By Helen Lacey
I am fortunate enough to live on the east coast of
Australia, in a small town which sits at the most southern point of the Great
Barrier Reef. With about 800 residents, it really is a little bit or paradise,
with walking pathways and a couple of fabulous beaches. Once afternoon last
week my husband and I decided to have a walk on the main beach. It was busy for
a weekday afternoon and since it was high tide, the sand was a much narrower
strip than usual. We started walking, shoes off, of course, and spotted a large
group of twenty-something young men playing a ball game. We stopped and watched
for a moment, careful not to get hit in the head from a stray ball. The players
had pitched goal posts at each end of their game and had pushed unusual looking
‘sticks’ into the sand about two metres apart. My husband, always curious,
asked one of the young men what the sticks were called.
“They’re Hurrrrrrlaayin
sticks,” he said.
Huh?
We looked at one another and asked him again.
“Hurrrrrrlaayin
sticks,”
Still nothing.
“For hurrrrrrlaayin,”
he said in a thick Irish brogue.
Never heard of it. It took a few minutes to work out he was
saying Hurling. And Hurling, he told
us, is a sport where players hold this funny shaped stick and hurl a ball
around a field at a very fast pace. We moved on and my husband took his iPhone
and Googled the word Hurling. And yes,
there certainly is a sport called Hurling. The Hurley is the stick, and the players are called Hurlers. With its Gaelic origins it’s
older than the recorded history of Ireland. It even made the Olympics in 1904.
Of course, now I feel like I’ve lived under a rock since I’ve never heard of
the game before (even with my Celtic roots) and the internet is filled with
examples and explanations of Hurling. It’s kind of like hockey on steroids, I
thought. 
But I was intruiged by this game I'd never heard of and thought how there are probably many other games/sports played around the world that are unknown and/or unusual. Check out this list. Like South African Ringball, or Sepak Takraw - volleyball for the feet!
Have you ever seen or played an unusual game or sport?
Watching Team Handball during the Olympics last year for the first time really confused us. We had never seen it played before and were not sure of the rules. The United States didn't even have a team.
ReplyDeleteTrampoline was unusual too - one of the athletes was named Dong Dong and we could not stop laughing
Helen, it sound as if you live in a beautiful part of the world. I think you should do a picture/photo story of "your town" sometime soon. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs for unusual sports... I'd heard of hurling, but I couldn't have told you what it was. I grew up on Enid Blyton and many of her boarding school girls played Lacrosse. As a young Aussie girl I'd never heard of it, but I still think it sounds rather exotic. Would definitely go watch a game if I ever had the opportunity.
Hi Tammy - I missed the handball...but I do like watching tsome of the more obscure Olympic sports. Smiling here about Dong Dong :)
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle - I do indeed live in a beautiful place and will certainly do a furure blog about it. I just googled Lacrosse...looks fast and furious :)
ReplyDeleteI like the picture of hockey on steroids, Helen. I can't think of any unusual sports.
ReplyDeleteI had heard of Hurling but as with all things sport my eyes tend to glaze over.
ReplyDeleteBut it is interesting that mankind has always sort the physical outlet of "play" to enrich their lives. I like that - I like what an equaliser it is. That no matter your culture "play" is a bonding activity.
sought.....doh!
ReplyDeleteI was feeling all smug as I thought I'd heard of hurling but it was curling I'd heard of. Now curling is one weird sport!
ReplyDeleteSounds lovely where you live, Helen.
Helen,
ReplyDeleteHow exciting. I've heard of hurling but never seen it played. The most unusual sport I've seen is quid ditch. Yes - really. They play it at our local university on one of the ovals. Lots of fun and the golden snitch is a person who gets chased across the campus!
Hm. Typo. Of course I meant quidditch. Ah, now I see it's the auto correct which doesn't like the word.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue - thanks for stopping by! I'd never really thought of any either until I spotted these young men Hurling :)
ReplyDeleteHi Amy - I used to glaze over too...but I married a man who loves V8 Supercars and Rugby League, so I've learned to embrace both of those sports in a spectator capacity. And you're right, sport does seem to bond people together :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer - off to Google Curling! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat fun, Helen! I have heard of hurling but haven't ever seen it played.
ReplyDeleteWe came across Polocrosse which is a pretty full on game played on horseback - a cross between polo and ??badminton?? - played with a ball and sort of net scoops. Fast and furious and fascinating!
I remember when I was 12 years old and completely horse mad, I got a book from the library about an ancient horse race in Italy called the Palio di Siena. The horses are ridden bareback and they race around a smallish piazza. There's a lot of associated prestige and pageantry... I've now seen it on TV and it looks dangerous for horses and jockeys.
Hi Annie - quidditch sounds like something out of Harry Potter :)Must go and check it out.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon- I've actually played polo many many many years ago at Pony Club. And yep, it is dangerous. But fun. The Italian version looks interesting, must go and check it out.
ReplyDeleteHelen, how fascinating! Though I'd really love to see quidditch played at Annie's university - what a hoot.
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