And now it's time for Who Smarted?
And stepping to the plate is number seven, Bobby Bobinsky, also known as Little Bob.
He may only be five foot two, but he can sure hit a baseball.
Ooh, but not today.
That's strike three.
He's out.
Hey, smarty pants, if you couldn't tell, I'm at a baseball game.
And I gotta say, while baseball is cool and all, it can be a little slow and kind of repetitive.
Ooh, that's strike three.
If you're a fan of hitting, today's not your day.
And while the snacks are fun, I just kind of wish we were watching a crazier sport.
Or a faster sport.
Or one that's just plain weird.
But there's no sports like that out there.
Right, Smarty Pants?
You are so wrong about that, trusty.
Wait, is the announcer talking to me?
Why, yes.
Of course I'm talking to you.
It's me, Chet Nickerson.
Oh, hey, Chet.
I didn't realize it was you calling the game.
Also, shouldn't you be calling the game?
Eh.
There isn't much to do.
Everyone just keeps striking out.
But to answer your question, there are lots of weird and crazy sports out there, trustee.
Oh, really?
Like what?
Well, you've got your underwater hockey, your cheese rolling, ear pulling, etc., etc.
Oh, wait, wait, what?
Those are all real sports?
They sure are.
Ooh, did you know about this, smarty pants?
Yeah, me neither.
And now I definitely want to learn about the weirdest sports out there.
And how did these weird sports come to be?
And how do you play it?
Are they really considered sports?
I mean, cheese rolling?
Whatever that is, sounds more like a game you'd play at a birthday party than a sport.
Great questions, trustee.
Let's get out of here and learn more about some of these crazy sports.
Wait, what about the baseball game?
I'll bring my wireless headset and stream the game on my phone.
If anyone finally gets a hit, I'll be able to announce it, which doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon.
Okay, in that case, start warming up Smarty Pants, because we are about to take a weird and wild whiff of science and history on Who Smarted.
Who Smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it science or history?
Listen up, everyone.
We make smarting lots of fun on Who's Smart?
Uh, Chet, why are we in a big, empty high school gym?
Also, am I going to have to play any of these wacky sports?
As you know, I'm more narrady than sporty.
Don't worry, TN.
We're just here so I can give you a play-by-play of all the categories of crazy sports you and the Smarty Pants are going to learn about today.
I even brought a whiteboard.
First, I'll show you a game of endurance.
Then we'll zoom over to a racing sport.
Then bring it back here for a sport that's a mix of racing and endurance.
Then we'll take a look at a few modified sports, which are just crazier versions of existing sports.
And finally, I've saved the best for last, a sport that's just plain weird.
Nice.
I'm excited.
Great.
Let's get started.
Mind if I use your teleportation app?
Be my guest.
Oof, it's cold.
Where are we?
Why we're at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in Alaska to check out an endurance sport played by the Inuit people of Alaska and Northern Canada.
It's called the Ear Pull.
Ouch!
That looks very painful.
How does it work?
Well, as you can see, two people stand facing each other with two loops of string connecting each of their ears.
On the signal, the competitors will lean their heads backwards, pulling at each other's ears.
Whoever can tolerate the most pain wins.
And they're off.
Um, why are they doing this?
The short answer is to prove their endurance.
That's why it's an endurance sport.
And for those smarty pants who aren't sure, endurance is the ability to put up with something unpleasant for an amount of time, like ear-pooling.
Smartypants, why do you think that this Inuit sport originated?
Was it A, to prepare young people for the harsh conditions of life in the Arctic?
B, to improve their hearing by stretching out their ears?
Or C, to help clean behind their ears?
If you said A, you're right!
It's been said that if you can tolerate the discomfort of the ear pull, you can tolerate the sting of an arctic frostbite.
Can't they just wear earmuffs?
Ha!
I will say, although the rules of the ear pull are pretty straightforward basically, keep pulling until someone quits.
It's definitely not for the faint of heart.
People's ears have bled, and some contestants have even needed stitches.
Yikes.
Smarty Pants, do not try this game at home.
And that's strike three to end the inning.
