2008-09-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

GOLF:

Golf is a game the exact origins of which are unclear.
The origin of golf is still open to debate, arguments put forward as to it’s being Dutch or Scottish.
The most accepted golf history theory is that golf as we see it today, originated from Scotland in the 1100s.

In 2005 Golf Digest calculated that there were nearly 32,000 golf courses in the world,
approximately half of them in the USA.

There are at least twenty professional golf tours, each run by a PGA or an independent tour organization.

SKATEBOARDING:

Skateboarding probably developed late 1940s or early 1950s when surfers in California, wanted something to surf when the waves were flat.

A 2002 report by American Sports Data found that there were 18.5 million skateboarders in the world. 85 percent of skateboarders polled who had used a board in the last year were under the age of 18, and 74 percent were male.

The first skateboarders started with wooden boxes or boards with roller skate wheels attached to the bottom.

SNOWBOARDING:

The development of Snowboarding was inspired by surfing and skateboarding, and shares similarities with skiing.
It was developed in the United States in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
It became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998.

Since snowboarding was established as a winter sport, it has developed various styles, each with its own specialized equipment and technique.
The most common styles today are: freeride, freestyle, and freecarve/race.

The tricks of the snowboarder are many and varied, from air tricks such as the Ollie, Poptart and Shifty to spins, flips and grab tricks.
Then there are inverts and slides and all the combinations of these.

ICE SKATING:

A number of sports are played using Skates:
Ice Hockey
Bandy~ a team sport, on ice similar to ice hockey.
Figure Skating
Ringette~ similar to hockey but players shoot rings into opponents goal.
Speed skating
Tour Skating~ long distance skating on natural ice

INLINE AND ROLLER SKATING:

Inline Skates were developed as a substitute for ice skates by Russian athletes wanting to train on ground for speed skating at the next Olympics, they became popular in the late '80s early '90s.

The first sport that developed using roller skates was roller hockey and was even played at the 1992 Olympics.
Since then Artistic roller skating has taken off along with many other skate sports.

Proving popular even in "the arts" Starlight Express is a long running musical, seen all over the world, which has all it's actors on skates.

The American Heart Association recommends roller skating as an aerobic fitness sport.

SURFING:

It's thought the earliest observance of surfing was in 1767 by crewmembers of a ship in Tahiti.

Surfboards were originally made of solid wood and were generally quite large and heavy
Most modern surfboards are made of polyurethane foam, fibreglass cloth and polyester resin.

As surfing hit the big time with it's rise in popularity, the value of good surf prompted the construction of artificial reefs and sand bars to attract surf tourism.
It's popularity has also resulted in many surf schools and camps as well as a huge industry in clothing and fashion.

On September 2, 2007 in Brazil, 84 surfers caught the same wave beating the previous record of 73 on a wave.

Sports Crazy