Why are the following mentioned in the text?
1 snowboarding 4 the Alps
2 New Zealand 5 splashing
3 frozen waterfalls
A
Brian Potter has been sandboarding for the past seven years. He loves it because he can do it pretty much anywhere there is sand! He says, "I'm a real speed freak and I find nothing more exciting than to take out my board and whizz down the sand dunes."
The general idea of sand-boarding is the same as snowboarding. People simply strap a board to their feet and slide down a hill. Brian says, "Last year, I entered the International Sandboarding Championships in Germany There were around 50,000 entrants and I came 100th, so I was pretty proud."
B
Carla Murphy is known in certain circles as a 'zorbanaut'. This is because she spends some of her free time inside a large inflatable' plastic ball called a zorb. "Zorbing is so much fun, I just can't get enough," she says. Zorbing involves rolling down a steep hill strapped inside a ball which can reach speeds of up to 50 to 60 kmph if the hill is steep enough. Up to three people can be inside at the same time. "It's fantastic. You're totally protected from bumps and knocks by the zorb, but you bounce around as if you are weightless. Anyone from 6 to 60 can do it," Carla explains. This bizarre activity originated in New Zealand and now there are centres all around the world. Carla thinks it's great. "When we start rolling, we just start laughing and we can't stop"
C
Paul Lynch has been practising ice climbing for several years now and has climbed many frozen waterfalls. "My parents took me skiing to the Alps when I was a child and ever since, I've been addicted to the mountains. I moved to Canada a few years ago and I fell in love with ice climbing. I spend most of my free time climbing ice in the Rockies.
Basically, ice climbing involves swinging an axe into the ice above your head and pulling yourself up on it. You need a lot of equipment such as a helmet, rope and boots for ice climbing. And of course, it's very physical, so you really have to be in good shape," says Paul.
D
Harry Bolton didn't really like sport at all until he discovered something both new and unusual "I was listening to the radio one day when I heard something that I thought must have been a joke. The DJ was talking about underwater hockey! When I realised it actually was a real sport, I decided to find out more about it. To my surprise, I found a local team and before I knew it, I was part of it!
Unlike water polo, where the action takes place above the water, underwater hockey is played at the bottom of the pool. Players wear masks, flippers and snorkels during the game. "The rules are really simple, you just have to slide the puck into the opposing team's goal," says Harry.
Underwater hockey was invented by a British diving club in 1954 and was originally called Octopush. Harry told us, "Unfortunately it's not much of a spectator sport, as all people watching from outside the pool can see are lots of splashing and flippers!"