In Flight Trivia Quiz

Answer: 800g

A spear has always been used by primeval hunters to catch food or as an offensive weapon in war, but the sport of throwing a javelin dates back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece. The aim of winning at javelin is simple. The longest throw of the competition wins provided the tip of javelin lands first down into an allotted 29 degree sector.

The men's javelin should weigh 800g and the women's 600g. It is part of the track and field event in modern sporting activities, either as a stand alone sport, or as part of the decathlon or heptathlon.

Answer: False

Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, was certainly the 'Greatest' in the boxing ring, but was never crowned world champion in darts. Born in 1942, Muhammad Ali won a gold medal in the boxing light heavyweight division in the 1960 Olympic Games at Rome. In 1977, the boxing champion was on a promotional tour of England when he took time out with his wife Veronica to visit a Muslim mosque at South Shields in the north of England to have his wedding blessed.

It was during his visit that a boxing friend called Johnny Walker invited him to help raise money for charity at a boxing club at Gypsy's Green stadium. Ali played a game of darts against former Welsh darts champion Alan Evans, and won the game when he hit a bulls-eye.

He jokingly proclaimed himself the darts champion of the world!

Answer: Wood

Cabers are tapered wooden poles which should be at least 16-20 feet long and weigh 100 pounds or more. The wood used is normally taken from larch or spruce trees. The athlete squats to pick up the heavy caber, lifting it upright as he wedges the caber against his neck and shoulder. Once standing up, the athlete takes a short run forward and tosses the caber in the air. Unlike the javelin, the caber is not judged on the distance thrown, but on the accuracy of the throw. If you can imagine the face of a clock, the caber tossed straight ahead at 12 o'clock is awarded more points.

The name 'caber' is taken from the Gaelic word meaning 'rafter' or 'beam'. During ancient battles against rival clans, Scotsmen would toss a caber over a stream to make a bridge.

Answer: Pea shooting

John Tyson was a school teacher at Witcham near Ely in Cambridgeshire. He confiscated many a pea shooter from his mischievous pupils and decided to set up a fund raising competition in 1971 so their energies could be put to better use. The first competition was so successful that it became an annual event which became popular worldwide.

The championships today attract competitors from as far afield as the USA and New Zealand. The pea shooter was originally made from the hollow of a pen and a dried pea, aimed at the teacher of course! This has since advanced into a more technical piece of kit with the shooter including a telescopic sight and made from lightweight carbon fiber or titanium.

The 30cm pea shooters aim a pea at a target similar to an archery board, but made from soft putty so the indentation of the pea is recorded.

Answer: Robin Hood

The most famous trick shot in the sport of archery is a 'Robin Hood'. To split an arrow from the nock end to the point is difficult but not impossible. It was not so achievable using a wooden arrow as the wood would split on impact with another arrow.

It is more achievable with modern equipment, especially with the use of a telescopic sight and hollow arrow shafts made from aluminium or carbon fiber plastic. The legendary Robin Hood is said to have split the arrow during his infamous archery contest, and this was highlighted in the 1938 film, "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

A professional archer called Howard Hill was recruited to help film the famous scene and there has been speculation ever since on whether he carried out the trick shot, or whether the scene was edited.

Answer: Shot put

The shot put is a spherical metal ball which weighs 7.26kg (men) or 4kg (women). The athlete will aim the put as far as possible which should land in an allocated 35 degree sector. When being aimed, it should not fall below the height of the athlete's shoulder. Tomasz Majewski is a Polish shot putter who achieved a gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Valerie Vili Adams is a shot putter from New Zealand. She also won a gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games, as well as gold in the World Championships (2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013).

Answer: 7.26kg

The hammer is a metal ball which weighs the same as a shot put, but is attached to a steel wire 1.22m long with a handle. The athlete spins two or three times within a 2.135m diameter circle before releasing the hammer for it to land within an allocated 35 degree sector.

The throw is classed as a fail if the athlete steps outside the circle, or if the hammer lands outside the sector. It is normal for the athlete to throw four to six times and the competitor with the longest throw wins the game.

Answer: Jack

A target game using stones, then balls, started with the ancient Greeks and developed into the strategic game of petanque as we know it today. Originating in France, petanque has since become a sport played at international level with competitions held worldwide.

The game is also called boules, bocce or bowling. Each player or team is allowed to throw a hollowed-out metal ball towards a smaller ball called a jack. The player or team who get their ball/s closest to the jack wins the point/s. Several games can be played before the winner is announced.

The Petanque World Championships have been held ever other year since 1959 with France at the top of the gold medal leader board, closely followed by Thailand and Spain.

Answer: Goaltimate

Similar to ultimate frisbee, the game of goaltimate (goal + ultimate) is a contactless sport played in a circular field either indoors or outside. The field is 41 meters in diameter. At one end of the field is the goaltimate hoop and the other is the clear line. Two four player teams throw a disc at each other and the aim is to score inside the hoop.

When a goal is scored, the team who scores maintains ownership of the disc and the team in offense must work the disc back to the clear line before attempting to score the goal themselves.

The first team to score five points wins the game. The best of three games wins the match.

Answer: Finland

Instead of being recycled as toxic waste, old mobile phones were collected and used in the sport of mobile phone throwing. The first championship took place in Savonlinna in south east Finland and has been held annually ever since. There are four types of competition people can enter.

The first is the traditional competition where the player throws over the shoulder aiming for a long distance. The second is the freestyle, where the player throws the mobile phone but can use creative choreography including juggling and acrobatics.

The third is the team original, and the fourth is the junior competition open to children under twelve years old. The winner, of course, wins a new mobile phone!