Archive for April, 2010

Channel 4 Kicks Off Paralympic Build Up

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
by Tom Doerr

Channel 4 has fired the starting gun on the build up to the London 2012 Paralympics with a Saturday lunchtime magazine show including a one off documentary. The company Boomerang scored a 10 x 30 minute slot which has the potential of a three year commission. The show will begin in August and will shed light on the GB 2012 team and the range of sports that are involved in the Paralympics.

Rick Edwards, a regular Channel 4 presenter will host the show alongside Ade Adepitan, a seasoned wheelchair basketball player; the show will include guest spots and reports from athletes such as 400m world champion Iwan Thomas and Beijing Breaststroke gold medallist Liz Johnson.

There will be a variety of regular features on the show including pitting celebrities and able bodied athletes against the British squad in a variety of Paralympic sports. The show will aim to promote the games and the issues of the disabilities of the athletes involved. It will be produced to promote the GB team but also encourage those with disabilities to overcome obstacles.

Channel 4 will also host a show presented by Mike Christie focusing on the bodies of the athletes. He will use high tech scanning technology to produce ‘biomechanical portraits’ of five athletes taking part in the games. He will also record their performances against the backdrop of iconic London locations to promote the games.

Channel 4 won the contract for coverage of the games, beating the BBC who had held the contract for the past 20 years. “We wanted to find groundbreaking, intelligent ways of raising the profile of Britain’s Paralympic athletes and the sports themselves, and both these commissions will achieve this brilliantly,” said Julian Bellamy, Head of Channel 4.

Although the network won the rights to the coverage of the games, it was not contracted to produce any further content in relation and some have considered this one of many aspects of British Pride over taking the commercialism that usually surrounds the largest sporting event in history.

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Rafael Nadal - The New Tennis Star

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
by Edward Pagan

Sometimes called ‘Rafa,’ Rafael Nadal is a local of Spain who has made a massive impact in the world of tennis.

Born June three, 1986 in Manacor, Mallorca, Rafael Nadal is the child of Sebastian and Ana Maria Nadal.

Standing 6′1′ and weighing 178 lbs, Rafael Nadal turned into a professional tennis player in 2001 after having played since four years of age.

Under the steering and teaching of Toni Nadal, his uncle, Rafael Nadal commenced learning to play tennis terribly early in life as is obvious from his early championship.

Toni, who remains Rafael’s coach, is a particularly crucial part of this kid’s success.

In 2005, he won 11 titles and also captured recognition as the ‘Most Improved Player’ for 2005 as named by the ATP.

In June 2006, Rafael Nadal won his 2nd Roland Garros crown and also scored his 100th claycourt career victory.

That same month, Rafael Nadal turned twenty and finished his teenage years with major success. It was during these years that Rafael Nadal won sixteen career titles, which tied the record for the most titles won by a teenager.

Even though Rafael Nadal is right-handed, he plays left-handed and produces a backhand using both. As with most top sportsmen in their sport, Rafael Nadal is managed by IMG and is sometimes found in Nike clothes.

Fans who would like to ask a signed photo or just send Rafael Nadal their best wishes are advised to do so in care of his professional association.

It is usually recommended that fans not send any item that they cannot afford to lose, for example prized possessions and/or limited edition collectibles.

Popular items to have signed include blank index cards and photos. It is generally recommended that fans not send any item that they can’t afford to lose, for example cherished possessions and/or limited edition collectibles.

As with all mailed autograph requests, there’s no guarantee of a reply. For this reason, many fans simply like to request a signed photo.

Letters and requests should be mailed to:

Letters and requests should be mailed to: Rafael Nadal ATP Tennis 201 ATP Blvd. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082.

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Tennis Elbow No More!

Monday, April 26th, 2010
by Bruce Lipsky, MS

The discomfort and nagging pain from tennis elbow can have a tremendous effect on your daily activities. For most individuals who are suffering with this injury, even grasping a coffee cup in the A.M. can be an extremely painful and difficult task to perform.

If you really want to beat this debilitating injury, there are 3 simple tennis elbow exercises you can perform to help increase the range of motion, decrease stiffness, improve mobility and strength of your injured muscles and tendons.

