My Completely Unscientific Sports Ratings
The fun, fear, cost, difficulty and cool factor of every sport I tried—rated with absolutely no scientific method.
Another thing that didn’t make it into The Whistler’s Daughter was my personal rating of every sport I tried.
Which were the most fun? Which were terrifying? Which required lessons, money, muscles—or all three? And, perhaps most importantly, which made me look the coolest?
These ratings are entirely subjective and scientifically questionable. They reflect my experience, my abilities, and possibly how badly I was bruised afterward.
The rating system
😄 Fun Factor | 👍 Lessons recommended | ⭐ Lessons helpful, but not required | 👎 Lessons unnecessary | 💪 Difficulty—from learning the basics to mastering the sport | 💲 Cost | 😬 Fear Factor | 😎 Cool Factor
The ratings
1997 – Tennis
1998 – Fencing
1998 – Rollerblading
1999 – Outdoor Rock Climbing
2000 – Wakeboarding
2000 – Racewalking
2001 – Cross-Country Skiing
2001 – Snowshoeing
2002 – Squash
2003 – Geocaching
2003 – Orienteering
2004 – Spelunking
2004 – Telemark Skiing
2005 – Snowboarding
2005 – Olympic Weightlifting
2006 – Mountain Biking
2007 – Surfing
2008 – Yoga
2008 – Slacklining
2009 – Paddleboarding
2010 – Aerial Silks
2011 – Ice Climbing
2012 – Trapeze
2013 – Kitesurfing
2013 – Tumbling
2014 – Stilt Walking
2014 – AcroYoga
2015 – Pole Vaulting
2016 – Pickleball
2016 – Snow Kiting
2017 – Tightrope Walking
2017 – Bungee Dance
2018 – Windsurfing
2019 – Tap Dancing
2019 – Scuba Diving
2020 – Wing Surfing
2021 – Roller Pole
2021 – Paragliding
2022 – German Wheel
2023 – Parallel Bars
Belly Dancing
Roller Skiing
Lollipop Lyra
The completely unscientific winners
Most fun: Outdoor rock climbing, mountain biking, surfing, aerial silks, trapeze, kitesurfing, windsurfing, roller pole and Lollipop Lyra.
Coolest: Outdoor rock climbing, mountain biking, surfing, aerial silks, ice climbing, trapeze, kitesurfing, snow kiting, windsurfing, scuba diving, roller pole and paragliding.
Most terrifying: Paragliding—without question.
Most expensive: Wakeboarding and kitesurfing.
Best combination of inexpensive, easy and fun: Pickleball.
Least likely to become my lifelong passion: Racewalking, snowboarding, Olympic weightlifting and roller skiing. Sorry—not every sport can be the one.
Looking back, the ratings tell a story of their own. The sports I loved most were rarely the easiest or safest. They were the ones that challenged me, frightened me a little and gave me the satisfaction of doing something I wasn’t sure I could do.
That is really what The Whistler’s Daughter is about: not becoming the best at every sport, but refusing to let a prognosis decide which ones I was allowed to try.
Which sport would you try—and which one would you refuse to attempt even if I paid you?
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