Okay, let's keep moving, trusty.
We've got more strange sports to see.
Where are we now, Chet?
Finland.
Great.
We went from one cold place to another cold place.
Do any of these weird sports get played in the tropics?
Hey, what are all those people doing on that muddy field?
They're playing a sport that involves endurance and racing.
It's called wife-carrying.
Wife-carrying?
As in carrying your wife?
That's right.
Wife-carrying started in Finland in 1992, and it's exactly what it sounds like.
Someone carries their wife through an obstacle course.
Today, it's pretty popular and is played all over the world.
Smarty Pants, true or false?
The person you're carrying doesn't actually need to be your wife or anyone's wife.
The answer is true.
Yep.
You don't actually have to carry your wife.
And nowadays, there's no gender rules for the sport at all.
So it's really just one person carrying another.
In fact, according to the official rules, the most important rule of wife carrying is have fun.
Oh, that sounds nice.
Are there any other rules of wife carrying?
Well, first there's three carrying styles.
There's your classic piggyback.
Whoa, Chet, put me down.
Then there's the fireman's carry, where you carry your partner over your shoulder.
Whoa.
Ah, seriously, I'm afraid of heights.
And finally, there's Estonian style, where you carry your partner upside down on your back, with their legs over your neck and shoulders.
Ah!
Stop running!
I'm gonna be sick!
The course is just over 800 feet long and, according to the rules, there must be a dry obstacle course and a wet obstacle course where you have to run through water and the person being carried must wear a helmet.
Here you go, trusty.
I happen to have one with me.
The couple who completes the course fastest wins.
But there's other prizes too, like best costume, most entertaining couple, and strongest carrier.
Will you please put me down?
Fine.
Thanks.
So how did this crazy sport start?
The history of wife carrying is a bit murky.
It's believed, a famous Finnish thief from the 1800s named Rankemein the Robber trained other thieves by having them carry heavy sacks on their backs to see who could do it the fastest.
Well, I did say I wanted weird.
What else you got?
How about a racing game you'll never forget?
Ooh, beautiful rolling green hills.
And finally, it's not too cold.
Where are we?
Why we're in England, on Cooper's Hill in Gloucester to be exact, for the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling.
It's a very old, very weird, surprisingly very rough race.
Wait, did you say cheese rolling?
Yep.
Basically, people race down a steep 200-yard hill chasing a wheel of cheese.
Whoever crosses the finish line first wins the grand prize, which is the cheese wheel.
Oh, well, I do love a good cheese.
Smarty Pants, what type of cheese is used in cheese rolling?
Is it A, blue cheese, B, double Gloucester, or C, a different type of cheese each year?
If you said B, you're right.
We are in Gloucester, after all.
This race has existed since 1826 and, though the exact origins are unknown, it's believed to have come from paganism.
It was thought rolling bundles of twigs down a hill at the end of winter would bring good luck for the new year.
From this, people would also scatter buns and biscuits at the top of the hill to encourage a bountiful harvest.
And somehow, they ended up with a wheel of cheese.
Did you also say the sport is very rough?
Oh, yeah.
Believe it or not, lots of people get injured each year barreling down the steep hill in pursuit of the cheese.
Yikes.
But I gotta say, cheese rolling sounds more like a game than a sport.
What's the difference?
Great question.
The answer is... Coming right up after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
What I love most about IXL is how it adapts to each child's pace.
Whether your kid needs to reinforce foundational skills before an assessment or push ahead into new material, IXL meets them exactly where they are, with no pressure and real encouragement built right in.
Kids earn rewards, see their own progress, and actually feel good about learning.
And for parents, the real-time progress tracking is a game changer.
You always know exactly where your child stands.
Plus, it makes learning fun.
And you know I love that.
Over 15 million students use IXL, and it's proven to improve achievement in all 50 states.
So make an impact on your child's learning.
Who's Smarted listeners get an exclusive 20% off at ixl.com slash smarted.
That's ixl.com slash smarted for your 20% off.
Now back to Who Smarted?
Wow.
