By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Raleigh_DeGeer_Amyx]Raleigh DeGeer Amyx
Since the time of ancient Greece, men (and later, women) competed in feats of human strength, races, and competitions of all kinds. Many of the sports we enjoy have their origin in Greco-Roman games that go back centuries. There are few world-renowned achievements that mark a person's abilities as outstanding and special than a medal won at the Summer Olympic Games or Winter Olympic Games. The United States in particular is a high achiever in these games, pulling in more medals over the course of Olympic history than most other nations.
Some of the medals are of particular historical significance, carrying great value. One mint condition 1908 Silver medal (30mm), presented in London, England, at the IV Olympiad, has been located and acquired by a private collector in the United States. Interestingly, the sport for which the medal was awarded was Racquets. This instance of the game was the first and only time in which it was sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.). Any elite athlete competing in this event almost always competed in Olympic Tennis as well. Such was the case for the winner and once owner of this particular medal, Henry Leaf of Great Britain. And that was the case with the elite winner of this prized Olympic medal, one Henry Leaf of Great Britain. Not only is this particular silver medal in near mint condition, but the presentation case also accompanies it. Ebony in color, it is impressively embossed in a striking gilt trim. Currently this 1908 Silver Medal, along with the presentation case, is in the hands of a private collector in the United States, along with many other medals from numerous Olympic games.
Interestingly, a major controversy was afoot in the 1908 Olympics. Heated arguments arose among the American delegations and British delegations. United States, Team Management, accused the host nation-in this case the British-of partiality in judging. Upon further investigations, the I.O.C. agreed with the accusations, after which major changes to the games were ordered. For the very first time and from this point forward, Official judges chosen to judge events would be used continuously, even if they were from competing nations.
Another contentious issue was that some men had for years resisted equality in sports for women. Various competitive women continuously and persistently insisted, alongside only a few men, that they be allowed to compete. Eventually the IOC consented, and as a result many women have achieved great notoriety and accomplishment through the Olympic games.
Raleigh DeGeer Amyx is an [http://www.americanheritage1.com]American history collector. For Well More Than a Quarter Century, Collecting and Preserving History have been Raleigh DeGeer Amyx's Sole Endeavor. He is the owner and curator of the Raleigh Degeer Amyx Collection.
Because of the Reputation of The Amyx Collection, and Mr. Amyx's Knowledge, gained from First Hand Stories and Interviews with former White House Employees, he has been sought out by Authors, Private Non-Profit Entities, Presidential Libraries and by The White House and The Smithsonian Institution for Consultation. The Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Collection is an [http://www.americanheritage1.com]American history collection and is one of the largest collections of its kind in the world.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?1908-Silver-Medal-Awarded-To-Henry-Leaf-For-Performance-In-Racquets&id=6416349] 1908 Silver Medal Awarded To Henry Leaf For Performance In Racquets
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
One Year To Go Til Oscar's Olympics!
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gordon_Bryan]Gordon Bryan
July 27th 2011 - one year until the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics, and as good a time as any to write about one runner in particular...
On 19th July 2011, he ran 45.07 for the 400 metres at a meeting in Italy. That qualified him to run in the 2012 Olympics. Ok, good for him, but many many others have qualified, and many other will qualify. So, what makes him stand out? Well, his name's Oscar Pistorius, and he doesn't have legs.
His legs were amputated between the knee and ankle when he was 11 months old, so he's never really known life to be any different. A such he has never considered himself disabled, he just considered himself as him.
A keen and promising sprinter, in 2007 he began competing in races against able bodied athletes, using special blades. In a sport which has a record of political intrigue, it took no time for the governing body, the IAAF, to take notice. In the same year they changed their rules to disallow any athlete using a device which gave an advantage to other athletes not using the device.
They said it was unrelated to Pistorius, but not many people believed that. Pistorius challenged the ruling, and it went all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who overturned the decision. He was now allowed to compete in the 2008 Olympics, but fell just short of the qualifying time.
Pistorius' story was now well in the public domain, and he campaigns for disabled people to be viewed and treated the same as able bodied. He is happy to be known as 'Blade Runner' and 'the fastest man on no legs'.
He constantly advocates 'life without limitations' and says we should not be judged or held back by disability, rather we should be judged by and use our abilities instead.
Impressive? I think so.
The 400 metres is often called the 'man killer' of athletics, because it's a vicious combination of the shorter sprints and the longer middle distance races. The lungs need to have a certain capacity for anyone to be able to do it at the highest level.
Any 400 metre runner has to put in years and years of work and training. Pistorius has had to put in the same amount of work and training, but has also had to battle against prejudice and politics.
Good for him I say. Will he win in London? Well his fastest time says that he won't no, but surely for him the victory comes in simply qualifying in the first place
As an athlete he would surely wince at that comment, because he wants to win, but in this article I'm drawing the achievement lessons from the journey rather than one specific result.
It's an achievement for *anyone* to qualify for an Olympic games, I know I'm not about to do it anytime soon. The achievement of doing it as a double amputee makes it worthy of note, because it shows that barriers can be broken, that what was considered out of reach can be within reach. So when the 2012 Olympics start in London a year from today, keep your eye out for the fastest man on no legs!
Gordon Bryan is the author of [http://www.transformyourlifenow.com]'Transform Your Life in 21 Days! which has been described as 'motivational magic.'
You can also find out how he makes money from writing about sport with his guide [http://www.gordonbryan.com/sport]Make Money From Sport
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?One-Year-To-Go-Til-Oscars-Olympics!&id=6478686] One Year To Go Til Oscar's Olympics!
July 27th 2011 - one year until the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics, and as good a time as any to write about one runner in particular...
On 19th July 2011, he ran 45.07 for the 400 metres at a meeting in Italy. That qualified him to run in the 2012 Olympics. Ok, good for him, but many many others have qualified, and many other will qualify. So, what makes him stand out? Well, his name's Oscar Pistorius, and he doesn't have legs.
His legs were amputated between the knee and ankle when he was 11 months old, so he's never really known life to be any different. A such he has never considered himself disabled, he just considered himself as him.
A keen and promising sprinter, in 2007 he began competing in races against able bodied athletes, using special blades. In a sport which has a record of political intrigue, it took no time for the governing body, the IAAF, to take notice. In the same year they changed their rules to disallow any athlete using a device which gave an advantage to other athletes not using the device.
They said it was unrelated to Pistorius, but not many people believed that. Pistorius challenged the ruling, and it went all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who overturned the decision. He was now allowed to compete in the 2008 Olympics, but fell just short of the qualifying time.
Pistorius' story was now well in the public domain, and he campaigns for disabled people to be viewed and treated the same as able bodied. He is happy to be known as 'Blade Runner' and 'the fastest man on no legs'.
He constantly advocates 'life without limitations' and says we should not be judged or held back by disability, rather we should be judged by and use our abilities instead.
Impressive? I think so.
The 400 metres is often called the 'man killer' of athletics, because it's a vicious combination of the shorter sprints and the longer middle distance races. The lungs need to have a certain capacity for anyone to be able to do it at the highest level.
Any 400 metre runner has to put in years and years of work and training. Pistorius has had to put in the same amount of work and training, but has also had to battle against prejudice and politics.
Good for him I say. Will he win in London? Well his fastest time says that he won't no, but surely for him the victory comes in simply qualifying in the first place
As an athlete he would surely wince at that comment, because he wants to win, but in this article I'm drawing the achievement lessons from the journey rather than one specific result.
It's an achievement for *anyone* to qualify for an Olympic games, I know I'm not about to do it anytime soon. The achievement of doing it as a double amputee makes it worthy of note, because it shows that barriers can be broken, that what was considered out of reach can be within reach. So when the 2012 Olympics start in London a year from today, keep your eye out for the fastest man on no legs!
Gordon Bryan is the author of [http://www.transformyourlifenow.com]'Transform Your Life in 21 Days! which has been described as 'motivational magic.'
You can also find out how he makes money from writing about sport with his guide [http://www.gordonbryan.com/sport]Make Money From Sport
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?One-Year-To-Go-Til-Oscars-Olympics!&id=6478686] One Year To Go Til Oscar's Olympics!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Why the Olympics in 2012 Is a Good Thing
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dan_C_Vassiliou]Dan C Vassiliou
There are many out there who are happy to talk negatively about the 2012 Olympics in London. Many despise the amount that it costs to stage it. Do they really believe that the only benefits of the games will be the simple fact of staging them for two weeks? I admit that if there are risks to empty arenas and a poor legacy, but this does not have to be the case.
There are so many positives that can come out of getting the Olympics. We may think that the costs were a small price to pay. Tourism will increase dramatically over the period the games runs. Tourists from all over the world will purchase products and services, and spend a great deal of money. This could be a great point to advertise various products and brands to make sure that the global interest carries on after the games has finished. Television cameras and news teams will flood London. Again this is priceless advertising. What a great opportunity to promote services, products and also encourage tourism to the Uk. A successful amount of medals will also inspire a whole generation of children to take sports a lot more seriously. This is invaluable. There is a huge obesity problem with the younger generation, as well as problems with drugs, alcohol, and in many parts of the country, boredom. Promoting exercise and sport together with healthier lifestyles, could help our children adopt healthier lifestyles. Of course promoting this would have to carry on after the Olympic games have finished, but the various initiatives would get an enormous push in the right direction. The simple fact that a country, in 2012 it will be the Uk, can stage an efficient and successful games gives a very positive impression to the world. What businesses wouldn't like to have an impressive accomplishment on their cv? Why should a country not wish to show off its ability to stage great events well?
I accept that spending billions, especially at a time of serious financial hardship, is something that will not attract a great deal of negative response. The way I look at it is, the Olympics gives us a huge shop floor with which to promote ourselves, and any products or services we can think of pushing out to the big wide world. We could have spent the money on schools, hospitals and welfare payments. All of these ideas would in no way be seen to be wasteful. But why can we not view the Olympics as an investment, and work towards making it a successful one. I agree if we are just looking to stage some athletics, then spending billions of pounds is not defensible. However, if as a country we look on the Olympic games as a way of stimulating our economy, in as many ways as is thinkable, and maximising all possible entrepreneurial avenues, will it not be worth it? Socially too, can we not let the games kick start a more health conscious, and sports friendly future for our youth? Doctors and hospitals in the future may wish we inspired a few more young people to exercise, if we choose to mock and moan about what could well be a fantastic opportunity in 2012. It would also be nice to win lots of medals to give the population a spring in its step.
You can contact the author here [http://www.tradepricetrophies.co.uk]Sports Trophies regarding sports trophies. This bio must be attached to the article if the article is used.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-the-Olympics-in-2012-Is-a-Good-Thing&id=6473574] Why the Olympics in 2012 Is a Good Thing
There are many out there who are happy to talk negatively about the 2012 Olympics in London. Many despise the amount that it costs to stage it. Do they really believe that the only benefits of the games will be the simple fact of staging them for two weeks? I admit that if there are risks to empty arenas and a poor legacy, but this does not have to be the case.
