Blended/ Hybrid Sports Combos Worth Our Time

My goal with my previous sports post (10 International Sports) was to share some new or different sports with you, as well as get more people interested in said sports. Today's post will try to do something similar. This will work as an introduction to some hybrid sports, which I would define as taking the framework of two different sports to combine them into a single, separate game. I will be trying to share different sports than what I used in the previous post to go over as many various sports as possible (cause there's a lot).

My focus will be on sports that feel like their own separate thing rather than just a mesh of two sports. For example, chess boxing (as the name implies) has multiple rounds of guys playing chess before boxing each other and then rinse and repeat. I would only consider putting chess boxing on this list if maybe the boxers were playing wizard's chess while duking it out at the exact same time. This list also excludes sports that are essentially a known sport in a different environment, like Floorball, which is basically indoor hockey with a wiffleball. This list also avoids sports on vehicles like Unicycle Polo or something like that.

First, some older examples of sports that blended rules.

Volata

A shortly lived combination of soccer and rugby. Apparently, the Italian fascists,in the early 20th century, wanted to distance themselves from the English roots of football (soccer). So they developed a substitute for association football and rugby union. In Volata, two teams composed of 8 players each and played on a modified soccer field. The game lasted one hour, divided into three periods of 20 minutes each. Basically the ball could be played by using hands and feet, but for not more than three seconds. Sounds similar to some current variations of football being played today, but we'll get to that in a moment.

Austus

A mix of Aussie Rules Football (see explanatory video here) and American Football, with the name taken from combining the names of the countries (AUST...+U.S.). It was only historically played back in WWII and created in Australia when soldiers from the USA wanted to play football against the Australians.The composite rules consisted of throwing (which is not allowed in Aussie Rules) and kicking (which is rarely used in American Football). They used an American Football since it was designed better for throwing but still a similar shape to the Aussie football.

Now, some modern examples of blended rules sports.

International Rules Football

An almost annual match of Australia versus Ireland that blends Aussie Rules with Gaelic football. In this match, the players fight over a round ball similarly used in Gaelic. The games are played on a rectangular field, rather than the larger oval of Aussie Rules. A player must touch the ball on the ground once every one meter or six steps. Two bounces per possession are allowed. A free kick will be awarded if a player commits a foul. The Aussies get to tackle, but only between the shoulders and thighs, which is otherwise banned in Gaelic football. The goals are two large posts and two small posts, as in Aussie Rules, though a crossbar and goal net is incorporated as in Gaelic Football. Passing the ball in the goal net received 6 points, over the cross bar 3 points, and between a large post and a small post 1 point. 

Composite Rules (Shinty-Hurling)

Another almost annual match, this time between Ireland and Scotland. In my previous post, I noted that Shinty and Hurling are essentially cousins connected to Field Hockey type sports, and here we get to see their similarities and differences. Often a Hurling ball is used for one half of the game and a Shinty ball in the other. The goals are those used in Hurling, with 3 points awarded for a goal (in the net under the crossbar) and 1 point for a shot over the crossbar. A stationary hit taken straight from the ground and shot over the crossbar scores 2 points. Only goalkeepers may catch the ball and this must be released within three steps. Players may not kick the ball, but can drag the ball with their foot. 

Now that those are explained, time for some contemporary hybrid sports that some people are playing all over the world today.

Footgolf 

As the name might tell you, this is a combo of soccer and golf. According to the About section of the sport's website, the rules largely correspond to the rules of golf and players kick a regulation #5 soccer ball at a golf course facility on shortened holes with 21-inch diameter cups in as few shots as possible. The best news is that there are footgolf courses popping all over the place, mainly around most major metropolitan areas though there are some courses randomly sprinkled throughout the country. It looks like a good way to practice your soccer kick. Since a player is not usually trying to shoot the ball as long as possible or over mounds in soccer and the dynamics of swinging a club in golf is different than kicking, I would consider these to be enough differences to make Footgolf its own thing.

Octopush 

Also called underwater hockey, which gives you a better idea of what it is about. It was invented in the early 1950s by sub-aqua divers in the South Sea who got bored. Players wear the basic equipment of a mask, snorkel, fins, and water polo hat. They hold a small stick, about the size of a spatula, in a gloved hand. The idea of the game is to use the stick to push the puck into the opposing team's goal, which consists of a 3 meter tray at the opposing end of a 25 meter pool. Looks like players need some major lung capacity and stamina in order to be able to play.

Padbol

I made a brief mention of this new Argentinian sport in my last sports post. At first it looks similar to sepak takraw, but the walls surrounding the court make a huge difference in game play, like racquetball/ squash compared to tennis. Also, the net is much lower and the court is marked more specifically for when and where players can touch the ball. The ball bounces on the ground and lateral walls, which gives the game continuity and speed, and players have to serve the ball to the space diagonally across from it, like tennis. The players may use their feet, head, chest, and legs to maneuver the ball like soccer.

Fistball 

A strange punchy mix of volleyball and tennis. The crucial difference in fistball (compared to volleyball) is that the ball is struck with either fist or arm-never with open hands-and the ball is allowed to bounce after each contact. Today's game has five players per side punching the ball over a ribbon instead of a net, though the ribbon is set at a height similar to volleyball.

