Roth Pond Regatta

When it comes to teaching tennis in Physical Education classes teachers are faced with a major resource problem.  Most public schools only have a few tennis courts to use so students spend half of their class time waiting to play rather than learning technique.

Of course there has always been a host of portable net systems or lesson plans that include using the gym to play but staying organized and purchasing multiple sets of game standards and other equipment can get very expensive.

Wit

h Quick Start Tennis the beginning level of play turns a single official size tennis court into 6 playing courts for your class.  That’s a lot more space to teach the beginning skills required to play the game.

You purchase a set that divides the courts using “tennis caution tape” or roll down lines.  In addition special tennis balls are available.  In the first stage players use the red balls which are larger and slower than standard tennis balls.  The quick start tennis red balls are

also perfect for use on gym floors where real tennis balls would slide instead of bouncing correctly.

When your players are ready to graduate from stage one you use the boundary lines to make your court 60 feet long.  Utilizing the second stage orange quick start tennis balls you will be able to expand the players skill level on the smaller court without forcing them to advance their skills to fast.

The final stage is the full size court but instead of using official tennis balls you use th

e Quick Start Tennis Stage 3 Green tennis balls.  These balls are 25% slower than official tennis balls so your budding tennis stars can react in time to use and build their technique.

So rather than dropping young players onto full size tennis courts you can use the Quick Start Tennis system to teach proper technique while building muscle memory and skill level through the use of a graduated court size system. 

You can find a full selection of Quick Start Tennis supplies at www.morleyathletic.com. 

The Emirates Racing Authority was founded in 1990 and on the first running of the Dubai World Cup in 1996 an amazing new track, created on the plans of the Maktoum family was unveiled at Nad Al Sheba. The dream was to build a state-of-the-art racecourse in Dubai which would attract the world’s best racehorses, and this dream most definitely came to pass.

The Dubai World Cup is run every March in Dubai, and is a racing challenge, run over ten furlongs, and has the biggest prizes to matc

h. The race is open to Northern Hemisphere bred four-year-olds and older and Southern Hemisphere bred three-year-olds and older, and participants have come from twelve different countries. Goldolphin, founded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, have had five winners of the Dubai World Cup since 1996, have been crowned Champion British Owner on seven occasions, have a 54% ratio of winners to runners, and boast Frankie Dettori as one of their jockeys. This of course all makes pe

rfect sense when you consider the fact it is believed that horse racing became a professional sport in the UK in the 12th century, when the English knights returned from the Crusades with Arab horses. The Arabian Horse, which hails from Middle Eastern deserts, is acknowledged as being the purest and oldest of all horse breeds, and has incredible stamina – being able to carry its rider at speed across miles of open desert with little food or water. Today, almost every breed and type of horse has

traces of Arab blood and all English Thoroughbreds that are used in horseracing in the UK today are descended from three Arabian stallions: Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian or Godolphin Arabian, which were imported to Britain in the late 17th and early 18th century.

For more than two decades, horse owners and breeders from the Arab world have worked to establish the Arab presence in international thoroughbred racing, and with the development of the Dubai World Cup have established themselves as one of the world’s top racing challenges. In a little over a decade they have created one of the highlights of the international racing calendar. Placement in the race is by invite only, and anyone invited naturally turns up as the top prize is $6 million, but the lure is not just in the prize money – the horsemen get generous subsidies for supporting horseracing in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai enjoys a formidable reputation due to its quality, generosity, and sunshine, and has become a mecca for both horse enthusiasts and tourists alike with 50,000 racegoers attending the Dubai World Cup meeting each year.

The Nad Al Sheba racecourse held the Dubai World Cup for the last time in 2009 as their new racetrack Meydan will host the 2010 Dubai World Cup and its associated races next March. The vision of HH Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum leaves much for other nations to aspire to when it comes to horseracing! As glamorous as it all sounds though, the Grand National will do for me

For those of us who like to keep in shape, running for a few miles every other day is part of the ordinary. Unfortunately, not all of us use the most adequate gear and pretty often, the sneakers we pick tend to do more harm than good. A good pair can make you feel like flying, but a bad one will feel like running o sand.

So here are ten tips to help you choose a good pair and running shoes and enjoy a better jogging experience

›› Well, the first one is a no brainer: Get informed

about running sneakers. You have to know what to look for before doing your purchase. Learn about pronation, arch support, the different materials used to manufacture running shoes. It’s a good idea to trust the seller when he’s recommending something, but you want to know how to better explain your necessities.

