Joy hosts the timeless classic Snow Zone Bowl– the game where you guess the rules to odd Winter Olympic sports from history. Join Joy, Sanden Totten and Anna Weggel for some frosty fun you won’t want to miss!
Audio Transcript
Download transcript (PDF)
ANNOUNCER: Now entering Brains On! headquarters.
INTERVIEWER: Hi, Smarty pals. It's a beautiful snowy day here at HQ. I'm here with my pals, Anna Weggel and Sanden Totten.
ANNA WEGGEL: What's up? I've got my coziest sweater on.
SANDEN TOTTEN: And I made everyone hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, of course. [SLURPS] Mmm.
INTERVIEWER: Sanden, scrumdiddlyumptious! This is the perfect day for one of my favorite games.
ANNA WEGGEL: Hmm, Truth or Dare?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Limited Edition Trivial Pursuit from 1996?
INTERVIEWER: No! It's time to play Snow Zone Ball!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
This season on Forever Ago, we talked about the ozone hole. Now we're going to talk about the snow zone bowl! The timeless game, where you guess the rules to add winter sports from Olympics past. I'll give you a name of an unusual but real Winter Olympic sport from history, and you tell me what you think the rules are for this game. Are you down to play?
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, yeah.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I'm s-now into it.
INTERVIEWER: Fabulous! Anna, you're up first. Your sport is bandy. Please describe what you think bandy is.
ANNA WEGGEL: Ooh! OK, OK. So let's dive into this. OK, this takes place walking outside in a public place. It's you with a pocket full of rubber bands. OK, and your goal is to shoot them at people that are walking by you covertly.
And the bigger the reactions you can get from people, like, hey, aww, hoo-hoo, where did that come from, that's a point every time you get one, OK? And when you run out of rubber bands, your time is done. And it's painful!
[LAUGHTER]
INTERVIEWER: The bandy bandit. Well, that is a great explanation. It is not correct, though. Bandy is-- bandy is best described as a combination between soccer. Ice hockey, and field hockey.
Players skate on a rink about the size of a soccer field, and they use hockey-like sticks to pass a small hard ball about the size of a tennis ball into goals. And bandy dates back to the late 1800s in England but made its Olympic debut in the 1952 games in Norway as a demonstration sport, which are sports that are showcased to the public but aren't an actual part of the metal competition.
So there still isn't a bandy category in today's Olympics, but there are international competitions every year. And fun fact-- fun facts, Anna. Listen to this-- the word "bandy" is Welsh for curved stick.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh!
INTERVIEWER: That's a lot of information. So help me digest it. Let's digest it.
ANNA WEGGEL: That was super close to what I suggested.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I mean--
INTERVIEWER: There's like no rubber bands in that at all.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I understand why that's the real bandy and not Anna's version. For legal reasons, it's probably better that Anna's isn't the sport. But Anna's sounds way more fun.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
ANNA WEGGEL: I know which one I'd vote for.
[LAUGHTER]
INTERVIEWER: OK, Sanden, you're up next. Your sport is skijoring. Skijoring.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Skijoring?
INTERVIEWER: Skijoring.
SANDEN TOTTEN: OK. Skijoring.
INTERVIEWER: What do you think skijoring is like?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Well, I imagine skijoring involves skis of some sort. Skijoring is really more about accessorizing while you're on your skis. You do stand on skis, but then you put on as many layers of wool and cotton and mohair as you possibly can, until you look like a giant ball of knitted goods.
And then you just kind of skijor down the hill looking great. And people are going, looking great! And you're like, [MUFFLED MUMBLING]. No, we can't hear you, because you're muffled by the six scarves you're wearing. [MUFFLED MUMBLING]
ANNA WEGGEL: I was going to say this sport is like perfect for you, because you are one of the scarf kings of America.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I'm the scarfiest person most people know.
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah. I don't think I've seen you without a scarf. I don't know if you have a neck.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I have a shower scarf. I have so many scarves.