Polocrosse

A slightly creative name, given that this sport combines polo with lacrosse. In England, polocrosse was an indoor exercise to teach people how to ride a horse. The modern game began in Australia in the 30s. The field can be either grass or dirt and teams score points by throwing the ball through the opposing goal posts while protecting their own goals posts. All players can catch, carry, and throw the ball with their rackets. Since I already talked about Pato before, which I described as a blend of basketball and polo, I figured this other horse sport deserved the spot on this list. 

Kronum

Perhaps the craziest 'sport' on this list. It combines elements of soccer, handball, and basketball. The field consists of three concentric circles, with the outer circle containing the four goals. The front of each goal consists of the Goal Zone, Wedge Zone, Flex Zone, and Long Range Zone, and each zone dictates ball handling and the number of points awarded for scores. The teams are 10 on 10, and each team has two goals to defend. You can’t touch the ball with your hands when you’re in the Wedge Zone, but all parts of your body are legal in all the other zones. No matter where you are, you can only take two steps with the game ball before you have to dribble. If you’re in the Goal Zone and kick the ball into the “chamber” (the goalmouth), that’s 1 point. Dunk the ball in and you get 2 points. From the Wedge Zone, a score into the chamber is worth 2 points. Kick or head the ball into one of the crown rings and your team gets 4 points. From the Flex Zone, a chamber score is worth 3 points, while crown rings are 6 points. Evidently, these are the most common types of scores found in competitive Kronum. Finally, if you’re out in the nether regions of  Long Range Zone, a chamber score nabs you 4 points while a crown ring score gets a whopping 8 points.

My only real complaint against a sport like Kronum is the attitude it has towards all of the stuff it has going on. Kronum's motto is 'a new sport for the modern athlete' and was created to allow a full display of human athleticism. I recently discovered another new sport, Nashball, which also combines elements of three or four other established sports in order to allow the modern athlete to display creativity and utilize their entire body. These sports act like they're the best thing to happen to the sports world ever, but why? Why does the 'modern athlete' need anything new or special to challenge them, to use their body and show creative athleticism? Why does the 'modern athlete' need to play a sport that is really just a hyperactive-overreach of scraps and bits of  multiple other sports that they can already play? Most of these other sports in this post are new and inventive, but they don't act all cool and hip for bringing together different sports. They provide challenge and recreation just by being their own thing, though they acknowledge their roots come from two other established sports. Some of these sports, like fistball or padbol, can really be played by athletes of any shape and size. You don't need to know how to play four other sports or need to be the most in-shape athlete ever in order to play, which feels like the opposite of the message that Kronum and Nashball are sending. Overall, I enjoy learning about these sports that have recently been invented or are just new to my knowledge and I hope to be able to participate in each one some day.

Source Websites:

-Volata: http://www.topendsports.com/sport/extinct/volata.htm

-Austus:  http://www.topendsports.com/sport/extinct/austus.htm

-International Rules: http://www.topendsports.com/sport/more/international-rules.htm

-Composite Rules: http://www.topendsports.com/sport/more/shinty-hurling.htm

-Footgolf: http://www.footgolf.us/about-footgolf

-Octopush: http://www.gbuwh.co.uk/?component=page&id=29

-Padbol: http://www.padbol.com/en/padbol.php?paisregion=-1p-1p2

-Fistball:  http://www.ifa-fistball.com/that-is-fistball/

-Polocrosse: http://www.americanpolocrosse.org/general-info-rules/

-Kronum: http://kronumrecleague.com/learn/field/; http://www.wired.com/2011/04/kronum-unholy-sports-mashup/

10 Highly Recommendable Catholic Movies

One of the Facebook pages I follow is Catholic Memes. Often times they post links to articles and lists from other Catholic websites. There are have been a few times when they have shared the following list of 10 Classic Movies for Catholics:

http://catholic-link.org/2015/11/27/10-classic-movies-for-catholics/

Some I have seen, some I have not. Some I agree with, some I don't. However, the comments when Catholic Memes last posted the link got me thinking of what would be my 'Top 10 Catholic Movies' list as it were. I have made an effort since my conversion experience in undergrad to see more movies that are about my faith, my culture, and my people. I love movies overall, and have grown in my faith life through movies, so it only makes sense to determine what are great Catholic movies.

I made a strong effort to put the following list in a ranking of least best to greatest best, along with some honorable mentions sprinkled throughout the list (so really you're getting 20 movies for the price of 10 if you think about it). These movies are high quality, both in terms of artistic and moral values. The movies, for the most part, feature Catholic figures or the Catholic Church in its central premise and showcase cinema at its best from throughout the years. 

Also, there are some movies like The Passion of the Christ, The Sound of Music, and even The Lord of the Rings that are always on must-watch lists or are just standard movie watching for Catholics of all generations, so I decided to leave those out of this list. Some movies on this list are classics and well known, but not standard watching like the others. Also also, note that these are only movies that I've seen. There are still some good Catholic movies that I have not seen yet, but I hope to some day soon (a few examples are provided at the bottom).

10. On the Waterfront

This movie gets remembered mainly for Marlon Brando's performance and his 'I Coulda Been a Contender' speech, but it has a great theme and moral center. Karl Malden's priest, Father Barry, is a man of words and actions. He's not afraid to say what needs to be said to the men, whether it is the workers being bullied or the mobsters who keep them silent.What some have described as Father Barry's Sermon on the Waterfront is one of my favorite monologues, and one of the most memorable moments from the movie. 

