Just when you thought you had heard it all, there’s always some crazy new thing for you to discover. Dwarf-Throwing is a popular sport in the Land of Down Under, Australia.
One might think that in the world of today, that it would be considered untasteful to throw a dwarf, even offensive. These little people don’t mind at all that they are being thrown, in fact, they like it.
“I didn’t know that was a sport,” said senior Josh Thorne. “You’re throwing people, but it sounds awesome though. I would want to be the thrower, but I’m the size of the person getting thrown.”
Although it sounds like the dwarfs get hurt in the process of the sport, these participants wear a type of harness that helps lighten the throw and some even wear Velcro to be thrown against another patch of Velcro. A majority of the landing spots are cushioned, like a pillow.
“I mean, the dwarfs probably get a rush out of it,” said junior Joey Myers. “I feel like they can’t make a living out of it, and they make probably like $10 a throw.”
The goal is simple- the farthest-thrown dwarf is the winner. However, there are many variations on the rules. For example, fire extinguishers must be provided if said dwarf is being tossed through a flaming hoop. If a dwarf is being thrown against an oncoming train, the organizers must ensure that the tosser has no personal grudge against the dwarf. All of these rules are to ensure the safety of the dwarf.
“I feel like once the dwarf is thrown, they’ll get some type of exposure. They could be famous on Twitter or something, because it spreads really fast” said junior Reggie Payne.
Although all of this may seem like fun and games, dwarf tossing is actually illegal in many places, including Canada, France and even some states, like Florida. Throughout the ‘80s, any bar found doing dwarf tossing would have their license revoked. In 2011, the law was overturned, saying that it was a violation of free speech.
Dwarf-Throwing is closely related to Dwarf -Bowling, where a dwarf is placed on a skateboard to knock down pins. Dwarf-Thorwing can also be seen in the media, including WWE and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
“I might try it out, it seems pretty fun”, said Payne.