[LAUGHTER]
INTERVIEWER: So that was really-- that was a great guess. And I'm really excited to see your neck later, Sanden. But skijoring is actually like water skiing but on ice.
SANDEN TOTTEN: What?
INTERVIEWER: So competitors wear skis and hold on reins attached to either horses, ponies, or dogs. And the horses then pull competitors around an oval track. Skijoring originated in Scandinavia, where many people simply used it as a means of transportation. But it was only included once in the 1928 Winter Games in Switzerland, once again as a demonstration sport. So what's--
SANDEN TOTTEN: That's where the action is.
INTERVIEWER: That's how everything starts.
SANDEN TOTTEN: The demonstrations sports.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, exactly.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: It's like the beginning of the Olympics when you're walking in is like the demonstration and then the real stuff happening in the back. But what started as a mode of transportation evolved into a competitive sport, one that people still play today. So what do you think of that, Sanden and Anna?
SANDEN TOTTEN: I love it. I mean, I would just love to see some skijoring happening on the back of Santa's sleigh. They should also-- or maybe Santa's skijors every once in a while. He's like, yo!
ANNA WEGGEL: As a lifelong water skier, I'm like very intrigued by this sport, because I think it would be cool to make a warm version of a wet suit. Something like skin tight and possibly heated. I can see it. It's gorgeous.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, I'd wear that, just--
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: --anywhere. To the mall.
ANNA WEGGEL: Every day?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
ANNA WEGGEL: While laying down, yes.
INTERVIEWER: [LAUGHS] I'm turtling.
SANDEN TOTTEN: While laying down in snow.
ANNA WEGGEL: That's way more fun, yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
INTERVIEWER: And that concludes our game of Snow Zone Ball.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, hey, snow zone bowl sounds like it could be its own awesome winter sport.
ANNA WEGGEL: Like bowling with snow balls.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, you're so right! How about we go give it a test run?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, dibs on sculpting the snow pins!
INTERVIEWER: That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was made by Aron Woldeslassie, Anna Weggel, and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Schaffert. Brains On! is a non-profit public radio program. Thanks, Smarty Pass friends!
ANNA WEGGEL: Bye!
SANDEN TOTTEN: See you later!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
INTERVIEWER: Hi, Smarty pals. It's a beautiful snowy day here at HQ. I'm here with my pals, Anna Weggel and Sanden Totten.
ANNA WEGGEL: What's up? I've got my coziest sweater on.
SANDEN TOTTEN: And I made everyone hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, of course. [SLURPS] Mmm.
INTERVIEWER: Sanden, scrumdiddlyumptious! This is the perfect day for one of my favorite games.
ANNA WEGGEL: Hmm, Truth or Dare?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Limited Edition Trivial Pursuit from 1996?
INTERVIEWER: No! It's time to play Snow Zone Ball!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
This season on Forever Ago, we talked about the ozone hole. Now we're going to talk about the snow zone bowl! The timeless game, where you guess the rules to add winter sports from Olympics past. I'll give you a name of an unusual but real Winter Olympic sport from history, and you tell me what you think the rules are for this game. Are you down to play?
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, yeah.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I'm s-now into it.
INTERVIEWER: Fabulous! Anna, you're up first. Your sport is bandy. Please describe what you think bandy is.
ANNA WEGGEL: Ooh! OK, OK. So let's dive into this. OK, this takes place walking outside in a public place. It's you with a pocket full of rubber bands. OK, and your goal is to shoot them at people that are walking by you covertly.
And the bigger the reactions you can get from people, like, hey, aww, hoo-hoo, where did that come from, that's a point every time you get one, OK? And when you run out of rubber bands, your time is done. And it's painful!
[LAUGHTER]
INTERVIEWER: The bandy bandit. Well, that is a great explanation. It is not correct, though. Bandy is-- bandy is best described as a combination between soccer. Ice hockey, and field hockey.
