Blog de Puree » sports

Surfing Census to Study Surfing Habits

paul — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:07:30 +0000

The San Diego Union-Tribune recently reported that Surf-first.org was launched by “Surfing Magazine journalist Matt Walker in association with the Surfrider Foundation” in order to get a scientific and all-encompassing picture of “who surfers are; where they come from; what they do for work; how, when and where they surf; and where they spend their money in relation to their surfing habits.”

The study will help surfers use the same demographic and analytic information that other powerful lobby groups use when facing political and environmental issues. And why shouldn’t surfers have that ammo as well?

Surfing is not a “beach bum” sport for a minor segent of society with no real direction. The surfing community holds local, regional, national and global competitions. Surfers hold productive jobs in all levels of society. The Surfrider Foundation has made huge strides with its environmental mission. Not to mention, we have a far more unique perspective when it comes to environmental issues. (I haven’t surfed in years, but still consider myself a surfer)

I strongly urge active and inactive surfers to take the survey at Surf-first.org. The information is kept anonymous and it will help strengthen the collective voice of the surfing community.

Two Groups Can Recycle Your Old Surfboards

paul — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:43:54 +0000

Covered in polyurethane, your surfboard is not exactly a Green product. And when it gets old and beat up, it’s really tough to reuse it unless you can get very creative. (I’ve seen a few tables and lamps made from old boards)

ReSurf and Green Foam Blanks, two companies in Southern California, are doing something to eliminate surfboard waste and recycle the polyurethane found in boards.

Outside blog writes that these companies have found a way to pulverize old boards into a fine dust, which can be used to make new foam blanks, or possibly be used as a filler in asphalt. There’s also a great article on the Environmental News Network that provides more detail on the process.

Protected: Video Flashback: M Learns to Kick the Ball

paul — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:02:36 +0000

I wish I was back in college so I could play in a collegiate quidditch league

paul — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:08:59 +0000

The game of quidditch is now a reality at select college campuses on the East Coast.

What was once a game from the imagination of J.K. Rowling in her brilliant Harry Potter books, is now actually being played on an intercollegiate level, Boston.com reports. Teams such as the Amherst College Acromantulas play the Middlebury College Mollywobbles in a muggle (non-magical folks) version that doesn’t use flying brooms or self-propelled golden snitches.

Instead, a small group of inventive collegians at Middlebury College came up with an improvised version of the game that includes the following revised rules and muggle work-arounds:

Broomsticks are held between players’ legs, similar to how a child might use a hobby-horse.
The golden snitch is a tennis ball in the end of a sock that is attached to the back of a cross country runner’s shorts. That person then runs around the quidditch pitch (like a soccer pitch) to simulate the roving nature of the snitch. (Other college teams have used remote control helicopters or bouncing balls.
Bludgers are red rubber balls instead of hard flying items that can give unweary players a concussion or knock you off your broom.
The quaffle is a deflated volleyball.
Penalties have also been amended to reflect the ground-borne nature of muggle quidditch.

Other than that, the same basic rules of quidditch are the same. Teams wear capes and uniforms similar to actual quidditch players in the Rowling-verse. And this sport is played with elements of dodge ball, soccer, football, tag and basketball.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team before a match.

The muggle version of Quidditch has gained so much notoriety that some students who are avid Potter fans are actually making the decision to attend these schools just so they can actually play! There’s even a Facebook chat group that has been started for for those looking to join the Quidditch League at Middlebury College next year.

If I were in high school, I believe that the ability to play quidditch would most definitely factor into my school decision. As for now, if anyone knows of a quidditch league in northeast Massachusetts or Essex County, please leave a comment. I want to play, and play now!

Sports drink irony at the Super Bowl

paul — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:14:01 +0000

I counted at least four or five different commercials hawking sports drinks or vitamin water while watching this year’s Super Bowl. And you can be sure that the New England Patriots and the New York Giants both have huge vats of Gatorade at each end of their respective benches. If it’s not for drinking, then at least it can be dumped on the coach after winning.

It turns out, however, that the highly esteemed sports drinks are not all they’re cracked up to be, despite the commercials. The New York Giants were suffering from cramps and somebody actually had to rush in a big box of bananas to give the players an extra boost of potassium to help stay hydrated in the humid arena. So much for the Gatorade. But how psyched is Chiquita Banana?

How’s that for an endorsement with real appeal?

Great video on correct rowing form

paul — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:53:13 +0000

Rowing, by it’s very nature, is a smooth, rhythmic movement. When coaching novices and other rowers, I often tell them to picture sea grass that sways back and forth with the ebb and flow of the water’s currents. The grass moves in unison, is relaxing to watch and it bends at the same place every time with minimal movement.

While the human body is more complex when it rows, the same concepts apply. Rowing champ Xeno Muller blogged about an instructional video that breaks down the correct rowing movement in all its stages. What’s cool about it, is that it is all done with a simple stick figure so that you can focus on what’s important. Here is a link to the original three + minute video on YouTube

For any rower who rows sweep style, I highly recommend giving this a couple viewings.