However, this movie also shows the importance of justice being administered correctly. Silence does not help, only the risk of speaking up and not being afraid of being bullied takes away the antagonist's power. Sure Brando's character reforms and redeems himself in the end, but it is the priest and the love of the pure, woman of faith played by Eva Marie Saint that provides the spiritual and moral sustenance with which Brando receives his courage and strength.

9. Going My Way

This movie is one of many classic Oscar winners on this list. You may see it on TV sometimes or its twin movie, The Bells of St. Mary's, especially during the Christmas season. Going My Way stars Bing Crosby as a young hip Father O'Malley and Barry Fitzgerald as the gruff, traditionalist priest that is helped by Crosby's character.

What makes Going My Way a classic is the way Father O'Malley interacts with the people. He understands how the modern world works and the struggles that his parishoners go through. He is there to help the girl in need of work. He helps boys in the parish see the beauty of the church through music while connecting with them through a shared love for sports. He helps curmudgeonly old men go through necessary changes of heart. He neither condemns the people for their sins nor does he encourage their sinful behavior.

A lot of the same elements are found in The Bells of St. Mary's. The main difference is instead of replacing the leadership of an old priest, Father O'Malley is replacing the leadership of a sister, played by Ingrid Bergman, whose Order runs the school the movie is set in. While I could switch between the two, we do not really see much of the priest or the sisters really living out their vocations spiritually in Bells, whereas at least Going My Way features part of a homily and priests in their vestments. Plus, I saw Going My Way first and Barry Fitzgerald is in it, which makes a difference.

The reason I put this low on this list is because I find Father O'Malley to be slightly manipulative for a holy priest. While he is charismatic, he also holds a lot of secrets and uses them to maneuver people in the directions he wants. Plus you could make the argument that this is an early movie championing modernism in the church, where the old ways of the church never work compared to the new ways that Crosby represents.

8. Henry V

Sure, it's based on a Shakespeare play, but it was very well adapted for time and pacing. In fact, even with The Chorus character narrating certain moments, the whole piece works just as well if not better as a movie than as a stage performance. You get battles, romance, tense friendships, humor, and sadness all in one piece.

Kenneth Branagh's version of Henry V is famous for its inspiring St. Crispian's Day speech, which is one of the emotional highlights of the movie. Yet, everything that King Henry does is inspiring. He can be both merciful and lethal at the right moments. He makes the tough decisions that a man of lesser principles would avoid and he knows how to lead his men. Most importantly, he is a man searching for God's will. For the entire campaign that leads to the Battle of Agincourt and afterward, Henry leaves everything in God's hands, asking his men to pray and he gives God all of the praise and glory for the victories achieved.

In midst of the battles are slow moments, and I do not particularly enjoy the scenes that focus on characters like Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol (they're only really super effective if you've seen the Henry IV plays as well). The only slow moment that works well to me is the procession after the battle as the men sing Non Nobis. The only other real downer about this movie/ play are the bishops in the beginning, who appear like conspirators that manipulate Henry into action. Thankfully their role is short and Henry's righteousness and his relationship with God makes up for this deficit.

7. The Rite

Exorcism movies, to me, are great ways of relating the real spiritual warfare that goes on in this world to all people. The priests, even when they struggle against their conflicts, are fantastic protagonists. One of the best things that exorcism movies have going for them is that they are often based on true stories, so we get realism involved in tense storytelling. The most famous example of Catholic priests exorcising demonic beings in a movie is of course The Exorcist.

While that is a great movie overall, I think it focuses much more on the horror than it does on the dramatic conflict involved in spiritual warfare. The Rite, a more recent exorcism movie, balances the horror and the drama better. Our two main characters are a seasoned priest, played by Anthony Hopkins, and a seminarian, Colin O'Donoghue. The seminarian is struggling with his faith, but the trials he faces during the exorcisms strengthen his spiritual life as he helps those in need. This movie also shows us that not all rituals and processes in exorcisms are extraordinary, but sometimes slow and mundane.

I had a hard time choosing whether to put The Rite on the list over another great modern exorcism movie, Deliver Us From Evil. The latter movie features a fantastic, streetwise priest character played by Edgar Ramirez. The priest has a checkered past that he struggles to leave behind, but he uses it to better relate to the people. DUFE also demonstrates the power that the laity can have in battling evil spirits and it has a pretty cool exorcism scene. The reason why I chose The Rite for this list was because we see the spiritual struggle our main character goes through that transforms a doubting seminarian into an exorcist priest whereas a lot of the struggles that the priest in DUFE goes through are told to us as past events.

6. Calvary

A modern drama that, while sad, also provides an uplifting figure in Brendan Gleeson's priest character, Father James. It sets the truths and faith of the Catholic Church against the cynicism of the modern secular world, which is jaded in part by the wrongful actions of priests and lay people within the Church. It's also a look at modern life in Ireland and how the country's Catholic identity has changed, especially since the days seen in The Quiet Man.

Father James has been given a death threat, a promise of only one week to live. A man is seeking revenge for the abuse he suffered from a priest and he plans to take this out on someone he identified as a 'good priest'. The rest of the movie is Gleeson's interactions with towns folk, all sinners with a chip on their shoulder against Catholicism (though we see these people attend Mass at the beginning).

