The thrill of ironing; the agony of mountain unicycling

Nor are they forsaking more traditional sports, says Mr. Turco, citing the continuing rise of youth soccer. Rather, young athletes may just be broadening their collective palette, taking some cues from TV but not being manipulated.

In the summer, Jeff will come back up north from the Boston suburbs for some downhill mountain biking. He and some friends own the bikes that the sport demands, with hefty shocks and rims that won't "taco" - fold in half - when they encounter rocks. They'll run hard - and wear body armor. Nobody will be looking for cameras.

"I think that it's going to be a few trendsetters who are going to take this back to a purer kind of physical activity, one that shuns the glitter, and the media, and the commercialization - a cleaner activity done just for the sake of doing so," says Turco. "There is this counterculture that says 'I don't want to sell myself out.' "

By Bradley Rosenberg

Man has always had a desire to compete, at times in peculiar ways. Rap battles, thumb wars, and Slam Ball are just a few examples. But there are many more, including these particularly unusual competitions:

Man vs. horse marathon: That's right, this race in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, pits horses against humans for 22 miles. A human has yet to win in the 24 years that the competition has been held. Last year, the first human to cross the line finished in two hours and 17 minutes - 15 minutes behind the first horse.

Underwater rugby: Invented in 1961, this game has made a splash throughout all of Europe and parts of the United States. But it's most popular in its place of origin, Germany. The game is similar to rugby, with the main difference being that players must refrain from pulling on their opponent's swimsuit. Oh, and everything is underwater. Much thanks goes to inventor Ludwig von Bersuda; for without him, Germans would be playing rugby with entirely too much oxygen.

Haggis hurling: Few may know this, but of all the Scottish foods, haggis is the most fun to throw. This game was invented in the Scottish village of Auchnaclory, where wives would often toss their husband's haggis across a river rather than wade across the cold water to where their husbands worked. Today, the rich tradition is kept alive by several haggis hurling federations, and even a World Haggis Hurling Championship.

Wife carrying: Can't get your wife off your back? A fine circumstance for this event, in which wives are carried through a 277-yard obstacle course in Sonkajärvi, Finland. The idea originated in the late 1800s, when a Finnish thief challenged fellow scoundrels to carry what they stole across an obstacle course. And in those days, stealing women from the neighboring village wasn't unusual. The Wife Carrying World Championship, however, is more innocuous, as most men carry their own wives.

Buzkashi: When translated into English, this national sport of Afghanistan means "goat grabbing." Quite accurate, for the game involves several men on horseback carrying a goat carcass into their team's designated scoring circle. The sport dates back to the days of Genghis Kahn, and was used to prepare his forces for combat. It was useful, for whenever the Mongols fought goats, they never lost.

World beard and mustache championships: It is not uncommon for a man to stare into a bathroom mirror, stroke his beard, and wonder whether his facial hair is championship material. Thanks to this event, he no longer has to wonder. Organized in 1990 by the First Höfener Beard Club in Germany, the World Beard and Mustache Championships have become a biannual event. The championships are competitive, yet not one has been won by a close shave.

Competitive sheep counting: This competition, first held in September 2002 in Hay, Australia, involved some 400 sheep running past 10 contestants, who would then count them. The one with the most accurate total was crowned king of sheep counting. This competition did not continue in 2003. Perhaps the organizers fell asleep.

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