1. Competitive Duck Herding
Ducks have been used in the past to train herding dogs and to test young puppies for the herding instinct. In recent years, duck herding has become a popular corporate teambuilding activity in the UK. Participants are broken up into teams and given a demonstration by professional duck herders and their dogs. Teams then have to take control of the herding dogs and maneuver the flock of ducks around an obstacle course. While there are several companies that offer duck herding experiences for corporate trials in the U.K., duck herding as a competitive sport is rapidly growing in the U.S.
2. Giant Pumpkin Kayaking
Giant Pumpkin Kayaking consists of hollowing out a giant pumpkin, climbing inside, and paddling across or along a body of water. It began in Lake Pesaquid, Canada and has rapidly spread through North America. Today there are dozens of Pumpkin Regattas around the U.S. and Canada.
3. Canine freestyle dancing
Canine freestyle dancing is basically dancing with your dog. “Canine Freestyle is a choreographed performance organized with music, illustrating the training and joyful relationship of a dog and handler team,” states the Canine Freestyle Federation’s website. Said to have begun in Canada in the late 1980s, canine freestyle is now practiced around the world.
4. Chess boxing
Chess boxing combines traditional chess with the sport of boxing. Popular in the U.K., Germany, India and Russia, a fight consists of six rounds of chess and five rounds of boxing. Beginning and ending with a chess round, the rounds alternate until a player is either knocked out or checkmated.
5. Competitive dog grooming
Ever want to turn your Saint Bernard into a tiger? Your Bichon into a panda? How about a Ninja Turtle? Professional groomers compete by clipping, dyeing, and combing dogs into other animals, objects, and characters.
6. Tea dueling
Tea dueling consists of opponents dunking biscuits into tea, counting to five and trying to eat 94% of the biscuit. Participants who cannot get the biscuit into their mouths lose. This is the easy version- for the complete rules from the American Tea Dueling Society, visit their Facebook page.
7. Worm charming
Also known as worm fiddling and worm grunting, worm charming consists of attempting to attract earthworms to the surface. Used by fishermen and bait-collectors, worm charming has been handed down through generations. It has recently experienced new popularity as a competitive sport.
8. Toy voyaging
Individuals can send their toys on vacation by registering at ToyVoyagers.com. On the website, you can find your toy a host from around the world, or offer to host someone else’s toy. All registered toys get a toy voyager ID. Owners can create a travelog and profile for their traveling toy and tell potential hosts what their toy wants to do while visiting. Hosts and owners update the travelog and add pictures.
9. Yarn bombing
Also known as yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting, or urban knitting, yarn bombing is a form of street art using yarn and string instead of paint or chalk. Most Yarn bombs are not permanent and can be removed when necessary. Starting in the early 2000s in the U.S., guerrilla knitting has spread around the world as young women are rediscovering knitting and crochet. Nothing is safe from yarnbombers, from statues to trees, light posts, bike racks, cars and parking meters; yarmbombers have covered them all. 10. Guerrilla gardening
Guerrilla gardening consists of working on land that the gardener does not have a legal right to use and usually takes place on spaces that are abandoned or neglected by their owners. Guerrilla gardeners do so for a variety of reasons, form the overenthusiastic rose-planter who just can’t help herself, to the political activist who does it to convey a message. There are several guerrilla gardening organizations listed at GuerrillaGardening.org. #hobbies #innovation