There are so many positives that can come out of getting the Olympics. We may think that the costs were a small price to pay. Tourism will increase dramatically over the period the games runs. Tourists from all over the world will purchase products and services, and spend a great deal of money. This could be a great point to advertise various products and brands to make sure that the global interest carries on after the games has finished. Television cameras and news teams will flood London. Again this is priceless advertising. What a great opportunity to promote services, products and also encourage tourism to the Uk. A successful amount of medals will also inspire a whole generation of children to take sports a lot more seriously. This is invaluable. There is a huge obesity problem with the younger generation, as well as problems with drugs, alcohol, and in many parts of the country, boredom. Promoting exercise and sport together with healthier lifestyles, could help our children adopt healthier lifestyles. Of course promoting this would have to carry on after the Olympic games have finished, but the various initiatives would get an enormous push in the right direction. The simple fact that a country, in 2012 it will be the Uk, can stage an efficient and successful games gives a very positive impression to the world. What businesses wouldn't like to have an impressive accomplishment on their cv? Why should a country not wish to show off its ability to stage great events well?
I accept that spending billions, especially at a time of serious financial hardship, is something that will not attract a great deal of negative response. The way I look at it is, the Olympics gives us a huge shop floor with which to promote ourselves, and any products or services we can think of pushing out to the big wide world. We could have spent the money on schools, hospitals and welfare payments. All of these ideas would in no way be seen to be wasteful. But why can we not view the Olympics as an investment, and work towards making it a successful one. I agree if we are just looking to stage some athletics, then spending billions of pounds is not defensible. However, if as a country we look on the Olympic games as a way of stimulating our economy, in as many ways as is thinkable, and maximising all possible entrepreneurial avenues, will it not be worth it? Socially too, can we not let the games kick start a more health conscious, and sports friendly future for our youth? Doctors and hospitals in the future may wish we inspired a few more young people to exercise, if we choose to mock and moan about what could well be a fantastic opportunity in 2012. It would also be nice to win lots of medals to give the population a spring in its step.
You can contact the author here [http://www.tradepricetrophies.co.uk]Sports Trophies regarding sports trophies. This bio must be attached to the article if the article is used.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-the-Olympics-in-2012-Is-a-Good-Thing&id=6473574] Why the Olympics in 2012 Is a Good Thing
Saturday, December 24, 2011
5 Events You Must See at the London 2012 Olympics
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=James_Burrows]James Burrows
The 2012 Olympic Games in London is the most highly anticipated sporting event ever to be in held in the UK. The main reason that the games are so highly anticipated by people all around the world is the fact that the quality of competitors is surely the best there has ever been. With the advances in sports science and the move towards professionalism in most sports, the standard of the athletes will ensure a fantastic spectacle. Below are some of the most highly anticipated events.
Athletics - The athletics is probably the event which is most synonymous with the image of the Olympics Games. For many of the events physicality is stripped right down the basics and the competitor is required to simply run or jump. This simple formula is eternally successful and people love to watch the fastest and fittest people on earth compete against each other. The 100 metre sprint is particularly anticipated due to the presence of Usain Bolt, the man who seems capable of breaking the world record each time he runs.
Cycling - The competitive nature of this event is unique from any other sport. For certain events the cyclist cycle in opposite directions and race against the clock in order to establish who has won. The sheer speed of the races and thrill of seeing who will cross the finish line first is impossible to match. There will be much hype around the cycling as Great Britain, the home nation, has achieved good success in the past.
Swimming - The competitors in the swimming event are amongst the fittest athletes in the world. The effort that is required to propel the swimmer through the water combined with the technique which is required to do so effectively is a marvel to watch. The races are head-to-head and fiercely competed, with anyone capable of winning right up to the end.
Marathon - This is the longest race to take place in the Olympics which makes it an intriguing contest. You can spend hours watching the event and marvelling at the strength and stamina of the runners who participate. It is also a great way to view the sights of the city by following the route.
Gymnastics - The moves that gymnasts pull off and the positions in which the competitors put themselves are simply breathtaking. There are only certain people in the world who are capable of competing in these events and the suspense is intense and addictive.
James Burrows is a travel fanatic and have travelled extensively worldwide. James also deals with [http://www.holiday-velvet.com/amsterdam]Amsterdam accommodation and [http://www.holiday-velvet.com/]Paris apartments for travellers.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Events-You-Must-See-at-the-London-2012-Olympics&id=6287055] 5 Events You Must See at the London 2012 Olympics
The 2012 Olympic Games in London is the most highly anticipated sporting event ever to be in held in the UK. The main reason that the games are so highly anticipated by people all around the world is the fact that the quality of competitors is surely the best there has ever been. With the advances in sports science and the move towards professionalism in most sports, the standard of the athletes will ensure a fantastic spectacle. Below are some of the most highly anticipated events.
Athletics - The athletics is probably the event which is most synonymous with the image of the Olympics Games. For many of the events physicality is stripped right down the basics and the competitor is required to simply run or jump. This simple formula is eternally successful and people love to watch the fastest and fittest people on earth compete against each other. The 100 metre sprint is particularly anticipated due to the presence of Usain Bolt, the man who seems capable of breaking the world record each time he runs.
Cycling - The competitive nature of this event is unique from any other sport. For certain events the cyclist cycle in opposite directions and race against the clock in order to establish who has won. The sheer speed of the races and thrill of seeing who will cross the finish line first is impossible to match. There will be much hype around the cycling as Great Britain, the home nation, has achieved good success in the past.
Swimming - The competitors in the swimming event are amongst the fittest athletes in the world. The effort that is required to propel the swimmer through the water combined with the technique which is required to do so effectively is a marvel to watch. The races are head-to-head and fiercely competed, with anyone capable of winning right up to the end.
Marathon - This is the longest race to take place in the Olympics which makes it an intriguing contest. You can spend hours watching the event and marvelling at the strength and stamina of the runners who participate. It is also a great way to view the sights of the city by following the route.
Gymnastics - The moves that gymnasts pull off and the positions in which the competitors put themselves are simply breathtaking. There are only certain people in the world who are capable of competing in these events and the suspense is intense and addictive.
James Burrows is a travel fanatic and have travelled extensively worldwide. James also deals with [http://www.holiday-velvet.com/amsterdam]Amsterdam accommodation and [http://www.holiday-velvet.com/]Paris apartments for travellers.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Events-You-Must-See-at-the-London-2012-Olympics&id=6287055] 5 Events You Must See at the London 2012 Olympics
Thursday, December 22, 2011
2012 Olympic Accommodation Problems
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Allen]Richard Allen
Are you going to London 2012? Well unless you happen to be lucky enough to live in London then if you are traveling from any distance at all then you are likely to need some accommodation. You have tickets and think that because you only live an hour from London that you will be able to make do without staying overnight. Well think again and read on.
There are a few reasons why you might want to consider finding some cheap london accommodation for the 2012 London Olympics, the first of which is the time that some events are scheduled to finish, with some running to 9 or 10pm in the evening. The majority of the events are taking place in East London so if you live to the North, South or West of London and it normally takes you an hour to get into London, then you will also have to budget for 30 mins traveling to and from East London.
Your problem lies in the fact that several other tens of thousands of people will be trying to do the same, and this means journey times are likely to be extended as you are likely to have to face substantial queues to leave venues and to get on transport.
So this means if attending an evening session that you seriously need to think about staying overnight in London. Whilst it will not be cheap it will certainly be cheaper than an hours cab drive home if you miss the last train home (Which is very likely), and better than sleeping on a park bench.
Hotels and B&B's at the minute are not too expensive but believe me prices will skyrocket as they realise the demand that is going to occur. Indeed I believe that many people who are in the home counties and think they can get in and out in a day may well end up looking for Olympic accommodation at the last minute when they start to work out the logistics of getting to and from the venues. So it makes a great deal of sense to look at the logistics of attending your event now and booking accommodation as soon as possible.
If you leave it too late then you could find that you end up either paying sky high hotel prices or end up not going to the event as logistically you cannot get in and out in time.
Find out the latest about [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?13-London-2012-Accommodation]Olympic Accommodation availability, prices and problems booking. Also get the very latest news on [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com]London 2012 every day.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?2012-Olympic-Accommodation-Problems&id=6514602] 2012 Olympic Accommodation Problems
Are you going to London 2012? Well unless you happen to be lucky enough to live in London then if you are traveling from any distance at all then you are likely to need some accommodation. You have tickets and think that because you only live an hour from London that you will be able to make do without staying overnight. Well think again and read on.
There are a few reasons why you might want to consider finding some cheap london accommodation for the 2012 London Olympics, the first of which is the time that some events are scheduled to finish, with some running to 9 or 10pm in the evening. The majority of the events are taking place in East London so if you live to the North, South or West of London and it normally takes you an hour to get into London, then you will also have to budget for 30 mins traveling to and from East London.
Your problem lies in the fact that several other tens of thousands of people will be trying to do the same, and this means journey times are likely to be extended as you are likely to have to face substantial queues to leave venues and to get on transport.
So this means if attending an evening session that you seriously need to think about staying overnight in London. Whilst it will not be cheap it will certainly be cheaper than an hours cab drive home if you miss the last train home (Which is very likely), and better than sleeping on a park bench.
Hotels and B&B's at the minute are not too expensive but believe me prices will skyrocket as they realise the demand that is going to occur. Indeed I believe that many people who are in the home counties and think they can get in and out in a day may well end up looking for Olympic accommodation at the last minute when they start to work out the logistics of getting to and from the venues. So it makes a great deal of sense to look at the logistics of attending your event now and booking accommodation as soon as possible.
If you leave it too late then you could find that you end up either paying sky high hotel prices or end up not going to the event as logistically you cannot get in and out in time.
Find out the latest about [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?13-London-2012-Accommodation]Olympic Accommodation availability, prices and problems booking. Also get the very latest news on [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com]London 2012 every day.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?2012-Olympic-Accommodation-Problems&id=6514602] 2012 Olympic Accommodation Problems
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Cheap Olympic Accommodation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Allen]Richard Allen
Are you looking for cheap Olympic accommodation? Well if you are then you had better get a move on, as I predict that after 31st December 2011 that a feeding frenzy will begin, so if you are not fast you will either end up paying an extortionate amount (Quite possibly for poor quality accommodation) or not getting any at all. And when it comes to looking at the time of your event you may well find you end up not going as you cannot get back out before your last train goes.
Simply put you may not be able to afford Olympic accommodation, but you may find that you cannot attend your event without some London accommodation.
The principal of cheap accommodation is very simple, book as early as you can to get the best price as come the end of 2011 the 2012 Olympic feeding frenzy will begin, and to get cheap accommodation you will need to get ahead of the rush.
The further out from central London the cheaper you will find things. Look for places with good direct high speed links into London, such as Reading, which is only 30 minutes on the fast train. Reading is a good place to look at as there are plenty of hotels both centrally and in out lying areas but it has the advantage that it has lots of parking near the station that is easily accessed from the Motorway.
