The Sports Archives – A Career in Sports Engineering

Posted on June 4, 2012 by

Oscar PistoriousIf you have a passion for both sports and science, a career in sports engineering could be perfect for you. These days, the sports industry is big business. Sports suppliers and athletes alike want to out-perform their competitors. Sport engineers can fill this need, as they spend years researching the most innovative sports technology. Whether a particular brand of golf ball needs to travel further in the air, or if a marathon runner needs better-designed shoes to minimize injury, a sports engineer has the answer. Just because sports engineers don’t build bridges or highways, doesn’t mean that their field is any less important. According to ScienceMag.org, sports engineering is science in action. Here are some reasons why it’s such a useful career choice.

It prevents injuries

A major part of sports engineering is to improve the safety of athletes and to minimize their injuries. This can range from making improvements to equipment and products to improving playing surfaces. According to ScienceMag.org, playing surfaces in particular are a big cause of injuries and sports engineers spend years developing the best materials for optimal traction, friction, durability and safety.

Improve performance

This is where the money lies! According to ScienceMag.org, sports engineers spend a great deal of time figuring out how to improve products and equipment. Some sports engineers are paid hefty sums by sporting goods companies to make a particular product the best on the market. For example, according to ScienceMag.org, sports engineers have discovered that a baseball bat’s performance will be determined by the level of sound frequency it emits when hit. A lower frequency means a greater chance of a home run! Various tweaks and changes can then be made to the design and materials of the bat, resulting in a bat that blows the competition out of the water.

Disabled athletes

A rewarding aspect of sports engineering is creating innovative products that allow disabled athletes to perform at the same level as able-bodied ones. An example of this is Oscar Pistorious, the South African record-breaking athlete who has no legs, but can compete against his able-bodied contemporaries. Thanks to sports engineers, he is able to run at lightening speed, using carbon-fibre blades (TheIndependent.co.uk). These blades have earned him the nickname “The Blade runner”, as well as some controversy. He runs so fast that his competitors feel he has an unfair advantage!

Sports engineering can be a highly useful and rewarding career, as you can help athletes improve their performance, decrease their injuries and even make amputees run! It goes without saying that a love for sport is a must, as your whole career will be centered on it. Sports engineering can even be studied online and numerous career opportunities are available, most focusing on development, innovation, and research. Enroll in a sports engineering program today, and see science in action.

Ang Lloyd writes on behalf of Now Learning, an online education portal that promotes an assortment of study opportunities Down Under, including small business management and engineering courses in Australia.

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The Sports Archives – Is Kurt Angle’s Olympic Desire Genuine or a Publicity Stunt?

Posted on June 2, 2012 by

Kurt Angle won Olympic gold in 1996. Since winning that medal, he has stated that he wanted to go back to amateur competition or to compete in Mixed Martial Arts. For one reason or another, it never happens.

Kurt Angle

Angle claimed that he would try out for the 2004 Olympic Games, but he never did. Now (yet again) he’s talking about trying out for the 2012 Olympics. At 43 years old, and after sustaining a litany of debilitating injuries, including spinal trauma, the overwhelming perspective is that Angle is just posturing for publicity’s sake. In a recent poll for PWI, a vocal 15 percent believe that Angle genuinely wants to return to Olympic competition, even if he’s a long shot to make the team. Many believe that Angle has fought against the odds his entire career. After all, if George Foreman could return to boxing at 45 years old, who’s to say that Angle can’t make another Olympic run?

On the flip side of the coin, Angle has also been known to desperately seek media attention. Since arriving on the scene at TNA Wrestling, Angle has had numerous run-ins with the law including several DUI/DWI arrests as well as some responses for domestic disturbances with an ex-girlfriend. There have also been several public outbursts via his social media Twitter account, which he later claimed was hacked.

Could it be that Angle’s desire to return to a legitimate competitive stage is yet another attempt to get into the good graces of the media and his fans? Has TNA Wrestling’s lack of growth caused concern for the aging performer whose body is about to tap out after years of enduring career threatening injuries?

Fans hope that this isn’t a desperate ploy to grab publicity for his name – but what else is left for him to do in the twilight of his career to maintain relevant? The last thing fans want is for Angle to wear out his welcome and embarrass himself much like Ric Flair has been doing for the last 10 years. Angle is arguably the best pound for pound wrestler in the world, and for him to diminish his legacy for the sake of marking out for himself would be a shame and a painful reminder that there is no old timers day in a sport that chews up its athletes or pushes them to a breaking point.

