Archive for February, 2010

USA Falls Short: Crosby Comes Up Big

This is one of the best hockey games I have witnessed in a long time. Big stage with big players making big plays during key moments. It was a hard fought battle between the Americans and Canadians, this is one to remember. The first period was full of big hits and rough play with few shots on goal, with Toews putting one past miller at the 12:50 mark in the 1^st. The second was more action; a second score by the Canadians made it a 2-0 lead with a goal from Perry at 7:13. The Americans responded five minutes later with a deflection by Kessler at 12:44. Third period got heated with team USA breathing down the necks of team Canada. USA was getting plenty of shots all period but couldn’t get one by Luogo, until there was 24 seconds left on the clock and Parise came through in the clutch to keep with the play and get one by.

Overtime break proved to be no energy kill; both teams came out hot, but the Canadians where out skating the Americans and getting good shots on Miller. Eventually Crosby makes a great play to slip by the defender to put a tight shot past Miller for the gold medal and to crown team Canada as the best hockey team in the world.

Crosby proves to be the premier player in the world and Canada as Hockey nation but I must say I was very proud of team USA and their hard fought game. Coming from behind on a team like that takes guts and pride; they showed that with the performance put out on the ice. All though we Americans won’t remember this game like our neighbors to the north, we will be looking forward to the 2014 Olympics and another shot at the Hockey title of the world. For more coverage of the Gold medal game. Check out: http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2009090030&navid=DL|NHL|home

2010 winter olympics, Canada Wins Gold, Olympics, USA Hockey, USA olympics

Who will be Number One?

As the NCAA tournament approaches, questions on who will be in or out of the Tournament start to take place. Who will end up as the number one team in the nation? Naturally, there is no undefeated team, but there are also not many teams that have my full confidence in March Madness. The NCAA tournament begins March 16 and many teams still need to make a strong case in the conference tournaments to make the NCAA tournament.

The Kansas Jayhawks control the number one ranking with two losses, and Kentucky holds the number 2 ranking with two losses. But, both teams lost to Tennessee handily shows that neither team can say they will easily go to the Final Four. After the Week rankings are up, Syracuse will most likely will jump to the number one spot after their dominating victory over Villanova at home. The Kansas Jayhawks seem to have things in control because they have beaten tough teams in the Big 12 such as Kansas St. and Texas. But what about the rest of the teams? Purdue, Duke, Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Kansas St. make strong cases for a successful run at the Final Four.

Purdue just had a devastating loss in Robbie Hummel, a very versatile player for the Boilermakers. The Big East teams are hard to judge because they cannot win away games verses very tough Big East Conference. As for Duke, well let’s just say, they are Duke. Tennessee would make a statement with their two huge wins over #1 Kansas and #2 Kentucky, but most they have lost too many away games to make them more than just a huge threat. Kentucky’s John Wall is a tremendous player no doubt, but I don’t believe he has the maturity to lead his team to a National Championship. Many questions seem to come about as various upsets happen to top ten teams. I think that Syracuse and Duke will make a strong run, but I also believe that any team is capable of pulling of an upset this year. Who is number one in your eyes?

Big East, Duke, John Wall, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, March Madness, NCAA Basketball, NCAA tournament, Purdue Boilermakers, Robbie Hummel, Syracuse

Changing your Body

For athletes looking to compete at high levels there is nothing worse than carrying dead weight. When performing you should be able to maximize your bodies output by utilizing it to its fullest potential. This means having a responsive and healthy body. Not one that is carrying around dead weight that will only slow you down. Speed and quickness are essential for almost any sport. So developing a training program and diet that meets these objectives is essential.

However, if you are not necessarily an athlete but just someone who is concerned with living a healthy lifestyle there is always room to improve on what you have.

First, before any progress can be made and any exercise routine or diet is implemented the individual must take time to sit down and set goals. What do you want to get out of your body? What types of things would you like to improve and change? These goals must be realistic and reachable, or else the individual will have no sense of progress and be sure to fail.
Second, there must be some sort of “baseline” to measure progress from. The athlete or individual must measure where they are before their training begins in order to see the results. As long as there is hard work there will be results.
Third, the athlete or individual must take time to mentally commit to what they are about to undertake. Without the proper commitment they are sure to waiver from what they are doing. Commitment means making sacrifices and giving up certain things in order to get others.
Fourth, and finally the athlete or individual must put in work. It is simple; what you put in is what you get out. There must be an embrace of the struggle, a realization that you are working for something better than what you have. There are no short cuts in order to get what you want.

The articles in the body section will help you assess your current standings and determine what workout and program is right for you, and help you work towards developing the body that you want.