolines on each side, and a volleyball type net in the middle. Unlike a traditional sports game, the referee plays music during the games!

This sounds like one weird sport! You can learn more about it on the Bossaball Sports website. But maybe the best way to understand it is to watch it being played. Check it out for yourself:

Mutton Busting

Mary might have had a little lamb, but in the case of Mutton Busting Mary needs to hold on to it.

In the sport that is similar to bull riding, mutton busting is a sport where kids cling to sheep, and whoever can stay on the longest, wins. Sound simple? Think again. Watch kids play the game to see how tough it actually is!

Check it out for yourself:

Photos: Underwater Hockey by DavidUnderwater, Bossaball via Creative Commons.