Surfing is not just a tired term for online lurking. It's also not just blonde California "dudes" hitting the bowl before hitting the waves. For many people, surfing is a cool way of life and a sport that requires precision, balance, practice, and discipline. This is the online home of Surfer Magazine, the bible ofthe waves. Click here for a surf report, gonzo tales from the ocean, andmassive amounts of perfect tubes caught on film. The Bulletin Board (get it?)is also a thriving scene: "Message topics here include just about anything a surfer might be interested in: jobs, getting dates, meeting travel partners, travel tips, insults, praise, tales of bravado, myths, legends, rumors and lies." Just make sure you have a wet suit for your laptop. - David Pescovitz
Women's Soccer World is a print mag that covers all aspects of the sport of women's soccer. Obviously. The companion Web site features reports, scores, and news coverage of events related to the field from around the globe--World Cupnews, court reports from China, and the like. Unfortunately, there is no organization to this information; it can only be accessed by scrolling down theseemingly endless "court." The links at the bottom of the page may beuseful, if you can ever get there. This Webmaster needs a good kick in thepants. - David Pescovitz
Don't think Sports Illustrated here. The Journal of Basketball Studies is "anelectronic clearinghouse of scientific research about the game ofbasketball." In other words, it's the math of hoops. Articles feature such titles as "Of Point Spreads and Predictions, Using a Kalman Filter" and "Measuring the Effects of Consistency on Winning for Individuals." When I looked, the most recent addition to the site, a piece on how well people predict basketball games, urged you to submit your office polls for research's sake. But remember, "the statistical methods developed here are not meant to replace traditional basketball wisdom." Yeah, right. It's time to get schooled. - David Pescovitz
Who is more of a hero of the ice than Wayne Gretzky? (Well, George Gund maybe, but....) Filled with images of #99 memorabilia, photos of his restaurant, and hockey scores to keep you up-to-date even when you're far from the ice, the Wayne Gretzky site is an impressive self-promotional online scorecard and trophy room (complete with QuickTime VR). Check out Wayne's career stats, relive his years with the New York Rangers, and shout out your opinions in the chat room. But watch what you say. Apparently, "the Great One Himself" (that's Wayne) visits his online home from time to time. - David Pescovitz
It's nice to know that despite political strife, economic inequalities, andconflicting social mores throughout the world, many countries have found acommon bond in badminton. The International Badminton Federation's Web siteboosts the widely beloved sport with a history of the game, the rules ofplay, and the international rankings of all of badminton's competition categories.Badminton may be "an enthralling mix of angles, tactics, reaction, touch andfitness," but it's unlikely that the design or contents of this site will do much to build enthusiasm for the sport. Small and plain, the site offers 10 menu options, each linked to a single page of text in the form of a list or a summary. - Katherine Stevenson
If you're like Chris Ballard, who finds nothing more satisfying than playing, watching, or discussing basketball, then you'll certainly enjoy a visit to his Web site, Hoops Nation. Last year, Ballard's "roundball addiction" inspired him, along with a few buddies, to embark on a seven-month tour of the U.S. for the sole purpose of checking out the country's greatest courts and participating in pick-up games along the way. This site functions as a travelog of that sojourn. By clicking on any of the tour's stops, you'll get colorful commentary from Ballard's diary entries and a number of illustrative photos. For pick-up basketball fans, this site is the next best thing to having experienced the Hoops Nation Tour firsthand. - Katherine Stevenson
Why wait until 1998 to start enjoying the XVIII Winter Olympic Games? That'sthe underlying question at this Web site devoted to talk of the sports and ceremony that will be going down in Nagano, Japan in less than a year--there's even a calendar that counts down the days until the festivities begin. With IBM as a sponsor and co-creator, the site is as professional and polished as you'd expect. There are lots of clearly presented navigation devices, including numerous layered menu tabs and multiple search engines that take you through all aspects of the upcoming events--sports venues, games schedules, philosophy, motto, mascot, and more. - Katherine Stevenson
"To some, rodeo is a sport. To others, it's a business. But to most competitors, rodeo is simply a way of life." Or so it's stated at the online home of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), which offers all of the trappings of a pro-rodeo lifestyle. The site is an all-American affair, done up in red, white, and blue and sporting a country-western motif. Here you can round up information on the modes of dress, the distinguishing characteristics of each event, and even the regulations regarding the treatment of rodeo animals. For spectators, PCRA lists ESPN's rodeo shows for the entire year, and for participants, there's news of competitions. - Katherine Stevenson