In the dog days of summer, a patch of ice may be very difficult to come by, but that doesn't mean hockey isn't still an option. You could could play on your own two feet. You could lace up the inlines. Or you could plant yourself on a unicycle.
For real. My friends, I give you: unicycle hockey.
If you're wondering, most of the rules of unicycle hockey are very similar to ice hockey. We'll jump from Australia to Hong Kong for an explanation from Hong Kong unicycle hockey forefather Martin Turner. From CNNGo:
"We play five-a-side hockey here," explains Martin Turner, head of the Hong Kong Critical Mass Ride group. "Aside from the fact that we're on a unicycle, it's basically hockey. Rules are mostly the same as regular hockey."
Originating in Germany in 1920s, unicycle hockey is enjoying a small but intense following in Hong Kong. About 10 years ago Robert Rogers and Roz Beste decided to give the sport a try at a North Point park. Their unicycle hockey group now practices at the YMCA Kings Park Roller Hockey ring and hundreds of players of all ages and from all walks of life have come and played over the years
There are some major differences, of course. For instance, unicycle hockey doesn't really use a goalie. But neither do the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Furthermore, according to The International Unicycling Federation, the governing body for unicycle hockey and all other unicycle sports, "If the ball gets stuck between the spokes of someone's unicycle, the opposing team gets a free shot."
See now, that's very different. In ice hockey, that's a tripping penalty.
Also, there are no spokes in ice hockey, at least not in 2012. While we're nearing the future depicted in the Jetsons, no one's body tapers down to a wheel just yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment