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?

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day today. Not the best for trick-or-treating, but I think it'll be okay. Maybe I'll just have to dress up as a scuba diver so I don't mind the rain. Sometimes sports can be a lot of fun when it's rainy out. The biggest thing is just not worrying about the rain and accepting that you're going to get wet.

If you don't mind the wetness, you can have tons of fun! Playing soccer on the wet grass is great for sliding around- getting muddy and dirty. Sometimes the rain is a pain during recess if you have to stay inside and play checkers or something. What do you like to do in the rain? Do you like playing in the rain? What sports are your favorite?

Phillies Win! Phillies Win!!!

One of my favorite things about sports is seeing celebrations when people make a great play or win a great game. There is no better celebration than seeing grown men act like little kids when they win a championship. Look at all these players! Could they be any happier? Even though they get paid kajillions of dollars and big sports are a big business- it's great to see them this happy and it shows that they actually care about the sport.

Have you ever head any big celebrations? What's your favorite kind of celebration? When do you get the most excited in sports?

NBA is Back!

I'm a big basketball fan so usually it's a long wait for when the playoffs end to the next season. Fortunately, this was a great off-season with the Olympics going on. Did you watch USA's Redeem Team play phenomenally well and regain the gold? The championship game against Spain was so exciting! I stayed up really late to watch it live (it's tough with China being on the other side of the world (maybe I would've been better off digging a hole to China and just watching it there (can you imagine seeing my head pop up in the center of the basketball floor to watch the game- HA!))).

Okay, obviously I like basketball a little too much and once I start writing I could write about it for hours. But back to this NBA season- which just kicked off last night! The Celtics got their championship rings and then beat Lebron's team pretty solidly. And the Lakers got off to a great start- beating the Trailblazers. Greg Oden played his first game last year- he's the guy in the picture with the black Portland jersey. Can you believe that guy is 20 years-old? He looks like an old man to me.

So a lot of questions: Who is your favorite team? Are you excited that the NBA is back in action? Which team will win it all? Who is your favorite player? So much to talk about with the NBA!!!!

More Racewalking

Walking? How can walking be a sport, especially an Olympic sport? That used to be my attitude towards racewalking because I have always thought of walking as a way to get around and not a sport. So when I saw a racewalking race on the Olympics I was very surprised and decided to research racewalking and try it myself.

Turns out I was wrong. Very, very wrong. I always thought it would be easy because it was just walking, which is really easy right? But when I tried it I realized that it is a lot harder than it looks. Walking really fast for a long time is very tiring for your legs, hips, and even arms. I realize that many racewalkers must meet a lot of people who think their sport is not hard and I feel bad that I always assumed that racewalking was a lame sport without ever trying it for myself.

Racewalking is not just walking fast – there are specific rules in place to make sure that some people don’t have unfair advantages. For example, there is a rule that one foot or at least part of one foot has to be on the floor at all times. Nowadays with our cameras and all our technology, we can look at close up and slowed down versions of races to check people’s feet. This new technology is causing controversy because the race is judged based on what the judges see with their eyes and not with a camera.

Have you ever heard of racewalking? Give racewalking a try and write down your thoughts? Have you ever made any assumptions about sports before trying them for yourself or learning more about them?

Racing!

In gym class, do you ever have to run a timed mile? Watching how people run the mile is a really interesting way to see how different people can be. There is the person up-front that is super excited to run (me) and runs to exhaustion to get the best time possible. Then there are the people that just run the mile at a nice pace- not exerting themselves too much.

I've always thought this is the funniest group- the kids that walk around the track talking with friends the whole way. Every once in a while they'll run hard if the teacher yells at them, but usually they just walk and chat- having a great time. Which kind of runner are you? Do you try and get the best time in the world?

What is your best mile time? I once ran the mile in 5 minutes and 40 seconds- I was exhausted afterwards. What is your slowest time? Have you ever had to a WALKING mile? It's really difficult to do, but you have to keep one foot on the ground at all time! If you try and go really fast walking, it can look a little silly

Fan Power

Fans are a very important part of the sports world – without them professional sports would not be the same.

The few times I have been to professional sporting events, I have seen a few dedicated fans who were decked out in their team’s colors. These fans had also painted their faces and bodies with their teams colors or symbols. They looked like they were having a great time they and generally increased the level of excitement in the stadium.

I also see fans like those when I watch sports on TV. Some fans get so into supporting their team that they make huge banners, drape themselves in flags and cover themselves with paint. The closest I have ever come to something like that is when I went to a soccer game with my soccer team and we all wore our favorite team’s colors. I’ve always thought that going all out would be very exciting and I want to try it sometime. If I ever get the chance to watch a really great game in person including a team that I fervently support, I think I will do it.

How do you support your favorite teams? What kind of fan are you? Do you belong to a fan club? Do you go to games or watch them on TV? Do you spend time talking about, debating, and researching your favorite teams?