Tennis Elbow Exercises 1 - Wrist Extension For this exercise, you will again need the can of soup or a 1 liter of soda. Place a soup can or 1 liter of soda in your hand with palm facing downwards toward the floor. Support your forearm at the edge of a table or on your knee so that only your hand can move. Let the wrist down slowly go past parallel to almost 90 degrees with your forearm and then slowly come back up to parallel with the floor.

Tennis Elbow Exercises 2 - Forearm Pronation/Supination For this exercise, I recommend you use a hammer, wrench, something that you can get a nice grip on. Once you have something in your hand with forearm supported by the arm of a chair, your knee or coffee table. Rotate hand to palm down position, return to start position (hammer perpendicular to floor), rotate to palm up position, repeat. To increase or decrease the resistance, try moving your hand farther away or closer towards the head of the hammer. In other words, if you are grasping the hammer at the very end of the handle and the head of the hammer is the furthest away from your hand, then this will be the most challenging and greatest resistance for you

Tennis Elbow Exercises 3 - Finger Extension Interweave a thick rubber band around all five fingers. Keeping your elbow as straight as possible [but if you feel pain when you completely straighten your arm only straighten as far as you can without pain], try to straighten and spread your fingers outwards as if you were going to catch a softball. Hold for three seconds, then let your fingers relax naturally; do not close your hand completely. For added resistance, use a second rubber band. Repeat for 25 repetitions for 3 sets.

If you are serious about dissolving your elbow pain and want to get rid of this stubborn injury for good, I recommend you check out the internet’s number one resource for tennis elbow treatment, where you will learn five simple techniques to eliminate your elbow pain in as little as 72 hours and completely cure it within 30 days!

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Choosing a Summer Tennis Camp for Your Teen

Monday, April 26th, 2010
by Stephen Daniels

Tennis stars don’t just happen: their success is the result of years of hard work that starts at a young age. Teen players who show a natural talent for the sport benefit from coaching at an early age. Not only do they learn the fundamentals of the sport, but coaching and preparation teaches them the concepts of practice and focus they will need to excel at the sport.

If your son or daughter is a budding professional athlete, you might want to consider sending him/her to a tennis summer camp this year. Many young people enjoy going to summer camps that are focused on something that they are passionate about; not only does it ensure that they will be challenged and enjoy themselves every day, but they will also enjoy the camaraderie of being around others their own age with the same interests.

Summer tennis camps can either be overnight or day programs. There is no right choice between the two — only a choice that is right for you and your teen. Overnight programs will be more immersive experiences, but will require your teen to stay away from home for up to a few weeks. Day programs are frequently less expensive but might offer less individual instruction per day.

If you are thinking about an overnight tennis camp for your son or daughter, you’ll want to consider elements outside of the sport. Even the most serious youth player can get burned out from playing tennis for hours every day. Check and see what other types of activities are offered. Do players get to take a break and do other fun activities like hiking, camping or evening social dances? You want the experience to be fun for your teen in addition to improving their game.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the camp staff. Find out what age groups the students are paired with, and if there will be other players at their age and skill level. If your son or daughter needs extra instruction in certain elements of tennis, make sure the staff know about that and can give them the type of one-on-one attention they need. You can also find out what types of surfaces the facility uses for its courts — tennis camps for teens can be a great chance to expose younger players to surfaces such as grass and clay for the first time.

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Will The Victor Of The Women’s Singles 2010 Tennis Wimbledon Be A Certain Danish Beauty?

Friday, April 23rd, 2010
by Andreas Stubbs

Caroline Wozniacki was born in Denmark upon 11/07/90 and is currently rated number 2 in the world. She has currently picked up seven WTA tour events and lost in the 2009 US open final.

Wozniacki began the year with an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong in which she lost 2 singles games for Team Europe yet won two combined doubles along with Stefan Edberg. Her very first WTA tournament presented a 1st round loss inside three sets to Li Na in Sydney.

