Aug 23, 2009 by samir

SV Adds New Sports: Airsoft, Cornhole, Floorball, Dragon Boat Racing, Camping

Sportsvite learns about cool new things in the wide world of sports every day. Often it’s by member sending us emails letting us know about new sports, events or tournaments. Every so often, the lunar calendar (and multiple member requests) mandates that we add new sports and activities to our community. We recently did just that by adding Airsoft, Cornhole, Floorball, Dragon Boat Racing and Camping. Obviously, this is great for those who are already participating in these sport and activities and can now use Sportsvite to help find other players or organize events. But it also allows everyone on Sportsvite to learn more about these new sports that are not familiar to them. Here’s a little 411 to get you started…

Airsoft

DID YOU KNOW: There’s a way to test out a lot of that military strategy you’ve learned on the History Channel without getting paint on your favorite camo pants.

Airsoft can best be described as bb warfare, though I wouldn’t recommend trying to invade your neighbor’s lawn with airsoft guns (they look just like real guns!). However, you can now use Sportsvite to find some airsoft buddies and meet up at an airsoft battlefield to shoot it out. Just be careful, BB’s can still sting from a distance. Unlike it’s militaristic off shoot Paintball, Airsoft relies on the honor system for a player to identify when they are hit since airsoft pellets do not leave visible marks on clothing. Nothing like relying on the person you’re trying to fake kill to be honest with you.

The name Airsoft is derived from the compressed-air gun that is used. It is usually powered by propane, compressed air or an electrically powered gearbox. Airsoft originated in the 1970’s in Japan. After it became illegal to own a firarm, manufactures filled the voide with realistic looking spring powered guns. The sport migrated to the US in the mid 1990’s. Learn all about airsoft on Wikipedia.

Here is a comical video on the 10 commandments of Airsoft by Airsoft Austria Television.

Cornhole

DID YOU KNOW: Beanbags can make your end of summer BBQs 100% more fun.

How much fun did you have throwing bean bags into cut-out holes when you were little? Add some good friends and a few beers, and you’ve got yourself a party. Cornhole (also known as tailgate toss, bean bag toss, bags, or baggo) is breaking out of its mid-Western shell and tossing itself onto Sportsvite.

The object of the game is to toss bean bags into a raised wooden platform with a hole at the end. A bag in the hole scores three points and a bag that lands on the platform scores one point. First team to 21 wins. You can find the official rules on the American Cornhole Association website.

Even Stephen Colbert has chimed in with his thoughts on the Cornhole craze calling it a “cross between horsehoes and sodomy”.

For those die hard players, check out the Cornhole Theme Song.

Floorball

DID YOU KNOW: There is a hugely popular global sport named Floorball.

Yes, floorball. You play it with a ball on the floor. Actually there is a lot more to it, as you hit the ball with short hockey sticks. The ball itself is unique in that it looks like a cross between a golf ball and a wiffle ball. The Czech Republic, Finland, and Sweden have pretty much mastered the game, but I don’t think that can stop any of us from having a good time playing.

There is actually an international governing body called the International Floorball Federation that was founded in 1986. 49 countries have national floorball associations that are recognized by the IFF. In December 2008, floorball received recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and they are now trying to make floorball an Olympic Sports in 2020. Get all the Floorball details on Wikipedia.

Check out some inspiring Floorball highlights.

Dragon Boat Racing

DID YOU KNOW: Dragons float.

Dragon Boat Racing is a sport that is similiar to Rowing (although a Dragon Boat paddler might disagree!), but based on the ceremonial Chinese dragon boat. Each Dragon Boat should have a drummer (similar to a crew team’s coxswain) who keeps rhythm of your team’s paddling with the beat of a drum. The paddlers (usually between 18 -22 per boat) sit facing forward, and a sweep sits at the helm, steering the boat. Dragon Boat Racing is one of the most requested sports to be added to Sportsvite.

Dragon Boat Racing is also one of the world’s oldest sports originating in China over 2000 years ago. It just recently became a more organized sport, with actual organized competitions beginning in Hong Kong in 1976.

One of the biggest Dragon Boat races in North America is in Vancouver. Here’s a video recap of this year’s event.

Camping

DID YOU KNOW: I went camping last weekend.

Camping is a fun activity which can be used as a hub for other fun activities. A few good friends and a nice fire is all you need to have a good time while camping, but many camping areas are close to places that offer other activities such as hiking, white water rafting, and paintball arenas. When it comes down to it, camping offers a fairly inexpensive way to vacation for the weekend, and can lead to good times that you’ll never forget.

Check out websites like camping.com, KOA Campgrounds, and Reserve America to find great camping locations and trips.

If you know of any sports that you play and aren’t part of our community then let us know about it! We’ll even let you write the blog post introducing the game to Sportsvite.