The Comedy Forecast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
This is Comedy Forecast Episode 793. A hobby you can stick with.
It's time once again for the Dog Days of Podcasting.
A call for podcasters to try to put out a podcast every day in August.
For more information and to hear all the shows, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
Here at the Comedy Forecast Studios, we've been working on a new format for this year's Dog Days.
Sure, like in years past, there will be an actual odd news story, but that's not all.
So, let's get started with Odd News Plus.
Here are our stories for Thursday, August 1st, 2024.
First up, Odd News Plus takes a look at your daily horoscope.
If you're a Leo, tread lightly today.
Certain issues will prove to be a challenge and may start to stress you out.
Don't let them. That would be bad for you.
No, I mean it. This stuff could really mess you up if you let it get inside your head.
So chill. Stop stressing. Just stop it!
Moving on to our actual for-real odd news story.
With the Summer Olympics in full swing, there is one competition you won't see at any Paris venue.
Yet participants must have the agility of a gymnast and the imagination of anyone
who believes curling is a real sport.
I am, of course, speaking about hobby horsing, a sport that's sweeping the globe.
Or at least it could be sweeping the globe if they would just put some brushes
on the bottom of those sticks.
Created in Finland more than a decade ago, some 260 riders from 22 countries
recently turned up to compete at the 11th annual Finnish Championship,
held in the town of Sajok...
Sajok... Sajok... Sajok... Seriously, couldn't you hold this thing in Helsinki?
But you're probably wondering, what happens during a hobby horse competition?
Is everyone just hopping around like a mob of kangaroos doing jazzercise?
Nay, nay. This is intense stuff.
For instance, in one portion of the event, equestrians maneuver a set course
as fast as they can, leaping over fences that are up to three and a half feet
tall, all while straddling their stick steeds.
Proceeds it's intense enough that some writers train by riding real horses working
out in the gym or even practicing pole dancing yeah that that's it that's why
they have that pole in the house no no really no shut up,
Of course, things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their
stick horses before the discerning eyes of the judges and some 2,000 attendees.
Competitors go to great lengths when creating their horses, modeling and sewing
the heads and adorning them with decorations, which makes us wonder,
hey MTV, where's our Pimp My Hobby Horse series? injuries.
But despite the sport's growing popularity, participants often face judgment and bullying.
Here at Odd News Plus, we think the sport of hobby horsing is odd,
but that's not always a bad thing.
You be you.
We wrap up today's Odd News Plus with some information from the latest edition
of the Middle-Aged Farmer's Almanac.
According to the the almanac, today is the best day of the year to rotate your crops.
The book says this means that you should shove the stalks of your plants underground
and expose the roots to sunlight for the remainder of the growing season,
which I assume only lasts for a few more days.
And Leos, stop stressing!
That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Plus.
A big thanks to the Comedy Forecast patrons for helping make this show possible.
Story, voices, and original music by Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2024.
All rights reserved. Talk to you next time. But for now, that's it.
We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
Music.