It is so easy to get into a sports travel rut. To actually believe that sports only revolves around the four biggies: baseball, football, basketball and hockey. And, for those who think they are really “clever” there is, of course, golf, tennis and perhaps a little NASCAR.

Well, may I suggest that you expand your sports mind and get beyond the rut with a few events that are worth the travel? Yes, they are unconventional but they are an exciting and much needed break from the old faithfuls that dominate “SportsCenter.” These won’t make the headlines anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t make the top of your personal list of great events as they did for us.

Bassmaster:
The Bassmaster Tour is competitive bass fishing. Please do not stop reading. There is good stuff here. My first reaction to this sport was a little skepticism. Do we watch from piers? Do we cheer them on? If I heckle the competitors, will I scare the fish? Actually, its much more straight forward than that. The Bass Master competitors go out and fish for a day or so and they bring back their best (heaviest fish) for weigh-in. They can bring back a total of five and they all must be alive and swimming.

Spectators wait in a small stadium at the end of the day to cheer on the competitors. Each competitor arrives by having their speed boat towed in by a pick-up truck while their own signature country or rock anthem plays during their entrance. These guys arrive like rock stars and then, they are interviewed by the host of the event. They tell stories to the crowd about their day on the water- chasing fish. It is more about the storytelling a good event rather than watching it. But the most exciting part is when each fisherman takes out their prize fish one by one-holding it triumphantly over their head. Some of these fish are as big as 11 pounds.

Bassmaster is not some grand daddy event for a lady who lunches or some pretentious golf buff but its got all the down-home country charm of a NASCAR event without the high price ticket. In fact, its free. For more information on the Bassmaster tour, check out: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/index

U.S Open of Surfing:
Ever since the release of the movie “Point Break” and some “90210” brainwashing, I’ve dreamed of being a surf star. Sure, it’s far fetched. I can barely swim. But, for all of you who have dreamed of being that surfer cool, you can live vicariously through the athletes at the U.S. Open Surfing.

This event is in Huntington Beach, CA so the location itself should speak volumes about the fun of this late-July event.

Fans from all over the west coast come to watch as the best surfers from all around the world compete for top prize based on their best 2 wave scores. Don’t ask me how they judge this stuff. All I know it that it’s impressive, on the beach, and up-close-and-personal to surfers who have the skills to backup their cool factor.

For information on the U.S. Open of Surfing, check out: http://www.go211.com/

Summer X Games:
I have always said that the measure of a sport should be in the amount of people carried off in stretchers and living to tell the tale. If this is the case, then the summer X Games is the granddaddy of all events.

X Games athletes, Matt Hoffman, once said: “This is a WTF contest.” I am sure he meant individual events like BMX or Skateboarding Best Trick but really, you could go to any of the X Games events and be totally in awe of the athleticism and stupidity of the stunts. Some of the tricks, flips and vertical stunts are so amazing that you might find yourself screaming out loud. Some of the falls are equally amazing- leaving you gasping and holding your breath. But, you should not miss the signature event of the competition: Skateboard “Big Air” Finals. Competitors launch off a ramp, ten-stories high and compete for height (i.e. big air) and difficulty of trick. This event is insane, and with a Ten Story measuring stick, you can measure just how daring these skateboard are and about how many feet or stories they fell.

For information on the summer X Games, check out: http://expn.go.com/expn/index

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