The more he pushes himself, the more fans will beg him to walk away gracefully. Unfortunately, in this business it is one of the most difficult things to do.

The Wrestling Jackal has been covering the pro wrestling business for over two decades. He occasionally contributes to Online Wrestling Videos.

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The Sports Archives – Is Pro Wrestling Better or Worse Than It Was Five years Ago?

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

I’m an old school purist. Well, not that old school, but I do prefer the pro wrestling product of the 80′s when the business protected the magic that made it so engaging. The first Wrestlemania took place in 1985, yet that was 29 years ago and kayfabe has been dead for well over a decade and a half. So in this new era of “sports entertainment”, an elder statesman such as myself is curious to know whether or not the business has gained in popularity or regressed in interest ever since the curtain was pulled and the almighty Oz was exposed.

Mania 29In 2007, John Cena dominated the WWE, Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle were tearing down houses for TNA and Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers named Hornswoggle the Rookie of The Year. It was definitely a mixed bag as far as the overall quality of wrestling went.

Yet there still more big names on the wrestling scene five years ago. Shawn Michaels, Batista, and Edge were still active. Now HBK and the Rated R Superstar have called it a career, while Batista walked away from the business in disgust to pursue Hollywood and MMA.

TNA on the other hand has been suffering since the addition of legendary icon Hulk Hogan to the roster. While the company continues to employ some of the brightest stars on the indy circuit, they have been over shadowed by former WWE castaways and returning old timers who have blocked the spotlight of success on their nationally televised program. During TNA’s inception, the foundation of the company was built with a focus on the stars of tomorrow, yet in 2012 they have been hindered by the stars of yesterday…and yesterday was at least 10 years ago as it follows the fatal footsteps of the plagued WCW.

However, 2007 was also the year that the wrestling world was rocked with by the Chris Benoit murder/suicide that put the industry on a high-profile watch and forced it to endure media scrutiny eventually leading to a lesser PG rated product.

Now in 2012, both the WWE and TNA have been able to finally develop some new stars which many believe have created a sense of excitement for both companies. The Rock and CM Punk have generated considerable buzz, and created potential dream match scenarios that didn’t exist five years ago. In a recent PWI poll, 65% of wrestling fans who were asked this very question voted that the overall product and industry is better than it was in 2007. I still have trouble swallowing that pill, yet I haven’t cast my official vote. What is yours?

The Wrestling Jackal has been writing about and covering the pro wrestling industry for over two decades, and has a small hobby site where he shares classic wrestling videos that takes him back to a time when the industry was at its finest. Feel free to give it a visit and relive some of your favorite pro wrestling memories.

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The Sports Archives – Astro Turf versus Normal Grass for Training in Sports

Posted on May 31, 2012 by

Astro Turf was first adopted for use in sport by baseball. Its inaugural usage in the Houston Astrodome paved the way for other teams and other sports to cover their own pitches with it, and in fact coined the name as well. Originally called Chem Turf, the name was swiftly changed due to popular usage of the term Astro Turf.

Houston AstrodomeIn fact, Astro Turf itself has almost become obsolete in its original form, but the colloquialism still stands as the most popular name for all forms of artificial grass.

Why Use Astro Turf?

There were many initial advantages for the use of artificial turf in sports. It is relatively low maintenance, extremely hard-wearing and can be laid almost anywhere without sunlight and irrigation considerations. The durability makes it ideal for training, where real grass pitches could become churned up and unsuitable for use by game time. It is obviously better for indoor arenas, and resists the heavy usage likely to occur in most sports.

Drawbacks

SoccerYet some disadvantages became apparent fairly quickly – the artificial surfaces had much less give than grass fields, and players often found themselves with far more serious injuries than they may otherwise have incurred. This was especially true in sports such as soccer, where players were likely to be sliding on the ground, and kits did not cover all the skin.

New Generation

However, the new generation of synthetic grass, Field Turf, uses polyethylene fibers, which cushion a fall in much the same way as real grass does. Astro Turf and its new generation brothers make play in ball games much faster, and they give a far truer bounce as well.