The lady was seeded 4th while in the Aussie Open, her very first top-8 seed inside a Grand Slam. She dropped to Li Na of China within the 4th round, 6-4, 6-3, a rematch of her 1st round loss in the Medibank International. In spite of her 4th round departure, Wozniacki accomplished her professional high ranking of No.3.

As the 2nd seed in the BNP Paribas Open, Wozniacki climbed to the final, where the lady ended up being defeated by Jelena Jankovic, 6-2 6-4. Irrespective of that, the girl’s place in the finals guaranteed a brand new professional high position of World No. 2.

In the Sony Ericsson Open inside Miami, Wozniacki was defeated within the quarterfinals to Justine Henin 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

The girl’s following competition ended up being the MPS Group Championships in Florida, where she eased towards the last four. In the semifinals, she played Elena Vesnina and fought her way back from 1-6, 3-5, to win the match and progress to the final, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-4. Inside Wozniacki’s 2nd final of the actual year, the lady conquered Olga Govortsova, 6-2, 7-5, as well as rescued set point within the 2nd set.

Wozniacki’s subsequent tournament had been the Family Circle Cup. Seeded number one, she achieved the semi-finals in which she retired versus Vera Zvonareva. She was down 4-2 to Zvonareva when she turned her ankle chasing after the short ball, plummeting to the tennis court and, in tears, she got it bound up. The actual tape did not help, though: she quit a few points later.

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We Are The Champions: The Rugby World Cup, History Of Rugby World Cup

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
by Adriana Noton

Contrary to popular belief, the rugby world cup, history of rugby world cup was no easy competition that came about. Paradoxically, it faced major resistance from some nations that compete in it today, 23 years after its inception!

Today, although this competition enjoys the position of being among the three top international sports events, following the Olympics and soccer world cup, the story of its struggle began much before that.

Many suggest that former player turned referee Harold Tolhurst had made such suggestions of a league of nations coming together to compete for a world cup. If he had suggested it, no one took any cognizance of that.

Interestingly, the Rugby League continued to have their League of Nations championships and continue to do so even as international world teams participate in the world cup every four years like the 2011 rugby world cup

After years of bickering and fighting and opposition from many nations, in the early 1980s the IRB sat down to discuss the possibility of actually having a world cup sort of event. It was in a meeting in 1983 that Australia aggressively campaigned to being the host nation of the first games, should there be one. New Zealand jumped on the bandwagon and made a call to arms.

Coming back to the IRB World Cup, years of indecision and opposition followed and finally in the beginning of the 80s, the IRB got down to discussing a chance of holding something like a championship of countries in the latter half of the 80s. It was then that Australia swiftly put in its bid to be the first nation to host the inaugural cup. Not one to be left out, New Zealand joined them in a bid to co-host the event.

In 1983, in a meeting with member nations, Australia made its intention clear to host the first ever world cup of rugby if the decision were to be taken. New Zealand partnered them to co-host it.

Although it was banned to take part in international sports because of the apartheid controversy, it had the foresight to see the greatness of such a sporting event. Eventually, some of the other opposing members gave in and the decision was taken to hold the first world cup for rugby in 1987 in Australia and New Zealand.

16 countries from around the globe took part in exciting matches to enter the racy finals. All the nations that were participating had been invited by the IRB. New Zealand won the match against France in the final match to take home the trophy.

From the second tourney on, in 1991, much like in the way nations participate in a qualifying round for the soccer world cup, the IRB held a qualifying tournament that saw 32 nations participate!

However, it was the 1995 World Series that left a mark and propelled it to a top world sporting competition. Eight years after its inception, the games came to South Africa, each match to be played within the nation, a first for the competition.

As if by fate, the home team beat New Zealand in a sensational final to walk away with the cup. It was a moment of glory for the sport and for the series. The then South African president Nelson Mandela handed over the cup to the team in a historical win that can only be described as nothing short of a miracle.

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Looking Ahead To The 2012 Summer Olympics

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
by Adriana Noton

Sometime around the 8th century B. C., athletes came from Sparta, Croton, Rhodes, Athens and other city-states of the ancient world to compete in competitions on Greece. Some of these events were chariot racing, boxing and running. This gathering of strong and fast competitors would become the forerunner to today’s summer Olympic Games. The Olympics of today is considered the top athletic stage in the world with more than 70 countries sending their athletes to try to take home a medal. The 2012 Summer Olympics will take place in London, United Kingdom. The games will run from July 27 through August 12.

