Earlier today, I was at the park with my siblings, and I noticed someone on the swings. I had seen them swinging almost every time I’d been there, and all that practice had clearly paid off - they were going higher than almost anyone I’d ever seen. However, they couldn’t make it all the way around - alas, that goal has been tried and failed by many an elementary schooler looking to reach the moon. Watching this person swing led me to ask two deep, important, life-or-death questions:
Can you swing all the way around?
And, is there a professional swinging sport?
Both of these queries are answered in the Eastern European nation of Estonia, where we can dive into the exciting world of Kiiking.
Kiiking (which just means “swinging” in Estonian) is a sport that is, in many ways, pro swinging. However, the setup is quite different. The swings used can have a height of over 15 feet (for an veteran), even 20, and rather than ropes or chains the swing is connected to the structure by poles or pipes. This sport has roots in as early as the 19th century, where all-wood swings called “village swings” were used for gatherings and for fun. However, they were still very difficult to do a 360˚ on. This issue was rectified in 1993, when an Ado Kosk created the first kiiking swing, still wooden but designed specially to allow riders to go loop around. From there, the sport picked up steam, ending in what it is today - a much more advanced, but still local, Estonian sport.
While Kiiking may not be the most popular sport on the block, there are still competitions. The rules are set by the Estonian Kiiking Association (Eesti Kiikinguliit), though are not necessarily followed by all clubs. They are laid as out such: in a standard competition, each member has 5 goes with the swing. They must go around the swing on all 5, each being a different swing height of their selection. They can build up to a larger and larger height with each attempt, harnessing their momentum much in the same way classic swingers do. However, they are standing (like some of the cool kids at the park), strapped in, and therefore instead of “pumping” the legs they squat going downward. If you can’t build up enough momentum, it’s counted as a failure, and you are sent out of the competition, your final success being you score. This makes Kiiking quite the difficult sport, requiring both the strength to build up momentum, and the strategy of knowing your limits. The person with the highest score wins.
Currently, the Guinness World Record for highest successful swing was a whopping 24.3 feet!
I, being afraid of heights, will stick with the classic swings I used in elementary school. I will continue to dream of touching the sky.
I showed Carson the video and he said, “I think they shouldn’t do that.” I have to agree. Hehe.