Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | My Orble | Login

Unlikely Winter Olympians

March 8th 2010 23:09
As reported in this article on NBC's Olympic Zone, there are some unlikely competitors making their mark at the Winter Olympics as they come from countries which have little or no snow.
Hopefully they are pioneers of more to come!


Jamaican bobsled team
The Jamaican bobsled team caught the world's attention in 1988 because of the unlikelihood of having a winter team from Jamaica. They inspired the movie 'Cool Runnings'.



skiers from warm climates
Arturo Kinch, from Costa Rica's warm climate, has competed in the Winter Olympics since 1980 as Costa Rica's only skier, most recently competing in the cross-country 15km in 2006.


African skiers
Philip Boit was Kenya's first Winter Olympian. He competed in Men’s Cross Country 10-15km in 1998, 2002 and 2006. 2010 will likely mark Boit's final Olympics performance.



rare winter Olympics competitors
Anne Abernathy, the only Virgin Islands Winter athlete, competed in the women’s luge event in 2002. She qualified again to compete in 2006, but then broke her wrist during practice.


winter Olympics competitors from warm countries
Robel Teklemariam, from the hot climate of Ethiopia, competed in the men's cross country 15km in 2006 as Ethiopia's first Winter Olympian.

22
Vote
   


Most Disturbing College Mascots

December 30th 2009 01:23
Who has the creepiest college mascots in action today?
This article at Life.com attempts to answer that question with 16 weird and wonderful mascots from universities all over the USA. Below is a selection of the best.

college mascots
The Stanford Tree Mascot
Who dislikes trees? We don't dislike trees. But it doesn't then follow that we love all trees—especially those that resemble an arborist's bad acid trip.


college football mascots
Pepperdine Waves
Muscular, laid-back, forever smiling, an extraordinarily full head of hair—if Willie the Wave was a movie star, he'd be Matthew McConaughey. Alas, he's not a movie star. He might make for a great movie villain, though.


best college mascots
Wichita State Shockers
If Frankenstein's monster were somehow to mate with Bart Simpson, this critter might well be the result.


worst college mascots
Austin Peay Governors
For anyone suffering from the quite common fear that Mr. Monopoly might someday come to life, this one's for you. A tribute to a former Tennessee governor who died in office in 1927, he gives top hats and moustaches a bad name.


college mascot
Southern Illinois Salukis
Salukis are remarkable creatures. Portraits of salukis appear on Egyptian tombs dating back 4,000 years. Salukis rock. But this saluki looks more like the lead singer for a metal band shortly after he's morphed into a werewolf.
8
Vote
   


Soccer Over Acting

November 9th 2009 01:24
Watching high level soccer especially during a world cup can be gripping entertainment. There is one problem however, after a tackle or other incidental contact the players act as though they are in pain in order to gain free kicks or penalties from the referee. This sort of behaviour demeans the players, but more importantly brings down the whole game.
Hopefully one day this aspect of the world game will be gone, but for now let's have a laugh at some of the faces pulled and other acting put on by players. Thanks to Life.com for posting these. See the full set here.

soccer tackles
Werder Bremen vs. Shakhtar Donetsk


soccer players crying
CD Chivas USA vs. Los Angeles Galaxy


Acting for a free kick
Argentina vs. Brazil


Football Acting
Italy vs. Romania


Soccer Players Acting
Chelsea vs. Newcastle United

48
Vote
   


Weirdest Sports In The World

October 7th 2009 02:37
Humans love sport and competition and have done for many hundreds of years. There are plenty of common sports to choose from, however some select a more unusual endeavour for burning off those extra calories. Thanks to Time Magazine, here are some of the strangest sports and activities played today. See the full list here.

Underwater Hockey World Championships
Underwater Hockey
Also known as "octopush," underwater hockey involves pushing a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into goals. Above, teams compete at the 2006 world championships in Sheffield, England.



PFL - Pillow FIght League
Pillow Fight League
The all-female PFL stages matches between fighters with names like Olivia Neutron-Bomb, Carmen Monoxide and Ursula Anvil at their home base in Toronto and elsewhere — like at Exxxotica Miami, above, an annual erotic festival. On its website, the PFL boasts, "We are women who are proud of our strength and not afraid to let loose. We fight with pillows because it lets us be creative, do something different and go a little crazy."


Giant Pumpkin Kayaking Race
Giant Pumpkin Kayaking
At the fifth Annual West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, held in Tualatin, Ore., locally grown pumpkins weighing up to 800 lb. are hollowed out and used as vessels in a race around the lake.


Blind Soccer
Blind Soccer
Teams in this internationally sanctioned sport consist of four blind athletes and one sighted or visually impaired goalkeeper. Additionally, teams have a guide who stands behind the opponent's goal to direct the players where to shoot. The field is surrounded by a wall, which means no throw-ins, so the action remains fairly intense through each 25-minute half. The match above, pitting Argentina against China, took place at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.


