Extremely extreme sports

　　Not long ago those turned off by the greed and grim solemnity of prosports could turn to extreme sports like snowboarding and speed climbing. But now, many of the extremists, propped up by huge sponsorship contracts, are just as dollar-driven and take themselves just as seriously. That's why we're heartened to hear of the extremely extreme sports, in which competitors compete for the sheer fun of it, and the game itself is insignificant, irrelevant and still a glorious lark.

　　Last month 80 competitors from 10 nations went to Germany for the first world championship of Extreme Ironing, a hot new board sport that combines the adrenaline buzz of surfing with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt. Challenged to let off steam in perilous settings-from mountain peaks to rapids-contestants were judged on the quality of the creases in their clothing. The victorious British squad pressed ahead by steering an inner tube through white water while warbling God Save the Queen. When was the last time you heard an NFL quarterback whistle while he worked?

　　Competitors at England's Cooper Hill Cheese Rolling Championship, in which the aim is to catch up with an eight-pound cheese wheel plummeting down a 45-degree slope, are especially upbeat. That two cheese chasers were hospitalized and 13 others treated by paramedics at this years' event has done nothing to dim enthusiasm for next year's. As one well-ripened vet has said ,"if you can't get completely blotto and hurl yourself down a hill in pursuit of a Double Gloucester, what's the point of living?"

　　It's not too late to get off your couch and into the fun, sports spuds. You can head to next month's Punkin Chunkin World Championships in Lewes, Del., where pumpkins will be heaved over a soybean field by contraptions made out of everything from tree trunks to giant rubber bands.

　　极限运动无"极限"

　　追名逐利，将兴趣转向诸如滑雪板和快速登山之类的极限运动。然而现在，靠巨额赞助合同的支持，许多极限运动员也是在金钱的驱使下而参赛并把他们自己看成了打完。所以，每当我们听到"非常极限运动"时就会为之心动，因为在这些比赛中，选手们纯粹是为了娱乐。比赛输赢本身无关紧要，又不失兴味盎然。

　　上个月，来自10个国家的80位选手聚集在德国参加首届世界极限熨烫锦标赛，一向新近流行的板类（熨烫板）运动，它把在急流中冲浪的兴奋与衬衫熨烫平整结合起来。从高山之巅到激流险滩，参赛者在极度危险的境况下还要静下心来进行熨烫。他们所作运动的难度和熨烫衣服的质量是评判标准。来自英国的获胜小组一边驾着内胎在激流中奋进，一边还用颤音哼唱着"天佑吾主"。你还记得上一次看见（美国）全国橄榄球联盟的四分卫一边冲锋一边吹着口哨是什么时候吗？

　　在英国库珀山举行的滚奶酪锦标赛中，参赛者要追赶一个沿着45度斜坡快速往下滚的8磅重的圆形奶酪，他们一个个都兴致勃勃。尽管今年的赛事中有两位参赛者被送进了医院，另外有13位参赛者接受了伞降人员的急救，但这丝毫没有降低他们对明年比赛的热情。正如一位久经沙场的老选手所言："如果你连从山上奋不顾身地冲下来追赶一个双层格罗斯特硬干酪都不敢做的话，那活着还有什么意义？"

　　不要再蜷缩在沙发中了，马上投入到这些趣味盎然的运动中吧。你可以去参加下个月在特拉华州的刘易斯城举行的"大南瓜嚓咔"世界锦标赛。在这个比赛中，参赛者可以用从树干到大橡胶带等各种各样奇异的工具将南瓜掷过一片大豆地。