The first American gold medal has been awarded and it belongs to 24 year old Hannah Kearney of Vermont. Kearney performed brilliantly on a wet, windy mogul run on Saturday night before thousands of enthusiastic fans. The majority of those fans were cheering for their hometown favorite, Jen Heil who is the reigning World Cup leader. Heil, whose run was immediately prior to Kearneys, turned in an impressive performance which put in the the number one spot. That euphoria lasted only moments until Kearney bested her with a score of 26.69. The hopes of the host country were resting on Heil and her ability to win a gold medal on home soil for the first time but Kearneys’ gutsy performance thwarted those hopes.
Kearneys’ win at these games takes the sting out of her failure to make it to the finals for the 2006 Olympics and makes this victory all the sweeter.
Imagine finding a sport you love and then spending untold hours training to enhance your technique and perfect your performance. Imagine all those efforts paying off by finally reaching the level of an Olympic athlete. Then imagine the unthinkable. Just hours before you are to take center stage with the world as your audience there is a horrific accident during a trail run that ends not only your Olympic dreams but your very life as well.
This horror story was the tragic fate of 21 year old Bosnian, Nodar Kumaritashvili ,who was eagerly anticipating competing in the luge event of the winter games.
It is widely recognized that the luge is a very dangerous sport full of high speed twists and turns where riders can reach speeds in excess of 95 miles per hour. Though it is true that it is a thrilling event to watch and even more so, to participate in,it is also true that because of the amazing speeds involved there is little room for error. The rider must maintain control of his body, keeping his alignment steady and his legs and feet as motionless as possible. Keeping a low, large profile on the sled helps to eliminate as much wind resistance as possible.
The luge course in Vancouver is exceptionally fast. It turns out that the run is 20 kph faster than the designers anticipated. Due to Fridays horrendous accident, modifications have been made which will move the mens competition to the slower womens track. Padding has also been added to the support beams as a precaution against another similar accident.
The risks involved in many of the events of the winter games are substantial but hopefully this Olympics will not see any more career or life ending accidents.
Kicking off the 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be the ski jumping event in which three top performing U.S. athletes will compete for the gold. The U.S. team members, Peter Frenette (age 17), Nick Alexander (age 21) and Anders Johnson (age 20) have come a long way to be included in the bevy of the finest amateur athletes in the world. Many of the sports that are represented in the Olympic games(and the athletes that participate in them) are funded by sponsors which helps to offset the significant amount of money it costs to train an athlete at that level. Ski Jumping, on the other hand, does not enjoy those benefits so the athletes who wish to excel and compete in this particular sport need to fund their training themselves. Frenette, Alexander and Johnson have each worked hard to make their appearance at the winter games a reality.
There are many strong women ski jumpers who would also love to be included in the competition that will soon be getting under way, however they will not be realizing their dreams at these Olympics. Ski Jumping has traditionally been a men only sport and although the women athletes mounted a legal battle this year to override this long standing situation it was to no avail.
Ski jumping is an exhilarating, dare-devil sport where downhill speeds can reach 60 M.P.H. One must possess a great deal of physical strength and control as well as technical precision in order to do well.
The judges will be scoring based on distance, form and landing.
Nancy Smith is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, an online retailer specializing
The Olympic Winter Games will be beginning tonight in Vancouver, British Columia and along with the millions who are anticipating these games with interest and enthusiasm will be a large number of people who could not care less. Actually, that is an inaccurate statement. They really do care. They care that for the next two weeks these games will be the focus of the television networks. They care that some of their favorite shows may be preempted in order to cover the Olympic events that are taking place. They also care that updates on the Olympics will be occupying a good deal of space in their daily newspapers, not to mention that it will be a hot topic of discussion around the water coolers at work. They care because they wish that the Olympics would go the way of the dinosaurs to be seen no more.
Thankfully, that is not likely to happen. I believe that for every naysayer there are many more who welcome the opportunity to witness and applaud greatness. When the games open tonight there will be millions who will be tuning their eyes and minds to feats that will uplift and inspire. When there is so much that is tragic and negative about the human condition these days, isn’t it wonderful to be offered a distraction that can temporarily remove such problems from the forefront. I for one, will be delighted to observe the manuevers of incredibly gifted individuals as they perform to the highest possible levels. and allow my mind to forget about the woes of the world for one brief, shining moment.
In less than two days from now the eyes of the world will be focused on Vancouver, British Columbia and the hundreds of supremely talented athletes who will be competing there. It might be helpful to have a basic understanding of the events in which these athletes will take part in order to more fully appreciate the talent that will be showcased over the next few weeks.
Figure skating is one of the events that will take center stage and also one of the most beautiful and technically difficult of winter sports. It requires an enormous amount of instruction and training to be able to compete at an Olympic level. First, a little history of this popular activity. The first skating club (that we know of) was organized in Scotland 168 years ago. It was probably done more for exercise than anything else at that time. 28 years later someone had the idea to combine the smooth glide across the ice with dance elements and that comprised what we now know as figure skating.
In the Olympic games there are currently three categories of competition in the figure skating event. There are the singles, pairs and ice dancing categories. In the singles event (men and women compete separately). the participants must perform eight maneuvers of varying degree of difficulty and conclude with a segment of free style skating. In the pairs category, the goal is to synchronize movements while performing such feats as overhead lifts, throws, spins and death spirals. (sounds a bit ominous don’t you think) The ice dancing is a version of ballroom dancing performed on the ice and is spectacular to observe.
