This may come as a shock to some people but not every member of the population is in love with sports. Some people actually stare at their friends and family in bewilderment as they scream at the television. For anyone that relates to this on a personal level, it turns out there are a (small) selection of sports that won’t make you want to turn around to watch the paint on the wall dry.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics always gets a massive amount of media attention during the Olympics but it’s not just because of the pretty leotards. It requires nearly superhuman strength, balance, flexibility, agility, coordination and endurance. All of this is performed by teenage girls who are barely even 5ft tall. Besides the Olympics, there are plenty of championships to follow every year that can be found either on sports television channels or YouTube. There’s also a binge-worthy amount of gymnastics based films and documentaries on Netflix just in case you run out of content on your way down the rabbit hole.
As for actually taking part in gymnastics, the chances of becoming pro are slim unless you join as a young child but plenty of gymnasiums offer adult classes. It’s never too late to gain a new perspective on life so it might as well be upside down whilst you are doing a flip.
Horse Riding/Equestrian
Honestly, who didn’t want a horse growing up? Not only are they beautiful animals but they also have many talents. They can move really really fast (horse racing), they can jump over things (show jumping) and they can dance (dressage). To make this even better, there aren’t a billion rules to learn before you even sit down to watch. Most people get by with if the horse is slow, falls or knocks something over it’s generally not a good thing.
Horse riding is a great way to get exercise whilst also getting fresh air. Even if you manage to stay up on the horse and do nothing else it works your leg, bum and stomach muscles like nothing else.
Figure Skating
This is by far the most graceful sport in existence. Imagine ballet but on steroids. It’s hard to get bored when you’re watching a man in a sparkly blouse hurling his partner around in circles whilst their head is only two inches above the ice and he is holding nothing but their feet which, let’s remind people, have blades attached to them. Of course, for very obvious reasons, it’s much easier to find content during the winter and Ireland is severely lacking in year-round rinks to make it a substantial hobby. However, there is an abundance of videos on YouTube to keep you entertained and a must watch is the classic movie ‘Ice Princess’.
In day to day life, people’s obsession with sports can be annoying but it’s a way for people to make conversation and bond. If you look closely, you may find something that peaks your interest.