Gleeson himself struggles with remaining both good and a priest, and there is a moment where he appears defeated with all hope lost. Yet, he puts back on the cassock in the end and goes about his business. He is gruff, but honest. He genuinely cares about people, but he also draws a line on what he can tolerate and when things become inappropriate. The philosophical and theological discussions he has with some of the other characters are relevant to our lives and provide great conflict and characterization. Father James is a strong modern Catholic figure, though it's a shame he is really the only one found in this movie.

Another film examining Europe's cultural change from religious to secular is Ida. A young Polish novitiate is about to make her vows as a nun, but must go on a journey of discovery first. Set in the 60s when Poland was recovering from Nazi occupation but ruled by Communist Soviet Union, Ida/Anna the novitiate leaves the convent she grew up in and battles against the cynical outside world. In Calvary, we see the priest get beaten down by the spiritual warfare he takes on and even though he comes close to caving in, he endures and stands by God and his vocation in the end. Whereas in Ida, we also see her getting beaten down by the secularism and eventually succumb to it in the end, however brief it may be, and the open ending is somewhat confusing. That is why, while I would recommend both movies, I would put Calvary on this list over Ida.

5. A Man For All Seasons

A famous classic Catholic movie, this was first a stage play and was written for the screen by the same writer., Robert Bolt. This movie, like Henry V, has the benefit over the play of being able to move from real location to location to give us grand spaces for this drama to play out.

This movie is based on the true events surrounding St. Thomas More and King Henry VIII in England. St. Thomas was a brilliant lawyer made Chancellor of England, and also one of King Henry's good friends. However, St. Thomas' faith puts him at odds with the king when, as we learned from history, Henry VIII wanted to control whom he divorced and married, whether it was lawful to the Catholic Church or not.

St. Thomas is separate from the other characters in this movie because he sticks to his faith and his morals. He uses the law as best he can to stay out of trouble while remaining true to God. The other characters only care about serving the king and doing the will of Henry VIII, which means that everyone else is trying to beat More down and abuse him until he joins their side.

St. Thomas was a man with a brilliant vocabulary. In the movie, he is able to outwit his opponents, give them a good insult when necessary, and in the end he shared his faith and the Gospel message as eloquently as possible. If he were more of a man of action than words, I would have put this movie higher on the list.

If you are interested in another movie written by Robert Bolt, then I recommend The Mission. It focuses on Jesuits in South America, during the colonization of the Americas, as they try to evangelize to the native tribes while at the same time endure the challenges of tyrannical government slavers and enforcers. Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro portray two different kinds of priests in a story of redemption, justice, and truth.

4. The Song of Bernadette

You'll also find this movie on a lot of top Catholic movie/ must-see lists and for good reason. The acting is spectacular, the setting is gorgeous, and the story is very well told. Jennifer Jones is the main character, St. Bernadette, who was a poor girl in Lourdes, France when the Blessed Virgin Mary visited her in multiple visions.

You get to see the struggle involved in this miraculous event. The people of faith want to see the Blessed Virgin, but only Bernadette is able to, which makes some people think she is crazy. The non-religious government officials do not like all of these people coming to Lourdes and rallying around their faith, so they try to put a stop to Bernadette's ability to visit the spot where she meets the Blessed Virgin. Even the religious leaders, the town priest and later the mother superior of a convent, do not see Bernadette as anything special and doubt that something miraculous can happen for someone so mundane. Yet, we see St. Bernadette overcome all of these trials and tribulations with grace, faith, and love.

There is another movie about famous visits from the Blessed Virgin Mary in Europe, The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima. As the title suggests, the movie focuses on the miraculous times Our Lady visited three village children in Fatima, Portugal. There are a lot of similar elements between these two movies, not just the miraculous visions, but also the anti-religious government, the skeptical priest, and the family conflict that occurs because of the visions. My understanding is that both movies, while based on the true miraculous events, take liberties with some of the facts to tell the story, and this is more prevalent in the Fatima movie, mainly due to the inclusion of Hugo de Silva, a fictitious skeptic turned convert character whose antics provide some of the humor and lightheartedness in the movie. Both are inspiring, but Bernadette does a better job at portraying the story as best as possible.

3. Becket

I am surprised this movie is not as famous or on as many must-see Catholic movie lists compared to The Song of Bernadette and A Man For All Seasons. Here is another movie about an English saint and martyr, St. Thomas Becket, who went from being Chancellor of England and ally of King Henry II to the Archbishop of Cantebury and opposing force against the king's will.

At first this movie shows us detail about how Becket and Henry acted, where the king did as he liked (especially when it came to his sexual advances towards any woman he fancied) and Becket allowed him to go about his sinful behavior. In fact, Becket was such good friends with the king that he was the enemies of other Church authorities in England. I was surprised by all of this detail at first, having a hard time believing that such a saintly movie could feature someone so close to sin.

Then the consecration scene happened where Becket took on the role of Archbishop and everything changed. It was like Becket had a conversion experience during and after that moment. Afterwards, he transformed his ways, began pursuing God's righteousness and exercised the appropriate authority of the Church on both religious and secular matters. From then on, we see the Archbishop facing down threatening enemies with peace and courage, we see him perform beautiful rituals, and we see him defy King Henry in matters he would not have defied before.

Another historical drama with inaccuracies, it is Becket's conversion and inspirational actions as Archbishop that makes this movie so great to me. The sets are spectacular, especially the Cathedral of Cantebury, and the costumes are stunning and well done historically. Like I said earlier, the consecration scene is one of the highlights of the movie. It's great drama between two spectacular actors with majestic soft moments in between the action.

