This week John and Geoff take a look at the fast and dangerous sport of Alpine Skiing. In the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics there will be five main events: downhill, slalom, giant slalom, Super-G and combined.

Listen now to find out what countries stand the best shot of winning and who the greatest Olympic Alpine Skiers of all time are.

Continuing our Winter Olympic theme, we present to you Snowboarding! Five major events for both men and women with a sport that's only been around 20 years. We go over the history and the best athlete to have participated. Raw notes below. Tune in every Monday for a new Sport of the Week.

Raw Episode Notes

Quick overview of what it is

People snowboard down a hill in different events

Where/When did it start

Snowboarding in general probably dates back to the first time someone was like, you know surfing? Lets do THAT, but on snow...on a board. And we’ll call it snowboarding

ACtual history says Michigan resident Sherman Poppen came up with the original prototype, which was dubbed the “Snurfer” or “snow surfer”. This was different from a snowboard in that there were no bindings and had a rope on the front to help glide over the snow

Developer of snowboard is a bit more tricky, but started to get poplar in the 1970s

Dimitrije Milovich used cafeteria trays

There’s more history, but it gets murkier

officially adopted as a formal discipline at the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games

Who plays it

Anywhere with snow

Events

Parallel Giant Slalom

Boarder v boarder, at least 18 gates, if you’re faster you win, 400-700m course length

Halfpipe

Jumps, twists, fancy shtuff, 6 judges for a total out of 100, highest/lowest score removed

Shaun White got a 100 in 2010 Winter X Games

Snowboard Cross (added 2006)

4 to 6 athletes go down the course at the same time. Jumps, sharp turns, tight quarters

Slopestyle (2010)

Rails, tables, walls, etc, different elements to trick off of. Potential for coolest tricks and combos

Big Air (added this year)

Similar to the half pipe, but large jumps on a downhill slope. No side to side. Biggest wipeouts

Best Known for the sport (gold/total)

United States 10/24

Switzerland 7/12

France 3/10

Canada 3/7

Russia 2/5

Shaun White (the Flying Tomato)

Won gold in halfpipe 2006 and 2010

13 golds in winter X Games

Got a 48.4 in 2010 halfpipe (when it was 50 point max)

No, this isn't about curls with your bicep, this is the Winter Olympic sport of curling! John and Geoff take a look at the history of the game, how it's played and who to watch for in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Listen now and every Monday for a new sport of the week.

It's that time of every two years again. That's right, the Olympics are back! We've got 80 days until the games open so Sport of the Week will start taking a look at the sports involved and the athletes taking part in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. This week we've got the Biathlon, a combo of skiing, shooting and skiing. Enjoy!

You can find the Sport of the Week every Monday right here on That One Sports Show. Or iTunes. Or really any podcast listening app.

This week John and Geoff take a look at a user-submitted sport called "dwile flonking," from the UK. Whether this is a serious sport or not is up to you to decide, but it does have a semi-storied history and even a country-wide ban. You can find the sport of the week right here every week, or subscribe on iTunes.

What is Dwile Flonking?

If dizzy bat was just throwing a wet towel at cult members dancing in a circle around you

Where/When did Dwile Flonking Begin?

Began in the 1960s in the UK as a drinking game. The first iteration of the game is rumored to be a children's game dating back to the 1500s. The game is primarily played by folks in the UK, as another game of “hey my town is better than yours.”

How Is Dwile Flonking Played?

Two teams of 8-12 players dance around in a circle.

One member from team 2 stands in the center of the circle with a stick (the driveller) that has a towel (dwile) resting on the end

The flonker (in the middle of the circle) spins in the opposite direction of the circle and tries to fling the towel, which has been soaked in beer, into any opponents.

