West Indies Glory, FINALLY!

The West Indies, a well known cricket team comprised of members from not only one country but fifteen mainly English speaking Caribbean countries, British and non-British dependencies have finally won again.

After years upon years of no trophy, the West Indians finally rallied together to win the ICC World Twenty 20 Tournament. Was this a surprise? Certainly not. The potential has been there all along.

Many years ago, the West Indies dominated both Test and One Day International Cricket. They have produced a number of cricketers that have become household names, have had cricket stands at stadiums named after them and have been inducted into the ICC Hall of fame. West Indies cricketers such as Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Sir Viv Richards, Michael Holding, George Headley and Sir Garfield Sobers are some of the best cricketers in the world.

Courtney Walsh in particular has continued the tradition of helping us to glue our eyes to the television to not only keep up with cricket but sports in general. He is the owner of Cuddy’z Sports Bar located on 30 Dominica Drive, New Kingston. The atmosphere there is certainly a fun filled one surrounded by televisions, sports memorabilia and the added incentive of ordering a wide range of tasty food and drinks. The atmosphere at Cuddy’z certainly reminds us of the good old days of West Indian cricket.

West Indies won the ICC World Cup twice in the 70s and our last triumph was the ICC Champions trophy in 2004, almost a decade ago. Over the years, our main rival has been Australia. You can therefore imagine the joy of defeating them in style in the semifinals of the ICC World Twenty 20 Tournament. Surely we will also remember face-offs between the great, Curtley Ambrose and the Waugh brothers or Brian Lara versus Shane Warne and Glen McGrath. Certainly, a cohesive team used to exist. The names Jimmy Adams, Phil Simmons, Carl Hooper, Richie Richardson, Ridley Jacobs and Shivnarine Chanderpaul should ring a bell.

The great memories of that cohesive team have been smeared by players that followed their legacy with inconsistent finishes in major tournaments from the 90s till the present, namely the World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Twenty 20. West Indies have failed to rise as champions in any of the previously mentioned more than twice.

Our ‘good times’ were undoubtedly in the mid-70s to mid-80s. After that, gone were the days of discipline that past cricketers and great contributors to the sport, such as Basil Williams and others tried to instill in the team. Controversies with past captains such as Brian Lara and Chris Gayle have created major turning points, doing more harm than good to the team. Low team spirit and politics within the cricket board have also had a negative impact.

So now, do we finally have the cohesiveness that it takes to keep winning? A smiling coach (who was not known to be a pleasant one in his days of playing), good team spirit, no segregated heroes, more rounded players, the drive to play and win just for the love of cricket and not fame or money and the thirst for future dominance! These were all displayed on the world’s stage for us to see in our current West Indies team. Good signs for the days ahead.

Times are now different with greater opportunities for the cricketers to play in clubs as athletes can in the soccer world. This should be an even greater motivation for our cricketers to succeed and dominate and have cricket be the sport that a large number of people want to watch again.

West Indies fans are harsh and unforgiving at times, but no matter how much we fuss and argue, ‘WI ALL IN!’ To the West Indies team, continue to be inspired, use this win as motivation to keep winning. Learn how to change your strategy according to the type of cricket being played, whether it be one day, twenty 20 or a test series. Avoid distractions at all costs. Convert the joyful old memories of the West Indies to new, successful memories. Rally together and win, and ‘stop mek wi bite wi finganail dem!…sometimes :)

Information on Table Tennis Paddles

Most people think of table tennis as a fun family game suitable for garages and basements, but it’s much more than that these days. Table tennis is one of the fastest growing sports amongst young people and as such the paddles have come a long way towards making this more competitive.

When you first learn to play table tennis your goal is simply to hit the ball back and forth without missing. Once you have mastered that most players move on to speed shots such as the smash. They require a bit more skill but can still be mastered by most.The next skill is learning to put spin on the ball. This really changes the game to one of beginners to a much more competitive game with good players being able to put massive spins that if not countered properly lead your opponents shot going off their paddle at some crazy angle. With those mastered it’s time to step up the game a bit and that’s where the modern table tennis paddle comes in.

Each paddle is rated one to ten in each of the following 3 categories; speed, spin and control.The higher the number the better that particular paddle is at a specific purpose. For instance if you have a paddle rated 10 in speed it’s going to be a lot more wicked at a smash than say one that is a one on the scale. The difference is in the surface of the paddle. To achieve better ratings in these categories, paddle makers use a variety of surfaces. Some of them more tacky, or more resistive which increases one or more categories. For beginner players the basic paddle does fine but when you start introducing speed and spin to the game it’s clear to see that those paddles leave most players with low scores and lots of losses.

Good table tennis paddles can range from $40 on the low end to upwards of $200 for a really high quality paddle. You will want to look at a paddles particular ratings to match your skills as in the hands of a novice one with a 10 in each category is probably not playable, they will find themselves over controlling the ball which will lead to missed shots.

Typically you start at the lower end and work your way up the skills ladder to the point you can handle a wicked paddle.

Kirani James: A Sign of Things to Come?

At just 19 years of age, one would be forgiven for describing Kirani James as a force of nature. A prodigious talent, at 14 he won Silver at the 2007 World Youth Championships in a time of 46.96 seconds. This still stands as the fastest time ever run by a 14 year old. Following these remarkable achievements was a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu and at Gold Medal at this years Olympic Games on London. So the question is raised, what is next for this remarkable young man?