Players skate on a rink about the size of a soccer field, and they use hockey-like sticks to pass a small hard ball about the size of a tennis ball into goals. And bandy dates back to the late 1800s in England but made its Olympic debut in the 1952 games in Norway as a demonstration sport, which are sports that are showcased to the public but aren't an actual part of the metal competition.
So there still isn't a bandy category in today's Olympics, but there are international competitions every year. And fun fact-- fun facts, Anna. Listen to this-- the word "bandy" is Welsh for curved stick.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh!
INTERVIEWER: That's a lot of information. So help me digest it. Let's digest it.
ANNA WEGGEL: That was super close to what I suggested.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I mean--
INTERVIEWER: There's like no rubber bands in that at all.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I understand why that's the real bandy and not Anna's version. For legal reasons, it's probably better that Anna's isn't the sport. But Anna's sounds way more fun.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
ANNA WEGGEL: I know which one I'd vote for.
[LAUGHTER]
INTERVIEWER: OK, Sanden, you're up next. Your sport is skijoring. Skijoring.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Skijoring?
INTERVIEWER: Skijoring.
SANDEN TOTTEN: OK. Skijoring.
INTERVIEWER: What do you think skijoring is like?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Well, I imagine skijoring involves skis of some sort. Skijoring is really more about accessorizing while you're on your skis. You do stand on skis, but then you put on as many layers of wool and cotton and mohair as you possibly can, until you look like a giant ball of knitted goods.
And then you just kind of skijor down the hill looking great. And people are going, looking great! And you're like, [MUFFLED MUMBLING]. No, we can't hear you, because you're muffled by the six scarves you're wearing. [MUFFLED MUMBLING]
ANNA WEGGEL: I was going to say this sport is like perfect for you, because you are one of the scarf kings of America.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I'm the scarfiest person most people know.
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah. I don't think I've seen you without a scarf. I don't know if you have a neck.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I have a shower scarf. I have so many scarves.
[LAUGHTER]
INTERVIEWER: So that was really-- that was a great guess. And I'm really excited to see your neck later, Sanden. But skijoring is actually like water skiing but on ice.
SANDEN TOTTEN: What?
INTERVIEWER: So competitors wear skis and hold on reins attached to either horses, ponies, or dogs. And the horses then pull competitors around an oval track. Skijoring originated in Scandinavia, where many people simply used it as a means of transportation. But it was only included once in the 1928 Winter Games in Switzerland, once again as a demonstration sport. So what's--
SANDEN TOTTEN: That's where the action is.
INTERVIEWER: That's how everything starts.
SANDEN TOTTEN: The demonstrations sports.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, exactly.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: It's like the beginning of the Olympics when you're walking in is like the demonstration and then the real stuff happening in the back. But what started as a mode of transportation evolved into a competitive sport, one that people still play today. So what do you think of that, Sanden and Anna?
SANDEN TOTTEN: I love it. I mean, I would just love to see some skijoring happening on the back of Santa's sleigh. They should also-- or maybe Santa's skijors every once in a while. He's like, yo!
ANNA WEGGEL: As a lifelong water skier, I'm like very intrigued by this sport, because I think it would be cool to make a warm version of a wet suit. Something like skin tight and possibly heated. I can see it. It's gorgeous.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, I'd wear that, just--
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: --anywhere. To the mall.
ANNA WEGGEL: Every day?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
ANNA WEGGEL: While laying down, yes.
INTERVIEWER: [LAUGHS] I'm turtling.
SANDEN TOTTEN: While laying down in snow.
ANNA WEGGEL: That's way more fun, yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
INTERVIEWER: And that concludes our game of Snow Zone Ball.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, hey, snow zone bowl sounds like it could be its own awesome winter sport.
ANNA WEGGEL: Like bowling with snow balls.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, you're so right! How about we go give it a test run?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, dibs on sculpting the snow pins!
INTERVIEWER: That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was made by Aron Woldeslassie, Anna Weggel, and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Schaffert. Brains On! is a non-profit public radio program. Thanks, Smarty Pass friends!
ANNA WEGGEL: Bye!
SANDEN TOTTEN: See you later!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.
