被歷史遺忘的10種有趣的運動(上)

Sports have always been among mankind's most treasured endeavors. It usually starts off as an accessible form of entertainment and, before you know it, it becomes part of a civilization's culture. Nowadays, the international scene is dominated by a handful of the most popular sports, but that wasn't always the case. There was a time when each town had its own local pastime. And this led to some bizarre games that are now mostly forgotten (although, in some cases, that's a good thing).

運動一直是人們最爲珍視的拼搏形式。一項運動通常是以日常娛樂活動的形式開始出現，不知不覺地就成爲了我們的民族文化的一部分。現在的體育界被少數幾項最受歡迎的運動主宰，但以前可不是如此。每個小鎮都曾經有屬於自己的運動消遣方式，體育的大一統讓一些各具特色的比賽項目幾乎都被歷史遺忘了（雖然有時候這也是好事）。

ing Off Squirrels

10.打樹獵松鼠

"Barking off" was a type of squirrel hunting popular in America in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was created in the backwoods of Kentucky and popularized by renowned frontiersman Daniel Boone, who was famous for his marksmanship.

"打樹"是18世紀末期和19世紀初期流行於美國的松鼠捕獵方法。這項運動興起於肯塔基州的偏遠落後地區，後因拓荒者丹尼爾·布恩出色的槍法而聞名。

The goal of the contest was to hunt squirrels, but not by shooting them. Instead, the hunters would shoot the bark right below the squirrels. The impact was strong enough to shatter the bark and create a concussion blast powerful enough to kill the squirrels. For trophy hunters, this type of shooting had the added bonus of leaving the squirrels' skin intact. The practice of barking off squirrels occurred at a time when the woods of Kentucky were filled with these unlucky woodland critters. Regular squirrel hunts were so frequent that it wasn't uncommon for hunting parties to kill thousands of them in a single day. The most successful hunter often was not the best shot but the guy who could reload the fastest. That was why a new test of skill was welcomed by both hunters and spectators, who would often gamble on the outcome of the sport.

比賽的目的雖說是獵殺松鼠，卻不直接對松鼠射擊，而是朝着松鼠正下方的樹枝開槍。其威力能粉碎樹皮，併產生足以奪取松鼠性命的爆破力。作爲獵人的戰利品，這種打獵方法還能保持松鼠的皮毛完好無損。肯塔基州的樹林充滿了這些不幸的小動物時，"打樹獵松鼠"非常盛行。人人都愛好狩獵松鼠，以至於經常能在短短的一天內就射殺上千的松鼠。最成功的狩獵者往往不是最精準的射手，而是換子彈最快的人。該運動還衍生出了獵手和看客都喜愛的賭博——給獵殺松鼠最多的射手下注。

strian Long Jump

9.馬術跳遠

Many sports are created by combining two concepts that already existed. While some ideas have been successful, not all of them are winners. Take equestrian long jump, for example. This sport took the human long jump and combined it with horse racing to create a sport that was less exciting than either.

許多新運動就是兩項已有的運動結合而來。雖然有些運動結合成功，但也不乏失敗的。以馬術跳遠爲例，這項運動結合了兩項激動人心的賽事：跳遠和賽馬，結果產生的新運動卻比不上原先的任何一個。

There was a lot of interest in this concept in its early days. It was even featured as a sport at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris as part of a double equestrian event that also featured the horse high you are wondering why the equestrian long jump is not popular today, it's because it failed to make an impression. In fact, it was downright anticlimactic. The gold medal was won by Belgian racer Constant van Langhendonck and his horse, Extra-Dry. Their winning leap measured 6.1 meters. Although it was significantly better than any other horse jump that day—second place came in at 5.7 meters--it was still lackluster as people were expecting an inhuman display of athletic prowess. For comparison, the current world record for a human long jump is 8.95 meters.

這個運動概念在早期引起了人們的注意，甚至被列入了1900年巴黎夏季奧運會，與馬跳高一起作爲雙馬術比賽的項目。你或許對馬術跳遠難以流行感到疑惑，這主要是因爲人們無法在該比賽項目中取得好成績。這項比賽其實就只有個噱頭。金牌獲得者是比利時騎手康士頓·凡·朗爾頓和他的馬微甜。他們的獲勝成績是6.1米，第二名是5.7米，雖然第一名的成績顯着優於其他選手，但這結果依然讓人失望，所有人都期待着一場高技術廝殺的好戲呢。告知大家一下，目前人類的跳遠紀錄是8.95米。

le Racing

8.烏龜賽跑

You might think that turtle racing doesn't count as a forgotten sport because it is still practiced today, but there are few similarities between the old and current versions aside from the name. Nowadays, turtle racing is a fun activity for kids you can find at county fairs. All the participants huddle up in the center of a circle and let their turtles loose. The creatures wander around aimlessly until one eventually makes it out of the circle and is declared the winner.

也許有人認爲烏龜賽跑不算被歷史遺忘，因爲現如今這項運動仍然存在，但除名字相似以外，古今兩個版本的烏龜賽跑再無相像之處。現今在鄉村集市，經常可以看到孩子們玩烏龜賽跑。參賽者聚集在畫好的圓圈裏然後在中心處放下各自的烏龜，烏龜們漫無目的地遊蕩，直到有一隻爬出圈子，這便是冠軍。

That was not the case 100 years ago. Back then, giant turtles were used in a genuine straight-line race. Crowds of excited spectators watched impatiently from the sides just like they would at a horse race. The turtles even had small children riding them like jockeys. As bizarre as that image might be, there are even stranger claims about the origin of the sport. According to an article in the Miami News, turtle racing first became popular in the Bahamas, where it was a favorite local pastime. However, there were a few key differences. For starters, the races took place in water instead of on land, so giant sea turtles were used, typically loggerhead turtles. These turtles had men riding them as jockeys, and they weren't just for show. They were there to make sure the animals followed the course, which was usually more complex than a simple straight line.