One cannot rule out the possibility that Kirani James is an early developer and perhaps we are reading too much into his impressive age defying feats. This certainly mirrors swimmer Ian Thorpes early rise to success when he became the youngest person at 14 years and 5 months to be selected for the Australian national swimming team. It has been said as well that James’ technique is not entirely flawless as he has a propensity for letting his left leg stray outwards when landing. Despite this minor hindrance, he has still managed to clock the ninth fastest 400 meter ever run. Despite using the early development argument to explain his early rise to prominence, he can still take a claim as being one of the fatest 400 meter runners alive. Not bad for a teenager.

So the question remains, is there more to come from James. I feel however that these questions can often overshadow what has already been achieved. A world and Olympic Champion who still isnt old enough to buy liquor is impressive by anyone’s standards. He has already a built a successful albeit brief career for himself. The fact remains that James is still way off Michael Johnson’s World Record time of 43.18 seconds. Even the great man himself, Johnson has said that with a bit of time and work on his technique he sees no reason why James will mount a series challenge on Johnson’s record. Kirani still has over a decade of racing in him and what the future holds remains to be seen.

The Next Gold Olympian? – Cross Country Running Training Advice

If you are looking to improve on your cross country running, then here are some helpful tips and advice to bring you one step closer to becoming the next gold Olympian. Its all about the training, hard work and dedication!

Distance Running – Improve your stamina

The whole purpose in cross country running is to run the fastest, the furthest and to beat your opponents to the finish line. One way to ensure this is by improving and increasing your stamina and running for long periods at a time.

During your training when running, keep track of the distance that you are running, and also the length of time that you are running for. Over the coming weeks, aim on increasing your running time by ten minutes for each session, then fifteen minutes, until you have increased your running time by thirty to sixty minutes per session.

Through steadily increasing and maintaining your running time, this will help improve your stamina and durability during the cross country run. This will then enable you to run faster for longer and be the first to the finish line.

Another benefit to this cross country run training is that you set your own personal goals. Aim to run the same distance each session in as little time as possible. Achieving this demonstrates that you are running the same distance, faster and in a shorter time period.

Invest in a heart Monitor – Time your heart rate

In order to ensure you maintain a steady pace, time your heart rate. Aim to count the number of beats per minute that you are running, and keep it at a constant. This will help you run at a constant pulse rate through out the race and maintain your speed.

Change your footing

Remember that during the cross country run, you may not always be running on flat smooth surfaces. It is therefore important to train on all types of surfaces that you may encounter. This includes running up and down hilly areas of land in preparation for the race as part of your training. Ideally, this should include a mixture of both short and long hill sessions.

If you know the rout of the path you will be running for the cross country race, then try and plan a rout as close as possible in terms of the distance and footing. Or run the actual rout if this is possible. This is an excellent way of practicing the run in preparation for the real race. It will help you to highlight areas of the rout that you may need to pay extra attention too, and also identify the time it takes you to complete the course. This is key in aiming for the shortest time possible that will help you take home gold!

The History Of Skateboarding

Some years ago, London`s South Bank, home of the National Theatre and the Royal Festival Hall, was the centre for a sport. The sport was skateboarding, which became extremely popular with Britain`s teenagers.

Skateboarding first started in America in the 1960s. It was invented by surfers who wanted a way to practice their sport without going into the sea. They found that by attaching roller-skate wheels to small surfboards they could practice almost the same movements they had to make while surfing. All they needed was a sloping pavement or road where they could ride their skateboards. So, it wasn`t surprising that this new sport was nicknamed “sidewalk surfing”.

Skateboarding quickly became very popular, even with people who had never been surfing. It was especially attractive to young people, partly because the boards were cheap to buy or make, and partly because they could practice it anywhere in the city. It was also a fast and exciting way to spend their spare time.

Unfortunately, skateboarders soon found that the ordinary rubber roller-skate wheels were not strong enough for skateboarding. But in early 1970s, a young American science student produced a type of plastic wheel which was ideal for skateboard. The new wheels were light, flexible and long-lasting. Soon, skateboarding returned to the streets of America, and it became more popular than ever before. Special concrete areas called “skateparks” were built where the skateboarders could practice their tricks away from the dangers of traffic.

Skateboarding then spread to Britain and by early 1977 hundreds of teenagers could be seen riding their boards around London. Hundreds became thousands, and the demand grew for American-style skate parks. Skateboarders gathered at the South Bank where the vast areas provided ideal opportunities for them to demonstrate their skills.

Favourite skateboard tricks include “kick-turns” (turning the board round quickly), “hanging tens” (riding the board with the toes hanging over the front) and “wheelies” (riding on one set of wheels only). The more experienced and adventurous skaters ride their boards up and around curved banks, rather like the wall-of-death riders in a circus.

Because of the danger of falling on hard surfaces, skateboarders usually wear protective clothing. Most of them wear padding on their knees and elbows as well as thick gloves and plastic crash helmets.

“Skate City’ is a proper place to practice the sport and skateboarders are developing new and better skills. Already some people are saying that skateboarding may become an Olympic sport. From being a substitute for surfing , skateboarding has come a long way in a short time!