Ballyjamesduff has great sporting spirit.
It is widely known as the "Obscure Sport Capital of Ireland".
The following is a list of just some of the more popular of them:
Unicycle Hockey
Unicycle Hockey is one of the oldest sports in Ballyjamesduff.
The origins of it are unknown,but it's believed to have been brought to the town by a Travelling circus in the 1950's.
It is regularly played by people on the streets.
However the more professional sportsmen play indoors. They have a pro team that meets for practise every Thursday night in St. Joseph's Hall.
The rules of the game are like basic 5-a-side hockey,but on unicycles. People compete in a nationwide chamionship every August.The Ballyjamesduff town team has won the last 3 years in a row.
However, in recent times, there has been controversy over the game.
Rules state that physical contact is not allowed while on unicycles.
A loophole to this is that people can fight when knocked off their wheels.
As such,the Ballyjamesduff Unicycle Hockey team also are some of the best fighters in the country!
Sky Diving
Ballyjamesduff folk used to have a unified love for Sky-Diving.
Due to there being many large hills nearby,and cheap flights from the top of them, many laypeople could afford to skydive.It was organized by the Ballyjamesduff Skydivers Club.
Points were awarded out of 10 on technique,moves pulled,and speed to reach the ground.
However, since 2004, the sport of Skydiving has largely dwindled.
This was due to a great tragedy where 42 people fell out of a plane without their parachutes.
They all survived,but the insurance premiums meant only the wealthier people could afford to skydive.
The 42 that fell out at least got a 9.9/10 for speed though.
Dog Tossing
The town has a great love of the sport of Dog-Tossing.
Children and adults alike take great pleasure in competing.
As expected, it involves flinging a dog of your choice as far as possible.
People use their hands to throw. Catapults are not approved by the Official Irish Dog Tossers Federation.
The current record is 28.5 feet, controversially achieved with a Shih Tzu.
It was controversial as traditionally, Beagles are used.
Other Professional Sports Include:
Tennis.
Hurling.
Basketball.
Gaelic Football.
Gay Football - Set up by Ballyjamesduff Homosexuals Club.
Pool And/Or Snooker.
Handball.
Bare Knuckle Boxing - Boxers meet Friday & Saturday nights.
Squirrel Racing - Loser gets Cooked & Eaten.
Pigeon Hunting - First to bag 20 in a day wins.
Amateur Wrestling.
Stock Car Racing.
Car Surfing - People compete to see who can stay on moving cars the Longest & at the Fastest speeds.
Pig Racing.
Finger-Jousting.
Nipple-rubbing - First to Laugh loses.
Stunt-pogo stick jumping - People score points for the craziest Pogo-Stick Jumps.
Cross-County Canoeing.
Scrabble.
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