Scoring is based on a 6.0 system wherein marks are given for technical merit, required elements and presentation. There are 16 judges, though the judging field is quickly narrowed to a randomly selected 9 from which the highest score and the lowest score are eliminated. This results in the seven judging scores which are then averaged to select the overall winner.
Nancy Smith is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, an online retailer specializing in basketball backboards and punching dummies.
Sadly, one of the outstanding hopefuls for the U.S., Lindsey Vonn, has disclosed that she has incured an injury that could curtail her Olympic dream. During a slalom training run a week ago Vonn sustained a bad bruise and subsequent swelling to her right shin which has left her questioning whether her body is going to allow her to fully participate in the winter games. This is shocking news to fans and sponsors (Red Bull, Rolex) who expected Vonn to have a good chance of cleaning up in the medals race, especially for the downhill and the superG.
26 year old Vonn is a two time and current reigning overall World Cup champion. This injury puts a real damper on things but mentally Vonn is a warrior and she has every intention of giving it all she’s got.
The Lakers hit the floor of Energy Solutions Arena minus their team leader and top scorer, MVP Kobe Bryant and yet still managed to knock off the Jazz who were riding high one a streak of 9 straight wins.
Perhaps the Jazz were feeling a little complacent due to their recent successes or maybe experiencing a lack of focus just before the All-Star break or possibly a bit tired because of playing the night before. Whatever the reason, Utah was lackluster from the beginning.
Pau Gasol had a 22 point, 19 rebound outing joined by Lamar Odom’s 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers. The highest scoreres for the Jazz were Andrei Kirilenko with 17 points and rookie Wesley Matthews with 13 points. Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams each produced only 11 points for the night.
It’s hard to see that hot streak end for the Jazz but at least they lost to one of the two best teams in the NBA instead of a bottom dwelling team (which they have done many times in the past). Let’s hope that the break leaves them rested and ready to go 4-0 on their upcoming road trip.
Another night, another victory. Oh, if it were only that simple. It was another victory (116-106) but it didn’t come without a fight as the Jazz matched up against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center Tuesday night. The Jazz allowed the Clippers the lead for well over a quarter late in the game but luckily got their act together and were able to finish strong. The Jazz started out tough with Kirilenko racking up 2 points, a block and as assist before even a minute had gone by in the game. His aggressive play is a real boon to this team that is showing a great deal more confidence than it did a month ago.
Boozer had the kind of night that must make the “powers that be” wonder why they chose Chris Kamen over Booz for the all star honors. Carlos added 34 points on 13/17 shooting and 14 rebounds to the team effort. Once again, Wesley Matthews proved that he can be counted on when the pressure is on, coming up big on defense and scoring at crucial times.
This win is the 9th straight for the Utah Jazz and the 3rd straight on the road. Three road wins might not sound all that impressive to some but for a team that struggled mightily to come away with a win when playing on the road, three straight wins sounds like sweet success.
Now that SuperBowl 44 is history, the hype and enthusiasm of the sports world turns it’s attention to the Olympic winter games which will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia starting this Friday. Hosting country Canada, looks like they will be making a strong showing and will be competing under the catch phrase, “own the podium”. No doubt with contenders such as Clara Hughes competing in long track speed skating, Steve Podborski in the downhill and Jessie Vetter who was named Sportswoman of the Year for her successes in hockey, they stand a good chance of being on the medal stand.
While we are considering potential winners, we can not forget about the perennial powerhouses of the winter games, Germany, Norway and Russia. These three countries will be certain to make a statement of their own through the efforts of such gifted athletes as Kati Wilhelm, Magdalena Neuner, Emil Hegle Svendsen, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is considered by many to be one of the very best in the hockey world.
Team USA will not be content to simmer on the back burner. They have 31 returning former medalists and another 84 participants who have already had the experience of competing in at least one Olympic. The U.S. team finished 2nd in the last winter Olympics which was held in Torino, Italy in 2006 and 3rd in the winter Olympics of 2002 held in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are hoping to do at least as well in these Olympics by riding on the talents of such athletes as Lindsey Vonn, Shari Davis, Shaun White and Apolo Ohno.
Is there anything that makes one feel more self conscious and unattractive than a flabby stomach? No matter how great our hair is or how terrific our outfit might be, the entire look can be ruined by our protruding tummy. There are things (short of surgery) that we can do to address this problem.
Exercises the work the tummy and strengthen the core are among the most important exercises you can do. A strong core not only allows you adequate strength to perform all the tasks necessary in day to day living but also results in better posture. Better posture makes you look and feel better.
A good beginning exercise for the abdominal muscles is the hunch. Get down on the floor on your hands and knees contracting your abs toward your backbone while you lift and round your spine. Hold this position for up to 15 seconds then flatten to a count of 10 and repeat from beginning.
The next movement begins again with hands and knees on the floor (should width apart). Lift and stretch your left leg straight back at the same time you are lifting and stretching your right arm forward. Your left leg and right arm along with your torso should resemble a straight horizontal line. Make sure your lower back does not arch. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat with right leg and left arm. Start out with 5 reps on each side.
Using an exercise ball with with your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Cross your arms over your chest with your chin slightly tucked. Contract stomach muscles and exhale as you slowly raise your torso to a half-way sitting position. Slowly lower torso while inhaling to starting position. Do 8-10 reps.
The bicycle is an old stand-by that still works. Lie flat on your back with palms under your head and legs bent at the knee. Contract your ab muscles as you lift your shoulders up alternating right and left legs toward your elbows as if pedaling a bike. Do 10-12 reps.
There are many other effective ab workouts you can try but even doing just these 3 on a regular basis will strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. You will look and feel better.