此規則跟100年前的烏龜賽跑大相徑庭。那會兒，大烏龜真的要直線賽跑。賽場周圍擠滿了興奮的觀衆，彷彿看賽馬般狂熱。有時甚至會有小孩像賽馬騎師一樣騎在比賽的大烏龜身上。更好玩的是，居然還有人考究起這運動的起源來。根據《邁阿密新聞》的一篇文章，烏龜賽跑初始在巴哈馬羣島，且深得民心。然而，這與我們之前討論的又有些關鍵的區別。首先，這裏的比賽場地在水中而非陸地，所以用巨型海龜參賽，通常是赤蠵龜。而且參賽者真的會坐在海龜上，這不是爲了表演，而是爲了確保海龜沿着複雜的比賽路徑爬行。

tain

7.刺靶

Jousting is an essential part of medieval lore. There was no better way for a knight to prove his valor than to enter a jousting tournament and perform in front of the king and his royal court. However, jousting champions are made, not born. In order to perfect their skills, knights would need to train—and that's quintain. Instead of two knights charging at each other, one knight would charge at a stationary target (also known as a quintain) in order to improve his skill.

格鬥是中世紀傳說必不可少的一個部分。沒有比參加格鬥錦標賽更好的方法讓騎士在國王和宮廷大臣面前展現自己的勇猛。格鬥需要磨練，沒有經驗的人是無法獲勝的。爲了使自己的技術更加精湛，騎士們需要不停地訓練，即刺靶。這種訓練不需要兩個騎士互刺，只需要騎士攻系一個固定的目標（靶）以此來提高自己的技術。

Typically, the target was a shield balanced on a pole with a counterweight at the other end. The weight served multiple purposes as the quintain would spin when hit. An accurate shot would cause the maximum spin, and this was considered a good indicator of a knight's skill. However, a slow or incorrect hit could spin the weight (usually a sandbag) in time to hit the rider from behind and knock him off his horse. Since quintain was merely a form of training, there was very little pomp and circumstance associated with it. Everyone was free to watch and even participate. Eventually, this turned quintain into a sport of its own, accessible to all the classes. Even those without a horse could participate by using a wooden horse or a boat in some areas. They could even simply run toward the target.

靶子通常是吊在杆子一端的盾牌，另一端放上等重的平衡物。這樣的設計讓騎士在刺靶時依照靶子的旋轉速就能判斷自己攻擊的準確性。快而準的攻擊能達到靶子的最高轉速，將盾牌甩得高高的，這被認爲是騎士技術好的一個重要指標。慢攻或錯誤的攻擊會使另一頭的平衡物（通常是沙袋）由背後打向騎士甚至把他打落馬。由於刺靶是隻是一種訓練形式，正式的排場很少會用到它。每個人都可以隨意觀看並且參與其中。刺靶最終演變爲一種任何階層都可以接觸到的運動。一些沒有馬的地方也使用木馬或船來代替，只用雙腿跑着刺靶也未嘗不可。

Pulling

6.拔鰻魚

It shouldn't be surprising to find out that human beings weren't always concerned with the welfare of animals. We certainly would not have let it get in the way of a good time. Such was the case with eel pulling, a practice that was popular in the Netherlands in the 19th century. There were two basic forms of this sport. One was a classic tug-of-war battle, but the rope was replaced with a live eel. The eel was soaped up to make it more slippery, and two teams would pull ferociously at each end of the doomed animal.

人們通常不會去關心動物的幸福，不僅如此，還不讓動物們好過。例如"拔鰻魚"，一個在19世紀荷蘭十分流行的運動項目。該運動項目有兩種形式。一種像傳統的拔河比賽，只不過繩子換成了活鰻魚。爲了使鰻魚更滑，人們還在它身上抹肥皂。雙方的拔河隊員會野蠻地拉扯這條在劫難逃的鰻魚。

The other version of eel pulling involved hanging the eel from a line dangling over a canal. Players had to jump and take down the eel while passing through the canal in a boat. This version of the sport, which was more popular, was more entertainment than sport. Spectators would laugh at the participants, who often ended up in the biggest eel pulling hot spot was Amsterdam. The game was so popular that people kept playing it even after it was outlawed. Trying to stop the Dutch from enjoying their eel pulling had dire consequences, as the people of Amsterdam found out on July 25, 1886. A police officer ended a game in progress by cutting the line. This triggered the Eel Riot of 1886, which resulted in 26 deaths, 100 injuries, and countless arrests.

另一個版本的"拔鰻魚"則是用繩索把鰻魚懸掛在在運河一處的上方。參賽者需乘船流經此處並跳起來"拔"下鰻魚。這一版本的"拔鰻魚"更爲流行，與其說是運動不如稱其爲一種娛樂，因爲一般來說參賽者最後都會掉進水裏，這讓觀衆們捧腹大笑。"拔鰻魚"最流行的地方是阿姆斯特丹。該運動項目實在太火了，以至於後來被列爲了非法運動，人們卻還是樂此不疲。如果你想要禁止荷蘭人開展"拔鰻魚"比賽，後果非常嚴重。1886年6月26日，阿姆斯特丹一位警官剪斷掛鰻魚的繩索，中斷了一場"拔鰻魚"比賽，這就引發了1886年的"鰻魚暴亂"事件，導致26人死亡，100人受傷，還有數不清的人被拘留。

翻譯:彼得潘、小飛俠 來源:前十網