2. Monsieur Vincent

This early biopic about the life of St. Vincent De Paul contains themes and actions still relevant today. St. Vincent is famous for his service to the poor, providing food for the hungry and care for the sick. This French movie shows his interactions with both the rich aristocrats that provided funding for his work as well as his encounters with the destitute that either accepted his help or laughed at his piety.

Some of my favorite scenes are the beginning and the end. We first meet St. Vincent when he takes on the role of priest at a village inflicted by the plague. Upon arrival, he is greeted with stones thrown at him and nobles hiding away while laughing at his high ideals. Very quickly, St. Vincent reclaims the abandoned village church, enlists the help of a boy and a man in the village, and sets about serving the sick and dying.

The end scene involves an old St. Vincent, talking to a royal woman who has been a helper of his for a long time. He is lamenting about how there was so much more he could have done with his life, many more things he could have done to serve the poor and needy. This moment is powerful because we've been watching a man devote his life to service, doing much more than almost anyone else. Yet, he thinks he has done very little, that he could have gone with less sleep in order to act more. This is the kind of movie that makes you want to go and serve the poor immediately after watching it.

If you are interested in another French Catholic film, I would also recommend Au Revoir Les Enfants. It is an autobiographical look at life for boys at a Catholic school during World War II when France was occupied by the Nazis. If you are interested in another movie about the life of a saint, I would recommend The Flowers of St. Francis. It is an Italian film that casted real monks as St. Francis' disciples and portrays vignettes of his life as he establishes his order and sets about serving God in whatever way possible.

1. The Scarlet & The Black

A TV mini-series that is just as good as any regular movie. The Scarlet & The Black is about the battle between the Nazi Commander in charge of Rome, Christopher Plummer, and an Irish activist priest at the Vatican, played by Gregory Peck. Monsignor O'Flaherty (Peck), along with the help of religious and lay allies in and out of the Vatican, provides shelter and aid to soldiers and Jewish refugees while Colonel Kappler (Plummer) attempts to completely control Rome with an iron fist.

We see the fight for justice done rightly, peacefully and without guns. We see people willing to risk their lives by devoting their homes, finances, and time to protect those in most need of their protection from evil. We see that it was not easy, that the Vatican was put in a difficult position, and that the risks were lethal should they go wrong.

Monsignor O'Flaherty, as portrayed here, was a prayerful man, turning to God and the Pope when he felt despair. He was funny, charming, and faulty; we got to see his anger and his laughter. We also saw Colonel Kappler go through a crisis himself as he fought in this power struggle against the Monsignor.

If you wanted to see Gregory Peck in another role as a Catholic priest, there is The Keys of the Kingdom, which focuses on a missionary priest trying to establish a church in China and evangelize the people. If you wanted to see another movie about the Catholic Church's fight against Nazis in Rome, there is Roma: Citta Aperta, an Italian neorealist film shot in many real Roman locations just after the war ended and features a similar grueling scene where the protagonists are tortured for their resistance against the Nazis.

Honorable Mentions:

-Of Gods and Men

Based on a true story, this foreign language drama focuses on French monks living in Algeria in the 90s. They interact mainly with a Muslim population, but do the work of caring for the sick and helping the helpless. The monks are threatened by terrorists and must choose which is more important, their lives or the needs of the people. Also provides some great moments of the monks in prayer and at Mass.

-Pope John Paul II TV Mini-Series

A TV mini-series produced shortly after the death of now Saint Pope John Paul II and it shares his life story from his college days til his death. Cary Elwes plays the younger version of His Holiness, back during his days of theatre and social activism while rising from priest to young Cardinal. After his ordination as Pope, Jon Voight continues the role with dedication, especially during the Pope's failing health in later years. Elwes may be my favorite of the two, but this series highlights many important/ historical moments in his life.

-The Singing Nun

Another movie based on a true story (we have a lot of those), the title essentially says it all. A nun with a worldly past blends folk music with her faith. Using connections, she records the music and eventually even plays on TV, creating chaos in her life as she has to balance fame and her vocation.

-Lilies of the Field

A tale about coming together despite different races and religions, or despite conflict caused by either of the two. Sidney Poitier is a traveling man brought up as a Lutheran who comes across European nuns in the Southwest desert. It has funny moments in between the spiritual highlights and has one of the best actors of the time.

On My To-Watch List:

-I Confess

A Hitchcock mystery involving a priest and the seal of the confessional!

-Shoes of the Fisherman

A fictional account of an East European bishop becoming Pope in the midst of Cold War tensions.

-Molokai: The Story of Father Damien

Based on the real life of a priest who worked and lived on a leper colony in a Hawaiian island.

Music Series: International Disney

8/24/16: In the midst of life, I am trying to blog more. I have several posts in a series about Music in development, along with some random posts developing as well. I hope to get at least one out once a week for the next few weeks, but it may be more or less, who knows. Anyway, on with the blog!

J.R.R. Tolkien is famous for not only being the author of the stories about Middle Earth, but he is also well known as a professor of philology. He studied languages, their history, and what made words work. He was passionate about languages foreign to his own and found beauty in many of those foreign words, which influenced his creation of the different languages seen and heard in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The Elvish languages can be heard featuring aspects of the Finnish and Icelandic languages for example.

What I imagine Tolkien was hoping Elvish songs would sound like.