If hit in the head, flonkers (team 2) get 3 points

2 points in the body

1 point in the leg

2 flonks a piece. Hitting with both awards and extra flonk

If nothing is hit in either flonk, the flonker must drink the entire chamber pot of beer that the rag was soaked in

Must do so in the time it takes for the other team to pass the dwile all the way down the line with two hands

Failure to do so gives the other team a point

Each team gets two go rounds

At the end of the game, teams add up sober people and deduct one point for each

Dwile Flonking Terms to Know

Girting - the spinning around part

Swadger - one who completely misses a flonk

Gazunder - the chamber pot you drink the beer out of

Snurd - one round

Jabonowl - the referee, generally selected by using the most dim-witted person

Popularity

It has much more of a cult following and even in the UK has lost most of its popularity.

Fun Dwile Flonking Facts

The World Championship was held this year at Dog Inn at Ludham in August

Flippin Pippin Flonkers remained undefeated for the 4th time since inaugural event in 2010

No other teams showed up

The sport was banned in 2010 by Norfolk District council for violating health and safety laws

Came months after Norfolk had introduced a sweeping drinking games ban

20,000 pound fine for breaking

Official Dwile Flonking Song

Here we'em be together

Now here we1em be boys, now here we1em be,

With our Dwiles and our Drivellers, Dwile Flonkers are we.

Now you know how to play boys, so hear what I say,

Grab a hold of that Driveller and shout "Dwiles Away"

Chorus:        0 Drivel-i, drivel-i, drivel-i-aye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwFYRfvztw8

Real life Rocket League with stun guns and humans. That's essentially Ultimate Tazer Ball, a sport that seems to have disappeared from existence after a short push to make it a worldwide sport. John and Geoff take you through the ins and outs of the sport as well as if they would play it or not. It's the sport of the week and it comes out every Monday. Be sure to Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get each new episode right in your pocket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxBcXDJS5Go

Pretty straight forward. You have a soccer ball and you kick it down the course toward a larger hole. John and Geoff discuss whether this is good or bad for regular golfers and if they would play (there are courses around Columbus). Tune in every Monday for a brand new sport of the week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwmooeCwCJs

You know that game soccer? Or football as it’s better known around the rest of the world? Well, take that rectangular pitch, turn it into a hexagon, then add an extra goal... and an extra team and a whole lot of anarchy and you’ve got three-sided football

How Three-Sided Football Began

In theory three-sided football began in 1966 and in practice the first match was held in 1994. Unlike many of the other sports we discuss, three-sided football is not one of war originally. The background is so convoluted (many people claim to be the originators) so I pulled it directly from Wikipedia:

"It was devised by the Danish Situationist Asger Jorn to explain his notion of triolectics, his refinement on the Marxian concept of dialectics, as well as to disrupt one's everyday idea of football."

Triolectics means having three truths and dialectics refers to arguments with two sides, both believing to be true. So at its root, three-sided football was actually just an example to prove a philosophical point. You asleep yet?

While researching three-sided football, everything I came upon was strangely political. It all seemed like one large manifesto, with rules and overviews claiming that three-sided football is not just a sport, it's about breaking down standard conventions of us versus them. No longer was it simply one team against another team, it's a crazy anarchic system where chaos reigns and no one side can effectively take on another side. The game may have started as a philosophical one, but with leagues popping up throughout London, it's possible this sport becomes a little less abstract in the future.

Where is Three-Sided Football Played?

The sport is mainly popular in Europe, with the base popularity spanning out from London and leaking into areas like Spain and Rome. It's starting to branch further out into Europe, but the sport appears to be completely non-existent in the Western Hemisphere. 

Three-Sided Football Rules

Unlike traditional football, the object of the game is to give up the fewest goals. It does not matter if you score zero or ten goals on your opponents as long as you have given up the fewest goals. That is essentially the only hardened rule other than there needs to be three goals and there must be three teams. From there, variations abound. 

From all the rule variations, the adaptations that make the most sense seem to be three 30-minute periods, with the goals rotating after each period and two referees to manage the game. Teams own two sides of the hexagon: the side with their goal and the side that runs parallel to it.