›› If you have a friend who also likes jogging, make sure to ask him about his gear. If he’s been doing this for a while, you’ll get better insights than if you’

ve read every article on this matter. He’ll recommend you models of sneakers, sports apparel, he’ll show you some running techniques and, best of all, you’ll have a good pal to join you in your new hobby. If you’re lucky, he’ll gladly come sport equipment shopping with you. If you don’t know anybody, look for the other runners in the park. If you think you’re not intruding, stop one of them and ask for some information. They will gladly help you.

›› Bring you old runn

ing shoes to the store. A good shoe salesperson can tell a lot by the wear of your shoes and can recommend a similar model or one that would help you correct some of the bad traits of the other.

›› Tell the salesperson about your situation, the type of the terrain you usually run on, you usual mileage, pronation and any other thing that you noticed while running, either uncomfortable or pleasurable.

›› If your feet differ in size, make sure you buy a pair that fist best the larger foot.

›› Make sure the heel fits perfectly and doesn’t slide up and down or any other way.

›› Think of choosing sneakers made by some known companies in the running world, like ASICS, Saucony, New Balance and of course Nike, Adidas or Puma, but don’t automatically think that the more expensive the shoe the better it is. You can find great running shoes for very affordable prices.

›› Go in the store wearing a pair of the socks you would usually wear when jogging. You’ll be better able to assess the fit and the salesperson will most likely tell you if the socks you’re using are appropriate for running and recommend you better ones

›› Go for a test run on a treadmill or around the store and pay close attention at any discomfort you notice. If there’s any, keep in mind that in time it can deform the way you walk and run. Get shoes that help you walk and run correctly.

›› Last, if you’ve go good recommendations from the salesperson, make sure to remember him and come back to him the next time you want to buy some sneakers. It’s most likely that you’ll get consistently great advice from him.
Now that you’ve got these few tips, go get a pair and start having a good time jogging. Hope to see you some day running in a park.

Micheal Jordan, the king of basketball as well as golf fanatic, his speech in Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. flapped against people’s heart in a uncomfortable way.

An article written by Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton:

Michael Jordan, legendary superstar of the Chicago Bulls, slinks off into the shadows to live the rest of his life.

Left behind are amazing feats as an NBA star. Left behind too, an awful speech at the podium in what should have been a night to cap off hi

s basketball career.

NBA teams are preparing to open preseason camps next week. Not fast enough for me and fans around the country. Not quick enough to wash away the stain of what should have been a glorious night, the Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies in Springfield, Massachusettes, birthplace of the game.

MJ, Air Jordan, His Airness was  honored with other hoop greats on the night the stars came out. On an evening when San Antonio star David Robinson talked about being a Midshipman at Na

vy, and the honor to serve his country, Jordan did something different.

On an evening when longtime guard and now Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan talked about a career, a life, the love of basketball, and the loss of his love, his wife to cancer, MJ went off on the little people.

The night to honor the honest little guy John Stockton, who went from tiny Gonzaga to Salt Lake City to induction in Springfield. He was humbled.

But the ex-Bull was humiliating to listen too.

Michael Jordan was par

t of trifecta of players who arrived together, and helped save the NBA. Financial ruin, drugs and a boring style had taken over pro basketball. Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson revolutionized the game, brought it flare, personality, and athleticism

The night at the podium should have been cast with remembrances of Jordan winning the NBA trophy and lying on the floor weeping, remembering his late father.

It was the Bulls star kissing the MVP trophy. Him hugging Scotty Pippen. A photo with his legendary coach Phil Jackson, smoking cigars.

It was the crossover dribble, the thundering slam dunks, and sizzling hot three point shots, the legendary steals and fast breaks going the other way.

Michael Jordan’s nights should have been remembered. The 69-point outburst against Cleveland; 63 in the playoff loss to Bird and Boston; 55-against the Suns. 13-shots in a row that fell in one playoff game. On and On.

It should have been a special night, but it wasn’t.

Michael Jordan turned the party into bitch session, railing against all those who wronged him.

Longtime Bulls GM Jerry Kraus, not invited to the festiiities at the Hall, took the brunt of the heat. Kraus made the comment “organizations win titles, not individuals.”

Jordan retaliated during his speech. “Did the organization score 63 in the playoff game? Did the organization play with a 103-degree fever in Utah? Did the organization play with a stress fracture of a foot?,” he asked.

He scorned the Portland Trailblazers who, needing a big man,  bypassed him with the second pick in the draft, taking Sam Bowie instead.

