7 Strange Olympic Sports That Are Actually Fun to Watch ...

This is definitely one of the strangest Olympic sports, but is actually pretty fun to watch. Basically, you slide your stones down the ice in an attempt to get as many of your team's stones at or as close to the target as possible. Sounds normal, huh? The weird-looking part is the brushing in front, but it's done to even out the surface as much as possible so that the stone doesn't get caught up or misdirected by ridges in the ice. I'd actually love to play this, if only to get to wear crazy Norwegian-flag pants.

If you've ever ridden down a water slide on your back, you have an idea of how this works. Basically you are on your back on a very light sled shooting through a tube of ice. It might look simple but, at speeds up to 80 mph, it's also one of the most dangerous. In contrast, I can't even go down a water slide without freaking out. Damn. People have actually died doing this, which means that somebody absolutely had to make an even more dangerous doubles version!

Remember how you used to sled down a hill face-first while your mom watched in horror? Imagine doing that at 80 mph. Skeleton is basically luge in reverse - speeding face-down over a track of solid ice while resisting the urge to yell, “Look, Ma!” as you go through the tube. Oh, and the name of the event refers to the sled used, not what your mom said you'd become if something went wrong.

If you've never heard of this event before, it basically consists of teaching a horse to dance and keep time to music. I know the idea of teaching an animal to dance sounds a lot more like a circus than an Olympic sport, but you really have to see it to believe it. It might look like simple trotting to you, but notice how well the horse keeps the beat of the song. She has more rhythm that some humans I know. (ba-dum-bum-*ching*)

No, this isn't an oxymoron. The object of this event is for the swimmer to stay in perfect time with the music, something my fellow marching-band nerds know is much easier said than done! It's especially interesting when you consider the fact that they can't hear the music well underwater, if they can hear it at all! Unfortunately it only lasted eight years. Even so, it looks like it would be fun to watch.

This game has only been played twice and never as a competitive sport, but I'm mentioning it here because playing basketball with the guys using a soccer ball brings back fond memories from childhood. That, and the name is just cool.

Yes, this is actually a sport. It's part of the gymnastics competition, They bounce 30 feet in the air and do all kinds of tricks coming down, some of which I didn't know the human body was capable of. In contrast, I can't even do a cartwheel correctly. Wow.

Even if the games are over, it's still fun to learn about how these athletes train for things we didn't even know were sports. I didn't mention poodle grooming or hot-air ballooning because I couldn't find a video, but you can probably picture them in your head. What are some of the more unusual sports you've seen in the Olympics? Are there any you'd like to see included or brought back? Discuss!