Sports have always been among mankind's most treasured endeavors. It usually starts off as an accessible form of entertainment and, before you know it, it becomes part of a civilization's culture. Nowadays, the international scene is dominated by a handful of the most popular sports, but that wasn't always the case. There was a time when each town had its own local pastime. And this led to some bizarre games that are now mostly forgotten (although, in some cases, that's a good thing).
运动一直是人们最为珍视的拼搏形式。一项运动通常是以日常娱乐活动的形式开始出现，不知不觉地就成为了我们的民族文化的一部分。现在的体育界被少数几项最受欢迎的运动主宰，但以前可不是如此。每个小镇都曾经有属于自己的运动消遣方式，体育的大一统让一些各具特色的比赛项目几乎都被历史遗忘了（虽然有时候这也是好事）。
10.打树猎松鼠
"Barking off" was a type of squirrel hunting popular in America in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was created in the backwoods of Kentucky and popularized by renowned frontiersman Daniel Boone, who was famous for his marksmanship.
"打树"是18世纪末期和19世纪初期流行于美国的松鼠捕猎方法。这项运动兴起于肯塔基州的偏远落后地区，后因拓荒者丹尼尔·布恩出色的枪法而闻名。
The goal of the contest was to hunt squirrels, but not by shooting them. Instead, the hunters would shoot the bark right below the squirrels. The impact was strong enough to shatter the bark and create a concussion blast powerful enough to kill the squirrels. For trophy hunters, this type of shooting had the added bonus of leaving the squirrels' skin intact. The practice of barking off squirrels occurred at a time when the woods of Kentucky were filled with these unlucky woodland critters. Regular squirrel hunts were so frequent that it wasn't uncommon for hunting parties to kill thousands of them in a single day. The most successful hunter often was not the best shot but the guy who could reload the fastest. That was why a new test of skill was welcomed by both hunters and spectators, who would often gamble on the outcome of the sport.
比赛的目的虽说是猎杀松鼠，却不直接对松鼠射击，而是朝着松鼠正下方的树枝开枪。其威力能粉碎树皮，并产生足以夺取松鼠性命的爆破力。作为猎人的战利品，这种打猎方法还能保持松鼠的皮毛完好无损。肯塔基州的树林充满了这些不幸的小动物时，"打树猎松鼠"非常盛行。人人都爱好狩猎松鼠，以至于经常能在短短的一天内就射杀上千的松鼠。最成功的狩猎者往往不是最精准的射手，而是换子弹最快的人。该运动还衍生出了猎手和看客都喜爱的赌博——给猎杀松鼠最多的射手下注。
9.马术跳远
Many sports are created by combining two concepts that already existed. While some ideas have been successful, not all of them are winners. Take equestrian long jump, for example. This sport took the human long jump and combined it with horse racing to create a sport that was less exciting than either.
许多新运动就是两项已有的运动结合而来。虽然有些运动结合成功，但也不乏失败的。以马术跳远为例，这项运动结合了两项激动人心的赛事：跳远和赛马，结果产生的新运动却比不上原先的任何一个。
There was a lot of interest in this concept in its early days. It was even featured as a sport at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris as part of a double equestrian event that also featured the horse high jump.If you are wondering why the equestrian long jump is not popular today, it's because it failed to make an impression. In fact, it was downright anticlimactic. The gold medal was won by Belgian racer Constant van Langhendonck and his horse, Extra-Dry. Their winning leap measured 6.1 meters. Although it was significantly better than any other horse jump that day—second place came in at 5.7 meters--it was still lackluster as people were expecting an inhuman display of athletic prowess. For comparison, the current world record for a human long jump is 8.95 meters.
这个运动概念在早期引起了人们的注意，甚至被列入了1900年巴黎夏季奥运会，与马跳高一起作为双马术比赛的项目。你或许对马术跳远难以流行感到疑惑，这主要是因为人们无法在该比赛项目中取得好成绩。这项比赛其实就只有个噱头。金牌获得者是比利时骑手康士顿·凡·朗尔顿和他的马微甜。他们的获胜成绩是6.1米，第二名是5.7米，虽然第一名的成绩显着优于其他选手，但这结果依然让人失望，所有人都期待着一场高技术厮杀的好戏呢。告知大家一下，目前人类的跳远纪录是8.95米。
8.乌龟赛跑
You might think that turtle racing doesn't count as a forgotten sport because it is still practiced today, but there are few similarities between the old and current versions aside from the name. Nowadays, turtle racing is a fun activity for kids you can find at county fairs. All the participants huddle up in the center of a circle and let their turtles loose. The creatures wander around aimlessly until one eventually makes it out of the circle and is declared the winner.
也许有人认为乌龟赛跑不算被历史遗忘，因为现如今这项运动仍然存在，但除名字相似以外，古今两个版本的乌龟赛跑再无相像之处。现今在乡村集市，经常可以看到孩子们玩乌龟赛跑。参赛者聚集在画好的圆圈里然后在中心处放下各自的乌龟，乌龟们漫无目的地游荡，直到有一只爬出圈子，这便是冠军。
That was not the case 100 years ago. Back then, giant turtles were used in a genuine straight-line race. Crowds of excited spectators watched impatiently from the sides just like they would at a horse race. The turtles even had small children riding them like jockeys. As bizarre as that image might be, there are even stranger claims about the origin of the sport. According to an article in the Miami News, turtle racing first became popular in the Bahamas, where it was a favorite local pastime. However, there were a few key differences. For starters, the races took place in water instead of on land, so giant sea turtles were used, typically loggerhead turtles. These turtles had men riding them as jockeys, and they weren't just for show. They were there to make sure the animals followed the course, which was usually more complex than a simple straight line.
