http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fierljeppen Fierljeppen From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Polsstokverspringen in Heerenveen Fierljeppen in Heerenveen Fierljeppen (lit. far-leaping) is a traditional sport of the Frisians and of the Dutch. Ljeppen is West Frisian for "to leap". It is a fine example of the close relationship between the Frisian and English languages Description The sport involves a long pole and a body of water. The pole is between 8 and 13 m long and has a flat round plate at the bottom to prevent it from sinking into the muddy river or canal bottom. A jump consists of a sprint to the pole (polsstok), jumping and grabbing it, then climbing to the top of the pole while trying to control its forward and lateral movements over a body of water, and finishing by landing on a sand bed opposite to the starting point. History The sport is believed to have originated with Dutch farmers who used poles to leap over small water drainage channels to access different plots of land. In East Frisia this sport is known as Pultstock-Jumping. Today the sport is primarily practiced for fun or to entertain tourists, but there still is an official annual National Fierljepping Manifestation (NFM) in the Netherlands, and championships are contested in six leagues and numerous clubs. Record holders The current overall record holder is Bart Helmholt from Hardegarijp (Friesland). He leaped a distance of 21.51 meters in 2011 during the Dutch Championships. The current Dutch record holders by category are:[2] Seniors: 21.51 meters, Bart Helmholt from Burgum, Friesland (27 August 2011, Linschoten) Juniors: 20.41 meters, Jaco de Groot from Woerden, Utrecht (9 August 2006, Linschoten) Boys: 19.24 meters, Age Hulder from Burgum, Friesland (1 August 2009, Linschoten) Ladies: 16.74 meters, Dymphie van Rooijen from IJsselstein, Utrecht (21 August 2011, Linschoten) Fierljeppen throughout the world International tourists who have visited Friesland and who have observed this sport have helped to spread its popularity throughout the globe. Competitions in other locales now take place, albeit at a less competitive level due to smaller numbers of athletes and the lack of suitable locations. Many Americans were first introduced to the sport, here referred to as "ditch-vaulting", on Season 12 of The Amazing Race. The Japanese reality TV Series called Sasuke (also called Ninja Warrior) has also featured this obstacle. See also ---------------- Fierljeppen: A cool Frisian and Dutch sport. http://www.wimp.com/coolsport/ -------------- http://www.pbholland.com/?context=Alle&lang=en Holland Fierljappen page http://www.pbholland.com/foto.php?fotograaf=P2003F016&wedstrijd=W20120901B&lang=en Photo gallery --------------------- http://www.2camels.com/pole-leaping.php Many kids may consider climbing to the top of a telephone pole or a flag pole, but few see these daft and risky dreams through...beyond shimmying a few feet into the air, or sticking a tentative tongue on an icy pole as a wintertime whim. Spring and summer in the Netherlands present a different story, where climbers scale poles-originally wooden ones-not to retrieve some camper's underpants sling-shot to the top, but for Dutch supremacy. Yep, it's fierljeppen, West Frisian for "far leaping," a sport in which athletes hurl their own bodies...up, out, and over. A pole as long as 43 feet 6 inches is anchored in a canal and leans towards a dock. A competitor takes a quick sprint across the runway and dock, leaps to grab the pole, and hurriedly climbs to the top as the pole leans forward across the 12-meter pond, before bounding into the sand pit on the other side of the canal. The fierljepper who travels the farthest wins. Think running pole-vault start, rope-climb middle, and long-jump landing. First recorded as early as 1200, farmers created the idea of fierljeppen when they used large poles to cross waterways that divided plots of land. Some say that poachers developed this technique to steal eggs from farmers, vaulting over and back before a Hollandse Herdershond (Dutch Shepherd dog) bit them in the achterwerk (behind). Even before this, some say that Moses didn't part the Red Sea so much as use his staff to vault across it. (Yes, Moses was also involved with stone skipping. That's why he's so famous!) Reliable records about the sport date from 1771, and today, competitions remain popular among the Dutch and the Germanic peoples of the Dutch province of Friesland. (Oddly, "Friesland" doesn't translate as "land of fries," although patat-fried lengths of potato typically served with mayonnaise-is a popular local dish.) In 1957, competitions began in Friesland; the Dutch held a similar competition in 1960. Six years later, the first match between the two regions was held. Currently, Frisian Bart Helmholt holds the world record with a jump of over 68 feet (20.76 meters). That's long enough to clear an 18-wheeler with room to spare. While the English-speaking world remains unclear about how to translate fierljeppen-pole leaping? canal jumping? ditch vaulting?-it seems clear on what to call fierljeppers who land in the water: Soggy Fries. Always wanted to slide down poles like a fire fighter? Take the real challenge, and climb up to -------------------------------- FIERLJEPPEN - YouTube Fierljeppen is a traditional sport of the Frisians and of the Dutch, and one of the more complex athletic sports known to date. Ljeppen is West Frisian for ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFZuzEOKN0w -------------- http://sportzfun.com/contests/dutch-canal-jumping.htm (GET THIS VIDEO) Crazy Sporting Contests [ more contests ] Canal Jumping Contests This unusual sporting event is called Fierljeppen in The Netherlands (Holland). The long aluminum poles is between 3 and 5 m long and has a flat round plate at the bottom to prevent it from sinking into the muddy canal bottom. The contestants run and jump onto the pole, then a shimmy to the top of the poles (some with the aid of bicycle inner tubes strapped to their feet), and then vault off to try and land on the opposite bank. A National Canal Jumping Contest is held on August 22nd each year. There is no prize except the honor of being the Dutch Champion Canal Jumper! Below is a video of the a world record leap, 20.41 meters set by Jaco de Groot on the 9th August 2006. ---------------- http://www.partycentrumdewestereen.nl/page/fierljeppen.html Pictures of kids' tourney ================= http://www.pbholland.com/moving/2011/20110824_lschoten/Jaco_2125.wmv The main video http://www.pbholland.com/moving/2010/20100630_vlist/jaco_2081.wmv http://www.pbholland.com/moving/2009/20090627_pdam/theo_2031_nv.wmv -------------