Roller derby: Boston Massacre eek out win against Baltimore

paul — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:54:29 +0000

It was another great Roller Derby night this past Saturday as the Boston Derby Dames traveling team, the Boston Massacre, eeked out a 112 to 110 win over the Baltimore’s Charm City Roller Girls.

It was a see-saw bout, with the lead exchanging hands a number of times throughout the night. The massacre competed with a couple replacements, but was essentially the same team that took a beating from Philadelphia two months ago. However, they looked like they had been practicing because they were skating a little faster, blocked a little better and on the whole, the team looked like they were more aware of what was going on around them on the track; always a good thing when the competing team’s jammer likes to whip around on the outside of the track.

For a quick run down of the rules, check this previous post.

The next match is the league championship on May 5, at the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, Mass. The Wicked Pissahs will take on the Cosmonaughties.

Great Olympic singles rowing video online

paul — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 17:02:52 +0000

Rowing champ Xeno Muller posted an exciting seven minute video of his 2000 Olympic single scull race on his blog yesterday.

Regardless of his finish (2nd place), the video highlights the great technique used by world class rowers. Pay particular attention to how the body, arms and legs all finish together at the end of the drive or how the arms and back finish very soon after the legs. Also notice that the rowers do not lean way back to cause the bow to submerge at then end of each stroke. Awesome technique!

It was also fantastic to see New Zealand’s Rob Waddell during the last 500 meters of the race. At this point, most rowers are pretty smoked. Many will tell you that this is where you start to get tunnel vision because you’re exerting yourself so much. But Rob, never looses a beat, keeps a high stroke rating and you can visibly see him upping the power with each stroke. Within 30 strokes, he surges an entire boat length ahead of Xeno. I won’t discuss race strategy here, but this is why I always train by trying to increase the stroke rating and power at the end of my training pieces as well. Although it didn’t work for him this time, Xeno is also known for his super-fast, powerful race finishes.

The best part is that Xeno proves that you don’t have to be over six feet tall to be a world class rower. Like me, he’s shorter than most scullers and has a powerful, compact stroke. Unlike me, he’s a world class rower. But there’s still hope!

Bone-crunching fun at the Roller Derby

paul — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:27:32 +0000

On Saturday night, I had the opportunity to witness what’s becoming a resurgence of an American phenomenon known as roller derby. At the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA, the Boston Massacre took on the the Liberty Bells of Philadelphia, who gave our home team a bit of a drubbing, beating us by over 35 points.

Regardless of the score, it was one of the most exciting times I’ve had at a sporting event in years. These ladies skated their hearts out, took some nasty spills and threw shoulders, asses and body checks like veteran Canadian amateur hockey players. (See the movie Slap Shot with Paul Newman)

But it wasn’t an all out thrash-fest. There are strict rules and aside from a few major infractions, the skaters were quite courteous and very supportive of one another.

It would take me a lot of blog space to explain the ins and outs of roller derby rules, so I’ll quote Will Kilburn, a Boston Globe correspondent from an article he wrote in March of 2006:

“The goal, as in roller derby of old, is for each team to get a designated skater—the ”jammer”—ahead of the other team’s four ”blockers” while preventing that team’s jammer from doing the same. All of this is done on a track, marked out on the floor in black tape, that’s barely wide enough for three to skate side by side. The Dames will tell you showmanship is part of the equation. But make no mistake: This is a real sport.”

There’s more to it, of course, but that’s the basic premise.

Be advised, guys are not allowed to play. (But they can become referees, coaches and score-keepers) The Boston league, known as the Boston Derby Dames, consists of three teams: The Nutcrackers, The Wicked Pissahs and The Cosmonaughties. While the team names are fun, the player names are even better. The players go by monikers such as Kitty Twister, Pussy Venom, Ivana Clobber and Wanda Whipya.

The teams are made of small and big women. But don’t let their size fool you. The big girls are fast and nimble, while the quasi-waifish ladies, even when sent flying off the track by a brutal body check, come racing back into the mix with a look of unbridled fury in their eyes that would strike fear into a charging horde of Ghengis Khan’s angry Mongolians.

The fans are also an interesting mix of groupies, lonely nerdish guys, lesbians, curiosity-seekers and interestingly enough, parents and baby-boomers who follow the league with the same interest as they guy who might sit next to you at a Red Sox game with a pencil, score book and headphones to hear the game on the radio. There were also a good number of indie and punk rockers there to see The Dents, a punk rock band that played during the breaks between the three periods. And they were great too! I’d definitely recommend catching one of their shows if you get the chance.

Another interesting thing about the eclectic crowd was that there was no animosity between the different groups. Everyone was friendly, from what I could see, and they were all very supportive of the skaters. A mascot dressed as a giant lobster got the crowd on its feet chanting, stomping and clapping. And fans help up motivational signs, such as this one.

The only downside of the evening were the announcers. As a newbie to the sport, they didn’t offer much by the way of play-by-play announcing or useful color commentary. It was more like three fans had the microphone and they spurred the crowd on from time to time and one announcer reprimanded us for booing a bad call from the referee. But she was from Philly, and obviously hadn’t met real Boston fans before.

If you get the chance, the Boston Derby Dames are an absolute must-see. No. Wait. There is no chance. You must go see the roller derby!