2009-10-27

Championship Trout Fishing

It’s the “Superbowl of Trout Fishing!” Anglers gather in State College for the U.S. National Fly Fishing Championship. WPSU’s Cynthia Berger follows angler Loren Williams as he trains for the big event.

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The U.S. Fly Fishing Team

and the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Team

The Centre Daily Times reports on the contest

2009-06-22

Millheim Bucket Brigade

The Milllheim Fire Company celebrated its 100th anniversary with a run at the Guinness Book of World Records for “world’s longest bucket brigade.”

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The official website for the Bucket Brigade Celebration

What is a bucket brigade? The history of firefighting

Milheim Bucket Brigade: Watch the audio slideshow

2008-07-25

Cross-cut Saw

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum hosts an annual "Bark Peeler's Convention," a celebration of the region's lumberjack heritage. One aspect of the convention is a sort of "lumberjack Olympics," including competitive axe throwing, birling and the thrilling cross-cut saw contest, using a specially sharpened saw.

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About the Bark Peeler's Convention

More about the crosscut saw

2008-07-18

Frog Jump Contest

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum hosts an annual "Bark Peeler's Convention" to celebrate the region's lumberjack heritage. There's an axe-throwing contest, tobacco-spitting contest, and a special contest for the children. Today's installment of "Sports That Are Not Football" features the amazing jumping frogs of Potter County.

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About the annual Bark Peeler's Convention

The Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee

Read the original! Mark Twain's "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"

2008-03-19

Ice Fishing

Winter's not over till tomorrow. So there's still time to take a look at a winter sport for our occasional series, "Sports That Are Not Football." It's a sport that's growing in popularity in our state. Just grab a jig, an auger, and a couple of tip-ups, and join WPSU's Cynthia Berger out on the ice.

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IceFishing PA:

PA Fish and Boat Commission: Info on Winter Fishing:

2007-11-05

Shaver's Creek Birding Cup

From the "Sports that are not Football" series, it's competitive bird watching with training, sponsors, team uniforms and prizes that rival the Heisman Trophy! In Central Pa., the big tournament is the Shaver's Creek Birding Cup. Cynthia Berger rode along with team "Bad Optics" for the 24-hour event.

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Shaver's Creek Birding Cup

World Series of Birding

2007-09-02

High School Bowling

Our occasional WPSU series "Sports That Are Not Bowling" shines a little light on under-appreciated sports. Today, our subject is the nation's fastest-growing high school sport. Central Pennsylvania has a team that's a contender for the state championship. WPSU's Cynthia Berger watched them in action last and she has this report.

2007-08-29

Stone Skipping

The riverfront town of Franklin hosted a "Battle of the Titans" this past weekend: A National Champion versus the guy who made the Guinness Book of World Records. The sporting event? Professional Stone-Skipping.

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About the Pennsylvania event

The NATIONAL stone-skipping tournament is in Michigan

A Stone Skipping Glossary (Learn to tell a

2007-04-20

Rugby

Here on WPSU, the occasional series Sports That ARE Not Football covers the "lesser known" sports. Today, we bring you a sport that involves: kicking, passing, AND tackling, using an egg-shaped ball. You can see championship level play this weekend, at University Park. But we're NOT talking about the Nittany Lions' Blue-White game.

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Directions to the Penn State Rugby Pitch for the Saturday game against Ohio State

The Penn State Women's Rugby Team website

USARugby

2006-11-17

Nittany Hash House Harriers

As part of our on-going series called "Sports That are Not Football," we turn today to the sport called "Hashing." It's based on an English children's game, called "Hare and Hounds but, with beer! Pennsylvania has at least 15 "Hash Kennels." They sometimes call themselves "drinking clubs with a running problem." One local club is the Nittany Valley Hash House Harriers.

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The Nittany Valley Hash House Harriers

The World Hash House Harriers Home Page

A Hash primer

2006-10-02

Race Around the World

As part of our ongoing series called Sports that are Not Football, here's a snow sport that's literally cooler than the Olympics: the annual "Race Around the World." Each year on Christmas Day, researchers at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station take a couple of laps around the geographic South Pole. Penn State physicist Doug Cowen was there for this year's big race, and has this report. For Doug Cowen's audio diary and more photos of the Race Around the World, click here

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For more about the Race Around the World

Joey Hockett was this year's top finisher with a time of 9:05. For complete race results

Doug Cowen works on the Ice Cube telescope. For more about this work

More about the Ice Cube Telescope

2006-07-28

War Practice

The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international organization whose members re-create life in the Renaissance and Middle Ages including martial arts. In this installment of 'Sports That Are Not Football,' WPSU's Cynthia Berger cheers for the Shire of Nithgard ¨(that's State College to the rest of us)¨ at an SCA sporting event called WAR PRACTICE.

2006-03-24

FROLF! (aka Disc Golf)

Trivia question, sports fans: What sport did George Costanza learn to play in the Summer of George episode of Seinfeld? It was "FROLF"-- Frisbee golf. To be politically correct, we have to call it "Disc Golf," since the Wham-o company owns the Frisbee copyright. It may have been a joke on Seinfeld, but half a million players take disc golf very seriously including golfers right here in Central Pennsylvania, as WPSU's Cynthia Berger reports in this installment of our ongoing series, "Sports That Are Not Football."

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The Professional Disc Golf Association

Happy Valley Disc Golf (Centre County)

2005-12-23

Sled Dog Racing

Before snowmobiles were invented, the people of the frozen North got around using sled dogs. Here in Pennsylvania, you can't really count on tons of snow every winter. So this might not seem like a great state for sled-dog racing. But in fact, a world champion sled-dog racer lives - and trains - right here in Central Pennsylvania. As part of our ongoing series called "Sports That Are Not Football," WPSU's Cynthia Berger talked with our champion musher.

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The website of the Pennsylvania Sled Dog Club

The website of the International Sled Dog Racing Association

Johnn and Nancy Molberg's Arctic Star Sled Company

2005-11-14

Archery

In the modern middle school, kids' choices for gym class go way beyond the old standards, like dodge ball or volleyball. Some schools now offer yoga, kayaking, even rock climbing. As part of our ongoing series called "Sports That Are NOT Football," WPSU's Cynthia Berger takes aim at another hot new school sport . . . archery!

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National Archery in the Schools Program