Shovel racing

Competitive shovel racing has its roots in New Mexico's ski resorts in the 1970s. Creator Damien Deleon has been unofficially credited as the "king of shovel racing." It began after ski resort workers used shovels as sleds to quickly move from one location to another. The sport reached the zenith of its popularity in 1997 when it was featured in the Winter X Games, although the games organizers later removed the sport in future X Games after athlete Justin Williams died during the games. ==Rules==

The shovel racer typically races on a basic snow shovel. The rider sits in the shovel facing the handle and leans back with his feet pointed forwards. In some cases, racers in the "super-modified shovel" category have raced on sleds that run on skiis, have an aerodynamic pod and roll cage around the driver, and only include a shovel as decoration. Competitors generally wax the underside of the shovel in order to increase its speed. The top speed of elite shovel racers can range up to 72 miles per hour (115.87 km/h). ==References==