Now, obviously the title of this post tells you that this is about Disney and not Tolkien. I brought him up though because I feel like I have experienced the enjoyment and the passion for foreign languages that Professor Tolkien demonstrated. And that is because of Disney. Specifically, songs found in Disney movies, sung in foreign languages.

Disney animated features have been famous for their music, most especially during the Renaissance in the late 80s and early 90s. Most everyone around my age can still sing along to all of the songs from Aladdin, Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. There was just something catchy and attractive about the songs, kind of like combining the hooks of musical theatre with the hit power of pop radio (although the songs became more like pop radio in the last few years).

Exhibit A!

Why do I enjoy these songs in foreign languages? I think one of the elements involved is sound. These songs, while structured and pitched the same as in the English version, demonstrate how the sound of words change around the world. Words sound different because the mouth and the tongue is used differently depending on where you are. Another element is the beauty in mystery. I do not really understand what songs are saying in foreign languages, but I know they sound beautiful. I also know that translators attempt to match lyrics as best as possible, so I can still get the general idea of a song even if I do not really know what the characters are singing. I think there is also the fact that most of these sounds and words are new to me. Since I really only speak English, with some Spanish and Latin thrown in, all of these sung words sound new to me, and I think we all enjoy finding something new and mysterious.

Youtube is a fantastic site. One reason is because I can find videos of Disney songs in multiple languages. If Youtube was not around, I probably would not be able to hear an Icelandic or a French or a Japanese version of Disney tunes unless I came across a dubbed copy of those movies. The odd thing is, the best songs, or the most beautiful songs, to me are the princess songs. I am not sure if it's the allure of a pretty feminine voice or if the songs were just written very well or if there are just more songs for female singers in Disney than male singers.

Anywho, below are some samples of some of my favorite Disney songs sung in foreign languages. I chose to, for the most part, connect the language with the setting of the corresponding movie.

Arabic: Aladdin-A Whole New World

Mandarin (Chinese): Mulan-Reflection

French: Cinderella-So This is Love

Greek: Hercules-I Won't Say I'm in Love

Danish: The Aristocats-Thomas O'Malley 

Sure the movie is set in France, but I already picked one for that language. Anyways, this version sounds the closest to the cool vibe from the English.

Top 10 International Sports Games We Should Play

We all know about the major professional sports leagues in this country. There are standard youth and community leagues devoted to all of the usual suspects like Soccer, Softball, Flag Football, and others. Sports like Rugby and Lacrosse and even Ultimate Frisbee are starting to gain popularity in the United States because of their uniqueness and lack of playing that is standard with other sports like football and baseball.

However, there are so many beautiful sports in this world that we do not really hear of. Sure, there may be some small leagues in major cities, but for the most part, if I mentioned Hurling or Sepak Takraw or Shinty to you without any context, you'd probably look at me funny.

To remedy that, I have compiled a list of 10 sports, plus some variations and some honorable mentions, that are played in other parts of the world, but should be played more in the United States. I will just be giving a brief synopsis of each sport, along with a picture, to give you an idea of what they're about and why I think they're so awesome.

HURLING

I've told a lot of people about this, and I have played this sport in a league in St. Louis. It's a Gaelic sport popular in Ireland, and a lot of metropolises across the U.S. have teams and leagues devoted to this sport.

In Hurling, here are two teams on a soccer-type field, each team with 11 or 15 players. Each player has a hurley (stick) and they are all chasing a ball (sliotar a.k.a. slitter). The objective is to score the most points through the opposite team's goals, which is a combo of a soccer goal with field goal posts. Over and between the crossbars equals 1 point and each sliotar that goes into the net goal is 3 points.

There are various rules for how long you can run with the sliotar in hand, how you can pick it up off the ground, and how aggressive you can play. Ireland also offers Camogie, essentially a women's league version of Hurling, though back home some ladies played on both Camogie and Hurling teams. This game takes plenty of stamina, accuracy, and courage to play, but it's all fun!

GAELIC FOOTBALL

My people! Players from County Mayo in the green and red.

It's Soccer with your hands! It's Rugby without the scrums and rucks! It's another Irish sport! Gaelic Football has the same number of players, same rules of movement, and same goals as Hurling. The main difference is the ball this time looks like a volleyball, only bigger and heavier, and you can use both your feet and your hands to move the ball around the field.

I could also pick Aussie Rules Football. Aussie Rules uses a rugby shaped ball and is more of a mix between Gaelic Football and Rugby. However, because of huge and oddly shaped those fields for Aussie Rules are (Gaelic game fields are already big enough) and the greater risk of injury in Aussie Rules, not to mention more complicated scoring and posts involved, I would recommend Gaelic Football as a fun alternative to Soccer in the U.S.

PESAPALLO

Baseball may be America's past time but it has a variety of bat and ball games that it came from and that it inspired. Baseball mainly came from two English sports. One is Rounders, which has a similar base and running set up but has a smaller, single-handed bat. The other is Cricket, the second most popular sport in the world (thanks Britain and India), which used to be played in early U.S. history and has some clubs scattered in major cities today.

Anyway, one of the sports that baseball helped to created is Pesapallo, which was established in Finland after a Finnish man watched Baseball in the U.S. The major difference between Pesapallo and Baseball is the base set up and the pitching. Rather than a diamond shape for base running, the bases are in a zig-zag pattern, where runners first go left, then right, then make their way back to the left and around to the home plate. The pitchers do not have a mound in the middle, but just toss the ball right next to the batter. This game also uses bats and gloves, though they have a different shape than the American versions. Also unusual or unique is Pesapallo players have padded helmets like boxers and the coach has an area of colored sticks to use for signaling. Pesapallo is meant to be a faster paced and more exciting version of Baseball, so people who enjoy the challenge of bat and ball games, but despise the pace of Baseball/ Softball can get behind Pesapallo.

