Rimthud
| Rimthud | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Other names | Qængüm | ||
| First played | July 2022, Birgeshir | ||
| Contact | Full | ||
| Team members | 16 (with up to 8 substitutes) | ||
| Type | Team sport, Outdoor or indoor | ||
| Equipment | Heavy spherical ball | ||
| Venue | Large circular court | ||
Rimthud (Birgesh: Qængüm) is a contact sport created in Birgeshir played between two teams of 16 players on an outdoor (or indoor) circular court where points are scored by throwing a heavy spherical ball far onto the edge (the "scoring rim") of the whole court which is placed in a challenging distance from the "playing area" within which both teams can go and make attempts anywhere.
Etymology
The birgesh name for the sport, qængüm, comes from qænar (edge, border) and güm (thud). The English name is basically the full translation. It is a reference to the sound the heavy spherical ball makes when landing onto the far edge of the court.
History
After the sport of Brosatamış, Birgeshir's first attempt to create an own domestic sport which was created in 2013, declined in interest mainly because of its gameplay, Deniz Yürük started to work on a new Birgesh sport in early 2022 with the intention of making it the new national sport. According to him, his micronation, for its nature, had to give more importance and attention to a sport created within it instead of sports created outside by humans. In late spring of the same year, the rules of the new sport called qængüm (rimthud in English) were completed.
Description and rules
Court
A rimthud court is a large circular court that can be outdoor and indoor. The outdoor court is unique in that it mixes artificial surface with natural surface. The actual playing court has an artificial surface resistant in case the sphere drops onto it and smooth enough to make the sphere roll longer. The dirt surface that surrounds the actual playing field is where the ball shouldn't land onto, otherwise no points are scored. The grass surface is the "scoring rim" where the sphere is supposed to land in order to score 1 point. Both these natural surfaces are useful to limit the sphere from bouncing forwards.
Teams and positions
Each team starts the match with 16 players on the court and up to eight substitutes. Players in a team are divided into eight Centers and eight Borders. Their roles have only small differences.
Centers
The centers are both players and good wrestlers because their main responsibilities are to gain possession of the heavy spherical ball by winning a form of pushing/test of strength in the center of the court. They also usually try to bring the sphere back at the center of the court during defense in order to gain the "right to throw" or protect the center of the court during offensive plays. They can however also attempt to score like the borders.
Borders
The borders are placed near the edge ("inner rim") of the actual playing court ("playing area") and their role is mainly to create point-scoring opportunities by throwing the heavy spherical ball far onto the edge of the whole court. They also make room during offensive plays to their sphere-handling teammates by pushing the opponent players. They can also play defensively like the centers, but can't contend the sphere at the center of the court when the game (or a new drive) starts.
Gameplay
Games are divided into two halves of 10 attempts. An "attempt", as the name suggests, is when a player from a team tries to score by throwing the heavy spherical ball (also simply called "sphere") onto the far edge of the court. Each team has 20 attempts and the first team to reach the tenth attempt closes a half of the game. Therefore, 20 attempts overall must be made in order to end a game, regardless of which team did 10 in a half. A rimthud game starts at the center of the court where the heavy spherical ball is placed in and one player (a Center) from each team (two in total) compete in a sort of "fingerlock test of strength" pushing the opposite player back until he or she has both feet in the "contention rim" while the winner has both feet inside the "contention area" and hence gaining possession of the sphere. This is also done after every time one of the 20 Attempts has been made, regardless of the result (scored or not). When a team gains possession and is attacking, the defending team tries to steal the sphere and bring it back to the center of the court (within the "contention area") in order to gain the "right to throw" and become the attacking team. The attacking team tries to advance the sphere towards the first border ("inner rim") of the "playing area" in order to throw it far onto the edge (the "scoring rim") of the whole court scoring 1 point. If the sphere doesn't land onto the "scoring rim", no points are scored. The sphere is thrown by releasing it after a run-up when inside the "inner rim". Both teams can throw the sphere from any angle of the court (within the "inner rim"). This makes the game quite chaotic and each player must have quick sense of direction in order to find a hole and advance the sphere. The team that has scored more points at the end of the game is the winner.
Advancing the sphere
There are two ways that players can advance the sphere: running and passing. In rimthud, the sphere is passed between teammates by making it roll along the ground due to its weight.
"Right to throw"
This term refers to a team when is in offensive play and tries to advance the sphere into the "inner rim" and then throw it onto the far edge of the whole court. A team can gain the "right to throw" through winning a contention of the sphere, stealing the sphere during defense and bringing it back to the center of the court and through penalties.
Offside
The only offside in rimthud is when an attacking player receives the sphere from a teammate while having one or both feet inside the "inner rim" area. If that occurs, the opposite team automatically gains a "right to throw" from the center of the court (that is, attacking without contending the sphere).
Fouls
There are three main fouls. The first is when more than two players try to steal the sphere from a grounded opponent player and/or more than one teammate of the grounded player try to help in keeping the sphere. In this situation, the penalty is a free "right to throw" from the center of the court (that is, attacking without contending the sphere) for the team that suffered the foul. If both teams violated the rule, the game restarts from the center of the court with the contention of the sphere.
The second foul is when a player with both feet inside the "inner rim" is tackled by an opposing player (the only player that can be inside the "inner rim" is the one who has the "right to throw" and is throwing the sphere). The penalty for this situation is a "penalty throw" for the team that suffered the foul. The player starts to run from the beginning of the "inner rim" and throws the sphere attempting to score. It counts as one of the 20 Attempts of a team.
The third foul is whenever a player commits physical or verbal fouls against an opponent or the referee. The player can be cautioned with a yellow card, meaning that he or she will leave the court only to return after any of both teams has made an Attempt (regardless of the result). A red card means that the player is ordered off the court permanently without a substitute.