We are happy to report that a new sport has been invented. It is not quite ready for the 2008 Olympics, but with some skillful marketing perhaps we’ll be ready for 2012.
The new sport is called Swimming Pool Sumo.
To play this game, you need two guys (girls are OK too, but they are usually too sensible for this sort of thing), a swimming pool (Olympic size is not necessary), and two matched flotation devices. Donut shaped rings are best, because they are farly stable and make the combatants look silly. The guys should be somewhat equally matched in weight, and if they are drinking beer they need to put the beer down for the duration of the match, because spilled beer is very bad for pool chemistry. In our household, we don’t need beer to act silly. This is good because the median age of our household is 15.
The rules are simple:
1. The two opponents get onto their flotation rings, preferably rear end down.
2. They shake hands in the middle of the pool to begin the match.
3. The combatants then try to either tip each other over, or drive one combatant to touch the edge of the pool. It is permissible to board your opponent’s flotation device, and splashing is permitted, but doesn’t contribute to your score.
3. If you tip your opponent, you score a point. Your opponent counts as tipped if his head goes under before yours, or if his feet touch bottom.
4. To prevent one player from running away, we added the rule that if you push your opponent so that he touches the edge of the pool, you score a point.
This makes the rules very similar to Sumo wrestling, except without the lower weight limit.
Josh and I have tested this sport. It is quite good for aerobic exercise, but it does cause some bruises. It is best to play to a certain number of points.
I have found, much to my chagrin, that he can beat me, so obviously we need to make some changes to the rules. If I can get some videos to work, I will demonstrate this silly sport.
I’m looking forward to your video!