As you might imagine there are many many bat and ball sports around the world. Besides the ones I included earlier, there is also Vigoro in Australia (Tennis meets Cricket), Oina in Romania (Pesapallo meets Cricket), Lapta in Russia (Baseball mixed with Oina), Brannboll in Sweden (Baseball meets Vigoro), and my personal favorite Kilikiti in Samoa/ the Pacific Islands. Kilikiti is based on Cricket, but it is played with larger more triangular bats that look like decorative clubs and players wear traditional lavalava skirts. Kilikiti is an example of a culture updating a popular sport and transforming it into part of the cultural identity, which is why I would recommend Pesapallo becoming a league sport in the U.S. over Kilikiti, since Kilikiti has deep roots in its culture.

FIELD HOCKEY

Sure this is one of the most popular sports in the world, and you may be telling me that we already have field hockey in this country, but really, outside of the Olympics or a school (high school, college, whatever) team, when was the last time that you saw field hockey being played in this country?

Field hockey, like its ice variant we see in the NHL, is about players chasing a small round object with a stick. Unlike ice hockey sticks, one side of the stick's bend is round while the other side is flat. There is a ball instead of a puck and you can only hit the ball with the flat side. This looks like another game that takes lots of stamina, strength, and flexibility to persevere, which makes it a great sport that you can get in shape from just playing.

SEPAK TAKRAW 

I believe I can fly!

Volleyball is fun and all, but how much cooler would it be to play it with your feet instead and do kick flips? That's what Sepak Takraw, a popular sport in Southeast Asia, is often described as. There are two teams with 2 or 3 players kicking a ball over a net into their opponent's side of the court. Like volleyball, there are only 3 touches allowed on one team's side and points are scored if the ball falls to the ground or goes out of bounds.

Unlike volleyball, a single player can take all 3 touches and, as mentioned before, arms and hands are not allowed. Similar to soccer, players can use their heads, chests, and especially their feet to move the ball (which is smaller than a volleyball and made of rattan material). Videos of games often show players spiking the ball over the net by flying into the air and flip kicking the ball.

As you might imagine, Sepak Takraw takes lots of skill, which might turn people off. A different game similar to Sepak Takraw is Bossaball. This game brings back the volleyball sized projectile but also allows players to maintain the kicking elements of Sepak Takraw. Instead of being played on an indoor court though, Bossaball is played on an inflatable court, with trampolines on each  side for players to bounce high enough to do their kicks. Bossaball also allows players to use any part of their body to move the ball around.

I love trampolines and inflatable, bouncy things. Both do require physicality to move around for a long time. However, I would usually associate those with carnivals or just goofing around in someone's backyard. A sport, to me, especially for clubs and leagues, should be a little more established or at least less cartoonish. That, and the cool ninja moves, are the reason why I would recommend Sepak Takraw over Bossaball.

BANDY

Do you love ice hockey? Well, what if the rink was a larger size so that 11 players could be on each team? Also, what if the goalie was not allowed a stick but instead had large fuzzy gloves only? Also also, instead of a puck, you skate around a ball and hit it with a stick that is bent but not curved, allowing you to hit the ball on both sides?

While I described the game in a joking manner, I think Bandy is a cooler, much more intense version of ice hockey that could catch on. For one reason, whereas Ice Hockey encourages physical contact, Bandy penalizes players for intentional pushing and roughing other players, which means that players have to be skillful at keeping the ball as well as taking it away while avoiding their opponent as best as possible. At the moment, Bandy in the U.S. only seems to be played in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, where they have the means to have a large outdoor ice rink and people willing to play Bandy instead of Hockey.

A possible alternative to Bandy is Ringette. Another Ice Hockey variation, this game from Canada has three major differences. Instead of a puck or a ball, the players chase a rubber ring. Instead of a bent or curved stick, the players essentially have a pole to allow them to stick it inside the ring and catch it. Finally, there are three different zones designated by blue lines that limit where players can move, depending on their position. However, Ringette was invented specifically for women to play (not saying that's a bad thing) while Bandy, as far as I'm aware, does not limit whether women or men can play.

SHINTY

The Scottish cousin to Hurling and Field Hockey, Shinty is another field and stick game. This time, instead of a hurley, players use a caman which looks like an alternately-designed hockey stick. Just like Hurling, the objective is to score the most goals by moving the ball up the field using your stick. If you can imagine hockey players attempting golf, you can probably imagine Shinty. The swings look like someone is driving their ball from the tee box.

Another offshoot of both Hurling and Shinty is Cammag, a game found on the Isle of Man (between England and Ireland). On St. Stephen's Day/ Boxing Day/ The Day After Christmas, citizens gather together into giant teams with whatever long sticks they can find (hurleys, camans, brooms, golf clubs, a tree branch). The teams fight to move a ball from one end of the town to the other without any solid boundaries. This is more of a Culturally Specific Honorable Mention since Cammag is only played on the Isle of Man specifically on December 26 and seems ran more on tradition than actual rules or guidelines.

HANDBALL

I also believe I can fly!

