The United States Basketball Academy, which is located in Blue River, Ore., is a major training facility for American and Chinese basketball. © Sol Neelman/The Oregonian

A player from Fresno State leaps into the stands while chasing after a loose ball. © Sol Neelman/The Oregonian

A trip along the Trans-Siberian Railway begins in Moscow, home to some weird office spaces. © Sol Neelman

One of about 75,000 Chinese volunteers sweeps a sand court during a beach volleyball match as cheerleaders - many of them trained by their American counterparts - entertain the crowd. © Sol Neelman

Switzerland's Simon Ammann takes a moment for himself after his gold medal victory in the men's ski jump at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. © Sol Neelman

Fans celebrate Canada's Olympic gold medal men's hockey victory over the United States at the intersection of Granville Street and Robson Street in downtown Vancouver. © Sol Neelman

Originally called “octopush,” underwater hockey was invented back in 1954 by four English divers looking to stay fit during the winter months, when it was too cold to dive the North Sea. © Sol Neelman

Dog surfing seems like a fun idea for a dog owner. That's not always the case for the dog. © Sol Neelman

The annual Mud Bowl held at Hog Coliseum has been called the cleanest sport ever played in knee-deep mud. © Sol Neelman

The Lingerie Basketball League hosts an exhibition game at the basketball courts in Venice Beach, California. © Sol Neelman

By far my favorite weird sport is Kaiju, Live Monster Wrestling. I love laughing while taking photos. © Sol Neelman

The "ball" in flaming tetherball is a roll of toilet paper soaked in 3 ounces of white gas, the stuff that people use in camp stoves and lanterns. It burns nice and bright, but without the obvious drawbacks of gasoline. © Sol Neelman