Eaton and Windsor is also another good example of a location for getting into London quickly, yet the station and surrounding area has lots of parking. Do not let the fact that it is hosting the rowing put you off. There will undoubtedly be massive park and ride schemes in place, and it is only a short walk to the station from the Rowing venue, and when you are going into London and coming back out, the main flow of people will be going the other way. Of note though is that as Windsor and Eaton are major tourist attractions that hotel prices in this area are already expensive, yet it is well connected to other major towns locally by good roads.
These are the kind of things to think about when booking cheap accommodation, as the further away you are the cheaper the rooms will be. However your journey may need the use of a car and a train, to get from the venue to your hotel and vice versa.
I hope you find these ideas thought provoking when choosing Olympic accommodation.
Find out the latest about [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?13-London-2012-Accommodation]Olympic Accommodation availability, prices and problems booking. Also get the very latest news on [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com]London 2012 every day.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Cheap-Olympic-Accommodation&id=6514639] Cheap Olympic Accommodation
Are you looking for cheap Olympic accommodation? Well if you are then you had better get a move on, as I predict that after 31st December 2011 that a feeding frenzy will begin, so if you are not fast you will either end up paying an extortionate amount (Quite possibly for poor quality accommodation) or not getting any at all. And when it comes to looking at the time of your event you may well find you end up not going as you cannot get back out before your last train goes.
Simply put you may not be able to afford Olympic accommodation, but you may find that you cannot attend your event without some London accommodation.
The principal of cheap accommodation is very simple, book as early as you can to get the best price as come the end of 2011 the 2012 Olympic feeding frenzy will begin, and to get cheap accommodation you will need to get ahead of the rush.
The further out from central London the cheaper you will find things. Look for places with good direct high speed links into London, such as Reading, which is only 30 minutes on the fast train. Reading is a good place to look at as there are plenty of hotels both centrally and in out lying areas but it has the advantage that it has lots of parking near the station that is easily accessed from the Motorway.
Eaton and Windsor is also another good example of a location for getting into London quickly, yet the station and surrounding area has lots of parking. Do not let the fact that it is hosting the rowing put you off. There will undoubtedly be massive park and ride schemes in place, and it is only a short walk to the station from the Rowing venue, and when you are going into London and coming back out, the main flow of people will be going the other way. Of note though is that as Windsor and Eaton are major tourist attractions that hotel prices in this area are already expensive, yet it is well connected to other major towns locally by good roads.
These are the kind of things to think about when booking cheap accommodation, as the further away you are the cheaper the rooms will be. However your journey may need the use of a car and a train, to get from the venue to your hotel and vice versa.
I hope you find these ideas thought provoking when choosing Olympic accommodation.
Find out the latest about [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?13-London-2012-Accommodation]Olympic Accommodation availability, prices and problems booking. Also get the very latest news on [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com]London 2012 every day.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Cheap-Olympic-Accommodation&id=6514639] Cheap Olympic Accommodation
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Finding Cheap Olympic Accommodation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Allen]Richard Allen
Going to the London 2012 games? Well unless you are living in central London then you are going to need some accommodation, but it will be no surprise that prices are already rising. So if you have got a cheap ticket at �20.12 then if you are not careful your bill for going could be 10, 20 or even 30 times or more than the cost of the ticket. So read my guide on getting cheap Olympic Accommodation before it costs you dearly.
The first and most obvious tip is that the further you are away from Central or East London then the cheaper the rooms are going to be. However you do not want to be too far away otherwise you may find yourself traveling hours to and from the venues, which kind of defeats the objective of staying overnight.
Secondly the closer you are staying to a mainline station that has a fast route in to London then the more you will pay also, indeed hotel prices in Reading are already jumping up as people wanting to stay overnight are realising it is only 30 minutes to central London by train.
Next you need to think about the quality of the accommodation you want as it is unlikely that you will be spending much time in it other than for sleeping. However many people realise this and so budget accommodation will be getting snapped up fast, so the key to a cheap room is booking as soon as possible.
Alternatives to hotels are camping with many sites being readily available just outside many London commuter towns, and if this was me that is the option I would go for. Other than that B&B's are probably the next cheapest, or you maybe lucky and find a student hall of residence or a YMCA to stay in.
The last worry is getting to the hotel and finding they have overbooked and "Bumped" you to another hotel as the chances are it will be miles away, as if they are full so will everyone else be. So pay well in advance keep your receipt and double check several times before traveling. If this worries you make sure you check in to the hotel as early as possible in the day, even if your room is not ready you can check in and leave your luggage. It is those arriving late that will be "Bumped".
So if you want cheap Olympic accommodation then do some research on the Internet asap.
Find out the latest about [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?13-London-2012-Accommodation]Olympic Accommodation availability, prices and problems booking. Also get the very latest news on [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com]London 2012 every day.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Finding-Cheap-Olympic-Accommodation&id=6514650] Finding Cheap Olympic Accommodation
Going to the London 2012 games? Well unless you are living in central London then you are going to need some accommodation, but it will be no surprise that prices are already rising. So if you have got a cheap ticket at �20.12 then if you are not careful your bill for going could be 10, 20 or even 30 times or more than the cost of the ticket. So read my guide on getting cheap Olympic Accommodation before it costs you dearly.
The first and most obvious tip is that the further you are away from Central or East London then the cheaper the rooms are going to be. However you do not want to be too far away otherwise you may find yourself traveling hours to and from the venues, which kind of defeats the objective of staying overnight.
Secondly the closer you are staying to a mainline station that has a fast route in to London then the more you will pay also, indeed hotel prices in Reading are already jumping up as people wanting to stay overnight are realising it is only 30 minutes to central London by train.
Next you need to think about the quality of the accommodation you want as it is unlikely that you will be spending much time in it other than for sleeping. However many people realise this and so budget accommodation will be getting snapped up fast, so the key to a cheap room is booking as soon as possible.
Alternatives to hotels are camping with many sites being readily available just outside many London commuter towns, and if this was me that is the option I would go for. Other than that B&B's are probably the next cheapest, or you maybe lucky and find a student hall of residence or a YMCA to stay in.
The last worry is getting to the hotel and finding they have overbooked and "Bumped" you to another hotel as the chances are it will be miles away, as if they are full so will everyone else be. So pay well in advance keep your receipt and double check several times before traveling. If this worries you make sure you check in to the hotel as early as possible in the day, even if your room is not ready you can check in and leave your luggage. It is those arriving late that will be "Bumped".
So if you want cheap Olympic accommodation then do some research on the Internet asap.
Find out the latest about [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?13-London-2012-Accommodation]Olympic Accommodation availability, prices and problems booking. Also get the very latest news on [http://www.2012olympicsforum.com]London 2012 every day.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Finding-Cheap-Olympic-Accommodation&id=6514650] Finding Cheap Olympic Accommodation
Friday, December 16, 2011
A Fortnight or 50 Years? The Legacy of the London Olympics
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Paul_X_James]Paul X James
The question of sustainability is one that has a habit of cropping up when critics discuss the mega-project that is the 2012 Olympics.
Some 24 construction projects have already been completed, including a �537 million Olympic Stadium and �269 million Aquatics Centre. The much-touted Olympic Village that will house 17,000 athletes and officials from over 200 countries, meanwhile, has just been sold to the property company owned by Qatar's royal family at a loss of nearly �275 million.
So, as great swathes of East London are 'regenerated', large sums of money are changing hands. There has been an air of staunch earnestness to the Olympic Park Legacy Company's (OPLC) intentions to engender viable long-term urban improvement, but many feel the vision will extinguish under financial pressures post-Games.
One thing that cannot be denied is that Stratford - and the greater East London area - has been commercially reinvigorated. After the closing ceremony of the Games, the Olympic Village itself will be repackaged, with sporting dormitories turned into 2,818 flats and houses, while 8,000 new homes will be built in five new neighbourhoods around the Olympic Park over the next ten years.
While some are worried about generic apartment buildings springing up en masse, the OPLC has outlined plans for low-rise terrace and mews houses with gardens, eschewing previously-mooted high-density complexes. But with only half of these properties being described as 'affordable' by Triathlon Homes, some are wondering just what these 'Olympic communities' will resemble in years to come.
The construction centrepiece, meanwhile, should leave a lasting impression. The Olympic Stadium will have a capacity of 80,000 seats, making it the third-largest stadium in Britain behind Twickenham and Wembley. An axonometric view of the building reveals its layered composition, with a demountable steel and concrete upper tier holding 55,000. It is the lightest Olympic Stadium on record, utilising surplus gas pipes for the roof truss and a moderate 10,000 tonnes of steel. A polythene wrap will encircle the stadium and will provide a 'clear and memorable identity to the stadium' according to Rod Sheard of architects Populous. Chemical company Dow are working on repurposing the panels for after the Games.
Ultimately, time will tell whether the Games' legacy proves to be a lasting one. With the final bill for the Olympics dubbed 'inherently uncertain' by the National Audit Office, it is hoped that the monuments of London 2012 remain in use for a long time to come.
Constructionbytes.com is a free construction news and resource site established by construction professionals for fellow industry members.
If you like the site then please subscribe to our regular newsletter to receive future news and information articles. http://constructionbytes.com/
Paul James
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?A-Fortnight-or-50-Years?-The-Legacy-of-the-London-Olympics&id=6532231] A Fortnight or 50 Years? The Legacy of the London Olympics
The question of sustainability is one that has a habit of cropping up when critics discuss the mega-project that is the 2012 Olympics.
Some 24 construction projects have already been completed, including a �537 million Olympic Stadium and �269 million Aquatics Centre. The much-touted Olympic Village that will house 17,000 athletes and officials from over 200 countries, meanwhile, has just been sold to the property company owned by Qatar's royal family at a loss of nearly �275 million.
So, as great swathes of East London are 'regenerated', large sums of money are changing hands. There has been an air of staunch earnestness to the Olympic Park Legacy Company's (OPLC) intentions to engender viable long-term urban improvement, but many feel the vision will extinguish under financial pressures post-Games.
One thing that cannot be denied is that Stratford - and the greater East London area - has been commercially reinvigorated. After the closing ceremony of the Games, the Olympic Village itself will be repackaged, with sporting dormitories turned into 2,818 flats and houses, while 8,000 new homes will be built in five new neighbourhoods around the Olympic Park over the next ten years.
While some are worried about generic apartment buildings springing up en masse, the OPLC has outlined plans for low-rise terrace and mews houses with gardens, eschewing previously-mooted high-density complexes. But with only half of these properties being described as 'affordable' by Triathlon Homes, some are wondering just what these 'Olympic communities' will resemble in years to come.