It's an Olympic sport and the U.S. doesn't even have a team in it this year! If we really wanted to dominate the Olympics, we'd make sure to have a team or person in each event to better our chances of getting all the medals! Okay, I really don't care if we win a medal, but Handball looks like a fun sport and it seems a shame for the rest of the world to have all the fun while we ignore this.

There are two teams of seven people each on an indoor court. As you can imagine, the object is to use your hands to move a ball down the court and score a point. There is a limit to how long a player can hold a ball or how many steps they can take before passing the ball to another player. Essentially basketball combined with soccer, Handball offers some sweet moments when watching people trying to score goals and is just as physical as any other popular sport in the U.S.

Also, in my internet searches of different sports around the world, I keep seeing Quidditch popping up as a growing popular 'game' to play. Let's substitute Quidditch for Handball as THE new hand ball sport to play, for multiple reasons. First and foremost, you're not actually flying in this muggle version of Quidditch. Next, you can stop holding the broom between your legs. Also, you're essentially trying to achieve the same thing in both sports Everyone is running around the field trying to get ahold of the ball and throw it into their opponent's goal to score the most points.

PATO

Perhaps this could be saved for my Culturally Specific Honorable Mentions, but it's just too cool and too little mentioned elsewhere. Pato (the Spanish word for 'duck') is a sport in Argentina. It is played on horseback, with two teams of four players each competing to score goals in a net on a post.

The reason why it is called Pato is because the players used to be fighting over and tossing around a real duck when it first started. Over the years, the duck was replaced with a leather ball with handles for gripping and pulling.

Pato, this blend of basketball and polo, seems a little similar to Buzkashi, a Central Asian sport also featuring horsemen fighting over an animal. Specifically, Buzkashi players battle over a goat carcass. From what I've glanced online, Buzkashi is translated as goat grabbing and is an especially big deal in Afghanistan as a traditional, national sport. Since Buzkashi has such strong ties to its culture and since Pato switched from tossing animal bodies to an actual ball, I say let's play some Pato, amigos!

IRISH ROAD BOWLING

Imagine getting a gutter ball in this game

Back during my time with Reach Youth Ministry, I played a game of Bocce ball with the rest of the guys in the ministry that year. We were out camping by a lake shore for the night, so we were surrounded by natural beauty. Instead of limiting ourselves to a designated field with boundaries, we would toss the balls all around the hills, trees, concrete (parking lot), dirt, and even into the water sometimes. It was great fun, one of my favorite memories from that time.

Irish Road Bowling sounds very similar to my experience with this variation of Bocce. A player is throwing what amounts to a shot from shotput (a small iron ball) down a course. Like golf, the player with the lowest score wins. As you might infer from the name, the game is played around roads and players try to roll the ball down the course like a bowling ball, though the throw has been likened to that of a cricket bowl.

Bocce seems popular enough in the U.S. that Irish Road Bowling can take off. Instead of being limited to the restrictions and boundaries of Bocce courts, players are only limited by the roads and courses they play on. There are some places in America (Boston, MA, La Crosse, WI and Ireland, WV for example) that have formed their own leagues or tournaments, trying to attach it to the Irish identity of the town. Also, adults seem to love beer leagues where skillful play doesn't have to get in the way of enjoying an alcoholic beverage, and Irish Road Bowling seems like the perfect sport for doing just that. Also also, small towns and rural areas could take advantage of their surroundings to create Irish Road Bowling events or tournaments around their town to attract tourists and visitors.

Honorable Mention Sports That Are Culturally Specific:

CALCIO FIORENTINO

Now played exclusively in Florence, Italy. The championship is held on June 24, the feast day of St. John the Baptist. I have nicknamed Calcio 'prison riot rugby' because, like rugby, two teams of tough guys are trying to carry a ball to their opponent's goal and, like prison riots, everyone is trying to punch, kick, and wrestle everyone else into a bloody pulp. At least when I call these guys Mr. Fancy Pants, I can say it with a straight face and risk my health at the same time.

KI-O-RAHI

Maori people are indigenous people from New Zealand. This sport of Ki-o-rahi is steeped in Maori tradition and culture. All of the game pieces are labelled in the Maori language and the gameplay, including the game's name, is based on a Maori legend. There is both a full tackle and a touch flag version of the game. It looks like variations of handball, rugby, and dodgeball, but I still have not really looked into this enough to really understand what's going on.

LELO BURTI

On Easter Sunday, in the village of Shukhuti in the country of Georgia, people gather together for a friendly game of Lelo Burti. The village splits into two teams, essentially a north side and south side, and the Orthodox priest blesses the ball before throwing it in to start the match. Just like Cammag, there is really no distinct boundaries of what the playing field is, just one end of town and the other. As you can see in the picture, a massive crowd is fighting over a single ball, so you can imagine the shoving, kicking, and injuries that occur. This is the closest thing in modern times, I have found, to what basic village ball games were like 1000 years ago in Europe.

To get the full picture of each above sport, I would recommend looking on Youtube for visual aid or even just Googling the rules and gameplay of the sports. On Youtube, you can find channels like Ninh Ly Explains or Trans World Sports to watch great videos about these sports. I only just learned today about an ancient Ethiopian field-hockey-ish sport of Genna and a new game called Padbol in Argentina, which is a meeting between tennis and sepak takraw, from Youtube, There is so much more out there than what is popular in the professional sports world in the United States. Go out there and play!