Customer Reviews

No Dribbling the Squid: Octopush, Shin Kicking, Elephant Polo, and Other Oddball Sports

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Michael J. Rosen and Ben Kassoy's No Dribbling the Squid: Octopush, Shin Kicking, Elephant Polo and Other Oddball Sports is a vibrant and hilarious account of the world's most quirky and unconventional competitions, which includes such bizarre sports as wife carrying, sauna endurance contests, and professional rock, paper, scissors.

Each page is a spectacle in itself, exploding with high-action, full-color photos (whether of snowball fighters, lawnmower racers, or mountain unicyclists), along with clever and punchy writing that gets you in, out, and onto the next eccentric contest.

With the holidays approaching, I bought several copies for family and friends, even those aren't sports fans (being a lover of the weird and whacky will do). I could picture my nephew practicing his cannonballs off the high dive after reading about professional splashdiving or, in winter, mounting a toilet on skis to prepare for the outhouse racing season. My sister, the world traveler and festival-seeker, might have to stop by Spain's giant tomato fight, England's shin kicking competition, or Scotland's Bog Snorkelling Championships after reading about them in No Dribbling the Squid.

I also love checking out the Featured Freaky Sport of the Week on the book's website, [...], and, as a fan of Squid on[...], I took the Find Your Inner Oddball Athlete quiz to discover, with great amusement, that I am destined to be a chess boxer. My areas of expertise: brains, brawn, and books! Squid is a knockout (or, if you will, a checkmate)!

If you often find yourself looking at an odd assortment of objects, and come up with a MacGyveresque sport or game, then this is the book for you. It is a humorous attempt to find the world's wackiest and zaniest sports, and I have to admit I often found myself wanting to join in.

This makes a great stocking stuffer for anyone, but especially those wild and raucous individuals who need a few suggestions on how to spend that extra time on their hands. Whether it is bog cycling, wife carrying, or Zorbing they will certainly get some laughs and new ideas for wild and zany sports.

Michael Rosen and Ben Kassoy have done it! They've put together the perfect gift this holiday season. I initially picked up 'No Dribbling the Squid' with the intention of buying my 21-year-old nephew something he could read on his flight abroad this winter. The underwater cover jumped out at me as offering an interesting spin on the average sports book. I began flipping through the pages and found the graphics and descriptions totally engaging. I've never taken an interest in sports but the quirkiness featured in this book could entertain anyone (check out the section on wife carrying)! I highly recommend 'No Dribbling' to anyone looking to brighten his or her (or someone else's) book collection. You can't go wrong!

Giving books as gifts always seems to be more a guessing game than anything. Will it be too boring? Not the recipient's cup of tea? Will I even like it myself?

`No Dribbling the Squid' solves this, simply because it's not an investment. In my experience, some of the most enjoyable books are ones you can read for a few minutes, put down, and come back to days later. This is one of those, because it's a collection of short descriptions. It's perfect bathroom reading material, or even just for a quick distraction while working. Not to mention, the writing is fresh and funny. Seldom do books make me laugh out loud, but on occasion, this one did just that. Rosen fills the pages well by not just `filling' them - but by making each description of each wacky sport a cohesive and well-written story. Not just a description, but a story.

The premise is simple: Wacky sports with humorous descriptions. The pages flip easily, and it's thick enough not to get old. And honestly, who wouldn't want to impress the friends and family this holiday season by describing something as astounding as `retro cycling'. Don't know what that is? Then order the book!

I'll admit that I had my doubts when I first looked at a friend's copy of this book- I mean there's only so much craziness that I'm interested in reading about. But as soon as I started to read it, I was riveted. The writing style was very interesting and engaging, and the book fluidly transitioned from one description to the next. From toe-wrestling to wife-carrying, one sport was more hilarious than the next. Rosen has done an impressive job researching and tracking down descriptions of all of these "sports" from around the world, and he does us all a great service by putting them to text. A very funny, very amusing book that I would recommend to almost anyone- buy it!

From Cape Cod Online, by Terri Schlichenmeyer

This year, like last, you tried out for your favorite sport. And this year, like last, you made the team. So far, you've proven yourself to be a definite asset. I mean, seriously, somebody's got to hold down the bench and shout encouragement, right? What would the team do without you?

OK, so you're not the World's Greatest Athlete. But you may have talents (or you may lack brains), and that will help you compete in a sport that's a little less-than-mainstream. Start looking for your game by reading "No Dribbling the Squid" by Michael J. Rosen with Ben Kassoy.

Let's say your talent lies in the water. You're a first-rate swimmer and you can execute a respectable dive. So why not look into barefooting or swooping? You might also enjoy bog snorkeling, which is - yes, indeed - snorkeling in a swamp, or Octopush, which tests your lungs to the max. And about that diving...? You'd do really well at Splashdiving, no doubt.

Or maybe you love snow but skiing is too old-school for you. How about forming a team for Japanese Snowball Fighting, Outhouse Racing or Shovel Racing? Or get Fido and Smokey the horse involved and learn skijoring. You can also tap into your need for speed with ice racing, either by car or bike.

Everybody has different abilities, so let's say you're best at spitting. Check out watermelon-, corn- and cricket-spitting contests. Or, if you're really brave and not easily grossed-out, you can learn the fine art of Kudu Dung spitting. (Yes, you read that right. Dung. Eeeuuuw.)

If a good fight is what makes your blood heat up, there are lots of sports in which you can participate. Try Chess Boxing, which uses both your brain and your body. Florentine Sandbox Brawling might be a good challenge, or perhaps you'd more enjoy Shin-Kicking contests.

But let's say you don't have any particular talent. There's still a sport for you: if you can sit, try the World Sauna Championships. Give Toe-Wrestling a try. And if all else fails, you can always contact the World RPS Society (Rock, Paper, Scissors).

Is your teen's team tanking this year? If so, or if you've got a thrill-seeker in the house, "No Dribbling the Squid" would be a welcome winter diversion.

Authors Michael J. Rosen and Ben Kassoy went to the ends of the earth to find the most extreme sports, the silliest pastimes, the most unique rivalries, and competitions that are taken very seriously. Some of them appear to require more bravery than brains, while some are so simple that anyone of any age can compete.

The one caveat I had is that the authors mention alcohol in a few of the sports, in a you'd-have-to-be-crazy-or-drunk-to-do-this kind of way. Because this book is very much for males ages 15 to 25, that surprised me and it surely bears noting.

Still, if competition is key, then "No Dribbling the Squid" is the book to have. This is the perfect book for anyone who's game for the game.