The construction centrepiece, meanwhile, should leave a lasting impression. The Olympic Stadium will have a capacity of 80,000 seats, making it the third-largest stadium in Britain behind Twickenham and Wembley. An axonometric view of the building reveals its layered composition, with a demountable steel and concrete upper tier holding 55,000. It is the lightest Olympic Stadium on record, utilising surplus gas pipes for the roof truss and a moderate 10,000 tonnes of steel. A polythene wrap will encircle the stadium and will provide a 'clear and memorable identity to the stadium' according to Rod Sheard of architects Populous. Chemical company Dow are working on repurposing the panels for after the Games.
Ultimately, time will tell whether the Games' legacy proves to be a lasting one. With the final bill for the Olympics dubbed 'inherently uncertain' by the National Audit Office, it is hoped that the monuments of London 2012 remain in use for a long time to come.
Constructionbytes.com is a free construction news and resource site established by construction professionals for fellow industry members.
If you like the site then please subscribe to our regular newsletter to receive future news and information articles. http://constructionbytes.com/
Paul James
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?A-Fortnight-or-50-Years?-The-Legacy-of-the-London-Olympics&id=6532231] A Fortnight or 50 Years? The Legacy of the London Olympics
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
London 2012 Olympics: Paraguay's Warrior-Athlete Benjamin Hockin - A Lesson to Many Athletes!
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alejandro_Guevara_Onofre]Alejandro Guevara Onofre
A True National Hero
He could be a full-time swimmer for the British Olympic team or Spain, but he always wanted to compete under the banner of Paraguay, a tiny South American country known as one of the least-developed nations on the world sporting map.
Although Paraguay, one of the first independent republics in the Western Hemisphere, does not boast a 50 pool and despite its troubles with training and sports equipment, Benjamin Hockin, whose father is Briton and mother is Paraguayan, loves competing with this landlocked nation. It is rare case in the Developing World where a number of athletes, from boxers and footballers to fencers and archers, want to become American/European citizens. By the late 1990s, for example, Africa's Eunice Barber, who stands 1,91m, became French sportswoman after competing as an athlete from the war-torn country of Sierra Leone at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games,where she finished in fifth place in the women's heptathlon.
Warrior- Athletes of Paraguay
Most of Paraguay's wins have been produced by "warrior-athletes", an envy to many Olympic leaders in the region. In the latter half of the 1980s, the country's team, made up of three combative sportsmen- Victor Manuel Pecci, Francis Gonzalez and Hugo Chapacu-defeated America in the Davis Cup preliminaries, at one time under the anti-Communist dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. Previously,in the early 1950s, the women's basketball team won the South American Cup by defeating Brazil 20-19, and after that, they finished fifth at the World Tournament in Chile's capital of Santiago. At home, by 1962, this side won their second continental trophy well ahead of Chile (silver medal) and Brazil (third).
Its other international medals were when the men's volleyball side captured the silver medal at the 1958 South American Championship in Porto Alegre (Brazil). In the finals, Paraguay lost to host country (which was referred to as one of the "most oustanding squads" on the Planet between 1959 and 1966). By 1964, this Spanish-speaking republic was second in the women's Volleyball South American Cup. Fifteen years later, the men's team picked up a bronze because of its victory over a Chilean squad.
In the wake of their win in the Pre-Olympic Tournament in 1992, the footballers qualified for the Summer Games. But in those years, the country's tennis emerged with two teenagers, Rossana de los Rios and Larissa Schaever. It was during that time when Rossana won the Junior French Open. Later on, Edgar Baumann was crowned as the second best javelin thrower in the Western Hemisphere at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata's Jose Maria Minella Stadium. Aside from him, there were other outstanding athletes such as Nery Kennedy and Ramon Jimenez.
Over the next century, Paraguay, spearheaded by Jose Luis Chilavert and then by Roque Santa Cruz, became one of the few countries in the world to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for fourth time in a row and after winning a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Games (behind Argentina). In the last global tournament in Sub-Saharan Africa, the national squad-whose footballers sometimes use the native language Guarani to confuse their rivals-made international headlines when they won their group with five points, ahead of Slovakia, New Zealand and Italy. But Paraguay not only has produced top athletes as Chilavert, Pecci, Gonzalez, Bauman, and Kennedy, but other idols like swimmer Benjamin Hockin.
Paraguay's Goodwill Ambassador Benjamin Hockin
Benjamin Thomas Hockin Brusquetti was born on September 27, 1986 in Colombia's city of Barranquilla. After living in the Caribbean Colombian, where he learned to swim, he and his family moved to Paraguay, his mother's country. In this sparsely populated nation, Benjamin, known as "Benji", discovered his "big passion" for swimming, competing in local clubs, among them Deportivo Sajonia. Upon taking a holiday in Tenerife (Spain), he made the decision to stay on Spaniard soil, where her parents had been working. There, he began a career as an amateur swimmer in the Club Deportivo Teneteide, while he finished his schooldays. When he turned 19, he left Spain for Britain to study English and to seek new horizons. During his stayed in Wales and England, he called the attention for his records, receiving an invitation to represent Great Britain. At that time, he sent his pre-Olympic results to Paraguay, but his credentials were not accepted by the South American republic.
Becoming a swimmer from the United Kingdom, his father's native land, Benjamin made his international debut at the European Tournament in 2006. The following year, he headed for Australia to take part at the FINA World Championships. Then, Benjamin earned Olympian berths in two events in the National Trials, gaining the right to participate at the 2008 Games. Subsequently,he was one of the members of the British side that reached the finals in the men's 4x100 freestyle relay in the Games of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing's National Aquatics Centre (nicknamed the "Water Cube").
Overcoming Huge Obstacles
Although Great Britain will be host the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, Benjamin, stands 1,96cm in height (6 ft 5 in), does not want to compete for the host country. Instead of Britain,where there are several swimming pools, his dream is to be an Olympian athlete from Paraguay, the only one South American country where there is not a single Olympic-size pool.
Before being excluded for a year from swimming by FINA due to an improper change of citizenship, he amassed eight medals (six silver) in the South American Championships at Medellin, Colombia, becoming the first swimmer from Paraguay to win a medal in the Continental events since March 1976 as Emilio Abre finished third in the men's 400-meter individual medley at Uruguay's city of Maldonado, behind Brazil's Carlos A. Rocha and the Pan American champ Jorge Delgado Panchana of Ecuador.
The year 2011 turned out to be a special year for him. Why? In the recent Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico -the most important pre-Olympic event in the Western Hemisphere-Benjamin had one of his greatest satisfactions when he deservedly was named the flag bearer for the Olympic national team and then, on October 18, 2011, gave his country its first individual Pan American medal by finishing third in the men's 200m freestyle with a new South American record of 1:48:40, at the expense of Mathew Patton and Douglas Robison ( both from America). Two days earlier, he and his compatriots --Renato Prono, Jose Lobo, and his brother Charles-- had missed out on a Pan American bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay.
Despite huge obstacles, he never declined to train with his team-mates, an Olympic spirit which once had the legendary Anthony Nesty, a Trinidadian-born Surinamese swimmer (who defeated Matt Biondi twice in the late 1980s), and Costa Rica's Claudia Poll. On the contrary, he intensified his efforts to improve his records. Unlike swimmers from Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru, he not had coaches and Olympian specialists (as nutritionists), as well as sponsors. Every day, from morning to afternoon, he had trained systematically at Paraguay's only 25-meter pool.
A few months of Olympics at London, Benjamin Hockin has become a role model due to his humble personality, Olympic spirit, and his passion for Paraguay. At a recent interview, Benjamin said, "For me Paraguay is my country...It is another taste (competing under the South American republic). I felt very proud to be Paraguayan.For this my declaration of love to the country".
Thanks to his passion, talent, and discipline, he demonstrates that excellent athletes are excellent athletes anywhere of the world especially as he defeated Americans and Brazilians at Guadalajara 2011. Good luck Benjamin for London 2012! You're already a winner!
Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women of the United States" and "Famous Americans."
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?London-2012-Olympics:-Paraguays-Warrior-Athlete-Benjamin-Hockin---A-Lesson-to-Many-Athletes!&id=6667281] London 2012 Olympics: Paraguay's Warrior-Athlete Benjamin Hockin - A Lesson to Many Athletes!
A True National Hero
He could be a full-time swimmer for the British Olympic team or Spain, but he always wanted to compete under the banner of Paraguay, a tiny South American country known as one of the least-developed nations on the world sporting map.
Although Paraguay, one of the first independent republics in the Western Hemisphere, does not boast a 50 pool and despite its troubles with training and sports equipment, Benjamin Hockin, whose father is Briton and mother is Paraguayan, loves competing with this landlocked nation. It is rare case in the Developing World where a number of athletes, from boxers and footballers to fencers and archers, want to become American/European citizens. By the late 1990s, for example, Africa's Eunice Barber, who stands 1,91m, became French sportswoman after competing as an athlete from the war-torn country of Sierra Leone at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games,where she finished in fifth place in the women's heptathlon.
Warrior- Athletes of Paraguay
Most of Paraguay's wins have been produced by "warrior-athletes", an envy to many Olympic leaders in the region. In the latter half of the 1980s, the country's team, made up of three combative sportsmen- Victor Manuel Pecci, Francis Gonzalez and Hugo Chapacu-defeated America in the Davis Cup preliminaries, at one time under the anti-Communist dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. Previously,in the early 1950s, the women's basketball team won the South American Cup by defeating Brazil 20-19, and after that, they finished fifth at the World Tournament in Chile's capital of Santiago. At home, by 1962, this side won their second continental trophy well ahead of Chile (silver medal) and Brazil (third).
Its other international medals were when the men's volleyball side captured the silver medal at the 1958 South American Championship in Porto Alegre (Brazil). In the finals, Paraguay lost to host country (which was referred to as one of the "most oustanding squads" on the Planet between 1959 and 1966). By 1964, this Spanish-speaking republic was second in the women's Volleyball South American Cup. Fifteen years later, the men's team picked up a bronze because of its victory over a Chilean squad.
In the wake of their win in the Pre-Olympic Tournament in 1992, the footballers qualified for the Summer Games. But in those years, the country's tennis emerged with two teenagers, Rossana de los Rios and Larissa Schaever. It was during that time when Rossana won the Junior French Open. Later on, Edgar Baumann was crowned as the second best javelin thrower in the Western Hemisphere at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata's Jose Maria Minella Stadium. Aside from him, there were other outstanding athletes such as Nery Kennedy and Ramon Jimenez.
Over the next century, Paraguay, spearheaded by Jose Luis Chilavert and then by Roque Santa Cruz, became one of the few countries in the world to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for fourth time in a row and after winning a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Games (behind Argentina). In the last global tournament in Sub-Saharan Africa, the national squad-whose footballers sometimes use the native language Guarani to confuse their rivals-made international headlines when they won their group with five points, ahead of Slovakia, New Zealand and Italy. But Paraguay not only has produced top athletes as Chilavert, Pecci, Gonzalez, Bauman, and Kennedy, but other idols like swimmer Benjamin Hockin.