The advantages of this are obvious, as players can throw the ball longer distanceSoccer Fields by utilizing a bounce, safe in the knowledge that the ball will not hit a divot and veer off to the left or right. Also, the lines for the field of play are sewn into the original design, so there is no risk of them fading and making it harder to call out.

The main benefit of training on Astro Turf or Field Turf is that it doesn’t mess up the surface of the pitch. Often, teams are reluctant to practice on their match pitches, as in some weatheRainrs it can then make the surface unplayable for days afterwards. Training on synthetic grass has no effect on the playability of the surface, so teams can go all out in practice as well as during a match.

This post was written on behalf of Hi-TechTurf.co.uk

Image attribution 1|2|3|4

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The Sports Archives – Olympic Medals

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

With the London Summer Olympics just around the corner it’s natural to begin thinking about some of the traditions and rituals associated with the event. Just recently the Olympic Flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the games. Using the power of the Sun and a parabolic mirror the flame was lit and then was passed onto the Olympic Torch which will now make its way to London via numerous torch bearers in time for the opening ceremony on the 27th of July.

2000 Olympic First Medals

Ancient Medals

At the original Olympic Games, long before their modern-day revival, the prize awarded to the top performing athlete was far from a gold medal. In fact the prize had no monetary value but was purely symbolic. An Olive branch was given to only the winning Olympian, the branch was woven into wreath crown. The symbolic nature of this prize stems from the fact that the Olive branch was taken from a sacred tree located in Olympia near the temple of Zeus. Being given a wreath with direct association to your god must have been quite an honor. To this day Olympians compete not only to be the best, and for their countries, but also for the honor of competing at the games regardless of where they place.

Modern Games

The modern Olympics really took shape with the formation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894 and the first games were soon scheduled in for 1896 in Athens. Athens had hosted a number of Olympic events in the years running up to 1896 but these were for Greek and Ottoman Empire athletes. They did however spark the creation of the IOC by Baron Pierre de Coubertin which led to the modern international games.

Modern Medals

The last time that an entirely gold medal was awarded to a winning athlete was way back in 1912 in Sweden. Since this time the gold medal has actually consisted of a silver medal covered in a layer of gold. There are strict guidelines set out by the IOC regarding the construction and presentation of the medals. This is a result of the host nation having the responsibility of manufacturing the medals to be used at the respective games, a tradition that started in 1900 when the games were hosted in Paris and the medal was produced by the Paris mint.

As mentioned, the gold medal is not entirely gold, at the same time it’s hardly gold costume jewellery either. The gold medal must be constructed of 550 grams of high-grade silver and be coated with pure gold. So the medal is still packed full of precious metals, and as such has an intrinsic monetary value. The monetary value of a medal is obviously not the motivation for winning one for an athlete. Of course there would be far easier ways to earn that kind of money than winning an Olympic event!

The silver medal, awarded for 2nd place, is exactly the same in build as the gold medal except of course that it doesn’t have the pure gold outer layer. As a result the monetary value of a silver medal is roughly half that of a gold medal. It was not until 1904 that the modern hierarchy of gold, silver, and bronze came into use. Before this time the winner would actually receive a silver medal and an olive branch and the runner-up a bronze medal and a laurel branch.

London 2012 Olympic Medals

2012 London Olympics LogoThe medals for the upcoming London Summer Olympic games are set to be the largest medals awarded at an Olympic games to date. The design was completed by artist David Watkins and is being produced by the Royal Mint, now located in South Wales. The front depicts the god Nike flying into the Panathenaic stadium in Greece with the Acropolis and Parthenon in the background. This is a generic design started in 2004 when the games returned to Athens. The reverse of the London medal comprises of geometric lines, a ribbon flowing in the shape of the Thames, and the London 2012 logo.

Citations:

If a real Olympic Medal is just out of reach this time around, then grab some gold costume jewellery, perfect for Olympic celebrations at home.

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The Sports Archives – Top 5 Mount Everest Moments

Posted on May 29, 2012 by


cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Rupert Taylor-Price

Mount Everest boasts events which have inspired awe the world over spanning more than 150 years. Only a handful of summits over six of those 15 decades have been successful. Here are the top five most memorable Everest moments.

1850s: The Discovery and Naming of the Mountain

Although officially announced and named in 1856, the mountain had been discovered during the Trigonometric Survey of India in the 1850s. Radhanath Sickdhar, an Indian mathematician, determined its height to be 29,002 feet (now amended to 29,029 feet). It was named for the Surveyor General of India, Colonel Sir George Everest.

