Podcresting

Podcresting is a contact sport played by two nine-member teams {pods} dressed in black and white uniforms, with team designations (the city they represent) on their biceps, thighs, and head-gear. Each pod glides over the ice in the same direction around an 800-meter track (the standard Ramaxian track has an inner radius 46 meters, and roughly 220 meter long straights), located at the Vosk Glacial Fairgrounds. Cresting Pods are multi-generational, and always Marixi.

Game play consists of a series of short matchups {hunts} in which both teams designate a scoring player {carrier} who carries an elongated object {catch} and scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. Each lap a carrier makes of an opposing pod is worth 3 points.

For each hunt, a team must launch one Carrier, and eight Cresters. There must be one designated Hunter among the Cresting-Pod. Hunters are the only Cresters allowed to take down an opposing Carrier via legal attack blocking; all others can only slow an opposing Carrier down by getting in her way. There must also be a designated Crest-Call, she is the only member of the pod that touch the ‘the catch‘ should the Carrier lose it or become injured. The Catch can never touch the ice, and if a Carrier is unable to continue lapping, she may hand off the Catch, only to the Crest-Call.

A hunt begins when both Carriers land safely on the ice after being shot from the  ‘carrier-launch’ tube. While airborne long enough to sail over the Cresting-Pods, a Carrier must first snatch the catch before landing onto the ice at a speed of about 80 miles per hour. (Specially trained Marix athletes become Carriers, based on their small weight class and deficient height). Once the Carriers hit the ice, the Cresting-Pods attempt to assist their Carrier while hindering the opposing Carrier — in effect playing both offense and defense simultaneously.

Legal Attacks and Blocking: One can only strike a Crester in her Blast Zone. Blast Zones are the chest, front and sides of the torso, arms, hands, hips, and the front of the legs above mid-thigh. Striking must only occur via Fin Reach. This means a Crester can strike an opponent only with her arms above the elbow, and legs above mid-thigh.

All hunts are recorded by observational spheres that indicate penalties as they are witnessed. Penalties are not assessed for actions that have no impact on the hunt or cause physical harm to the Cresters. When a Crester commits a hunt foul (grabbing, punching with the fist, kicking, head-butting, spitting, slapping, tripping with the feet, or pushing with hands) a penalty is earned for her Cresting-Pod in the form of a temporary ice-removal for the Crester, or a loss of laps (if the penalty is committed by a Carrier), or complete ejection from the hunt.

Helovx, exposed to Ramaxian sports via the AWI citizenry broadcasts have noted that gameplay resembles killer whale pods in competition over a kill.

PODCRESTING

Podcresting is the most attended sport in Ramaxia, with 87% of the citizenry at each game*, despite live broadcasts throughout the domes. Matches are carried out before boisterous crowds and pounding music, but all is deathly silent in the moments before a Carrier is launched. The crowd roars when their Carrier hits the ice safely after snatching the catch.

In 2163, in the final season match between the Pikalit Tharspinners, and the Megalodons of Vanda, the largest ever citizenry crowd created enough noise and movement in the stands it caused a fourteen-inch rift to form in the Vosk Ice Sheet (East Antarctic Ice Sheet); the rift remains stationary, two feet beneath the Fairgrounds.

The Podcresting season begins the second week of Yuli (April), and ends the final week Gurtat (May). As with other Ramaxian sports, game times revolve around the work schedules of the Bizaki. Game night typically begins two hours after day-fall, with one game a week. The season consists of six matches between four teams.

  • Utama Primaries
    • (Owners – Line Sok – Ulia Sok)
  • Vanda Megalodons
    • (Owner – House Banto – Tee Banto/Wox Dag)
  • Toxis Koolasooks
    • (Owner – Clan Wram – Lekada Wram)
  • Pikalit Tharspinners
    • (Owner – Clan Tegal – Yugat Tegal)

The first month consists of three match-ups to determine the two best of the four teams (Winners). The second month of three match-ups first forces the Winners to defend their standing from the Defeated before obtaining a chance to be the Final Team (Prime Team).

EXAMPLE: 2226 League Standings

• WEEK 1: KOOLASOOKS vs THARSPINNERS
o Winner: THARSPINNERS (18 to 15)
• WEEK 2: PRIMARIES vs MEGALODONS
o Winner: MEGALODONS (21 | 18 extension match)
• WEEK 3: KOOLASOOKS & PRIMARIES
o Winner: PRIMARIES (15 to 9)

• WEEK 4: MEGALODON & THARSPINNERS
o Winner: THARSPINNERS (27 to 13)
• WEEK 5: KOOLASOOKS & PRIMARIES
o Winner: PRIMARIES (15 to 12)
• WEEK 6: THARSPINNERS & PRIMARIES
o Prime Team 2226: THARSPINNERS (32 to 30 | extension match)

Sports Culture