Paraguay's Goodwill Ambassador Benjamin Hockin
Benjamin Thomas Hockin Brusquetti was born on September 27, 1986 in Colombia's city of Barranquilla. After living in the Caribbean Colombian, where he learned to swim, he and his family moved to Paraguay, his mother's country. In this sparsely populated nation, Benjamin, known as "Benji", discovered his "big passion" for swimming, competing in local clubs, among them Deportivo Sajonia. Upon taking a holiday in Tenerife (Spain), he made the decision to stay on Spaniard soil, where her parents had been working. There, he began a career as an amateur swimmer in the Club Deportivo Teneteide, while he finished his schooldays. When he turned 19, he left Spain for Britain to study English and to seek new horizons. During his stayed in Wales and England, he called the attention for his records, receiving an invitation to represent Great Britain. At that time, he sent his pre-Olympic results to Paraguay, but his credentials were not accepted by the South American republic.
Becoming a swimmer from the United Kingdom, his father's native land, Benjamin made his international debut at the European Tournament in 2006. The following year, he headed for Australia to take part at the FINA World Championships. Then, Benjamin earned Olympian berths in two events in the National Trials, gaining the right to participate at the 2008 Games. Subsequently,he was one of the members of the British side that reached the finals in the men's 4x100 freestyle relay in the Games of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing's National Aquatics Centre (nicknamed the "Water Cube").
Overcoming Huge Obstacles
Although Great Britain will be host the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, Benjamin, stands 1,96cm in height (6 ft 5 in), does not want to compete for the host country. Instead of Britain,where there are several swimming pools, his dream is to be an Olympian athlete from Paraguay, the only one South American country where there is not a single Olympic-size pool.
Before being excluded for a year from swimming by FINA due to an improper change of citizenship, he amassed eight medals (six silver) in the South American Championships at Medellin, Colombia, becoming the first swimmer from Paraguay to win a medal in the Continental events since March 1976 as Emilio Abre finished third in the men's 400-meter individual medley at Uruguay's city of Maldonado, behind Brazil's Carlos A. Rocha and the Pan American champ Jorge Delgado Panchana of Ecuador.
The year 2011 turned out to be a special year for him. Why? In the recent Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico -the most important pre-Olympic event in the Western Hemisphere-Benjamin had one of his greatest satisfactions when he deservedly was named the flag bearer for the Olympic national team and then, on October 18, 2011, gave his country its first individual Pan American medal by finishing third in the men's 200m freestyle with a new South American record of 1:48:40, at the expense of Mathew Patton and Douglas Robison ( both from America). Two days earlier, he and his compatriots --Renato Prono, Jose Lobo, and his brother Charles-- had missed out on a Pan American bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay.
Despite huge obstacles, he never declined to train with his team-mates, an Olympic spirit which once had the legendary Anthony Nesty, a Trinidadian-born Surinamese swimmer (who defeated Matt Biondi twice in the late 1980s), and Costa Rica's Claudia Poll. On the contrary, he intensified his efforts to improve his records. Unlike swimmers from Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru, he not had coaches and Olympian specialists (as nutritionists), as well as sponsors. Every day, from morning to afternoon, he had trained systematically at Paraguay's only 25-meter pool.
A few months of Olympics at London, Benjamin Hockin has become a role model due to his humble personality, Olympic spirit, and his passion for Paraguay. At a recent interview, Benjamin said, "For me Paraguay is my country...It is another taste (competing under the South American republic). I felt very proud to be Paraguayan.For this my declaration of love to the country".
Thanks to his passion, talent, and discipline, he demonstrates that excellent athletes are excellent athletes anywhere of the world especially as he defeated Americans and Brazilians at Guadalajara 2011. Good luck Benjamin for London 2012! You're already a winner!
Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women of the United States" and "Famous Americans."
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?London-2012-Olympics:-Paraguays-Warrior-Athlete-Benjamin-Hockin---A-Lesson-to-Many-Athletes!&id=6667281] London 2012 Olympics: Paraguay's Warrior-Athlete Benjamin Hockin - A Lesson to Many Athletes!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Snatches, Cleaning and Getting Down on the Floor!
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tommy_A_Heffelfinger]Tommy A Heffelfinger
Wait stop there, before you go any further if you're afraid of hard work and common sense this isn't the article for you, but if on the other hand you're willing to put in the time and effort for improved results then by all means go on...
With athletes, particularly taller individuals, there has been a seemingly overwhelming insistence that Olympic lifts should be performed from blocks or the hang position as opposed to full Olympic lifts from the floor. While I feel both of these starting positions in the lifts certainly have a place for inclusion within an athletes program I also believe that not only should full lifts from the floor be included, but they should be used more frequently than their chopped and screwed cousins.
While we all seem to appreciate the importance of including Olympic lifts in our workouts for increasing power to help us run faster, jump higher, tackle harder ect. there seems to be a constant desire to break down these lifts with the belief we can still gain all the benefits. As my Olympic lifting coach, mentor and absolute legend Giles Greenwood once stated "People want to Olympic lift because Olympic lifters are some of the most powerful individuals on earth, but people don't want to do what we (Olympic lifters) do."
Let's be honest people like to do power cleans from the hang or block for two main reasons.
1. You use a comfortable weight
2. They're F-N EASY to perform/coach
So what are the advantages from lifting from the floor?
First brought to my attention from Rob Panariello lifting from the ground works on an element vital to most sports...Acceleration! With the first smooth pull over the knee's we then really explode into the second pull. Just think about this logically for a second, how much of your sports need for triple extension comes from a standstill? If you're an American Football player quite a lot, but if you play a sport of more continuity such as basketball, football, swimming and so on then working on this element of power in acceleration should constitute a large percentage of your lifts.
Starting the lift from the ground also allows a greater weight to be used than from the hang.
Contrary to the belief that taller individual's are unable to achieve good starting positions if you're willing to put in the work, address flexibility issues and practice almost all individuals will be able to perform Olympic lifts from the floor. Of notable examples is Bronze Medallist Velichko Cholakov at 6'9".
Coaching or performing lifts from the floor might seem a bit tricky or daunting at first if you've stuck mainly from a hang, but I assure you as with anything a little work it will become second nature.
Key Points lifting from the floor
� Get into a good Starting position (Head Up/Shoulders in front of bar/Hips higher than knees/Bar pulled tight to shins/Feet set at distance for a maximal jump/ Elbows pointed out to sides of bar/ Hook grip/ Weight distributed mid to back foot)
� Raise into the hang position by extension through the knees
� Keep the back angle constant in relation to the floor
� Smooth off the floor and accelerating once your past the knees
Common Mistakes
� Dropping the head. Not only does this tend to round the back out, but it's cutting into your neural recruitment and making you temporarily weaker
� Bar Shifting away from the body. Once the bar starts moving away from the body the lifter will often have to fight to get under it as a little separation at the bottom of the lift usually translates to a lot at the top. If your lifts are consistently finishing forward from your ears in the snatch or not landing on your delts in the clean this is something to look for.
� Pulling to fast from the floor. While some World Class lifters certainly do explode massively from the first pull, for all intensive purposes, with athletes we want a smooth pull till you're over the knees. Jerking the weight up often compromises spinal alignment. A person smacking the weight into their knees is also a sign, which you won't forget, that you're trying to accelerate too early.
� Hips butt and not back. When a decent weight is used shooting the hips up without keeping the angle of the back constant is as common as freckles on Gingers. Keep the back angle constant through the first pull as to not make it a lower back exercise.
� Pulling with the arms. Keep those arms long and elbows out. Athletes who grapple are often guilty in particular.
If your uncomfortable achieving these positions, work at it! If your uncomfortable coaching these positions, work at it! Laziness is not an excuse and becoming better isn't always easy, but I hope you'll agree if you are able to achieve a good starting position where you previously lacked the ability that alone makes you A BETTER ATHLETE!
Now get out there and get down!
Tommy Heffelfinger CSCS
[mailto:TommyCSCS@Gmail.com]TommyCSCS@Gmail.com
Tommy is a Strength and Conditioning Coach working in London, England.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Snatches,-Cleaning-and-Getting-Down-on-the-Floor!&id=6671669] Snatches, Cleaning and Getting Down on the Floor!
Wait stop there, before you go any further if you're afraid of hard work and common sense this isn't the article for you, but if on the other hand you're willing to put in the time and effort for improved results then by all means go on...
With athletes, particularly taller individuals, there has been a seemingly overwhelming insistence that Olympic lifts should be performed from blocks or the hang position as opposed to full Olympic lifts from the floor. While I feel both of these starting positions in the lifts certainly have a place for inclusion within an athletes program I also believe that not only should full lifts from the floor be included, but they should be used more frequently than their chopped and screwed cousins.
While we all seem to appreciate the importance of including Olympic lifts in our workouts for increasing power to help us run faster, jump higher, tackle harder ect. there seems to be a constant desire to break down these lifts with the belief we can still gain all the benefits. As my Olympic lifting coach, mentor and absolute legend Giles Greenwood once stated "People want to Olympic lift because Olympic lifters are some of the most powerful individuals on earth, but people don't want to do what we (Olympic lifters) do."
Let's be honest people like to do power cleans from the hang or block for two main reasons.
1. You use a comfortable weight
2. They're F-N EASY to perform/coach
So what are the advantages from lifting from the floor?
First brought to my attention from Rob Panariello lifting from the ground works on an element vital to most sports...Acceleration! With the first smooth pull over the knee's we then really explode into the second pull. Just think about this logically for a second, how much of your sports need for triple extension comes from a standstill? If you're an American Football player quite a lot, but if you play a sport of more continuity such as basketball, football, swimming and so on then working on this element of power in acceleration should constitute a large percentage of your lifts.
Starting the lift from the ground also allows a greater weight to be used than from the hang.
Contrary to the belief that taller individual's are unable to achieve good starting positions if you're willing to put in the work, address flexibility issues and practice almost all individuals will be able to perform Olympic lifts from the floor. Of notable examples is Bronze Medallist Velichko Cholakov at 6'9".
Coaching or performing lifts from the floor might seem a bit tricky or daunting at first if you've stuck mainly from a hang, but I assure you as with anything a little work it will become second nature.
Key Points lifting from the floor
� Get into a good Starting position (Head Up/Shoulders in front of bar/Hips higher than knees/Bar pulled tight to shins/Feet set at distance for a maximal jump/ Elbows pointed out to sides of bar/ Hook grip/ Weight distributed mid to back foot)
� Raise into the hang position by extension through the knees
� Keep the back angle constant in relation to the floor
� Smooth off the floor and accelerating once your past the knees
Common Mistakes
� Dropping the head. Not only does this tend to round the back out, but it's cutting into your neural recruitment and making you temporarily weaker
� Bar Shifting away from the body. Once the bar starts moving away from the body the lifter will often have to fight to get under it as a little separation at the bottom of the lift usually translates to a lot at the top. If your lifts are consistently finishing forward from your ears in the snatch or not landing on your delts in the clean this is something to look for.
