Welcome to my new series, the “Canadian List of Ten”! Ten weeks, ten posts, ten lists and one hundred new Canadian things for you, from food to language, from city to weather.
There is more to Canada than ice hockey, eh!
Indeed, Canadians participate in a variety of sports, professionally or as amateur. They compete in various championships and international games and Canada is a good contender in many fields.
Have you ever heard of curling? Did you know that cricket was popular here? Can you name Canada’s official summer sport?
No?
Looks like you need this 10 Canadian sports list!
- Curling: this is a sport I had never heard of before I came to Canada. To me, curling is like playing darts horizontally on ice…! Basically, curling is a sport in which teams take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones down the ice towards a target. This sport is most popular in the prairies.
- Baseball: although more strongly associated with the United States, baseball is also popular in Canada. The only Major League Baseball team are currently The Toronto Blue Jays, since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington.
- Lacrosse: this is a true original Canadian sport, since First Nations started playing it some 500 years ago. Today, it is a widespread sport among autochtones and Canadians of all backgrounds, and it has been recognized as Canada’s official summer sport.
- Football: not soccer (one of Canada’s weak points!), but US style football. Canada has eight football teams: the B.C. Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger Cats, and Montreal Alouettes.
- Basketball: it is a popular sport in Canada, especially in Nova Scotia and Southern Ontario. Currently, the only professional team is the Toronto Raptors.
- Cricket: although not as big as in India or Pakistan, cricket was the most popular sport in Canada until the early 20th century. It is still played today by a number of fans. The match between the USA and Canada the oldest international fixture in cricket, having first been played in 1844.
- Auto Racing: who hasn’t heard of Gilles Villeneuve, the famous Grand Prix Driver? It was a huge deal when the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal has been dropped from the Formula One calendar in 2008, but it is scheduled to return in 2010. Indeed, the Canadian Grand Prix was the most watched Formula One GP in the world in 2005.
- Running: although it is not really a professional sport in Canada, running is something that a lot of Canadians enjoy doing. It is a popular activity and it’s not rare to spot courageous soul jogging in a blizzard (I even took a picture once!). Marathons, semi-marathons and various races are also often organized to fund raise for various charities and participation is surprisingly large.
- Field Hockey: what do you do in the summer? You play field hockey, a fun substitute to ice hockey, very popular in many countries including Canada.
- Ice Hockey: Canada’s official pastime is best watched live, among other fans who will cheer during each fight. Many stereotypes are associated with hockey, starting with the toothless bloodshot-eyed players cliché. But in fact, the sport is surprisingly graceful. It is also fast-paced and quite fascinating, not only for the game itself but for the skating skills of the players.
Cricket? seriously?
.-= Nigel Babu´s last blog ..Pushing 150 kg =-.
We got a great Canadian basketball player here in Phoenix, Steve Nash! Too bad he can’t play great defense, but he is unbelievable to watch.
Curling… will never figure that one out. I should make a joke, but this sport has been insulted enough I imagine.
.-= Seb´s last blog ..A New Music Sensation: The Beers!!! =-.
Actually, curling looks like fun. This is the sport where one guy slides a block of stone down the ice and another runs ahead sweeping the ice in front of it, right? There is nothing else like it that I can think of.
.-= Tulsa Gentleman´s last blog ..Philbrook Garden Sculpture =-.
Again a great top 10 post Zhu and you know, coming from Norway I know a lot about these sports – especially the winter sports:
Curling: Well I do remember who won the Olympics in 2002 😉
Football: Well I still wonder why you call it that when you mostly use your hands? 😆
But soon there is the winter Olympics in Canada, so I will be following you from my TV chair. I know Norwegians will get hard competition from Canadian speed skaters (both men and women), skiers, ski jumpers and more. Wish I could go to Vancouver in Feb! 🙂
.-= RennyBA’s Terella´s last blog ..RennyBA’s Terella fourth Anniversary in Blogsphere =-.
Like you, I’d also not heard of Curling before and in cricket, I guess Canadian team had some players of Asian origin where the game is very popular.
Lacrosse is new to me ya, interesting post & introduction Zhu 😀
I never realized that curling is big in Canada. Until now, I thought that curling was this weird Winter Olympics sport.
.-= Linguist-in-Waiting´s last blog ..Goodbye Wikipedia =-.
@Nigel Babu – Yes! People even play at Rideau Hall (cf. the pictures I took there last week… although there was no game because of the cold).
@Seb – 😆 I’m afraid to say anything about curling because for some people, it’s a religion!
@Tulsa Gentleman – Yes it is. And don’t forget the yelling… which is the best part.
@RennyBA’s Terella – Norway is a very serious contender for the winter Olympics, with many talented athletes.
@Nisha – Yes, players are from all backgrounds.
@shionge – I must admit I have never played it myself!
@Linguist-in-Waiting – Oh, it is this weird Olympic sport… which is popular in Canada! 😆
Wow…you have an encyclopedic knowledge about Canada!
Hockey, hockey, hockey! It’s the air many Canadians breathe for 6 months!
I have wondered if Canada is part of the Commonwealth, then why cricket’s popularity died down?
Sidney said everything I was going to say… you know so much!!! 😀
.-= Agnes´s last blog ..If the 30s are really the new 20s, then how come… =-.
I love curling it is so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Curling is still a mystery to me, I must admit!
lacrosse and cricket sound cool. I’m designing my own town for school and it is a sporty town. So i needed ideas for sports.