1953: The Beekeeper and the Sherpa

The Beekeeper is Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand; his Sherpa for the amazing journey, Tensing Norgay. These two brave men were the first to reach the summit of Everest. They accomplished this amazing feat on May 29, 1953. A little known fact is that two other men dared the climb two days earlier, and missed reaching the summit by a mere 300 feet. Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans—two British climbers in Hillary’s party—were simply too low on Oxygen to make it. They did, however, break the trail and stash spare O2 as they went. This made it possible for the famous Beekeeper and Sherpa team to reach the summit.


cc licensed ( BY SD ) flickr photo shared by Kappa Wayfarer

1963: Reaching the Summit via the West Ridge

America funded a large south-side expedition to reach the summit in 1963. A smaller team split from the group and headed to the West Ridge of Everest, a discouragingly steep and serrated knife-like edge. Many thought the West Ridge was simply impossible to climb with its hurricane-force winds and precariously fragile shale. Two American men, Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld, braved the conditions and, after experiencing a few nearly-lethal incidents, scrambled over the summit. They descended down the Southeast side.

1970/2000: Skiing Down the Mountain

In 1970, Yuichiro Miura, a Japanese alpine racer, was able to ski part of Everest. He started at 27,000 feet (2,029 feet below the summit) equipped with a parachute. It wasn’t until 30 years later—October 7, 2000—when a Slovenian man named Davorin “Davo” Karnicar, 38, would ski Everest from the summit. His slide-slipping and schussing journey lasted five hours ending at Base Camp on the south side.

2003: Everest Gets an ER at Base Camp

Many of the memorable moments of Everest happened at the top. This particular one is an accomplishment much closer to sea level; Base Camp. A Bozeman, Montana volunteer, Luanne Freer, founded the first clinic on Everest. Not only does the ER at Base Camp provide emergency medical care and save lives, but it also offers a place where people can get medical assistance, socialize, or enjoy a nice mug of hot tea.

This article was written by JustRopes.com the online leader in climbing rope.

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The Sports Archives – 5 Things You May Not Know About Masters Champion Bubba Watson

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

Bubba WatsonSince winning the Masters back in April at Augusta, Bubba Watson has seen interest in him throughout the world grow significantly. Since donning the famous Green Jacket, a lot of attention has been focused on him, and no wonder. As the World Ranked no. 4, being one of the longest hitters in the professional game and possessing a swashbuckling style which makes him stand out from the crowd, Watson is one of the most interesting players in the world. Here are five interesting things about the Masters champion you may not know:

    • Last year, Bubba spent a cool $500,000 on a designer watch, and even wore it during last year’s Accenture Match Play tournament. Watson, despite his image as a ‘good ole boy’ from the southern US, is fond of making a few outlandish purchases, but with career earnings to date of just over $16m or £10m excluding lucrative sponsorship, he can easily afford them.
    • Speaking of splashing the cash, Bubba owns a replica of the General Lee, the car that featured in TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. He bought it just before his Masters success for $110,000 at a charity auction. A lot was made of this during the tournament in Georgia, and he described his prized purchase as his dream car.
    • While serving his apprenticeship in the game, Bubba and his friend and fellow PGA professional Boo Weekley practiced by trying to hit drives over Weekley’s parents’ house. This partly helps to explain why he’s seen as one of longest drivers to have ever picked up a club.
    • Bubba has many celebrity friends, including somewhat bizarrely, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. Even before his Masters success, Watson was recognized as a big star because of his high status in the game, and has spoken at length about his friendship with the polarizing singer.
    • At the Alstom French Open in 2011, Watson infuriated locals, players and tournament organizers for a number of reasons. When interviewed following his first round, he struggled to name any local attractions, and was castigated for refusing to share a car with fellow players to take him to the course. Meanwhile, he was scathing of the support at the tournament, largely because he saw them as being too quiet compared to more raucous crowds at PGA events.

More information about Bubba Watson  can be found here: http://www.yourgolftravel.com/19th-hole/2012/04/10/bubba-watson-10-things-you-may-not-about-bubba/

This list was compiled by golfing holiday provider www.yourgolftravel.com, who offer breaks in golfing destinations throughout the world.

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