The selection of London as host city for the 2012 games goes back to 2003. Nine cities were vying for the honor of being chosen. These cities were London, Madrid, New York, Havana, Moscow, Istanbul, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Leipzig. By 2004, the number of contenders had been narrowed to five: London, Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow. In 2005, on July 6, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) announced that London would be the city to host the games in 2012.

Competition to be named host was heavy. Each of the cities did all they could to impress the judges. During the selection time, many people believed that Paris had an upper hand. The attempt for the 2012 games was Paris’ third attempt in a few decades and it was also thought that they were “due” to win. But, London had an ace up its sleeve.

In the 1980 summer games in Moscow, and again in Los Angeles in 1984, a young British athlete won gold in the 1500 meter race. Both times, his wins were dramatic and unexpected, as he beat out another British competitor who was regarded by many as the dominating force in the race. The winning athlete was Sebastian Coe and the man whom he defeated was Steve Ovett, the favorite in the race. Twenty years after his amazing upset, Coe would play a big role in winning the nomination for the 2012 Summer Olympics for London.

Barbara Cassani, chairperson for London’s Olympic bid committee, resigned in 2004, after the first phase of the bidding process was complete. She strongly believed that a person with close experience in the Olympics should head up phase 2.

Cassani recommended Sebastian Coe as leader of the second phase. In July 2005, Coe made a presentation to the IOC at one of its important meetings. This presentation was viewed as very successful and possibly a key deciding factor for the award going to London.

The games of 2012 will include 26 sports. Baseball and softball will not be played in London; however they do remain Olympic sports. Women’s boxing has been added for 2012. The Paralympics will also take place and will feature 20 different areas of competition.

The Summer Olympic Games have a rich and fascinating history. Through the years, spectators have been awed as they watch men and women reach higher highs and faster speeds. People have marveled at seeing one nation go all out and do the impossible to upset the favored nation’s team and become the victor. Let’s hope the same kind of excitement is in store for 2012.

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Best Table Tennis Conversion Top - Entire Buying Tips

Friday, April 16th, 2010
by Macy Black

If you are looking for a new original way of entertaining your family and friends, stop looking as the game of ping pong is the best possible advice that you are going to hear. Given that this game requires very little skill it is interesting both to children and adults.

Whether you wish to improve your table tennis skills while learning the game, or you just want to mess around, you need certain gear. The biggest task, both effort and money wise, is without doubt deciding where you would want to play table tennis, as purchasing a specialized ping pong table can be costly. There is a solution and that is a killerspin table tennis conversion top.

Table tennis conversion tops are built to fit on top of a table, regardless if it’s a pool table or a kitchen table. This way, you are not using unnecessary room in your household, plus these tops are in general less expensive than full sized ping pong tables. Conversion tops are usually made to fit standard pool table measures which are approximately 7 to 8 feet in length.

Table tennis conversion tops are produced in various dimensions and are intended to fit many pool table dimensions. So in most situations, it is best to take measurements of your own table before coming to a decision which conversion top to buy. Generally, a top includes 2 posts and a net that is attached to them.

Buying an adaptable conversion top which can be transformed to any table size is also a choice. However it’s not practical to store such a lengthy top, unless you have a big storage space or a garage. This is why they generally arrive with a folding feature. Be sure to ask the seller whether this functionality is available.

Deal for these products is anywhere between $150 and $500. As with many other items on the market it all depends on how much you are planning to use it. If you would like to play a sporadic game with your kids and friends then a $150 to $200 will be just OK, but don’t expect the top to last for many years. If you are serious about ping pong, then a cost of $500 or above can guarantee you peace of mind.

You should always buy these items from well-known and well established manufacturers to ensure the quality and longevity of the product. Some of known manufacturers are Kilpatrick, Stiga, Prince Sports, and DMI. If you are wondering which might be the best, just take into account that Martin Kilpatrick was the official ball sponsor of the World Table Tennis Championships in 2009.