The Bulls superstar went after a JV coach who cut him from a 10th grade team because he was too clumsy. He mocked Utah guard Byron Russell, who had popped off, by challenging him defensively.

The player used the podium to reflect on all those who insulted him over the years, saying it inspired him to greatness.

As long as Jordan was telling it like it was, he should have told us too about the five-year illicit relationship that cost him his 17-year marriage, and the massive lawsuit that followed.

He should have spoken about his gambling additions, debts and losses in casinos in Atlanttic City and Las Vegas, and on golf course here, there and everywhere.

Wished he could have cast more light on his miserable failure as the general manager of the Washington Wizards, and his incompetency as the absentee leader of the woeful Charlotte Bobcats.

I guess they don’t list those things on his personal stat sheet.

It was petty, it was unprofessional, it was dishonor on a night when so many other quality people were being toasted. He instead roasted everyone.

Watch me play, buy my shoes, remember my greatness. Once upon a time yes, now, no more.

He could have been gracious. He was classless. A Hall of Fame night became a Hall of Shame speech.

“Be Like Mike” was the catch phrase during those ad campaigns in the glory days. I doubt anyone wants to

Yes, it can be done! There is a popular misconception out there is that anyone who manages to develop a well-defined physique must be one of those guys using steroids.  I’m here to tell you that it isn’t necessarily so! While steroid misuse gets all the headlines, and it seems we can’t go a week or more without some new revelation by a popular, successful athlete in the professional ranks divulging that yes, he did abuse them, the cold hard truth is that most amateur and professional athlet

es and body-builders do not partake, and it is indeed not only possible, but very likely that you can build muscle without steroids. In fact, it was done for quite some time before people were able to get a hold of these drugs!

Anabolic steroids are man made cocktails that resemble male sex hormones. Many people have determined that to enhance their athletic performance or further max out their physique, they need to give themselves the best edge possible. So they take these drugs, which are n

ot only very powerful, but have not even come close to being vetted as far as potential long-term side effects are concerned. Whether they’re just ignorant or just playing with fire, the consequences of steroid use can have a devastating effect on them.

Some of the more common side effects include such niceties as cancer, tumors in your liver, high blood pressure, totally fouled-up lipid profiles, kidney failure, trembling and more. And this doesn’t even take into account what could happen m

any years down the road.

So if your aim is to build muscle without steroids, know that you should concentrate on the classic lifts, such as the Olympic lifts; cleans, jerks, snatches, dead lifts, and squats, as well as traditional lifts like bench presses, overhead presses and some bodyweight lifts, such as pull-ups. The Olympic lifts in particular should be some of your core exercises, as these give a total range of motion workout, and greatly improve overall strength building. All of these combined with a strict overall enforcement of your active resting periods can go a long way toward giving you a leg up on not only those abusing steroids, but anyone else! Many people do fine when it comes to managing to do the lifts, but are lax when it comes to managing their rests, which has a major impact on the effectiveness of the exercise as a whole.

For all the attention that items like the Mitchell Report, or a high-profile athlete like a Barry Bonds or Jose Canseco gets, there are many more athletes and bodybuilders who are doing the right thing by not only staying away from dangerous substances, but providing great examples to those who are watching and admiring.

So in reality, learning how to build muscle without steroids is the same process that you’d use to learn how to build muscle, minus the pharmaceuticals!

For more cool info on this subject, check this out: Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle Case Study

MS Dhoni, India’s captain, has admitted that sloppy fielding and inconsistent bowling were two areas he was concerned about as the team prepared to leave Mumbai for the Champions Trophy, which starts in South Africa on September 22. India recently spent a day on top of the ICC’s ODI rankings during the Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka and Dhoni wanted more consistency from his players in order to regain the No. 1 spot.

Players have done well in patches. It is not that we are consistently doing well ga

me after game Dhoni said. He identified bowling as a problem area, saying the bowlers had scope to improve in the middle and final overs.

The other deficient discipline was India’s fielding. Earlier this week, India won the Compaq Cup final against Sri Lanka thanks to a century from Sachin Tendulkar and a five-for from Harbhajan Singh but their fielders dropped two easy catches and squandered three run-out opportunities. Dhoni himself missed a stumping.

Players need to raise our fielding stan

dards Dhoni said bluntly. It has gone down a bit for whatever reason. It has proved costly more often not. We are missing run-out opportunities and have dropped a few catches which could prove costly in any game. We are a bit concerned. Even our ground fielding, especially the boundary fielders, can make it hard for the opponents to get those extra runs.