Bossaball - weird sports
Bossaball
Similar to volleyball, the Belgian sport of bossaball also includes elements of soccer, gymnastics and capoeira. Each side of the court has an integrated trampoline, allowing players to bounce high enough to spike the ball.
23
Vote
   


World Face Pulling Championship

September 9th 2009 08:10
Gurning, also commonly called face-pulling is a rural English tradition. The World Gurning Championship takes place annually in Egremont, Cumbria with contestants traditionally framing their faces through a horse collar — known as "gurnin' through a braffin'. Below are some images from a recent world championship, sourced form BBC.com here.


gurn
Tommy Mattinson from Aspatria.


face pull
Gordon Blacklock, from Thornhill, Cumbria.


world gurning titles
Kath Taylor, also from Cumbria.


gurning
Anne Woods, from Egremont.


world face pulling championships



*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Gurn.
44
Vote
   


Pure Skateboard Images

August 26th 2009 07:00
Photographers have many tricks up their sleeves to enhance images. Photoshop and Fisheye Lenses to name a few.
However sometimes it's nice to cut out the additions and get back to raw photography.
These skateboarding images are just that


[ Click here to read more ]
27
Vote
   


Wife Carrying Championships

July 29th 2009 02:47

In 2009 the 14th annual Wife Carrying world Championships were held in Sonkajarvi, Finland. Over thirty couples from all over the world attended the event and competed on a 235.5 metre long obstacle course. These images and information from the event sourced from news.com.au.

[ Click here to read more ]
43
Vote
   


San Francisco Bay to Breakers

June 1st 2009 02:38
Bay to Breakers in San Francisco

The Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco, California. The name reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarcadero (adjacent to San Francisco Bay) and runs west through the city to finish at the Great Highway (adjacent to the Pacific coast, where breakers crash onto Ocean Beach). The race is 7.46 miles (12 kilometres) long, and is run on the third Sunday in May.
Bay to Breakers preferred runners

[ Click here to read more ]
39
Vote
   


Ice Hockey Fights

March 27th 2009 06:47
Fighting is an established part of, and has a long history in the Ice Hockey Leagues of North America. Some fans even attend games just to witness the fighting. Thanks to the Chicago Tribune, here are some pictures from recent Ice Hockey fights. See many more photos here.


[ Click here to read more ]
28
Vote
   


Wakeboarding in Venice

December 26th 2008 14:36
On December 2nd, 2008 flooding in Venice reached its highest point in 20 years. In Saint Mark's Square (San Marco) the water level reached an impressive 1.35m (4.5 ft). With the help of his sponsor Red Bull, Dutchman Duncan Zuur became the first to Wakeboard across the famous square.
How did he do it? Well, a team of friends hid a 20 horsepower winch on one side and one of them pulled the winch cable 120m across the square and handed it to Duncan. The motor was then fired up and Zuur made a few elegant turns right in front of a few surprised tourists. The team then vanished as quickly as they had arrived. The whole stunt was over so fast the police didn't even notice. Of course the pictures and clips have made it all over the web!
Duncan and the team then tried it once or twice more through a few canals in the famous old city


[ Click here to read more ]
55
Vote
   


Dumped By A Massive Wave

December 5th 2008 02:45
As reported in the Daily Mail, massive 15m (50ft) waves struck off the coast of Cornwall due to extreme stormy conditions. Two brave souls tried to ride the waves, but they stood little chance with the massive amounts of white water, foam and turbulence out there.
Their friend was on hand to take a few photographs of them in action. I think they're lucky to survive!

[ Click here to read more ]
62
Vote
   


Chess Boxing

August 13th 2008 02:09
Chess Boxing

Chess Boxing is the newest sport to hit the world circuit. Starting in Germany in 2003, the sport has grown exponentially ever since with Russia recently emerging as a new force.
The idea behind this hybrid game was simple, combine the best thinking sport with the best fighting sport for the ultimate contest of mind and body


[ Click here to read more ]
43
Vote
   


Breakdown of Olympic Sports

August 1st 2008 13:35
The Olympics this year in Beijing will play host to 28 different sports, and will hold 302 events (165 men’s events, 127 women’s events, and 10 mixed events).
Which sport required the most skill, endurance, teamwork or other attributes? This chart may help you to break it down.

[ Click here to read more ]
37
Vote
   


Xtreme Ironing

July 7th 2008 02:26
These are some hilarious pictures of the latest sport to become popular world wide - Extreme Ironing.

See more gold medal contenders at //STATIC here.
[ Click here to read more ]
96
Vote
   


Ian's Blogs

0 Vote(s)
0 Comment(s)
0 Post(s)
0 Vote(s)
0 Comment(s)
0 Post(s)
46082 Vote(s)
412 Comment(s)
701 Post(s)
42158 Vote(s)
188 Comment(s)
686 Post(s)
40435 Vote(s)
474 Comment(s)
676 Post(s)
Jay's Blog (Member)
2275 Vote(s)
54 Comment(s)
39 Post(s)
Moderated by Ian
Copyright © 2006 2007 2008 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]