Saturday, August 12, 2006

Competitions to Follow

The World Cup, the Olympics, the Superbowl. These are just three of the great competitive events that are broadcasted worldwide and enjoyed by millions of fans. And yet these are merely three competitions out of the thousands that take place around the world. This entry is here to merely inform the reader of other competitions that are out there.

Every July, the Bulwyer-Lytton literary contest announces the winners. It is given to the person who writes the worst opening sentence to a novel. Bulwyer-Lytton wrote the opening sentence “It was a dark and stormy night…” that has been immortalized by Snoopy in Peanuts comic strips. All of the entries are a fantastic read and you can find the past winners here at their official website (http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/).

The 2006 winner submitted this entry:
Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you've had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean.
Jim Guigli
Carmichael, CA

What about a more physical contest? Have you ever hear of chess-boxing? It is for those people who thinks that chess needs to incorporate full-body contact and that boxing needs to be more intellectual. Mind you, I do have a lot of respect for these athletes. Not everyone can castle a rook while throwing an uppercut. (http://site.wcbo.org/content/e14/index_en.html)

Elephant polo has made quite a splash in recent years. Apparently the Malaysian team knocked out the favorites to win. Teams of three sit on top of African grey elephants carrying 8 foot long polls and try to knock a softball-sized object into a goal. It is the perfect game summer league sport. It would be trivial to bully those pesky baseball players off the field so your team can practice. (http://www.elephantpolo.com/)

The competitive world of Rock-Paper-Scissors is also a season to follow closely. It is a sport where one nervous twitch can cost one the competition. Injuries can devastate the careers of these great athletes. The human body is not made for repetitive motion and RPS competitors, if they throw too many scissors in a row, may find themselves with a bad case of repetitive-stress-injury or even tendonitis. (http://www.worldrps.com/)

So let us come up with our own! There are many great ideas that have not been done yet. Submarine drag racing? Add figure skating as an event for the World’s Strongest Man Competition? Or start the International Hungry-Hungry Hippo congress? Leave a comment with your ideas!

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