Morphy wrote on Apr 12^th, 2021 at 12:15pm:


I will bring czech flag and wear socks with sandals then. Also bring some czech beer and ramble all the time about foreign beer being not as good as ours to show I am true czech!

Quote:


have you seen you ?
there but for a stetson and some chaps.....

SerKraus wrote on Apr 10^th, 2021 at 10:41am:



The scariest man i ever met was a mexican who approached me at a boat dock and asked if he could try my sling.

He made a amazing throw and when i asked how did he learn his eyes narrowed and he said "it deh wulves away"

I would love to go to the competition (assuming they have one)  Perhaps in 2022 ?  In any case, can someone please send me a link to the "official" rules for target size, distances etc. please ?  I do not expect to win, but I would at least like to be good enough not to embarrass myself so I need to set up a standard target.  Also, I saw somewhere that they do not accept non-natural slings (aka Para chord).  Is this true ?  If so any recommendations on the best substitute.  I make my own and so am rather partial to them.

Thanks in advance.

Thank you.
Here is the info along with the web site regarding sling material.   I am surprised they care about what your sling is made of, but apparently they do:

6.- Slings

The slings can be made from pita fibre, straw, oakum, linen, cord, skin, hair, wool, etc or any other material of vegetal or animal origin. The use of slings made from materials of mineral, metal or any synthetic nature (plastic or derivatives) is considered to be against the rules.

No limit is set as to the shape or weight of the sling; it all depends on the Referee-judge to decide what can be classed as a sling.

Its maximum length (doubled in the middle) cannot be more than 1 m.

http://www.tourism-mallorca.com/foners/03angl/04normes.html

It does seem pretty relaxed. I mean, Luis has polypropylene in the tassel of his slings so I guess that is technically against the rules- and he's an islander. Also, I'm sure a ton of balearic slings are using synthetic thread to bind the leather on (mine are).

A few of the internationals use non-standard slings and styles (our very own Curious Aardvark uses a paracord sling with figure 8 throwing style), though by and large people use natural slings and the balearic or underarm throwing style.

It would be good to see you there Vance, can't recommend the event enough.

As far as the rules goes.
Everyone bends that.
these days louis pons livermore actually uses strips of plastic in the 'cracker' at the end of his slings.
Does that make the sling invalid ?
Dunno - but I wouldn't want to be the person to tell him so

The thing about the rules and the international competitors is that THEY INVITED US.

Until the invitation arrived - 10 years ago ?  I had no idea the balearic islands even still did slinging, let alone still had it as an actual national sport.

We didn't all turn up one day and say: 'can we play with you?'
If that were the case then, fine - it would make sense to abide by their rules.

But as the international competitors were invited, and nobody mentioned any restrictions at the time.
It's entirely unrealistic to expect us to change sling style and slings to abide by rules nobody had mentioned in the invites.
After nearly 30 years of slinging, it's unrealistic to expect me to change style and sling - just to abide by some rules nobody mentioned till the competition started.

Year by year fewer people take up slinging in the balearic islands.
You can't help but feel that this kind of petty rule obsession is at least partly to blame.

Also the reluctance to do anything with slings but the traditional target slinging.
Or use anything but stones in all official competitions.

Unfortunately as an outsider, all you can do is try and point this out.
You can rarely make people understand why things need to change.

That aside - it's a great week/few days and thoroughly recommended.
The people involved are all fantastic, the hospitality is second to none.
And if you don't make lifelong friends on your first visit - you're doing something wrong