Unconventional sports gaining popularity

Most people have either heard of or played popular sports like soccer as an extracurricular activity or a favorite pastime, but how about indoor soccer? Yoga? Zumba? Frisbee?

Less typical sports are often overlooked. As a result, unconventional sports are less schedule intensive, and less exclusive.

Students who do not necessarily have time in their schedules find unconventional sports a less time-consuming alternative.

“I wanted to play a unique sport that wasn’t too hardcore,” said sophomore Anna Kohlbrenner, who plays indoor soccer on a casual team. “[Indoor soccer] is high intensity, but I didn’t want to have to practice a lot.”

Unlike in more serious sports teams, Kohlbrenner is not required to purchase cleats or uniforms, both of which can add up to a hefty sum.

“We just have to wear white shirts,” said Kohlbrenner.

Senior Liz Hall started taking yoga classes in her junior year.

“I don’t know how committed I am to it, so I don’t want to buy a $300 package,” said Hall, who opts for drop-in classes. “It’s beneficial if you go every day within a week, but with my schedule, I never know.”

Sophomores Nina Joy Magpayo and Greta Kai go to Zumba classes, which is “a lot like yoga,” said Kai.

Zumba is a popularized form of fitness dance that originated in Columbia.

“There’s a lot of moving of the hips,” said Magpayo.

Both Magpayo and Kai, who play sports outside of school, consider Zumba more of a work-out than a sport.
“The main objective of a sport is to compete,” said Kai.

Hall, who plays volleyball, disagrees. “Yoga is a lot of stretching, which doesn’t sound hard, but I’m always sore afterwards,” said Hall. “I feel like they target different aspects.”

The non-exclusivity of unconventional sports allows for groups of students to meet casually.

Marshall’s ultimate frisbee team was established by IB II Physics students, and was sponsored by physics teacher Dr. Theodore.

Theodore, previously a casual player in high school, played on a team as a college student. In previous years, the team met frequently and played against Madison. This year, the team is more inactive, and has met only several times over the school year.

According to Theodore, the rules of the game differenciate it from more typical sports.

Ultimate frisbee is based off of a system of self-policing, a casual system in which the team is loosely regulated by its own members, rather than an outside organization.

“You can’t really argue it,” said Theodore. “[self-policing] is built into the structure of the game.”