Viewfinder: Camcording the Sport

Let's face it--using a camcorder is just plain fun sometimes. I have a hunch that, someday soon, someone will come up with a sporting game for camcorder users. There are so many sports these days, it boggles the mind. The more recently developed sports are very interesting because they're the product of "renegades."

Slalom skateboarders started out by going down steep hills, where most automobile drivers resented their use of the road. These boarders mastered the simpler hills and moved on to even steeper ones. They soon realized that they were more successful if they got lower down on the skateboard. Then they began experimenting with a larger skateboard. Before long, they were laying down on their backs on skateboards a full four feet long. Just this year, ESPN recognized skateboard slalom as a legitimate sport on their Extreme Sports program.

This same type of thing has happened with stunt bicycles and skateboarders on obstacle courses. Bungee jumping, paintball combat and mountain biking are more examples of new sports.

I can't easily think of another sport that includes electronics gear (like the once-popular Laser Tag). But the fact that one must aim a camcorder makes me think it lends itself to a test of skill in hitting (or capturing) targets on …