If you want to engage in ping pong outside in your garden or a backyard you need to get a kettler table tennis conversion top that is weather proof. Remember to ask this at the store.

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Do You Suffer From Tennis Elbow?

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
by Bruce Lipsky, MS

If tennis elbow is “stopping your game”, then finding the correct treatment methods are critical and essential for a complete and fast recovery.

The following is a list of the top five methods of treatment that have been proven to work in conjunction, to cure and treat debillitating tennis elbow.

Tennis elbow treatment and rehabillitation should be understood as if you have a soft tissue injury and therefore the treatment methods listed below follow a specific process which is they are numbered one through five.

Method #1The first and probably the most important method of treatment has to be rest. Rest is essential for any injury and it is essential if you plan on using any other methods to treat your tennis elbow symptoms.

Method #2The second method which is very effective in the treatment of elbow pain is to use ice. Any doctor will tell you to keep ice on your muscle injury or tendon injury as this will help to reduce the swelling, easy the pain, and help to reduce inflammation. This in turn also helps to speed up healing.

Method #3The third method is to use compression. You can get specific wraps that can be placed around your wrist and arm and this is another method that can be used to keep the swelling to a minimum and prevent any further damage to the muscles and tendons. Compression also helps to keep everything in place.

Method #4The fourth treatment method is elevation. If you can try to keep your arm elevated above heart level it will help to prevent further swelling and help to reduce pain. Swelling is often caused when there is too much blood in the site of the injury and by elevating your arm you will be reducing the amount of blood in this area.

Method #5If none of the above treatment methods are working and your symptoms are getting much worse, then you need to see your family doctor as you may have something more serious going on - like a broken bone. You will need to have a specialist look at your injury and correctly diagnose that you are suffering from tennis elbow.

Your medical professional will also determine what course of treatment is necessary for you. Once you begin to feel improvement and your symptoms lessen, thenyou can then take matters into your own hands and start to practice some of the tennis elbow exercises that are available, on a daily basis. You will need to start our simple but in time you will be able to increase the resistance that you use in these exercises.

You should never rush the resistance when doing tennis elbow exercises as this can make matters worse. You need to make sure that your muscles and tendons are ready.

These are the top 5 tennis elbow treatment methods that you can effectively use. There is another thing needs to be mentioned, and that is whether you are taking pain relief medication. If so, then you should make sure that you are taking something that includes an anti-inflammatory to help keep the swelling down.

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Might Andy Murray Prove To Be The Very First British Man To Win Wimbledon Since Fred Perry.

Saturday, April 10th, 2010
by Andreas Stubbs

Britain’s top rated men’s tennis participant at the moment is without a doubt Andy Murray he is a proud Scotsman and was born 15/05/87 he’s currently placed at number three although he’s already been positioned at number two from 17/08/09 to 31/08/09, which in turn presents Andy Murray the honour associated with being the highest positioned Uk men’s tennis player since Fred Perry.

Despite the fact that he has yet to win a grand slam tennis tournament Andy Murray has arrived at 2 finals 1 from the US Open in 2008 and one other that was the actual Aussie open this year, both times this individual had been beaten through Roger Federer.

Defensive counter strike is the easiest way to explain his style of game, his fantastic groundstrokes, low mistake rate, anticipation and his uncanny capability to react to match predicaments and move in between strike as well as defence easily. Andy Murray usually likes to play from the baseline looking forward to his opponent to make an error, even though he is actually able to build enormous speed in his ground strokes causing his opponents to rush their strokes. His greatest artillery is without doubt his considerable 1st serve.

Murray is at his best upon quicker playing surfaces though through working very hard along with his group he’s improved his strength and skill making him better on clay. This individual possesses a crew of fitness professionals who do the job in conjunction with his main coach Miles Maclagan.

The first achievements occurred on hard courts despite the fact that plenty of his earlier jr coaching occurred on the clay tennis courts of Barcelona and in fact Murray used to state that he preferred the clay-based surface.

Andy Murray is fancied to win Wimbledon within his career can this year become the season a Uk male once again will take the most sought after of championships.

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