The Dutch have always loved skating. Ancient Dutch people made skates from the rib bones of cattle, and pushed themselves across the ice with pointed sticks. Even today skaters sometimes glide along the ice on tiny sleds called prikslees, using spiked sticks, much as their ancestors did. When winter is cold enough to freeze the canals, the Ducth hold the Eleven Towns Race, the Elfstedentocht, one of the toughest competitions in the world. Thousands of competitors skate along 200 km of waterways in northern Friesland. A crowd of a million spectators lines the route and millions more watch the race on television.
Cycling is a way of life here. Nearly every Dutch person owns a bicycle. A network of bicycle paths runs through cities and the countryside, special traffic signals direct cyclists, and there are benches where cyclists can rest. Signs are posted along these routes showing distances and directions. Bicycle racing is also a spectator sport.	Did you know? Dutch farmers learned a kind of pole-vaulting so they could cross drainage ditches and get from field to field. This became a sport called polsstokspringen.
Many people play uniquely Dutch games. A golf-like game called kolven has been played since the 14th century. In klootschieten teams of players throw wooden, weighted balls toward a target over a course of several kilometres. In sjoden, a cross between shuffleboard and pool, players move a disc around a smooth surface, aiming for pockets. Kaatsen is like tennis, but played without racquets; it dates back to the Roman occupation. Korfball was invented by a Dutch gymnastics teacher in 1902. It is played by teams of twelve, made up of six men and six women, using a soccer ball. Each team tries to shoot the ball through a basket on a post. Korfball can be played outdoors or indoors.
Soccer, called football in the Netherlands, is widely played and many people eagerly follow their favourite professional teams' wins and losses on television and radio or in the sports pages. The Royal Dutch Football Association, founded in 1889, has more than a million members. The best- known teams are Ajax and Feyenoord, both of which have won the European Cup. The Dutch love the outdoors. Coastal beaches, inland lakes and the forested southern hills are popular getaway spots. Many people keep trailers at well-equipped campgrounds for weekend breaks.	Did you know? Some historians say the Dutch invented baseball. Art from the 1600s shows children playing something much like the modern game. Dutch settlers may have brought baseball to North America.