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Sports and Games - S

These are all sports and games beginning with the letter S.

Shinty

Shinty is a native Scottish game. The governing body, the Camanachd Association, was set up in 1893. The object of the game is to score goals by hitting a small ball with a wooden stick called a caman. There are two teams of twelve players. The games last ninety minutes - two forty five minute halves.

Show Jumping

In show jumping riders jump a set course of fences, incurring four faults for knocking a fence down or landing (one or more feet) in the water, three faults for a first refusal, six faults then elimination for 2nd and 3rd, and eight faults for a fall. Competitions can be for individuals or teams. The winner can be decided from the individual or team, either with lowest number of faults, the fastest time with the lowest number of faults, or the highest number of points.

Ski Jumping

Ski jumping is a winter sport in which the object is for the skier to ski down a snow-covered take-off ramp, and attempt to travel as far as possible through the air before landing. In addition to the distance that the skiers jump, the judges give points for style. During each round of a competition each competitor makes two jumps.

Skiing

There is evidence that skiing has been taking place for thousands of years, but the modern sport of skiing did not develop until 1843 with a competition in Tromso, Norway. The first modern slalom was held at Murren, Switzerland in 1922. The International Ski Federation (FIS) was founded in 1924. Alpine skiing is racing on prepared slopes, against the clock, whereas Nordic skiing is either cross-country or ski jumping.

Skittles

Skittles is a game played in which players try to knock down skittles by rolling or throwing a wooden disc or ball at them. Each player has three throws per round. There are nine skittles and each skittle knocked over earns one point. If a player knocks down all nine skittles before he has used all three throws the skittles are set up again, therefore the maximum possible score a player can get with three throws is twenty-seven.

SkyDiving

SkyDiving involves jumping out of an airplane either singly or in a group and free-falling until a parachute is opened to enable the skydiver can make a safe landing. An altimeter is used to decide when it is time to open the parachute.

Snooker

Snooker uses 22 balls (fifteen red balls, six colored, and one white cue ball. The points values of the balls are from one for red, through yellow, green, brown, blue, and pink, to seven for black. A player's turn continues as long as he scores, his first shot being at a red, when, if he successfully pots one, he plays at one of the other colors. He plays reds and colors alternately as long as balls are being successfully potted, and as long as there are red balls on the table. After all the red balls have been potted the remaining colors are played in ascending order of value.

Softball

Softball is very similar to baseball except the baIl is larger than a baseball, the playing field is smaller, the pitching is underarm and must be released below hip level. Also, the distances between the bases and between the plate and the mound are shorter. There are nine players in a team. A softball game lasts for seven innings. The team that score the most runs wins the game.

Speedball

Speedball is a combination of several sports such as soccer, rugby and basketball. There are two teams of eleven players (plus five substitutes). A standard soccer ball is used. Players can kick, throw and catch the ball, but they are not allowed to carry it. Physical contact is not allowed. The object of the game is to score points by getting the ball into the opposing team's goal or over the end zone. Each game lasts for forty minutes - four quarters of ten minutes each. If at the end of the forty minutes the score is level, extra time in five minute periods is played.

Speedway

Motorcycle racing on dust track surfaces has been traced back to 1902 in the USA, but the first 'short track' races were in Australia in 1923. Four riders (six in Australia) compete in each speedway race over four laps of the track. The motorbikes have no brakes, just one gear and are limited to 500cc engine capacity.

Squash

Squash was developed at Harrow School, England in 1817 from a game used for practicing rackets but substituted a softer, 'squashy' ball. Two (singles) or four players (doubles) can play. The court used for doubles is larger that the one use for singles games. The object of the game is the hit the ball against the front wall using a racket in such a way that it is difficult for the opposing player to hit it when it rebounds. The rules vary between countries. International games are played to nine points and in North America are played to fifteen points. A match is for the best of five games.

Surfing

Surfing originated in Polynesia. It is the sport of riding the waves of the sea on a surfboard. The surfer swims out to the point where the large rollers swell up but do not quite break, where he waits for a wave to approach him. Then he lies or kneels on the board and paddles it towards the shore. He stands up when he catches the wave and rides it until it dies out or he falls off his surfboard.

Swimming

Swimming is a major part of the Olympic games. In competitions swimmers can compete as individuals and as part of a team. There are four major categories of swimming strokes - backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. In individual medlay races each swimmer has to swim one length or lengths of the pool for each of the four strokes. The order they must be swum in is butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. In a medlay relay race a different swimmer swims one length or lengths of the pool for each of the four strokes.