Aviva Trivia

The Kentucky Derby is sometimes called the “Most exciting two minutes in sports”. That’s because it lasts just about two minutes. But what a two minutes it is! Here’s a bit of trivia to help you understand and enjoy “The run for the roses” even more:

* The idea for the Kentucky Derby was thought up by explorer Meriwether Lewis. In fact, the land where it is run was donated by his relatives, the Churchills– thus the name Churchill Downs.
Read the rest of this entry »

Although there are many facts, trivia and stats for hockey, here are some interesting facts about the rink, ice and puck that are essential for a great game!

1. A hockey puck is 1″ thick, 3″ in diameter and weighs about 6 ounces.

2. Early games of hockey featured stones, lumps of coal or frozen cow or horse dung as pucks. Wooden pucks were also used.
Read the rest of this entry »

1) What is the Super Bowl?

The Super Bowl is the National Football League’s annual championship game, which is the highlight of the season.  Since its beginning, it has been played in January each year, generally on the last Sunday of the month.  Record numbers of people watch the ultimate sporting event, frequently making it the highest rated viewing of the year.  Half time shows become more elaborate each year as do commercials that appear during the game. 

2) When was the first Super Bowl?

The first championship was played in 1967, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs.  At that time, a commercial air time during the game could be purchased for just under $100,000.00 while today a one minute spot costs millions of dollars. 
Read the rest of this entry »

For one day every April treasure hunters put aside their competitive instincts and join together to mark International Cache in Trash Out day.  Participants in the game of Geocaching join in a global effort to clean up parks, woods and beaches.

Geocaching is a relatively new game where the hunters use, not a faded map with X marking the spot to search for treasure, but a GPS or Global Positioning Receiver. Working in the same way as the Satellite Navigation Systems that are becoming popular with motorists, it is a hand held device that tracks satellites and uses them to mark your position within several metres. The location of the treasure, or cache as it is known, is published in newsgroups, on a Geocaching web site or even advertised locally between enthusiasts. Simply punch in the coordinates of the cache, and the hunt is on.

The game depends on the GPS device giving accurate position information, and so was not possible until May 2000 when the US administration removed Select Ability, a deliberate degradation of the GPS signal that had prevented it from being used effectively outside the military. Two days later, on the 3rd, a cache was hidden outside Portland, Oregon in the US. It was found on the 6th by Mike Teague who set up a web page to log the site and document others.
Read the rest of this entry »

Sure you watch “Monday Night Football” and cheer on your high school and college teams, but how much do you really know about football? Use these football facts to amaze your friends next Sunday and Monday.

1. The first modern football game was played on November 6, 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton Universities.  Just 100 curious onlookers attended.

2. The original football rules required that players move the ball just five yards in three plays, or “downs.”  This was changed to ten yards in four “downs” in 1912.

3. Originally, teams could have twenty-five players on the field (as opposed to fifteen, today).
Read the rest of this entry »

Checkered Flag – Signals the end of the session or race.

Green Flag – Signals the beginning of a race and also signals restarts after a caution or red flag. Green states that the track is clear.

White Flag – This is usually waved when the leader of the race starts the final lap.

Yellow Flag – Signals caution. When the flag is held motionless racers must slow down and no passing is allowed. This signals that there is danger on the track. When the yellow flag is waved there is extreme danger.
Read the rest of this entry »

* Women have been showing their athletic ability on ice for over 4000 years.

* Saint Ludwina is the patron saint of ice skaters. In 1396, she fell and broke her ribs when she was knocked down by her companion.

* In the book Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, the heroine’s name was Kaitlin.

* In the US during the 1860’s, a pair of ice skates could be purchased for $1.00 and women were encouraged to skate with men.
Read the rest of this entry »