World Championship Rototiller Races: Date, schedule and how to watch 'ESPN8: The Ocho' event
'ESPN8: The Ocho' was once a fictional creation -- an ESPN channel which only broadcasts bizarre, out-there sports that no one normally watches like cup-stacking, Tetris and air hockey, first appearing in the 2004 sports comedy film 'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,' starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller. But then, 'ESPN8: The Ocho' became a reality in 2017 as a recurring special programming event by ESPN as an homage to the film. What's more, it is returning this year on Friday, August 6.
2021’s event will feature 24 hours of unique programming, with everything from cow chip championships and cornhole to mullets and Minecraft. According to reports, hours of the weird sports timetable will begin at midnight with Foosballers Documentary and it will end with the 2020 Death Diving World Championship at 11 pm. Additional 'ESPN8: The Ocho' content will be available to fans on YouTube throughout the day in the form of an Ocho playlist. The specialty of this year’s competition is that ESPN’s Ryan McGee and Marty Smith are also taking part in the ACL Celebrity Throwdown with football legends and ACL Pros. Besides, a number of new events have been included to make this year’s Ocho more interesting, one of which is the Rototiller Races.
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What is the Rototiller Race?
A rototiller is usually used to toss the soil on a farm before planting seeds. If the machine is used for work, it's fine since walking behind the tiller at a leisurely pace is not that tough. However, when it comes to racing, it is not a child’s play. A race typically starts with the machines resting on one's oars and one competitor in each lane, while referees stand at the opposite end of the track working a stopwatch. When a starter waves a flag, the racers start competing. During the race, it's mandatory for the participants to keep their feet on the ground and hands on the bars.
Date and Time
World Championship Rototiller Races will stream on ESPN8. But good luck finding the cable channel because ESPN2 is the channel that is actually hosting the event, rebranding itself 'aesthetically' as ESPN8 for 24 hours. Rototiller Races will start at 3:30 pm ET on Friday, August 6. According to ESPN Press Room, “Competitors run full speed behind a garden tiller as they race up a dirt strip with the goal of getting to the finish line as quickly as possible.”
New events debuting this year
Along with Rototiller Races, other events have also been included this year. According to ESPN, they are:
Table Shuffleboard Crazy Eights: “Competitors meet in Dallas, Texas for a variation of traditional shuffleboard that gives every player equal chance to win. The goal is to accomplish a hanger in which four points are scored – which is the maximum amount possible – and is achieved by getting the weight to hang over the end of the board.”
Minecraft: Battle of the Boroughs: “Students/players are tasked with designing and building up a virtual city in the game that empowers sustainable communities.”
Pogopalooza: “The world championship of extreme pogo, this game features the best pogo athletes as they perform innovative moves and enthrall the onlooking crowd.”
CROSSNET Sand Series: SoCal: “An emerging sport similar to four square and volleyball featuring a centrally placed net and a four-quadrant court. Players are eliminated as the game goes along and the winner is the first player in square four to 11 points.”
Stern Heads-Up Pinball Invitational: “At the Stern Pinball Invitational, players from various locations compete, trying to obtain the highest scores possible.”
Air Hockey Invitational: “At the Air Hockey Invitational, competitors work to get their puck into the opposite team’s goal, scoring enough points to eventually win the game.”
2021 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs: “Members of the beloved small dog breed dash down the track to see which one can cross the finish line first.”
52nd Annual World Championship Cow Chip Throwing Contest: “Originating in Oklahoma, the Cow Chip Championship consists of contestants throwing dried cow feces to see who can make it the farthest distance.”
2020 USA Mullet Championships: “It’s business in the front and party in the back for contestants with the much-talked-about hairstyle, whose mullets are judged for a chance to win the Mullet Mega Money Pot.”
2021 US Air Guitar Championships: “‘Musicians’ use invisible instruments to perform songs for judges in hopes of becoming the US Air Guitar Champion.”
World Chase Tag USA 2021: “World Chase Tag (WCT) combines the dynamic athleticism of Parkour with the age-old game of tag.”