Sports used to be about strategy, building drama and briefmoments of excitement.
Then video games made sports marketers think that they had tomake action out of everything. They started aiming sports at ayounger audience by replacing the dramatic music with rock buffers.I just hope CBS doesn't have Metallica do this year's version ofthe NCAA Championship theme "One Shining Moment."
Nothing marked this change more than ESPN 2's "X-Games," acollection of "extreme" sports.
After this, several long-standing sports felt they had to go"extreme," including the English gentlemen's game of croquet. Yes,there is such a thing as extreme croquet.
First off, the course is much larger. The recommended length is200 to 300 yards, compared to 35 yards in standard croquet.
The second, and perhaps most insane, change involves the playingarea itself. Beginning extreme-croquet players are recommend toplay in a field. After you get used to the larger playing field,you can advance to intermediate play, which usually takes place inpublic parks.
Advanced extreme-croquet players have the most fun. Their courseis usually set up in the middle of the woods. The players attemptto bank the balls off trees, rocks and other natural obstacles.Sounds a lot like the last time I played golf.
Extreme croquet is subject to several local versions, such asthe "stump rule." This rule states that if the ball comes incontact with a tree stump, then players can move the ball to thetop of the tree stump and tee off.
Usually this is where I would make some joke involving theprevious statement about golf. Instead, I just ask you to picturesomeone teeing off a croquet ball.
This is not the only variation of croquet. In another style,players use sledgehammers and soccer balls, but extreme croquetseems to be the most playable and the one gaining popularity.
Extreme croquet clubs are popping up all over the country.
The only thing needed to start a game of extreme croquet is astandard croquet kit and a wooded area.
The Connecticut eXtreme Croquet Society bills their club as"dedicated to enjoying eXtreme croquet, nature and the near-deathexperience." So maybe you need to be lacking sanity just a bit toplay.
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