� Pulling to fast from the floor. While some World Class lifters certainly do explode massively from the first pull, for all intensive purposes, with athletes we want a smooth pull till you're over the knees. Jerking the weight up often compromises spinal alignment. A person smacking the weight into their knees is also a sign, which you won't forget, that you're trying to accelerate too early.
� Hips butt and not back. When a decent weight is used shooting the hips up without keeping the angle of the back constant is as common as freckles on Gingers. Keep the back angle constant through the first pull as to not make it a lower back exercise.
� Pulling with the arms. Keep those arms long and elbows out. Athletes who grapple are often guilty in particular.
If your uncomfortable achieving these positions, work at it! If your uncomfortable coaching these positions, work at it! Laziness is not an excuse and becoming better isn't always easy, but I hope you'll agree if you are able to achieve a good starting position where you previously lacked the ability that alone makes you A BETTER ATHLETE!
Now get out there and get down!
Tommy Heffelfinger CSCS
[mailto:TommyCSCS@Gmail.com]TommyCSCS@Gmail.com
Tommy is a Strength and Conditioning Coach working in London, England.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Snatches,-Cleaning-and-Getting-Down-on-the-Floor!&id=6671669] Snatches, Cleaning and Getting Down on the Floor!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
How Do I Jump Higher - The Sports Gene in Olympic Athletes: ACTN3
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gigi_G_Villanueva]Gigi G Villanueva
People have different opinions about the sports gene. Is it a fact or simply fiction? The issue on whether the gene makes Olympic athletes jump higher or not will be discussed briefly in this article.
Based on scientific findings, it does exist and has been designated with a specific nomenclature known as ACTN3. Individuals carrying this gene are found to be genetically advantaged -- most especially when it comes to Olympic sports -- against those who do not have it. ACTN3 helps its carriers to improve vertical jump more quickly than other people.
According to scientific studies, human beings possess in their body approximately 25,000 receptacles for polymorphisms or alleles, which are gene variants from parents that can be inherited by their children. Consider this analogy to make this matter simpler. Try to imagine these 25,000 receptacles being lined up in a row to receive a gene variant from the father and another variant from the mother where these variants merge to develop something unique. The combination of the parents' genes explains the individuality and peculiar trait of people even between twins.
Scientific research shows that ACTN3, which is also known in layman's term as the sprinting gene, is quite common among Olympic performers. A person who has the ACTN3 R variant has the innate disposition for sprinting and endurance activities. However, it does not mean that if you are packed with this sport gene you are automatically an athlete. It must be stressed that even if you have the inborn capacity to become an Olympic sprinter for instance, you still have to harness and polish that sprinting ability through the appropriate vertical jump training.
In other words, even if you are heavily loaded with all the ACTN3 variants if you do not activate it properly, then you will just be likened to a flightless bird with strong wings but has never learned how to fly! The sports gene can be your perfect weapon, so make sure you know how to use that. It would be total waste if you do not do something to develop what you have been naturally endowed with.
With the R variant of the ACTN3 gene running in your bloodstream, it is never surprising to know how quickly you can attain vertical mastery in such a short period of time. The sports gene certainly makes it too easy and quite natural for you to follow any vertical jump program. Go for your dreams and learn how to jump higher than you can imagine. Make use of your sports gene and become an Olympian!
If you have the penchant for vertical related sports, then you might as well seek the assistance of an expert coach. You have another alternative if you cannot afford to hire a professional trainer. Use your own initiative in finding on the internet for a well researched jump manual with the vertical explosion program that includes an easy-to-follow instructional video and a training manual that is easy for you to understand and follow.
Feel free to post questions, comments, suggestions or recommendations. Thank you for dropping by. http://www.howdoijumphigherreview.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Do-I-Jump-Higher---The-Sports-Gene-in-Olympic-Athletes:-ACTN3&id=6613883] How Do I Jump Higher - The Sports Gene in Olympic Athletes: ACTN3
People have different opinions about the sports gene. Is it a fact or simply fiction? The issue on whether the gene makes Olympic athletes jump higher or not will be discussed briefly in this article.
Based on scientific findings, it does exist and has been designated with a specific nomenclature known as ACTN3. Individuals carrying this gene are found to be genetically advantaged -- most especially when it comes to Olympic sports -- against those who do not have it. ACTN3 helps its carriers to improve vertical jump more quickly than other people.
According to scientific studies, human beings possess in their body approximately 25,000 receptacles for polymorphisms or alleles, which are gene variants from parents that can be inherited by their children. Consider this analogy to make this matter simpler. Try to imagine these 25,000 receptacles being lined up in a row to receive a gene variant from the father and another variant from the mother where these variants merge to develop something unique. The combination of the parents' genes explains the individuality and peculiar trait of people even between twins.
Scientific research shows that ACTN3, which is also known in layman's term as the sprinting gene, is quite common among Olympic performers. A person who has the ACTN3 R variant has the innate disposition for sprinting and endurance activities. However, it does not mean that if you are packed with this sport gene you are automatically an athlete. It must be stressed that even if you have the inborn capacity to become an Olympic sprinter for instance, you still have to harness and polish that sprinting ability through the appropriate vertical jump training.
In other words, even if you are heavily loaded with all the ACTN3 variants if you do not activate it properly, then you will just be likened to a flightless bird with strong wings but has never learned how to fly! The sports gene can be your perfect weapon, so make sure you know how to use that. It would be total waste if you do not do something to develop what you have been naturally endowed with.
With the R variant of the ACTN3 gene running in your bloodstream, it is never surprising to know how quickly you can attain vertical mastery in such a short period of time. The sports gene certainly makes it too easy and quite natural for you to follow any vertical jump program. Go for your dreams and learn how to jump higher than you can imagine. Make use of your sports gene and become an Olympian!
If you have the penchant for vertical related sports, then you might as well seek the assistance of an expert coach. You have another alternative if you cannot afford to hire a professional trainer. Use your own initiative in finding on the internet for a well researched jump manual with the vertical explosion program that includes an easy-to-follow instructional video and a training manual that is easy for you to understand and follow.
Feel free to post questions, comments, suggestions or recommendations. Thank you for dropping by. http://www.howdoijumphigherreview.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Do-I-Jump-Higher---The-Sports-Gene-in-Olympic-Athletes:-ACTN3&id=6613883] How Do I Jump Higher - The Sports Gene in Olympic Athletes: ACTN3
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Fabric 'Wrap' To Complete Olympic Stadium
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Paul_X_James]Paul X James
'Worldwide Olympic Partner' Dow Chemical Company have been confirmed as the supplier of the fabric 'wrap' that will complete the new Olympic Stadium in Stratford.
Planners had been intended the Olympic Stadium to be fitted with a wrap that would encircle the stadium. Last year however, in an effort to cut costs to the taxpayer by up to �7 million, Olympic officials decided to scrap this flamboyant final touch.
Earlier this month though, Michigan-based Dow have announced that they will be funding and producing the wrap, which will consist of 336 panels, each 25m high by 2.5m wide. The panels will be made in Seattle from a mixture of polyester and polyethylene, unlike previous proposals that had elected for either hemp or a continuous video screen. Next year, the wrap will be installed around the stadium's exterior and will feature Dow branding until the beginning of the Games, with the International Olympic Committee insisting that venues be free from advertising upon their commencement.
Dow have expressed their intentions to conform to guidelines on sustainability and green technology. As a result, the wrap' will include such elements as UV-curable inks - which produce fewer emissions than their solvent-based cousins - and special resins made by Dow's Performance Plastics Division. It is claimed that such measures will allow the final product to be up to 30% lighter than conventional materials. Following the Games, Dow intend to recycle the equipment used to hang the wrap. They are also seeking an alternative use for the wrap once it has served its purpose of decorating the Olympic centre point.
This announcement comes at an interesting time for Dow. Last month, fresh rallies were staged in Bhopal, India, by survivors of 1984's gas catastrophe, in which a pesticide plant owned by United Carbide India suffered a fatal leak, resulting in thousands of deaths and over half a million injuries. Many of the victims of this disaster believe they were never suitably compensated for their injuries. In 1999, Dow took over United Carbide, as a consequence of which they are now seen as liable for resolving the aftermath of the disaster.
The announcement of Dow's plans to provide the wrap for the Olympic Stadium has already provoked controversy.
During their long history, Dow were also known for producing napalm and the notorious Agent Orange that was used in the Vietnam War. Dow's UK managing director, Keith Wiggins, has expressed a desire for the company to be judged on its future developments rather than its chequered past.
The London 2012 organisers are understandably excited that the stadium will finally be completed in spite of financial cutbacks. Nevertheless, it is hard to predict the how Dow will ultimately be perceived as a consequence of this undertaking. With angry voices making themselves heard regarding the Bhopal disaster, as well as others questioning how sustainable the wrap will be, it will be interesting to see whether Dow's wish to assume a new, clean-cut image will be granted.
Constructionbytes.com is a free construction news and resource site established by construction professionals for fellow industry members.
If you like the site then please subscribe to our regular newsletter to receive future news and information articles. http://constructionbytes.com/
Paul James
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Fabric-Wrap-To-Complete-Olympic-Stadium&id=6697310] Fabric 'Wrap' To Complete Olympic Stadium
'Worldwide Olympic Partner' Dow Chemical Company have been confirmed as the supplier of the fabric 'wrap' that will complete the new Olympic Stadium in Stratford.
Planners had been intended the Olympic Stadium to be fitted with a wrap that would encircle the stadium. Last year however, in an effort to cut costs to the taxpayer by up to �7 million, Olympic officials decided to scrap this flamboyant final touch.
Earlier this month though, Michigan-based Dow have announced that they will be funding and producing the wrap, which will consist of 336 panels, each 25m high by 2.5m wide. The panels will be made in Seattle from a mixture of polyester and polyethylene, unlike previous proposals that had elected for either hemp or a continuous video screen. Next year, the wrap will be installed around the stadium's exterior and will feature Dow branding until the beginning of the Games, with the International Olympic Committee insisting that venues be free from advertising upon their commencement.
Dow have expressed their intentions to conform to guidelines on sustainability and green technology. As a result, the wrap' will include such elements as UV-curable inks - which produce fewer emissions than their solvent-based cousins - and special resins made by Dow's Performance Plastics Division. It is claimed that such measures will allow the final product to be up to 30% lighter than conventional materials. Following the Games, Dow intend to recycle the equipment used to hang the wrap. They are also seeking an alternative use for the wrap once it has served its purpose of decorating the Olympic centre point.
This announcement comes at an interesting time for Dow. Last month, fresh rallies were staged in Bhopal, India, by survivors of 1984's gas catastrophe, in which a pesticide plant owned by United Carbide India suffered a fatal leak, resulting in thousands of deaths and over half a million injuries. Many of the victims of this disaster believe they were never suitably compensated for their injuries. In 1999, Dow took over United Carbide, as a consequence of which they are now seen as liable for resolving the aftermath of the disaster.