Dhoni said that the fielders needed to be more proactive and reduce every scoring opportunity for the opposition. If players can cut down as m

any as 20 runs from the opposition total that will be a big achievement.

Considering India have won their last six ODI series played in the last two years, Dhoni’s worries might seem misplaced, but he is not happy riding on past glory. His pragmatism was clear when he spoke about the forthcoming challenge in South Africa.

Players are in a tough group so it would be important not to allow any slip ups and perform well right from the beginning. India are pooled with Australia, Pakistan and West Indies in Group A and open their campaign with a high-pressure encounter against their neighbours at Centurion on September 26.

Dhoni, however, said he was not concerned by the pressure of expectation. One of the reasons, according to Dhoni, India were doing well was that they weren’t bothered by expectation levels because they knew that if they won the rest would take care of itself. Players think about how well-prepared we are for the games and focus on the small aspects like fitness, mental conditioning.

On the subject of player fitness, Dhoni welcomed the return of Gautam Gambhir after the opener had to pull out of the tri-series in Sri Lanka due to a groin injury. Gambhir underwent a fitness test in Mumbai today in front of coach Gary Kirsten and trainer Nitin Patel. His return will bring a lot of relief Dhoni said. Not only can he provide good starts but he can stay put till the end of the innings.

India’s batsmen had struggled against the short ball on lively tracks in England during the World Twenty20 in June as well as in the following ODI series in the Caribbean, but Dhoni disagreed when asked if the problem would persist. The last time it happened was in the World Twenty20, where you hardly have time to adjust as you look to go after the bowler. What happens in a 50-over game is you can pick and choose. In Twenty20 you see it as an opportunity to score runs.

Another reason Dhoni wasn’t bothered about opponents using a short-pitched attack was the presence of Rahul Dravid in the top order. It is good to have players who have faced similar conditions and been under pressure. Guys like Rahul, who bats at No.3, are an asset to the side. In South Africa, where the conditions help the fast bowlers, he is the kind of batsman who is suited to deal with the situation.

Buying a pair of football/soccer boots or cleats is not as simple as it used to be. With the advances of technology within the game as a whole, football boots or cleats as some may call them are a huge part of the game, and having the best pair on your feet is paramount to playing well through confidence.

Now one of the leading contenders within the football boot market is of course NIKE, and with their power comes the Nike Vapors, but is their leading range of Nike Vapor Football Boots the be

st on the market?

If you are a keen footballer then you know all about the Nike vapors. Either by previous football boot shopping or from seeing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba light up the blades of grass all over Europe with them. So as they are popular amongst the stars, they must be the best, right?

Well, Nike do hold the title of actually producing the lightest football boot ever to date, with the Nike Vapor Superfly but they have come under scrutiny recently with one o

f them tearing up on the foot of Didier Drogba in game. So, although the vapor boots hold the title of being the lightest, they do have their down points!

They are of course built with the leading eye on SPEED but there are other boots on the market that can rival Nike vapor football boots, so too say they are the best would be something of a blind statement. They do hold their own technology advances and having one of the best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo leading the charge with

them, they are worth taking a second look at when football boot shopping for yourself!

Big Fan I’m a big fan of Chris Cooper. He’s the American character actor who played Tom Smith in the movie Seabiscuit. I thought it was a brilliant performance  that managed to capture the quiet and introspective nature of this humble horseman who trained Seabiscuit to be a thoroughbred champion; that became a national hero to millions of depression weary Americans in the 1930’s. I somehow identified with him because he was a man of few words and deep experience, and very holistic in his app

roach to animal health and wellbeing. So being inspired by the movie somewhat I went out and bought the book.

Now here’s the thing. I read the book Seabiscuit,  An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand, and was not only swept off my feet by this epic tale, but I also was surprised to learn that Tom Smith worked entirely with herbal and natural remedies to cure and support the finest racehorse in the world. Can you imagine how that might sound today?

Throughout the 339 pages of the narrative

, there are dozens of examples of how Tom treated Seabiscuit’s track injuries; calling in the vet only when it was absolutely necessary in which X-Ray’s had to be taken to reveal a sliver fracture in a foreleg after a race.

From what I can deduce, Smith made sure Seabiscuit’s feed was rich in calcium and he used homemade liniment on his legs, which was a herbal concoction that he made himself  that I think was mostly composed of  eucalyptus or peppermint and stimulating herbs such as caye

nne and possibly ginger — mixed together with essential oils and married to a rubbing or grain alcohol as a base. But whatever the true mix he used, and its secret is now lost forever, Tom Smith the lone horseman from the western plains was a holistic healer far ahead of his time. A true horse whisperer.