Cheese rolling is crazy and pretty fun to watch, but it still feels more like a game than a sport.
What's the difference, Chet?
Though some sports can seem more like games, the difference between a game and a sport is that a sport is always physical and has a competitive element.
And cheese rolling is definitely both competitive and physical.
Gotcha.
Okay, what else you got?
Whoa, why are people swimming in a pool holding tiny little hockey sticks?
Because you're watching underwater hockey, our first example of a modified sport.
Two teams of up to ten players, with six playing at any given time, swim around under the water pushing a puck with hockey sticks.
Only the hockey sticks are way shorter than in regular hockey.
Oh, and the puck is made of lead, so it can stay at the bottom of the pool.
Smarty Pants, what's another name for underwater hockey?
A, octopus.
B, octopus.
Or C, squid slap.
If you said A, octopus, you're right.
It was invented in England in 1954 and has since taken the world by storm.
It's now popular in Canada, the U.S., South Africa, Australia, and Asia.
And while you can use fins and goggles, you're not allowed to use scuba equipment.
I think I'll stick to regular hockey.
Understandable.
Come on, I want to show you a sport that's a bit magical.
Before you ask, we're at Middlebury College in Vermont.
It's pretty, but what's so magical about it?
This is where a modified sport was invented based on a fictional flying sport in a magical world.
Ooh, Smarty Pants, any guesses what that might be?
If you said Quidditch from Harry Potter, you're right.
In 2005, the real world non-magical version was created at Middlebury College.
It's sometimes referred to as Muggle Quidditch.
But it's a game that's popular all over the world.
Cool.
But wait, if you can't fly, how do you play?
Well, you have two teams of seven.
And although no one can actually fly, team members do ride broomsticks by holding them between their legs.
And, just like in the magical version, the point is to get your ball through the opponent's hoops before they get it through yours.
But in Harry Potter, there's a magical flying golden ball called the snitch that they have to catch.
In this version, it's just a tennis ball. inside a pouch tied to the shorts of the snitch runner.
And the other players must try to grab the snitch from them.
I must say, that does sound like fun to play.
Sadly, we don't have time for that.
But I did save the best for last.
Whoa, why are we on a mountaintop?
Why is there an ironing board?
Because we're here to check out the weirdest sport of all.
It's hard to even put it in a category.
It's just plain weird.
Why, it's none other than extreme ironing.
Excuse me?
Extreme ironing is an extreme sport where people take irons and ironing boards to extreme or remote locations and iron their clothes.
Is that a sport or just ironing?
It's considered a sport because of the extreme outdoor locations.
To quote the Extreme Ironing Bureau, Yes, that is a real thing.
It's the latest dangerous sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.
Wow.
How did this start?
Extreme ironing was invented in England in 1997 by Phil Shaw.
But the first ever extreme ironing competition took place in Germany in 2002.
Eighty teams participated in an obstacle course in which they had to iron clothing in various extreme locations, such as climbing a wall, hanging from a tree or crawling under a car.
Interestingly, you don't get the highest scores for ironing in the most extreme locations, but rather for who does the best quality ironing.
I can barely iron my shirts in the comfort of my home, let alone dangling off of a cliff.
Today, extreme ironing has taken place in all sorts of crazy locations.
Mountaintops, in a canoe, on top of a statue.
Smartypants, true or false?
There's even been bungee ironing.
The answer, of course, is true.
Definitely weird, definitely a sport, and there you have it.
Some of the weirdest sports out there.
Wow, thanks, Chet.
That was super cool.
But I think I'd rather just watch some good old-fashioned baseball.
Whoa, little Bob sure got all of that one for a massive home run.
A big shout out to Smarty fan Xavier in Del Mar, California.
Thanks so much for smarting with us, Xavier.
We're so happy to hear that you love the sound effects and love learning new things.
That, my Smarty friend, is what Who Smarted is all about.
This episode Weird Sports was written by Phil Jeremy and voiced by Adam Chetz Davis and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Underwater Hockey Han.
Our associate producer is Max Cheesewheel Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Ironing Board Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis.
Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Colburn.
This has been an Atomic Audio production.
