The AFL Grand Final, played in Perth this year, again hosted the player sprint race. It was held at quarter time, with only West Coast and Fremantle players participating, as WA’s strict border rules made it impossible for all clubs to get involved.
The race course was also different this year, as it was held around the 50m arc at one end of the ground, replicating the smile of the sponsor Colgate. The first three to finish were from the West Coast Eagles, with Josh Rotham just pipping Jack Petruccelle with Liam Ryan was third.
This event has been held since 1979. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
Here’s an unusual sport that is described as Polish Dragon Boat Racing, but we like the alternative names that have been put forward, “tug of oars” or “dragon war”. This is a variation of the sport of Dragon Boat Racing, which uses the same boat but has been reconfigured for a tug-of-war type event. Watch the video to see how this is a worthy new sport and we can’t wait to see it become more popular.
If you desire to have quick feet movement, this test of foot-tapping speed may be just what you need. You step up and down on a timing mat for 30 seconds to see how many foot taps you can make. It would be a great test for tennis players. See more about the Foot Tap Speed Test.
Why did I not know about this sport before? It looks like a lot of fun (to watch), though unfortunately, you don’t see it performed anymore. Maybe it is the injury risk, as no one seems to land on their feet. See more about the extinct sport of Barrel Jumping.
Olympia – the epic film of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, was the first documentary feature film of the Olympic Games ever made and remains one of the greatest sports films of all time. The film was directed by Leni Riefenstahl, one of Hitler’s golden girls, but you need to look past the Nazi propaganda subtext and enjoy the Olympics action in all its glory. The film was released in two parts: Olympia 1. Teil — Fest der Völker (Festival of Nations) and Olympia 2. Teil — Fest der Schönheit (Festival of Beauty). Here are the German versions of the film, and for those who do not understand the Germann language, it can still be appreciated for the beauty of the cinematography, which was groundbreaking in many ways. See more Olympic Art Projects
Olympia 1. Teil — Fest der Völker (Festival of Nations)
Under 18 Australian Football players who compete in the TAC Cup (now known as the NAB League) take part in a fitness testing day each year, in March before the start of the season. This video of the 2012 testing day shows the 20m sprint, vertical jump, AFL agility test and beep test. The current players (boys and girls) do the yo-yo test instead of the beep test. See more about the NAB League Testing Days with all recent results.
Here is the final for the AFL player 100m sprint race from the 2020 AFL Grand Final day. The sprint this year was held during the quarter-time break for the first time, as the usual half-time was taken up by the entertainment show. The winner was the Geelong’s Jordan Clark. Unfortunately for Geelong, they were not able to replicate the victory in the main match. See more about the Grand Final Sprint.
The AFL player sprint race was again held at half time of the 2019 AFL Grand Final. The winner was Ben King from the Gold Coast Suns, the first time a Suns player has won the event. Thankfully there were no ring-ins this year, with all the 18 participants coming from AFL clubs. Last year’s race included a couple of amateur U18 players, with one of them, Godfrey Okereneyang from the Coolamon Hoppers Club, winning the final. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
The NFL Quarterback Challenge was a long-running competition held up until 2007. This video of the 1998 event featured Brett Favre winning the long-distance throw with 74-yards.
It wasn’t the best ever in the competition, the longest was 80 yards (73 meters) by Vinnie Testaverde achieved in 1988. Equal second were Kordell Stewart and Drew Bledsoe with 73 yards, followed by Steve McNair with 72 yards.
Check out our page which in which we have collated many of the results, featuring many great names in NFL history. Peyton Manning was second in 2002 with 68 yards, and the competition was won by Tom Brady in 2003 with 62 yards.
Here is another variation of the yo-yo test, the Water Polo Intermittent Shuttle Test (WIST), designed to mimic the demands of the sport of water polo, based on the running Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1. Swimmers shuttle across 7.5m in the pool, with 10-second recovery after every 15m. The test may have the same timings as the yo-yo intermittent recovery test level 1, but the swimming distance is reduced to compensate for the slower swimming rate. This test is part of the suggested fitness testing for water polo players, and on our new list of swimming fitness tests.