此规则跟100年前的乌龟赛跑大相径庭。那会儿，大乌龟真的要直线赛跑。赛场周围挤满了兴奋的观众，仿佛看赛马般狂热。有时甚至会有小孩像赛马骑师一样骑在比赛的大乌龟身上。更好玩的是，居然还有人考究起这运动的起源来。根据《迈阿密新闻》的一篇文章，乌龟赛跑初始在巴哈马群岛，且深得民心。然而，这与我们之前讨论的又有些关键的区别。首先，这里的比赛场地在水中而非陆地，所以用巨型海龟参赛，通常是赤蠵龟。而且参赛者真的会坐在海龟上，这不是为了表演，而是为了确保海龟沿着复杂的比赛路径爬行。
7.刺靶
Jousting is an essential part of medieval lore. There was no better way for a knight to prove his valor than to enter a jousting tournament and perform in front of the king and his royal court. However, jousting champions are made, not born. In order to perfect their skills, knights would need to train—and that's quintain. Instead of two knights charging at each other, one knight would charge at a stationary target (also known as a quintain) in order to improve his skill.
格斗是中世纪传说必不可少的一个部分。没有比参加格斗锦标赛更好的方法让骑士在国王和宫廷大臣面前展现自己的勇猛。格斗需要磨练，没有经验的人是无法获胜的。为了使自己的技术更加精湛，骑士们需要不停地训练，即刺靶。这种训练不需要两个骑士互刺，只需要骑士攻系一个固定的目标（靶）以此来提高自己的技术。
Typically, the target was a shield balanced on a pole with a counterweight at the other end. The weight served multiple purposes as the quintain would spin when hit. An accurate shot would cause the maximum spin, and this was considered a good indicator of a knight's skill. However, a slow or incorrect hit could spin the weight (usually a sandbag) in time to hit the rider from behind and knock him off his horse. Since quintain was merely a form of training, there was very little pomp and circumstance associated with it. Everyone was free to watch and even participate. Eventually, this turned quintain into a sport of its own, accessible to all the classes. Even those without a horse could participate by using a wooden horse or a boat in some areas. They could even simply run toward the target.
靶子通常是吊在杆子一端的盾牌，另一端放上等重的平衡物。这样的设计让骑士在刺靶时依照靶子的旋转速就能判断自己攻击的准确性。快而准的攻击能达到靶子的最高转速，将盾牌甩得高高的，这被认为是骑士技术好的一个重要指标。慢攻或错误的攻击会使另一头的平衡物（通常是沙袋）由背后打向骑士甚至把他打落马。由于刺靶是只是一种训练形式，正式的排场很少会用到它。每个人都可以随意观看并且参与其中。刺靶最终演变为一种任何阶层都可以接触到的运动。一些没有马的地方也使用木马或船来代替，只用双腿跑着刺靶也未尝不可。
6.拔鳗鱼
It shouldn't be surprising to find out that human beings weren't always concerned with the welfare of animals. We certainly would not have let it get in the way of a good time. Such was the case with eel pulling, a practice that was popular in the Netherlands in the 19th century. There were two basic forms of this sport. One was a classic tug-of-war battle, but the rope was replaced with a live eel. The eel was soaped up to make it more slippery, and two teams would pull ferociously at each end of the doomed animal.
人们通常不会去关心动物的幸福，不仅如此，还不让动物们好过。例如"拔鳗鱼"，一个在19世纪荷兰十分流行的运动项目。该运动项目有两种形式。一种像传统的拔河比赛，只不过绳子换成了活鳗鱼。为了使鳗鱼更滑，人们还在它身上抹肥皂。双方的拔河队员会野蛮地拉扯这条在劫难逃的鳗鱼。
The other version of eel pulling involved hanging the eel from a line dangling over a canal. Players had to jump and take down the eel while passing through the canal in a boat. This version of the sport, which was more popular, was more entertainment than sport. Spectators would laugh at the participants, who often ended up in the canal.The biggest eel pulling hot spot was Amsterdam. The game was so popular that people kept playing it even after it was outlawed. Trying to stop the Dutch from enjoying their eel pulling had dire consequences, as the people of Amsterdam found out on July 25, 1886. A police officer ended a game in progress by cutting the line. This triggered the Eel Riot of 1886, which resulted in 26 deaths, 100 injuries, and countless arrests.
另一个版本的"拔鳗鱼"则是用绳索把鳗鱼悬挂在在运河一处的上方。参赛者需乘船流经此处并跳起来"拔"下鳗鱼。这一版本的"拔鳗鱼"更为流行，与其说是运动不如称其为一种娱乐，因为一般来说参赛者最后都会掉进水里，这让观众们捧腹大笑。"拔鳗鱼"最流行的地方是阿姆斯特丹。该运动项目实在太火了，以至于后来被列为了非法运动，人们却还是乐此不疲。如果你想要禁止荷兰人开展"拔鳗鱼"比赛，后果非常严重。1886年6月26日，阿姆斯特丹一位警官剪断挂鳗鱼的绳索，中断了一场"拔鳗鱼"比赛，这就引发了1886年的"鳗鱼暴乱"事件，导致26人死亡，100人受伤，还有数不清的人被拘留。
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