Eating Right

Playing sports takes a lot of energy and it is important that we eat right so we can play our best. I remember my soccer and track coaches always telling us to eat well, drink lots of liquids, and rest up before a soccer game or track meet. My soccer coaches especially would emphasize eating carbohydrates (stuff like bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes) the night before a big game.

When I played on my school’s soccer team we would have team dinners the night before a game. During these dinners we would usually eat tons of pasta and get excited about the game. I loved those team dinners, also called pasta feeds, because I love pasta and they were great for team bonding.

When I went to soccer tournaments with my club team (traveling team), everyone was always cautious about what they ate. For example, during one tournament we had a game a couple of hours after lunch so when we were making our lunch decisions we steered away from the Mexican food. Now, I absolutely love Mexican food but we thought it would be unwise to eat burritos and chips before a game because of the oil and heaviness of Mexican food.

Sometimes what we eat before a game can affect how we play – we can be tired and too full to play our best or energized and ready to go. What is your favorite pre-game meal? Are there any food items that you never or always eat before a game?

Astounding Athletes

I was sitting in my living room with my mother and sister earlier tonight to watch gymnastics. We watched the men’s still ring event first and we were completely astounded. Have you ever watched that event? If you have, then you know why we were gasping and why we couldn’t tear our eyes away from the TV screen. The flexibility, strength, and balance needed to perform on the still rings is amazing.

Another event I could not believe was the pommel horse. It’s hard for me to find the correct words to describe how impressed I am by gymnasts, but again, I could not turn my eyes away from the screen. What I find most compelling about gymnasts is that they have to perform well in many different areas and every part of their body is in perfect shape.

The men’s gymnastics team is comprised of Alexander Artemev, Raj Bhavsar, Joseph Hagerty, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring, and Kevin Tan, and I will definitely continue to watch them compete throughout this summer. Gymnastics has always been one of my favorite events to watch because of the incredible and completely astonishing things gymnasts can do. They amaze me every time.

Comment below and tell me which events you like to watch and why. Tell me about your favorite athletes and what you admire about them.

Last Minute Tension

There are two minutes left in the game. The score is tied. Everyone is tense and on their toes, hoping their team will score.

I play soccer and I know that when there is little time left in the game and the score is tied, everyone becomes more desperate. Everyone goes all out and give the last couple minutes everything they have. In short, I think situations like this are some of the most exciting situations you can encounter in sports and bring out the best playing in everyone.

When I went to Hawaii to play in a soccer tournament with my soccer team we had a game like this. Both teams had scored early on in the game and with 10 minutes left it was a 1-1 tie. We knew we had to win that game to do well in the tournament and we were desperate to score. As the minutes dwindled down to five and then two, desperation grew and we hoped that we still had time left to score. We had a few close shots but none of them went in and the tension grew. Everyone was holding their breath and hoping that we would score before the referee blew the final whistle signaling the end of the game. Unfortunately there was no happy ending and the game ended in a tie.

Although we did not win, I am very proud of myself and my team for playing hard throughout the whole game. We never gave up and everyone tried their best, and in the end that’s what counts, right?

Have you ever played or watched a game that was tied near the end? Comment below and tell me about it.

The Power of Perfect Tim-ing!

Teams in all sports tend to go through great times and deep slumps in cycles. A stretch of good season records eventually fades into a string of losses that hopefully bounce back to a streak of wins. Right now, one of my favorite teams is in the second part of that cycle, the slump. But one guy in particular has been a bright spot this season, making it easier for fans like me to stick with the team through tough times.

The bright spot in this mediocre season is, of course, Giants rookie pitcher Tim Lincecum. Despite playing on a team that is holding fourth place (out of five) in baseball’s weakest division, Tim has managed to rack up 12 wins (almost double the next best pitcher on the team!) and a league-leading 175 strikeouts. His performance this year hasn’t just been good, it’s been incredible.

