Reading with Style discussion

In this subchallenge, you will scavenge for some of the following Olympic sports in 10 books:

athletic or athletics
badminton
basketball
boxing
canoe or canoeing
cycle or cycling
dive or diving
football
golf or golfing
horse or horse-riding
hockey
judo
rowing
sail or sailing
skateboard or skateboarding
surfboard or surfing
swim or swimming
tennis
volleyball
weightlifting
wrestle or wrestling

You may use either or both of the following options for each sport, but you may not repeat the same option for the same sport.

Option A:
Read a book where a person engages in one of the listed activities. For this option, you don't have to find the exact word, so for example running would work for athletics.
We don't need to approve books, but please explain how your book fits the task when you post.

Option B:
Find the word in the text. It must match one of the above words exactly, no variations. In this case, the word does not have to relate to the sport: so "he was wrestling with his emotions" works for "wrestling"; "he gave the horse a carrot" works for "horse or horse-riding"; but "wrestled" or "horses" wouldn't work.
(For other languages see the end of the next post in this thread)
Please quote the sentence containing the word when you post.

Your first post should be 15.1, then 15.2, and so on, no matter which sport you choose first. To complete the challenge you will use between 5 and 10 different sports in your 10 books. You can do all option A or all option B if you wish, or you can mix it up.

This subchallenge may be repeated any number of times.

Scoring: 15 points per task
FInisher bonus: 100 points

Please ask questions about this subchallenge here in this thread.

Example:

15.1 - book 1 - characters play golf.
15.2 - book 2 - contains the word "canoe".
15.3 - book 3 - contains the word "hockey."
15.4 - book 4 - a character goes swimming.
15.5 - book 5 - contains the word "surfing".
15.6 - book 6 - contains the word "golf".
etc. You have now used both options for golf, so you can't use golf or golfing again.

Some help with planning:

For option A (books where people practice the sport):
We have created a folder headed "Olympic Scavenger Suggestions" with a thread for each sport. We have entered some books where we know people engage in these activities.There's also some information about what we're looking for in some of the threads. Please help your fellow group members by adding suitable books to the threads!

For option B (books that contain the word):
The best place I know of to search inside a book without buying or borrowing an ebook is https://openlibrary.org This works best for slightly older books, but they don't have to be out of copyright.
Search for your book, then (even if it says "not in library") click on "Editions" below the title. If there is an edition in your language that has the "Borrow" option, click on the title (not on "Borrow") and you should see "Preview" below the cover image. Click on "Preview" and you can search the whole book.
This used to work in Google Books and Amazon too, but for me at least, they now only allow searching of their sample. This may vary by country. Project Gutenberg has many out-of-copyright books: https://www.gutenberg.org/

If reading in French, there is a list of the sports in French here:
https://olympics.com/fr/paris-2024/sp...
You can use those words, but they don't all work, only the equivalents of those on our list. Where we have another word, such as "swim" or "horse", you can use the equivalent infinitive verb or singular noun, "nager" or "cheval" - no other variations.
Similar process if anyone is reading in any other language.

Another fun challenge you're created ! (even if i preferred flowers & vegetables than sports ;)) - and thanks for the French list !

One question, for graphic novels: would the representation of the sport be sufficient, (or it needs to be written down ? (unless graphic novels are not allowed for this subchallenge ?)

Yes, graphic novels are allowed! I will edit the Styles to say so.

For Option A (read a book where a person engages in one of the listed activities), there will need to be an image showing the person doing the activity.

For Option B (find the word in the text), the word needs to be written down.

Thanks :)
Another question for Option A: does the activity has to be sports-related, or not necessarily ?
I was thinking of someone running to catch his bus for instance - or sailing in a boat that wouldn't be a "sports" boat ?

Marie wrote: "Thanks :)
Another question for Option A: does the activity has to be sports-related, or not necessarily ?
I was thinking of someone running to catch his bus for instance - or sailing in a boat th..."

We had a lot of discussion about this when we were setting up the challenge! In the end we agreed Option A doesn't have to be sports-related.

As long as they actually run, it counts for athletics. It doesn't matter why they are running. (But for Option B, we need the word "athletic/s", not "run".)

For sailing with Option A, it must be in a boat with sails, not just any boat. Again it doesn't matter why they are sailing.

So, when we say they engage in an activity, they don’t have to be competing, they just have to be performing the action? So if I have a s’entend from a book where ”He begins to row out in the river.” it is sufficient?

Apple wrote: "So, when we say they engage in an activity, they don’t have to be competing, they just have to be performing the action? So if I have a s’entend from a book where ”He begins to row out in the river..."

Yes! It can be for any purpose.

I was pleasantly surprised at how many sports are mentioned in Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler:
athletic (and jogging!)
badminton
basketball
cycle
football
golf
horse
skateboard
swim
tennis
wrestle

Enjoy!

My book doesn't actually have to do with cycling; he's travelling around/through the Alps so of course, mentioned Tour de France and some cyclists around... The word, 'cyclists', was mentioned a number of times but unfortunately not "cycling".

My question is for option A - does it have to be the MC? or in this case (as NF), the narrator/author? Or witnessing others engaging in activity ok?

Tien wrote: "My book doesn't actually have to do with cycling; he's travelling around/through the Alps so of course, mentioned Tour de France and some cyclists around... The word, 'cyclists', was mentioned a nu..."

As long as some person in the book is actively cycling, it works. So if the narrator is witnessing the cyclists cycling, that's fine. If he only sees them standing around drinking water, it's not.

cyclists were mentioned pedalling etc so this is good :)

So, on page 143 (according to Open Library - I listened to the audiobook) in The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher was a sentence that included:

" ...and the horse-chesnut whiff of nocturnal emissions."

Now, apart from being a fine piece of descriptive writing, will this work for horse for option B?

Apple wrote: "So, on page 143 (according to Open Library - I listened to the audiobook) in The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher was a sentence that included:

" ...and the horse-chesnut whiff o..."

No, sorry, Apple. We always count hyphenated words as one word, so that's a variation that's not allowed.

Thanks, I thought so, but always best to check!