Mariachi, barbecue and the seal hop among high school sports and activities you had no idea existed

Under the Friday night lights, competition doesn’t always wear cleats or keep score on a scoreboard. Sometimes it’s stitched into embroidered mariachi suits, sizzling over a slow smoker, snapping in rhythm against pavement or gliding across a glassy lake at dawn.
From the soaring vocals of mariachi ensembles to the smoky showdowns of bar-b-que cookoffs, from the high-flying precision of Double Dutch to the patient thrill of bass fishing, these non-traditional sports and activities prove that the spirit of rivalry — and community — thrives far beyond the usual fields and courts.

MaxPreps takes a look at some of the more unique high school competitions held throughout the country. Mariachi
State: Texas
Sanctioning body: University Interscholastic League
Nearly 100 teams are expected to compete at the State Mariachi Festival at Seguin High School next week for the three-day event. Schools will perform in front of three judges who critique the performers based on technical proficiency, musicality and presentation. Participants are looking to achieve a Superior "1" rating. McAllen is a 10-time state champion of the event.

Barbecue
State: National
Sanctioning body: National High School BBQ Association
Teams compete in the Students Learning About Barbecue (S.L.A.B.) state championships to advance to the national event sponsored by the National High School BBQ Association. It's a live-fire cooking competition with students producing their best grilled cheese, ribeye steak, ribs, chicken and dessert. Shawnee Mission school district in Kansas won the national championship in 2025. The next championship event will be held at SCHEELS Grandscape in The Colony (Texas) in June.

Double Dutch
State: New York
Sanctioning body: Public Schools Athletic League
Players compete in singles or doubles in this jump rope competition with the key components including speed round, where a performer might execute as many as 300-400 jumps in two minutes, a compulsory/fusion round and a freestyle round that includes acrobatics and gymnastics. Bathgate (Bronx) is the two-time PSAL champion and will defend its crown in March.

World Language
State: Alaska
Sanctioning body: Alaska Schools Activities Association
Participants compete in four categories at the Alaska World Language Declamation — cultural trivia, poetry, impromptu speech and impromptu dialogue in seven languages (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish). This year's state finals are Feb. 21 at Dimond (Anchorage). 

Pickleball
State: California, Virginia, Indiana, Georgia
Sanctioning body: Dynamic Universal Pickleball Ratings (DUPR) and Swish Tournaments
The growing pickleball trend has hit the high school level with DUPR scheduled to conduct the first national high school pickleball championships April 11 at Life Time Lakeville in Lakeville (Minn.). Four different states are holding regional tournaments in February and March. Format includes boys doubles, girls doubles and mixed doubles. 

Seal hop
State: Alaska
Sanctioning body: Sealaska Heritage Institute and Central Countil Tlingit and Haida
Part of the Traditional Games, the seal hop is one of 10 events that focus on strength, endurance and agility. The seal hop is performed on knuckles or palms down and on the toes in a plank position. Participants then hop, mimicking a hunter's movements to sneak up on a seal, for maximum distance. Mt. Edgecumbe (Sitka, Alaska) was the overall Traditional Games champion in 2025. This year's event is April 10-12 at Juneau-Douglas.

Robotics
State: Minnesota
Sanctioning body: Minnesota State High School League
Teams build robots to compete in various competitions, such as gathering objects, robot soccer and search and rescue. Minnesota has held the competition for over a decade and will hold this year's state championships May 11 in St. Paul. Becker, Irondale (New Brighton) and Pequot Lakes combined to win last year's championship. 

State: Illinois, Georgia
Sanctioning body: IHSA, GHSA
Originating in Illinois, this year's state bass fishing championships will be held in June at Lake Shelbyville. Each boat has two competitors with a boat captain and teams are judged based on the weight of their five heaviest fish. Windsor is the defending champion.

Drumline
State: Ohio
Sanctioning body: Winter Guard International
Teams from all over the country compete in Dayton, Ohio, in April in the Percussion World Championships. The competition includes color guard, percussion lines and wind instruments. Last year, Ayala (Chino Hills, Calif.) won the drumline competition with a near perfect score of 99.50.