For true fans, guys like Tim Lincecum are saviors. With Barry Bonds retired and the Giants a few years from their last playoff games, I kind of stopped watching the sports page or flipping to the Giants game on TV. After a while, I caught myself totally ignoring the Giants and I wondered: am I still a true fan?

But then came Tim. All of his pitches dominated opposing hitters and made the games exciting to watch again. People from longtime fans to even national reporters have been paying attention to the Giants despite their record, all because of him! More importantly, I couldn’t stop following Tim’s progress and got back into following the team. A true fan was reunited with the team!

Have any of your favorite teams ever gone through a big slump? Tell us how you kept up with your squad even through the tough times!

Sports Movies

Remember the Titans, Shaoulin Soccer, Bend it like Beckham, and Field of Dreams all have something in common –they are all sports movies that I love! Movies about sports are very important because they help shape the way we perceive sports and they are part of the culture that has sprung up around sports. They are also very entertaining and fun to watch!

In a lot of sports movies there is a workout scene where there is a montage of clips showing a team or person working out to intense or inspirational music. I absolutely love those workout scenes because often times they are when the transformation takes place with the main team or person in the movie. Sometimes those scenes are corny and unrealistic, but they always get me excited and give me the feeling that anything is possible if you work for it.

I have noticed that in many sports movies, the underdog team or player succeeds in the end. Even though this may not happen very often in real life, it is exciting to watch it happen in the movies because it reminds us that it is possible. Many movies also show sports as a way to bond with other people and overcome differences in order to succeed with the sport.

I think sports movies are a great way to pass the time and enjoy sports. Comment below and tell me about your favorite sports movies and the best parts about them.

"Just Keep Swimming"

Michael Phelps practically became a household name when he participated in the Athens Olympics 4 years ago. As a 19 year old he won 6 gold medals and 2 bronze medals in Athens and he hopes to beat that record this year in Beijing.

Dory, a fish from the movie Finding Nemo, said in the movie “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming” and that is exactly what Michael Phelps did in Athens. He participated in 17 races over 7 days! Unfortunately, he did not perform well in the last one because of exhaustion. Since he was entered in so many races, he was very tired by the last few races and did not perform well in them because he was racing against competitors who were fresh and ready to race.

This year the 23 year old will return to the world stage in Beijing hoping to compete in 17 or close to 17 races over 9 days. This time he has a better plan and hopes to be more successful in his later events. He is now stronger and is on a new weight training program. Isn’t it amazing how Phelps is so good at so many events? I wonder how he finds the energy to race in more than one or two Olympic races a day.

I remember playing in a soccer game once during a very hot day. I was running around like crazy and I was getting really tired but I didn’t want to stop playing because it was an exciting game. Once the game finally ended I was so worn out that I went straight home and rested the rest of the day. I was so tired that I barely moved around during the day and then I went to bed early and slept for a solid 12 hours.

Have you ever played a sport for so long that you were completely exhausted at the end? Comment below and tell me about it.

The Voices of My Game

Today baseball and its fans experienced one of the game’s few sad moments. Skip Caray, who had been the main broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves for almost 30 years, died Sunday. He leaves the Braves without their usual voice for the first time since most of our parents were kids our age.

The passing of great people in sports is always a little sad, but it made me think of the voices I know for my favorite baseball team, the San Francisco Giants. I know that in the next few decades, there will eventually be different announcers behind the mike, but for me, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow will always be the voice of the team by the bay. Their voices have rumbled out of TV and radio speakers for as long as I can remember watching America’s game. For me, it will never be any other way.

See, broadcasters who last so many years don’t just relay what’s happening from the field, although the pitches and hits and catches are the main part of the game. Great announcers like Mr. Caray and Mr. Kuiper and Mr. Krukow give little details that they know are important—like the outfield formation or the rivalry between pitcher and hitter—from their days playing and following the game. Guys like these make even a better connection with fans than if they were at the game, because they explain why things are happening as they are and not just what’s going on. Such brilliant insight is why men like Mr. Caray are so missed at the end of the day.

Who’s the announcer for your favorite team? Do they help you feel any special connection with the team you root for?