Page 95 - Tropic Magazine Issue 20

TROPIC • SPORT

Left of field

UNCONVENTIONAL SPORTS
Tropical North Queensland has
the highest participation of
physical activity across the state
with around 82% of us engaged in
exercise, according to a recent state
government survey. The four codes
of football as well as basketball,
triathlon, swimming, hockey and
netball dominate the sporting arena
and media space.
So we at Tropic thought we’d profile UNDERWATER HOCKEY
some of the lesser known sporting It’s believed the British Navy invented
clubs in the region. Give them a try... underwater hockey in the 1950’s to keep
its divers fit and to improve their ability to
KEY: HEALTH BENEFITS work efficiently under water. Also known
as Octopush, the game has evolved into
Cardiovascular Muscle Sharpens Endurance
fitness strength the mind a fast, dynamic sport. Cairns hosted the
national championships in June.
Increased Increased Low Flexibility
lung capacity reflexes impact

ROGAINING CHECK OUT:
Long distance cross-country navigation Cairns Crays Underwater Hockey
in which teams of up to five people visit
as many checkpoints as they wish in a set
time, usually 24 hours. It’s generally held in FREE DIVING
bush or farmland locations but offshoots Humans first started freediving through
necessity for food and tradeable ocean floor
‘metrogaines’ and ‘cyclegaines’ are held in
urban areas and on bikes respectively. items. In more recent times, freediving has
evolved into a recreational and competitive
POLOCROSSE pastime and is used as a training method by
An action-packed team sport often spear fishers, synchronized swimmers and
referred to as Rugby on horseback, underwater photographers.
polocrosse was developed in Australia in CHECK OUT: Adventure Sport NQ
1938 and is a combination of polo,
lacrosse and netball.
CHECK OUT:
Cairns Freediving School
Apnea Cairns
CHECK OUT:
Pyramid Polocrosse Club

ARCHERY
The earliest people known to have regularly ROWING
used bows and arrows were the Ancient Rowing was first used as a means of
Egyptians, who adopted archery around transport in ancient Egypt, Greece and
3,000BC for hunting and warfare. Rome. As a sport, it probably began in ROCK CLIMBING
Archery became an Olympic sport in 1900 England in the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 2020, rock climbing will make its
and was one of the first events to include In Cairns, it’s been around since 1930 and Olympic debut in Tokyo. Its popularity
both genders. today the club still offers competitive and has been fueled by indoor climbing
social sculling and sweep rowing. gyms, guide books and websites like
The Crag. About 300,000 Aussies climb
regularly, mostly indoors.
CHECK OUT:
FNQ Bowmen Archery Club CHECK OUT:
Barrier Coast Archery Cairns Rowing Club
Tableland Company of Archers Tablelands Country Rowing Club CHECK OUT: Cairns Climbing Club

95 • tropicnow.com.au