Setup of the field is easiest inside of circular stadiums, like in the case of the Plaza de Toros in Bilbao (where bullfights take place).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WJ_nLT0JTA

It is expected that the 2020 3SF World Cup will take place in London

Other resources:

Vice - The World's Most Anarchic, Hectic Sport: Welcome to 'Three-Sided Football'

Telegraph - Three-sided football: it's a game of three thirds

Philosophy Football FC

 

What is Hornussen

Imagine extending a golf club, but the extension to that golf club is more of a whip. Now, smack a hockey puck as far as you can with it toward your teammates who are holding up picket signs and you’ve got Hornussen. It’s a bizarre Swiss golf/baseball sport.

Hornussen History

Hornussen, as with many European sports, was originally a game of war, with the object to hit the enemy with the projectile. The sport dates back to the 1600s with the earliest reference in the records of 1625 in a complaint about the breaking of the Sabbath.

Hornussen is sometimes referred to as Farmers Golf as it was a sport that was quite popular amongst farmers. It is reported that such events enabled farmers from villages to pit their strength against each other and to regulate disputes between villages. Many times the peaceful sport would not be enough and the Hornussen games were followed by wild brawls. The first known competitive Hornussen game took place in 1655 in Trub.

Who Plays Hornussen

Mostly Switzerland. Efforts have been made to expand the sport into other countries, but so far there haven't been many takers. In the United States at least 20 club teams have been established since 2012, but that by no means makes it a thriving sport. Other variations include Red Bull Hornussen which is more similar to a longest drive contest and is sometimes played at night with a glow in the dark Hornuss.

How Is Hornussen Played

The Hornus or Nouss is set on a metal ramp and kept in place with a piece of clay

The batter propels it through the air with his Tråf toward the other players

If the Nouss hits the ground unhindered, it’s points against the defense

Winner is the team with the fewer points at the end of the game

Teams of 18, each player hits twice in a quarter, each team gets 2 quarters

Games last about 3 to 4 hours

Scoring Breakdown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdIHOV6VGNU

And an example of the Red Bull Hornussen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWiRphS6sIg

Combining gymnastics, soccer, and volleyball bossaball is a rising sport all around the globe. Seen outside of the 2016 Rio Olympics on the beach it probably doesn't have a chance of being recognized by the IOC any time soon, but it looks extremely cool.

Two teams of four are split on a large inflatable that measure 18m x 14x with a 9m high net in the middle. Players use a barrage of volley touches (hands and forearms only) and soccer touches (anything but the hands) to try and land the ball on their opponents side.

Scoring is broken up as follows. Scoring with volley touch:

1 point: when the ball hits the opponents playing area.

3 points: when the ball is played directly in the opponent’s trampoline area.

Scoring with soccer touch:

3 points: when the ball hits the opponents playing area.

5 points: when the ball is played directly in the opponent’s trampoline area.

Bossaball also heavily integrates music, using their "samba referees" as in-house DJs. The music gives the sport a festival vibe. Did we mention each side of the court has a large trampoline on the front middle?

The game itself begin in the early 2000s in Spain and spread from there. The term bossa in this case relates to style, flair or attitude in Brazilian Portuguese.

While it's starting to gain traction all over, it has a fairly crazy setup which means you’ll need to actually search for it. The large inflatable court takes about 45 minutes to set up, so it's a bit of a chore.  There are several clubs which you can find in the Bossaball World Map.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm2ZKk8EMyQ

The court can be of any size but are usually around 18 yards in length and 14 yards in width. The 3m net can be adjusted based on who is participating. Children and women are generally lowered a bit, while men stick with the 3m net height.

This is definitely a sport, but not one we'll see played in high volume any time soon. Geoff thinks it would be a good candidate for the X-Games, but let's be real, they've never had a ball sport in their games and they're not about to start now.