The announcement of Dow's plans to provide the wrap for the Olympic Stadium has already provoked controversy.
During their long history, Dow were also known for producing napalm and the notorious Agent Orange that was used in the Vietnam War. Dow's UK managing director, Keith Wiggins, has expressed a desire for the company to be judged on its future developments rather than its chequered past.
The London 2012 organisers are understandably excited that the stadium will finally be completed in spite of financial cutbacks. Nevertheless, it is hard to predict the how Dow will ultimately be perceived as a consequence of this undertaking. With angry voices making themselves heard regarding the Bhopal disaster, as well as others questioning how sustainable the wrap will be, it will be interesting to see whether Dow's wish to assume a new, clean-cut image will be granted.
Constructionbytes.com is a free construction news and resource site established by construction professionals for fellow industry members.
If you like the site then please subscribe to our regular newsletter to receive future news and information articles. http://constructionbytes.com/
Paul James
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Fabric-Wrap-To-Complete-Olympic-Stadium&id=6697310] Fabric 'Wrap' To Complete Olympic Stadium
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Football and the Olympic Games
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Claire_M_Jefferies]Claire M Jefferies
Football at the Summer Olympic Games is not what some of us would assume it is. Football is another name for 'soccer' which is the sport played at the summer Olympics. Soccer has been included in every set of Summer Olympic Games except for the dates 1896 and 1932. Women's football was later added with the 1996 Olympic Games.
Soccer was in the early days of development during the first Olympics in 1896. Soccer was not on the Olympics program guide for the event but there have been some sources which claim that an Olympic tournament was held during the first Olympic Games.
In 1900 Soccer was included in the Olympics. Although there have been soccer games during every Summer Games FIFA does not accept or acknowledge soccer as an official Olympic sport even today. The first proper tournament was organized by the Football Association in the London Games of 1908. This featured six teams which were increased to eleven teams during the 1912 Olympic Games.
By the 1920s, the way soccer was played during the Olympics had changed slightly. Whole international teams could not send their entire lineup and would have to pick which teammates went to compete. In the 1936 games, the British played against the Germans in which even Adolf Hitler attended the game match.
In 1984 for the Los Angeles Games, the IOC brought back the idea of sending professional athletes to the Olympics. Even though FIFA did not accept the game as official for the Olympics, they would still dictate what comprised an official team. Both FIFA and the IOC wanted teams that were composed of younger individuals. Some say this was a way to sabotage the game for other countries with stronger football teams, as shown by the low scoring these countries receive every Summer Olympics. However England has been working on this problem for a long time before the United States. In 1974 the Football Association of England declared that there was no longer a distinction between "Amateur" and "Professional" soccer.
As 2012 is now set for the Olympic Games to take place, all eyes are on Great Britain to use this home court advantage to assemble what some believe to be the most impressive football team yet. Many countries have football teams in the Olympics vying for the title and it is becoming more and more relevant, including France, America, the UK, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada, Russia, Spain and Mexico.
Claire Jefferies is writing on behalf of The Sports Investor, who offers [http://www.thesportsinvestor.co.uk/]free horse racing tips and [http://www.thesportsinvestor.co.uk/]free racing tips
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Football-and-the-Olympic-Games&id=6720596] Football and the Olympic Games
Football at the Summer Olympic Games is not what some of us would assume it is. Football is another name for 'soccer' which is the sport played at the summer Olympics. Soccer has been included in every set of Summer Olympic Games except for the dates 1896 and 1932. Women's football was later added with the 1996 Olympic Games.
Soccer was in the early days of development during the first Olympics in 1896. Soccer was not on the Olympics program guide for the event but there have been some sources which claim that an Olympic tournament was held during the first Olympic Games.
In 1900 Soccer was included in the Olympics. Although there have been soccer games during every Summer Games FIFA does not accept or acknowledge soccer as an official Olympic sport even today. The first proper tournament was organized by the Football Association in the London Games of 1908. This featured six teams which were increased to eleven teams during the 1912 Olympic Games.
By the 1920s, the way soccer was played during the Olympics had changed slightly. Whole international teams could not send their entire lineup and would have to pick which teammates went to compete. In the 1936 games, the British played against the Germans in which even Adolf Hitler attended the game match.
In 1984 for the Los Angeles Games, the IOC brought back the idea of sending professional athletes to the Olympics. Even though FIFA did not accept the game as official for the Olympics, they would still dictate what comprised an official team. Both FIFA and the IOC wanted teams that were composed of younger individuals. Some say this was a way to sabotage the game for other countries with stronger football teams, as shown by the low scoring these countries receive every Summer Olympics. However England has been working on this problem for a long time before the United States. In 1974 the Football Association of England declared that there was no longer a distinction between "Amateur" and "Professional" soccer.
As 2012 is now set for the Olympic Games to take place, all eyes are on Great Britain to use this home court advantage to assemble what some believe to be the most impressive football team yet. Many countries have football teams in the Olympics vying for the title and it is becoming more and more relevant, including France, America, the UK, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada, Russia, Spain and Mexico.
Claire Jefferies is writing on behalf of The Sports Investor, who offers [http://www.thesportsinvestor.co.uk/]free horse racing tips and [http://www.thesportsinvestor.co.uk/]free racing tips
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Football-and-the-Olympic-Games&id=6720596] Football and the Olympic Games
Sunday, December 4, 2011
London 2012 Olympics: Africa's Olympic Queen Kirsty Coventry!
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alejandro_Guevara_Onofre]Alejandro Guevara Onofre
A Good-Will Ambassador for Zimbabwe
Like Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the warn-torn country of Somalia, the African Republic of Zimbabwe (former Rhodesia until the late 1970s and known as Southern Rhodesia when it was an European depedency) has produced bad (or catastrophic) news in recent decades: poverty, genocide, AIDS, kleptocracy, anti-gay policies, economic chaos, and, of course, the xenophobic dictatorship of Robert Gabriel Mugabe, one of the oldest rulers on the Planet. However, on August 16, 2008, Zimbabwe, a landlocked nation in Southern Africa, had a drop of notoriety when its American-trained swimmer Kirsty Coventry, a while female in a land of black Africans, picked up a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Games, setting a world record time of 2:05.74 and repeating her feat achieved at the 2004 Athens Summer Games when she set a new African record time of 2:09.19 to win the women's 200m backstroke final. Besides her victory in the 200m back in the Greek meet, the young athlete also won other two medals (silver and bronze), all before she was 21. It was an amazing achievement, putting Zimbabwe on the world Olympic map for the second time in a row.
Along with other international stars like Tunisia's last Olympic champ Oussama Mellouli and the Kenyan-born Jason Edward Dunford,who placed fifth in the men's 100 m butterfly at the 2008 Summer Games and winner of six medals (2 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) at the All-Africa Games at Maputo (Mozambique), she belongs to a new generation of African swimmers who have decided to live/train in the US to reverse a number of mediocre results.
In the People's Republic of China (PRC), Miss Coventry amassed a total of four medals (1 gold and 3 silver),becoming the most successful white athlete in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as helping her country to win their eight Olympian medal since 1980 as a national side, made up of white players, won the women's field hockey Olympic tournament at the Moscow Games in the former Soviet Union/USSR (In the Russian meet, Zimbabwe's triumph was considered a "sporting miracle" by many sportswriters and Olympian scholars).
Besides winning numerous medals (from 2002 to 2011: more than 40) and special trophies as one of the most notable female athletes on the African mainland and as one of the greatest Olympic swimmers from the developing world, she set several international records during the first eight years of the 21st century, defeating many sportswomen from Canada, Western Europe, China, Australia, and the States. Historically, the young Coventry is the third sportswoman from Africa to earn a gold in women's swimming at the Summer Games, alongside Joan Harrison (Helsinki' 52) and Penny Heyns (Atlanta'96). She also has the distinction of being the sixth swimmer (male or female) in the Third World to finish first in the Games
She is Zimbabwe's top star for 12 years. The backstroker Coventry made her major international debut during the 2002 Commonwealth Games at Manchester (UK). Her first major success was qualifying for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney (Australia).
Zimbabwe: An Isolated Nation
After her participation in the People's Republic, she was declared "national heroine" by her fellow Zimbabweans in the nation's capital city of Harare (ex Salisbury), while the President-for-life Robert Mugabe, a member of the tribe Shona (which makes up over 75 percent of the country's population) gave her $100,000, a reward for winning gold. At the time, Mr. Mugabe, the world's most homophobic leader, called her "a golden girl".
Like some warlords and dictators in the Third World, among them Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Cuba's Ra�l Castro, and Kim Jong Il from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea/North Korea, the government of Mugabe supports sport perhaps as a top priority to improve their chaotic image associated with documented human rights violations. For example, against all odds, the 1995 Pan African Games ---an Olympic-type competition for African athletes--- were held in the landlocked country (whose name was taken from the stone ruins in the southern part if the nation) despite many financial troubles due to their international status as one of the world's poorest places and with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection on Earth (according to UN estimates, about one-fourth of the adult population has HIV/AIDS).
Before the end of the white government in the 1970s, Rhodesia not had top athletes unlike from South Africa's apartheid regime (for example Zola Budd, Cliff Drysdale, and the world-class swimmer Jonty Skinner). The sub-Saharan African republic of Zimbabwe, by contrast, has had prominent athletes in many sports as boxing, cricket, diving, field hockey, golf, rugby, tennis, track & field, and triathlon.
This beautiful land, well-known for its waterfalls (Victoria Falls), its abundant wildlife, and for its legendary ruins, is home of Nick Price (one of the world's top golfers) and Paula Newby-Fraser (8-time winner of the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii) as well as Byron Black, Ever Stewart, and Mark McNulty. By the early 1990s, the Montana-size land won 24 medals (8 gold, 3 silver, 13 bronze) in the continental games, behind Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria and Kenya.
Zimbabwe, long a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom until the mid-1960s, has some good athletes but without a national sports system as Cuba, North Korea, Turkey, and the Southeast Asian Kingdom of Thailand. Despite having difficult ties to Washington, the dictatorial government of Mugabe, regarded as an international pariah by Western Community (including the American administration), has provided incentives to send Zimbabwe's top athletes to study/train in the United States, allowing they to compete with world champs at North American meets. Under this environment, Miss Coventry received a diplomat passport in 2008.
Prior to competing at Beijing's Water Cube, she earned two silver medals at the FINA World Championships 2007, in the 200m backstroke and individual medley. Since the mid-2000s, she has become a familiar presence for a generation of new African Olympians who are not track and field athletes.
Miss Coventry will compete in the Olympic capital of London in August 2012, trying to give her country a new Olympian medal (its ninth medal). However, her impoverished and isolated country also holds heavy chances to win a medal in track and field: her fellow Zimbabwean Ngonidzashe Makusha, known as the "Carl Lewis from the Developing World", is one of the world's premier long jumpers and with a spectacular mark of 8,40 metres. At London 2012, Mr Makusha, who studies at the Florida State University, could be the first black Zimbabwean to earn an Olympic medal.
Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women of the United States" and "Famous Americans."
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?London-2012-Olympics:-Africas-Olympic-Queen-Kirsty-Coventry!&id=6724904] London 2012 Olympics: Africa's Olympic Queen Kirsty Coventry!
A Good-Will Ambassador for Zimbabwe
Like Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the warn-torn country of Somalia, the African Republic of Zimbabwe (former Rhodesia until the late 1970s and known as Southern Rhodesia when it was an European depedency) has produced bad (or catastrophic) news in recent decades: poverty, genocide, AIDS, kleptocracy, anti-gay policies, economic chaos, and, of course, the xenophobic dictatorship of Robert Gabriel Mugabe, one of the oldest rulers on the Planet. However, on August 16, 2008, Zimbabwe, a landlocked nation in Southern Africa, had a drop of notoriety when its American-trained swimmer Kirsty Coventry, a while female in a land of black Africans, picked up a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Games, setting a world record time of 2:05.74 and repeating her feat achieved at the 2004 Athens Summer Games when she set a new African record time of 2:09.19 to win the women's 200m backstroke final. Besides her victory in the 200m back in the Greek meet, the young athlete also won other two medals (silver and bronze), all before she was 21. It was an amazing achievement, putting Zimbabwe on the world Olympic map for the second time in a row.
Along with other international stars like Tunisia's last Olympic champ Oussama Mellouli and the Kenyan-born Jason Edward Dunford,who placed fifth in the men's 100 m butterfly at the 2008 Summer Games and winner of six medals (2 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) at the All-Africa Games at Maputo (Mozambique), she belongs to a new generation of African swimmers who have decided to live/train in the US to reverse a number of mediocre results.
In the People's Republic of China (PRC), Miss Coventry amassed a total of four medals (1 gold and 3 silver),becoming the most successful white athlete in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as helping her country to win their eight Olympian medal since 1980 as a national side, made up of white players, won the women's field hockey Olympic tournament at the Moscow Games in the former Soviet Union/USSR (In the Russian meet, Zimbabwe's triumph was considered a "sporting miracle" by many sportswriters and Olympian scholars).
Besides winning numerous medals (from 2002 to 2011: more than 40) and special trophies as one of the most notable female athletes on the African mainland and as one of the greatest Olympic swimmers from the developing world, she set several international records during the first eight years of the 21st century, defeating many sportswomen from Canada, Western Europe, China, Australia, and the States. Historically, the young Coventry is the third sportswoman from Africa to earn a gold in women's swimming at the Summer Games, alongside Joan Harrison (Helsinki' 52) and Penny Heyns (Atlanta'96). She also has the distinction of being the sixth swimmer (male or female) in the Third World to finish first in the Games
She is Zimbabwe's top star for 12 years. The backstroker Coventry made her major international debut during the 2002 Commonwealth Games at Manchester (UK). Her first major success was qualifying for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney (Australia).
Zimbabwe: An Isolated Nation
After her participation in the People's Republic, she was declared "national heroine" by her fellow Zimbabweans in the nation's capital city of Harare (ex Salisbury), while the President-for-life Robert Mugabe, a member of the tribe Shona (which makes up over 75 percent of the country's population) gave her $100,000, a reward for winning gold. At the time, Mr. Mugabe, the world's most homophobic leader, called her "a golden girl".
Like some warlords and dictators in the Third World, among them Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Cuba's Ra�l Castro, and Kim Jong Il from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea/North Korea, the government of Mugabe supports sport perhaps as a top priority to improve their chaotic image associated with documented human rights violations. For example, against all odds, the 1995 Pan African Games ---an Olympic-type competition for African athletes--- were held in the landlocked country (whose name was taken from the stone ruins in the southern part if the nation) despite many financial troubles due to their international status as one of the world's poorest places and with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection on Earth (according to UN estimates, about one-fourth of the adult population has HIV/AIDS).
Before the end of the white government in the 1970s, Rhodesia not had top athletes unlike from South Africa's apartheid regime (for example Zola Budd, Cliff Drysdale, and the world-class swimmer Jonty Skinner). The sub-Saharan African republic of Zimbabwe, by contrast, has had prominent athletes in many sports as boxing, cricket, diving, field hockey, golf, rugby, tennis, track & field, and triathlon.
This beautiful land, well-known for its waterfalls (Victoria Falls), its abundant wildlife, and for its legendary ruins, is home of Nick Price (one of the world's top golfers) and Paula Newby-Fraser (8-time winner of the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii) as well as Byron Black, Ever Stewart, and Mark McNulty. By the early 1990s, the Montana-size land won 24 medals (8 gold, 3 silver, 13 bronze) in the continental games, behind Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria and Kenya.
Zimbabwe, long a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom until the mid-1960s, has some good athletes but without a national sports system as Cuba, North Korea, Turkey, and the Southeast Asian Kingdom of Thailand. Despite having difficult ties to Washington, the dictatorial government of Mugabe, regarded as an international pariah by Western Community (including the American administration), has provided incentives to send Zimbabwe's top athletes to study/train in the United States, allowing they to compete with world champs at North American meets. Under this environment, Miss Coventry received a diplomat passport in 2008.
Prior to competing at Beijing's Water Cube, she earned two silver medals at the FINA World Championships 2007, in the 200m backstroke and individual medley. Since the mid-2000s, she has become a familiar presence for a generation of new African Olympians who are not track and field athletes.
Miss Coventry will compete in the Olympic capital of London in August 2012, trying to give her country a new Olympian medal (its ninth medal). However, her impoverished and isolated country also holds heavy chances to win a medal in track and field: her fellow Zimbabwean Ngonidzashe Makusha, known as the "Carl Lewis from the Developing World", is one of the world's premier long jumpers and with a spectacular mark of 8,40 metres. At London 2012, Mr Makusha, who studies at the Florida State University, could be the first black Zimbabwean to earn an Olympic medal.
Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women of the United States" and "Famous Americans."
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?London-2012-Olympics:-Africas-Olympic-Queen-Kirsty-Coventry!&id=6724904] London 2012 Olympics: Africa's Olympic Queen Kirsty Coventry!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Sports in Space and Unfair Advantages in the 2404 Galactic Olympic Games
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow]Lance Winslow
It should be noted that Earth is a most excellent platform, domicile, habitat, and biosphere for humankind. Indeed, this species has done well in its evolutionary process to make the most of what is available, and developed a large brain to modify it further to fit its needs. Humans have also developed sports to exercise those genes, even if many are not needed due to the conquering of nature, weather, and other hungry species herein.
Okay so, let's talk about what happens when humans go off-world, and the future of sports in space - namely the future of the Olympic Galactic Games.
Interestingly enough, I was out in Los Angeles over the Thanksgiving Holiday and the big cross-town rivalry College Football Game was on; USC Versus UCLA. Well, it wasn't really a "game" as it was more like a slaughter with USC scoring 50 points and UCLA "zero" and two-days later the head coach of UCLA football got fired, which I suppose is quite understandable. Nevertheless, this unbalanced football game made me ponder the future of sports, and let me explain why.
You see, in college I was an athlete, a runner, and when track stars came out from Denver, training at a mile-high they certainly had the advantage competing with us out here in California at sea level, plus or minus, 50 meters. These runners were, due to their training at altitude, much better conditioned runners, and very hard to beat. Thus, what I am saying is that there are incredible advantages based on the training environment.
Therefore, those who train in off-world planets in harsh conditions, more gravity, different atmosphere, or under strenuous conditions will be hard to beat in Earth's climate and conditions, the conditions which humans were originally evolved from. Further, over many generations, perhaps 10 or more those in the harder to deal with environments will become superior and adapted for them, which would make competing on Earth a piece of cake.
Today, the world soccer federation does not allow soccer games at the top of Bolivia's La Paz capital because athletes cannot handle it, get fatigued, winded, and unable to compete, some even pass out. Remember there is less oxygen at altitude, and it gets cold up there, those two things combined are pure hell on human muscles that are not conditioned for that. In this case the Bolivian soccer players have a great advantage, almost as Llamas do in the higher altitudes than any of their other distant-cousin species.
The future of human evolution once diversified will bring with it different skill levels due to different environments, and thus, we should expect this to be in the future development of mankind's sports. Please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative eBooks on the future of [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=sports+in+space%2Clance+winslow&x=13&y=19]Sports in Space Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Sports-in-Space-and-Unfair-Advantages-in-the-2404-Galactic-Olympic-Games&id=6727417] Sports in Space and Unfair Advantages in the 2404 Galactic Olympic Games
It should be noted that Earth is a most excellent platform, domicile, habitat, and biosphere for humankind. Indeed, this species has done well in its evolutionary process to make the most of what is available, and developed a large brain to modify it further to fit its needs. Humans have also developed sports to exercise those genes, even if many are not needed due to the conquering of nature, weather, and other hungry species herein.
Okay so, let's talk about what happens when humans go off-world, and the future of sports in space - namely the future of the Olympic Galactic Games.
Interestingly enough, I was out in Los Angeles over the Thanksgiving Holiday and the big cross-town rivalry College Football Game was on; USC Versus UCLA. Well, it wasn't really a "game" as it was more like a slaughter with USC scoring 50 points and UCLA "zero" and two-days later the head coach of UCLA football got fired, which I suppose is quite understandable. Nevertheless, this unbalanced football game made me ponder the future of sports, and let me explain why.
You see, in college I was an athlete, a runner, and when track stars came out from Denver, training at a mile-high they certainly had the advantage competing with us out here in California at sea level, plus or minus, 50 meters. These runners were, due to their training at altitude, much better conditioned runners, and very hard to beat. Thus, what I am saying is that there are incredible advantages based on the training environment.
Therefore, those who train in off-world planets in harsh conditions, more gravity, different atmosphere, or under strenuous conditions will be hard to beat in Earth's climate and conditions, the conditions which humans were originally evolved from. Further, over many generations, perhaps 10 or more those in the harder to deal with environments will become superior and adapted for them, which would make competing on Earth a piece of cake.
Today, the world soccer federation does not allow soccer games at the top of Bolivia's La Paz capital because athletes cannot handle it, get fatigued, winded, and unable to compete, some even pass out. Remember there is less oxygen at altitude, and it gets cold up there, those two things combined are pure hell on human muscles that are not conditioned for that. In this case the Bolivian soccer players have a great advantage, almost as Llamas do in the higher altitudes than any of their other distant-cousin species.
The future of human evolution once diversified will bring with it different skill levels due to different environments, and thus, we should expect this to be in the future development of mankind's sports. Please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative eBooks on the future of [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=sports+in+space%2Clance+winslow&x=13&y=19]Sports in Space Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Sports-in-Space-and-Unfair-Advantages-in-the-2404-Galactic-Olympic-Games&id=6727417] Sports in Space and Unfair Advantages in the 2404 Galactic Olympic Games
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