Garden Gnome's Best Friend Goes Sporty

Before heading to Estonia to measure up against the global boot-throwing elite, German athletes will first have to choose a national champion on Sunday in Berlin.

"This should be taken seriously," Peter Nachitgall, who heads the boot-throwing club in Frankfurt (Oder) near the Polish border, told DW-WORLD. "We really practice for this, a couple of hours, twice a week."

If that hasn't convinced you, try these rules for size: According to Nachtigall, there will be doping controls at the world championships and no aids besides gloves are allowed. Men have to throw boots in European size 43 (U.S. size 10) that weigh 1 kg (2.2 lbs.), women make do with a size 38 (6) that weighs 700 g (1.54 lbs.) They're free to choose between the right and the left one, however.

Throwing technique is tricky as well. "You grab inside the boot with your thumb and keep index and middle fingers around the shaft," Nachtigall said. "Then you start running, turn around a bit and throw with your arm stretched." The boot has to rotate while flying, by the way, "otherwise the air resistance slows it down completely."

One contender for the German boot-throwing trophy is Jorma Klünder. But the cook from Berlin has a natural advantage. He's half-Finnish and the Finns currently hold the world record with a little over 65 meters (213.2 feet). The Germans haven't gotten past 36,6 meters so far.