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Triggerfish Appearance

The triggerfish can become quite a large fish, sometimes up to 3 feet in length.  They travel in groups, and are characterised by their green scales covered in spots or stripes.  They are an attractive fish, usually very popular with snorkelers and scuba divers.  They have a fairly flat body and two dorsal spines which they can lock, giving them their name “trigger” fish.  They use this ability as a defense mechanism against their predators.

Triggerfish Activit

y and Behaviour

The triggerfish is a generally solitary fish, swimming around the reef feeding on small invertebrates that live around the coral reef.  During their breeding season, the triggerfish hides their eggs in a hole and can become quite aggressive in order to protect their eggs.  Their have been cases of a triggerfish attacking scuba divers and snorkelers and because some of them have big teeth, these attacks can draw blood, although are unlikely to result in any serious injury.

T

riggerfish Species

There are several different kinds of triggerfish, all of which are different in appearance, whether it be size, colors or actual design.  Species present in the Maldives include the Titan Triggerfish, the Clown Triggerfish and the Picasso Triggerfish.  The Picasso Triggerfish is probably the most spectacular of the varieties, thanks to his stunning black, white and yellow markings.

Where to find Triggerfish in the Maldives

While Triggerfish are very commonly spotted in

the Maldives, there are several dive sites where encounters are more common than others.  These include:  The Fihalhohi Reef, Meeru Island and Ari Atoll.

The Indiana Fever added yet another victory to their six wins against the Washington Mystics this season. Sunday’s match marked a second difficult game in the series playoffs, with Indiana winning 81-74 in overtime. With the victory, the Fever advance to the Eastern Conference finals while the Mystics are done for the season. Despite developing a new team this season, the Mystics made an excellent debut. The team may have lost in the first round of the playoffs for the past three years in a ro

w, but the players gave a great fight. The Fever, on the other hand, knew how to control the pace in the final moments of the game, using their veteran experience to defeat the less experienced Mystics. The Fever entered the game with good momentum, letting the Mystics know off the bat that Indiana intended to win. In fact, the Fever began the first four minutes of the quarter with a 12-4 run. However, Washington was able to react with the help of Lindsey Harding, who scored 6 points and cut Ind

iana’s lead to just 2 points by the end of the quarter. In the second quarter, the Mystics tied the score with two free throws from Monique Currie. Later, both teams exchanged baskets for several minutes; Indiana was trying to maintain its lead while Washington was fighting to get ahead. The Mystics were finally able to take control of the game at the end of the second quarter, when Alana Beard, who scored 7 points in a row in the final minutes, brought the score to 37-30 in Washington’s fav

or by halftime. Both teams entered the third quarter refreshed and reinvigorated, focusing on the win. Washington grabbed a lead of 9 points, but Indiana cut the lead, scoring 8 points to bring the score to 55-49. In the fourth quarter, the Mystics started strong, attaining an 11-point lead with the assistance of Crystal Langhorne and 9:01 left in the game. However, the Fever, in the form of Katie Douglas, Tammy Sutton-Brown, and especially Tamika Catchings, responded with great shooting; with only 6.7 seconds left, Catchings took the ball in the paint and Langhorne fouled her. And with only 2.9 seconds left, Catchings made two free throws that took the game to overtime. Once in overtime, Indian point guard Tully Bevilaqua motivated her team, sparking their confidence after scoring 5 points in a row and helping in defense. The Mystics, however, were unable to shoot well and began playing desperately. Indiana was able to maintain its composure, outscoring Washington 12-5 and ultimately obtaining the triumph 81-74. “We did not shoot as well as we have in the past,” Fever head coach Lin Dunn admitted after the game, “but we found a way to win. Tully Bevilaqua sparked us with her defense, had rebounds and showed toughness. Tammy Sutton-Brown was a warrior out there. Tamika Catchings had a magnificent, MVP performance.” The best scorers for the Indiana Fever were Tamika Catchings with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists; Tammy Sutton-Brown with 16 points and 9 rebounds; Katie Douglas with 13 points and 5 assists; and finally Tully Bavilaqua with 13 points and 7 rebounds. For the Washington Mystics the best contributors were Crystal Langhorne with 15 points and 10 rebounds; Lindsey Harding with 10 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds; and ultimately Alana Beard with 10 points The Indiana will start playing the Eastern Conference final series against Detroit this Wednesday, September 23rd.