If competing in traditional sports isn’t your scene, never fear! There might just be an obscure competition out there for you.
From punslinging to face-pulling, there are some pretty quirky activities in the world that you might not be aware you can compete in. Sadly, some of these championships were postponed during the pandemic, but are due to make a comeback this year - so you have plenty of time to practise!
A battle of wits: Competitive punning
In what might be the most groan-inducing competition ever, 32 pun experts, or Punsters, take turns ‘punning’ in head-to-head rounds. There are two official competitions in the UK Pun Championships: Punniest of Show and Punslingers. Punniest of Show is a stand up-style skit where Punsters deliver 90 seconds of material containing as many puns as possible. Judges then award a score of up to 10 points based on pun quality, flow, etc. and the top three Punsters win.
Punslinging is more off-the-cuff. Punslingers are given a theme and must keep the wordplay going in a continuous exchange of punnery. Failure to come up with a pun in five seconds or reusing the same word three times gets you eliminated. Round-by-round, the pairs compete until one quick wit is crowned the ultimate Punslinger.
The UK heats are held in Leicester, England, as part of the Leicester Comedy Festival, and the audiences determine who has inflicted the winning pun each round by cheering.
An age-old war: Rock Paper Scissors
Fancy yourself the playground champion of the famous knockout game? Well, maybe you have what it take to compete in a Rock Paper Scissors championship. The rules are simple: rock breaks scissors, scissors cut paper, paper covers rock.
From 2009-2014, the United States of America Rock Paper Scissors League held a national championship for the sport which was televised and could earn the winner a prize of $50,000. The league was discontinued, but the UK and European championships remain. Every year in the UK championship, 150 contestants battle it out to have the winning hand gesture. There are extra games as 16 lucky losers of the first round can compete to get back onto the main stage, and there are freeform competitions to be the last person standing in the room.
Express yourself: Competitive gurning
You may have been warned that if the wind changes while you’re pulling a face, it’ll be stuck that way forever. Perhaps it’s a good thing that the World Gurning Championships are held indoors!
‘Gurning’ is the act of pulling a grotesque face, and the more horrible the better in this competition. The championships are held in Egremont, Cumbria, and is only one part of a series of traditional sports held at the annual Crab Fair. According to local legend, the competition can be traced back as far as 1297, where the Lord of the Manor would award crab apples to the townspeople at the fair.
A typical gurn involves pushing the lower jaw as far forward and up as possible, and covering the upper lip with the lower lip. Competitors must wear a large horse collar at the same time as gurning and there are few rules beyond that. Makeup is banned, but false teeth are allowed.
Ahead of the curve: Skimming stones
Since 1997 on the tiny isle of Easdale, Scotland, the World Stone Skimming Championship (WSSC) has taken place. Stone skimming is when you throw a flat stone across a body of water to see how far it goes (not to be confused with skipping, where the objective is to bounce the stones as many times as possible). The perfect skim relies on a few factors: the flatness and size of the stone, the stillness of the water and the curve of the arm when thrown.
In the WSSC, there are many rules including that the stone must be formed of Easdale slate, and it must bounce at least two times to be a proper skim. The competition was created in 1983 by Easdale resident Bertie Baker, who competes in a separate category against contestants from all around the world.
A cracking feat: Egg throwing
Every summer the fields in Swaton, England run yellow with yolk. Swaton Vintage Day was started in 1994 by local farmers to show off their vintage tractors, and expanded to include a range of shows and activities including the World Egg Throwing Championships in 2005.
The competition ranges from the Egg Throwing Static Relay (teams of 11 competitors stand 10 metres apart and pass eggs down the line, with penalties for breakages) to the distance-throwing-and-catching game Egg Trebuchet. Over the years the championships have raised over £100,000 for local, national and international charities - though they do get a bit messy.
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