While most of us have long to-do lists
and bucket lists and lists of all sorts to keep us occupied for
several lives, there are times when we still wish we were doing
something else. It isn't that we don't have enough to do, it's that
we're looking for something new, something interesting, or something
that intrigues us in a way that we can't really account for. This is
especially true when it comes to physical activity: while basic forms
of exercise like running and swimming are here to stay (with good
reason!) the ever-changing trends in fitness classes speak to that
need for the unique in our leisurely pursuits. For this reason, we've
rounded up a few of the less frequently indulged sports for your
consideration, along with tips on how these sports might affect your
life insurance rates.
Fencing. If you've always wanted to
know what it feels like to “demand satisfaction” via means of
sword-fighting, this may be as close as you can get, since the sport
of fencing is actually derived from sword fighting. (The faint of
heart need not panic if their loved ones decide to take up this
quixotic past-time—the blades are blunted.) In order to defeat your
opponent, you want to accumulate a greater number of points. This is
achieved by striking designated areas on your opponent's uniform.
Since fencing gear is extremely protective, injuries are kept to a
minimum. However, despite the prolific padding and the lack of sharp
edges, as with any sport, injuries do occur. The most common types of
injuries sustained during fencing are those affecting the ankles and
the knees (typically from repeated strenuous movements). Fencing
insurance rates are actually among the lowest for any sport, so from
that angle, we give this one a thumbs up!
Octopush. Even though this past-time
does not involve wrestling with an octopus (imagine the impact on
your insurance rates if it did!) it's still an apt name: an
underwater version of hockey, the flailing and grasping involved
will bring you closer to the feeling of being a tentacled creature
than any other experience we know of. Using a stick that is only a
foot long, and a three pound puck that sits at the bottom of the
pool, players must try to shoot the puck through their opposing
team's goal (much like with conventional ice hockey). Unlike ice
hockey, body checking isn't so much of a feature of this game:
rather, the players' swimming and diving abilities are the primary
focus here. Because of this, injuries sustained during underwater
hockey tend to be less frequent and less severe than those sustained
during ice hockey...another keeper from an insurance standpoint!
Disc golf. What this game has in common
with conventional golf is the idea of trying to meet a target with as
few tries as possible. The major difference, however, is that rather
than moving a ball to a certain target using a golf club, the players
are moving a disc towards the target by throwing it, much as you
would throw a frisbee. The “holes” are above ground structures,
rather than in-ground openings. Just as there are different types of
clubs in conventional golf, there are different types of discs with
disc golf. While injuries include strain to shoulders and knees (and
the odd strike from a stray disc—ouch!) insurance providers still
don't see disc golf as a peer to sky diving or bungee jumping. So if
you're looking for an excuse to use that free frisbee you got during
orientation week, head out to a disc golf course for some practice.
Do you have an unusual past-time? How
did you first discover it?
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