Sports the Way I Play Them; Part Two Quiz

Answer: Cycling

The first device to be called a bicycle was a machine now commonly referred to as the penny-farthing. It featured a large, up to 5-foot diameter, front wheel, and a much smaller hind wheel. It was said the size difference made it look like two British coins, the penny and the farthing, side by side.

Interestingly, penny-farthing is a retronym, rising with the need to differentiate it from other things called bicycles.

Answer: Tennis

There is evidence of tennis-like games, dating back to ancient times. The direct ancestor of modern tennis is the game of "Jeu de Paume" (game of the palm) played by 12th century French monks. That game was more like handball as the racquet wasn't added for another 400 years. As the original balls were made of wood, those monks must have had mighty tough hands!

Answer: Gymnastics

Nadia Comaneci was the darling of the 1976 Olympics and the first person to score perfect 10 in Olympic history. Later she faded from the world stage. Then suddenly in 1989, she exploded back into the headlines. It came to light that amid political upheaval in Romania, she left everything she owned behind and fled the country. Along with other freedom seekers, she was guided by a shepherd on a daring midnight run into neighboring Hungary.

She later made it to the USA and settled in Norman, OK.

Answer: High dive

The most difficult dive in the world is the Triple Lindy. Actually, the Triple Lindy is a ridiculous joke dive introduced in the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield vehicle "Back to School." In the film Thornton Melon (Dangerfield) performs the silly stunt dive which is a series of complicated twists and flips while bouncing on all three boards.

Although Dangerfield did perform some of the individual dives himself, the piece is obviously stitched together in the editing room from a number of different shots.

The Triple Lindy is impossible.

Answer: 10K run

The first women-only 10K race was the New York mini marathon in 1972. The name is a reference to mini skirt that was popular at the time and it was felt that women weren't up to a full marathon. The original promoters brought in several Playboy Bunny racers to drum up publicity. I'm sure it helped bring in spectators.

Answer: American football

If you have ever wondered who supplies the balls for pro football games, wonder no more! According to the rules, the home team for outdoor games must provide 36 balls. For indoor games the rule calls for 24 balls. In both circumstances they must be ready 2 hours prior to the game so they can be inspected by the referee.

Answer: White water rafting

Prior to the 1840s, people mostly avoided rapids, because wooden boats simply were not sturdy enough to take the stresses. Then, Lt. John Fremont and Horace H Day invented the rubber raft to explore the Platte River. It was over 100 years later that people started shooting the rapids for sport.

Answer: Auto racing

Louis Meyer won the Indy 500 in 1936. Meyer found buttermilk a very refreshing drink on hot days. A photographer got a shot of him enjoying his favorite beverage in the victory lane and it made the front page. A milk company executive saw a huge promotional opportunity and pushed for milk to become the victory toast of choice. Thus, a tradition was born.

Answer: Deer hunting

Da Yoopers is a musical/comedy act from the UP or Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Most of their songs are satirical looks at life in the UP. One is called "The Second Week of Deer Camp," and describes how a bunch of guys use deer hunting as an excuse to get away and hang out with their buddies. "We drink, play cards and shoot the bull, but we never shoot no deer." Sportsmen after my own heart!

Answer: Rapelling

Some people believe jumping off a cliff with nothing but a thin piece of nylon to hold you away from certain death isn't adventuresome enough. For these souls there's waterfall rappelling. That is exactly what it sounds like. They rappel through the stream of a waterfall. The force of the pound deluge adds an extra exhilaration, and the water is refreshing, especially in hot places.