Silly SportsChapter 2

What are Sports?

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

Extreme Ironing

Extreme IroningExtreme Ironing is an extreme sport and a performance art in which people take an ironing board to a remote location and iron items of clothing.

Brainstorming after reading

Extreme Ironing

Most people believe that a sport combines physical activity and competition.

DEFINITION OF Extreme ironing is pressing clothes in very difficult places.

Ironists must carry their irons, ironing boards and wrinkled laundry with them to the competition site.

Some ironist take electric generators and others heat heir irons on gas stoves.

The competitors get points for the difficulty of the location and the quality of the ironing.

Amazing places where competitors have competed are: climbing rocks, climbing mountains, climbing trees, canoes, kayak, on the backs of cows, and underwater.

Extreme Ironing

1st World Champion were held in Germany in 2002, people from 30 countries compete.

Phil Shaw is the inventor of extreme ironing. Rowenta a German Corporation pays for

Shaws team. The goal of extreme ironists is to have their

sport included in the Olympics. Contestants don’t use their real names

instead they use names such as: Steam, Cool, Silk, Iron Man etc.

What do ironists get points for?

Where do ironists iron their clothes?

What are the things they must carry?

Eating to Live

Eating to LiveCompetitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to consume large quantities of food in a short time period.

Brainstorming after reading

Eating to Live

Sonya Thomas is from Virginia. She weights 45kg. Sonya finished 38 lobsters in

12 minutes and won the World Lobster Eating. She ate a total of 4.39kg of lobster meat. Also won $500 and a trophy.

Sonya is a professional gugitador.

She has won many other contest.

She won a bean eating competition (4 kilos of beans in 2 minutes and 47 seconds).

Also hold the record for hard-boiled eggs (65 in 6 minutes)

Tacos (43 tacos in 11 minutes).

Takeru Kobayasi is rank number one in the world.

He is a Japanese gurgitator.

He is the champion in eating hot dogs, rice balls and cow brains.

He weights only 50kg.

Eating to Live

Professional eating is a serious business. People travel for their championships just like other sports.

1st Championship Chicken wings. 2nd Championship Matzo-ball. 3rd Championship Pickle eating. The most important competition

“Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest held in July in New York.

Answer the excersises

What do you think of extreme ironing and professional eating? Are they sports? Would you participate in them?

Are there any other sports that you think are silly?

Name 3 different eating contest, before the Nathan’s Hot Dog.

Which is the most important contest held in July?

Are Sonya and Takeru fat? Explain.

What country does Sonya represent?

What country does Takeru represent?

What makes a Sport?

What makes a Sport?

There are some activities that are definetly not Sports: cheerdeading, dance, figure skating, and gymnastics.

A judge or a group of judges chooses the winner. Judges determine the winners based on their opinions. Judges are humans and man things can influence them.

-Activities like bowling, ping-pong and curling are sports. The person or team that has more points or finishes first wins. (Judges opinions are not necessary)

What makes a Sport?

-You can be athletes and not participate in a sport. Cheerleaders, dancers, gymnasts require a lot of athleticism, strength and flexibility. They participate in athletic competitions.

-Also you can participate in a sport and not be an athlete. Examples of this can be bowling and golfers. They are not athletes but they have specific skills.

-According to the writer NASCAR is not a sport, it’s just entertainment.

Answer the following

1. According to the writer, which of these activities are sports?

Figure skating golf gymnastics baseball

2. How did the writer make his decision of what are sports?

3. Do all athletes participate in sports?

4. Is everyone who participates in a sport an athlete?

5. Identify some points in which the writer doesn’t agree with.

According to the Chapter. Define the following terms.

Result Umpires Athleticism Competition Judge Sponsor Corporation Participate Score Stove

Ironing (Iron) Champion Compete Speed Amount Taste Gurgitator Laundry Extreme Team

According to all what we have learnt in the chapter What is a Sport?