Klootschieten

The term Kloot comes from Low German and derives from Kluten, of similar etymology to English words such as "clod", "clout", "clot", "cleat", "clay" and "cloth" – all ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic klautaz, meaning a ball or lump.

Klootschieten likely arose from an ancient Frisian weapon, which the Frisians threw at ships and opponents.[5] The Frisian fighters are said to have been feared for their missiles. In further development of this sport, heavy flint balls and two-pound iron balls were used. Later, the fist-sized balls were made of turned Applewood, pierced crosswise with lead-filled holes.

The Dutch reformer Jacobus van Oudenhoven took in 1659 the Kloot werpen on a Sunday after the service in his sins register.[6]

Kloot shooting, in the past, was viewed negatively by some. Competitions often involved gambling, heavy alcohol consumption, and disorderly conduct. Some matches were physically violent to the point of drawing blood. The sport was primarily played in the winter months, and its traditional light sportswear was considered a risk factor for deaths from pneumonia. For these reasons, authorities occasionally banned the sport.

Hinrich Dunkhase (1857–1905), in Burhave, Butjadingen, merged the Oldenburg and East Frisian klootschieten groups to form the Friesischer Klootschießer-Verband ("Friesian klootschieten Association", FKV) on May 25, 1902. [7] This was the first competitive league developed for the sport. Dunkhase was its chairman until his death.

In the National Socialist period, the FKV resisted integration into the (NS) Reichsbund for physical exercises by not reporting to the sports organizations, instead wanting klootschieten to be known as a traditional German and Friesan game. The FKV joined the Nazi cultural community and was able to retain a certain degree of independence. In particular, Low German or Frisian could be spoken at the competition, which was prohibited in a sport.

After the Second World War, the FKV oriented again and became a member of the National Sports Association Lower Saxony a sport.[8][9]

The NKB (Nederlandse Klottschietbond)[10] is the umbrella organization of more than 40,000 players of Klootschieter and the related game of "Boßeln" (Bosseln). The sport is also represented by sports confederations of the regions North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein. In the Netherlands, there is the Dutch Klootschieters Bond (NKB, founded in 1967) and in Ireland, the Irish Road Bowling Association (Irish: Ból Chumann na hÉireann, founded in 1954). The International Bowlplaying Association (IBA, founded in 1969) is the sport's international umbrella organization. Competitions also take place among Irish immigrants in the US and Canada as it is part of traditional Irish folk culture.

European championships (as road bowling) have been held since 1969 (every four years since 1980) between the Netherlands, Ireland and Germany in the three disciplines of field, street and standing competition.

There are three styles: field, street, and standing (veld, straat, and zetten).

Street

A road in Germany with distance markings for Boßeln

In the street (straat) version of klootschieten, the rules are approximately the same as in the field version, except that the course (being a street, country lane or similar) and the ball (being heavier) are different. An important consideration in the street version is to keep the ball away from obstacles such as ditches, gutters, streams, long grass etc., which would reduce the distance of ones "shoot". The experienced player will sometimes deliberately aim for such places on uphill stretches, to avoid the possibility of the ball rolling back downhill.

In Germany a sport similar to field style klootschieten is played, named "Boßeln" (Bosseln), while Klootschießen is the German name for the standing style. It is primarily played along the coast and borders of North Germany, such as in Ostfriesland, Oldenburg, Butjadingen, Dithmarschen, Nordfriesland, Emsland, and Grafschaft Bentheim. It is also played in some parts of the United States by German and Dutch immigrants.

In Ireland, a similar game is played under the name road bowling.

For the first time in 1935, the kloot was thrown over the 100-meter mark by Ostfriesen Gerd Gerdes. This record lasted until 1985, when Auricher Harm Henkel threw 102.00 meters. This new record was beaten the same day by the "Bear of Ellens" Hans-Georg Bohlken with 105.20 meters. The current (as of January 2006) record is 106.20 meters, held by Stefan Albarus from the north in East Frisia.[12]

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