Some people stubbornly insist that there’s no sport out there for them. They’ve tried the usual suspects, from volleyball to tennis, to no avail. For these people, there exists a far greater realm of possibilities than those that the traditional sporting world offers — one of the best examples being hybrid sports. The realm of hybrid sports may not seem particularly active beyond the soccer-baseball days of middle school gym class — but, in fact, there are several activities, which fuse together sports to create new niches within the seemingly static world of sport. With the popularity of hybrid sports on the rise, the possibilities for bringing creativity to your athletic endeavors are endless.
Chessboxing
This sport fuses both physical and mental energy into one grand performance. Opponents face one another in alternating games of chess and boxing. For anyone doubting the seriousness of this sport, the World Chessboxing Association (WCBA) will hold the 2014 International Chessboxing final on December 13 in London. Unfortunately, competitive chessboxing has yet to secure a hold in Canada, but the hybrid has enjoyed growing popularity internationally since 2011 — so perhaps the Varsity Blues Chessboxing team is only a couple of years away.
Foot-volley
Beach volleyball is taken to a whole new level with this combination between volleyball and Association football, aka soccer. The sport is established enough to have tournaments in the United States and South America — which is where the sport originated. The name is a little daunting — do you use your feet, hands, or none of the above? — but essentially, footvolley means that the use of your hands is allowed in soccer. The annual Pro Footvolley Tour features the top 20 professional footvolley teams in the US alongside guest foreign teams, primarily from South America. Canadians are tragically not part of this event, but fear not footvolley fans: you can watch the competition on TV from the comfort of your couch.
Joggling
For most runners, listening to music is ample entertainment for their daily jaunt. However, if you find yourself getting bored during that last kilometre, then perhaps joggling is the solution. As the name implies, joggling combines elements of jogging and juggling. Torontonian Michal Kapral put Canada on the map by setting the Guinness World Record for joggling in a full marathon in 2007. Much like chessboxing, joggling requires physical and mental endurance, including some serious multitasking skills, but it would certainly allow for some added enjoyment as you run at the Athletic Centre (though the jury’s out on whether you or those watching you would have more fun). If you’re a daredevil, you can work joggling into your winter run along the icy paths of Queen’s Park.