ESPN: The Ocho is actually a joke. This rebranding of ESPN 2 is an annual event that takes place typically at the beginning of August and is a great time for board sports fans and the participants alike. This channel derives from a 2004 movie called Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story where the finals of dodgeball under the channel of ESPN8. This fictional beginning is the beginning of the annual rebrand that all of us know and love. 

The Ocho, as it is typically called, is known for its random assortment of sports. This year’s schedule over four days included a huge variety of niche sports, and even 30 never before seen events. They broadcast things from the 2025 World Dog Surfing Championships Best Waves to T-Rex World Championship Races. What the T-Rex World Championships are, I don’t even know, but I will be breaking down what I believe some of the most random, fun, and entertaining events are that you should check out. 

Now it is important to say that a large number of these actions done on these shows are dangerous and thus should not be attempted to be replicated.

To start off the ESPN “The Ocho” four day event, they started out with a bang on July 31st with the Red Bull Flugtag, which this year, was held in Cincinnati. Now it is important to know that any event put on by RedBull is going to be a great time as they are world renowned for their crazy stunts, events, and sponsors that allow extreme athletes to do what they love. Flugtag in this sense is no different as teams attempt to build a self aircraft that goes off a high platform into water. Teams are then judged on flight distance, creativity, and showmanship. This year the winner was Wicket to Fly who won the peoples choice and the distance winner was the Hillside Hustlers who flew 102 feet which for this event is a really long way.

The T-Rex World Championship Races then happened at 11 pm. On the same day. Now, after a little bit of research I have figured out that this event has taken place at the world renowned Emerald Downs. This event has over 200 participants in 2025 where people dressed in inflatable T-Rex costumes lined up in the horse gates over 4 heats that then run in a foot race toward the finish line. In the photos and videos that I was able to find, there were numerous comical incidences that made the event so thrilling to watch. Fall, chaos, and triumph are all things to expect in this event so go check the highlights if you’re bored. They won’t disappoint.

The next day (Aug. 1) at 1am, there was the One-Wheel World Championship. Now, should you be up at 1 am. … probably not. However, these things are happening at the end of summer and if you wanted to watch some guys go sketchily fast racing on one-wheeled machines, then this event is for you. As someone who has ridden one of these devices, how these guys are able to go as fast as they do over jumps and obstacles is unbelievable. If you want to catch some of the action, look up on youtube “Race for the Rail.”

The USA Mullet Championship at 3:30 am is something that interests me. While it is technically about mullets and not sports, this event that breathes American culture is the epitome of what should be on The Ocho.

At 7:30 am was the Swiss Stone Tossing. An easy way to describe this sport is, Men pick rock up. Men put rock above their heads. Men throw rock far. Men yell loud. While a little barbaric, this is a great event if you are bored and want to make some gentlemen (or gentlewoman) bets with your friends early in the morning. 

Slippery Stairs came on at 6pm. After a lack of super cool events, this one is pure chaos. Why would you not want to slip down a bunch of stairs of baby oil? This Diddy activity is a race for the ages and a really good time to watch as there is no guarantee of anyone winning. For example, this event has had people 2 stairs from a win then they slide all the way back down the bottom. This chaos is great fun.

Now in true ESPN8 fashion, The National Dodgeball League Championship came on at primetime (8pm). This tribute to the history and beginning of this wonderful channel is honored with this event. This Dodgeball is also, as British people like to say, class. Think about your typical game of dodgeball at SkyZone. Then, think about elevating that by 3x bringing in strategy, teamwork, and celebrations to make it an amazing event for the viewers.

It wouldn’t be The Ocho without some American Cornhole League (ACL) which in this case, was broadcasted after the Dodgeball Junior Championship. The ability of these kids is insane. I can from time to time have a four bagger (making all four of your bags) but these kids do it at least 50% of the time. These guys are the ultimate hustlers and I am personally convinced that on the side, they have to be professional gamblers betting on themselves hustling.

Then, the next day at 11am, the extremely dangerous sport titled, World Axe and Knife Throwing Championships took place. This is one that we will not recommend to our students without extreme carefulness. Watching this as opposed to participating is much better as this sport is extremely entertaining. Think about darts, but then make it ten times more aggressive. It takes some skill to throw these items and watching is a great time.

Finally, to end the yearly event of The Ocho, at 11:30 am, the US Open of Ultimate Frisbee Championship is on. While watching, I half expected to see our own Mrs. Yackey laying out for a catch and then slinging it to the endzone for the game winning point. Although this did not happen, we hope to see Mrs. Yackey on The Ocho next year participating in the same event. Ultimate Frisbee is a game of extreme skill, no contact, and precision where the players attempt to score like in football on the other team’s endzone. This event is tough and gave me a new respect for the skill of Mrs. Yackey.

So, next year around the beginning of August, or whenever you are bored and want to watch some highlights, tune into The Ocho and have some fun with the crazy events.