10 Summer Sports--from Mild to Wild

10 Summer Sports--From Mild to Wild

Just like people, sports come with all kinds of personalities--from genteel to extreme. Sports in prehistoric times included simulated combat. During the Middle Ages, sports became more refined.

Today's sports--some old, some new--offer something for everyone. Here's a sampling of sports you might try this summer, as well as fun facts about these athletic pursuits.

1. Sidewalk surfing
Don't be a channel-surfer or a cybersurfer. Pick up a skateboard and do some "sidewalk surfing" (the original name for skateboarding).

2. Horseshoes
If you're serious about this sport, ready yourself for the world championships in horseshoe pitching, held annually by the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America.

3. Frisbee
Frisbee was introduced in the United States in the 1950s, and several forms of the game have developed since then. Ultimate Frisbee combines aspects of basketball, football, lacrosse, and soccer to form a game some consider "the ultimate."

4. In-Line Skating
In-line skating seems like a relatively new sport. But it actually dates from the 1700s, when people in The Netherlands attached wooden wheels to their shoes.

5. Badminton
According to USA Badminton, the national governing body for this Olympic sport in the United States, the best badminton shuttlecocks are made from the left wing of a goose.

6. Golf
Scottish parliament passed a law outlawing golf in 1457. People were spending too much time playing golf and not enough time practicing their archery skills!

7. Skydiving
During the free-fall portion of a jump, an average-size skydiver reaches speeds from 120 to 150 mph.

8. Softball
Outdoor softball was invented in 1895 by a fireman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who called it Kitten Ball. He thought it would be a good way for the members of his fire station to stay in shape and keep busy during the time they spent at the firehouse.

9. Archery
The ancient Egyptians used the bow and arrow as a weapon at least 5,000 years ago. Archery's been a sport for a long time, too. The oldest continuously held archery tournament, known as the Ancient Scorton Arrow, was founded in Yorkshire, England, in 1673.

10. Hang gliding
The first gliders were developed by the German inventor Otto Lilienthal in the 1890s. Orville and Wilbur Wright later made modifications in their experiments that led to the invention of the airplane in 1903. As a sport, hang gliding has been popular since the 1970s.

Also on Encarta
For more information about the history of sports, see Athletics in Encarta Encyclopedia.

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