With college sports generating more revenue and television contracts paying lucrative monies to Universities for rights to broadcast their games in popular service providers like direct.tv, a question is rumbling within the college sports world. Should college athletes be paid for their services?
Take the rookie quarterback Tim Tebow for the Denver Broncos. Tebow is arguably one of the greatest college football players of all time. The former Florida Gator won one Heisman trophy and set numerous rushing, passing and touchdown records while playing sports at the University of Florida.
Tim Tebow’s jersey sold in record numbers in Florida and across the United States, yet the sports star never saw a dime from his name placed on millions of jerseys sold.
Some say the collegiate athlete is already receiving preferred treatment and luxury through their college scholarship. While the scholarship pays for the books and tuition, collegiate sports athletes are limited in the types of funds, and even jobs they can work, by the NCAA committee that oversees collegiate spots. With academics and athletics, collegiate sports stars don’t have the time to work a part-time job like regular students. The regulations governing college sports are lengthy, and typically prevent athletes from accepting funds from illegitimate sources.
News from the sports world regarding former USC star Reggie Bush has not been flattering. Bush and his family are accused of accepting funds outside the scope of which the NCAA allows. The allegations against Bush have put the University of Southern California on sports probation, and threaten to have Bush’s Heisman trophy award repealed.
More and more sports enthusiasts are pushing to see collegiate sports athletes receive at least some type of stipend for their services. Some have suggested that jersey sellers, like the aforementioned Tebow, be given a small percentage of their jersey sales that would be paid at the end of their sports eligibility.
The question of whether collegiate sports athletes should be paid, will likely to continue to gather steam as television sports continues to spit out enormous revenues.
Should college athletes be paid for their services?
Invasion of the New Year Swimmers
It may be a bit cynical to point this out, but it’s coming up on that time of year again when the public and gym pools are going to get a little cramped. With every batch of New Years resolutions, there inevitably comes the schools of swimmers trying to get in shape.
For those people who are trying to shed newly acquired pounds from holiday feasting, swimming is a fantastic form of exercise. It not only builds endurance and cuts fat, it can develop great muscle tone through the use of interval swimming.
But for those people who make a habit of swimming throughout the year, January is sort of a pain. Especially considering that immediately prior to the New Year is probably the quietest time for a lot of pools. During the holidays regular swimmers are going to relish the wide open lanes and relatively quiet natatoriums.
That is, until the newcomers invade. Suddenly the locker room is full of people, the normal locker isn’t available and all the changing benches are wet or covered in bags, suits and towels.
Inside the pool the situation is no better, with clogged lanes and waits in line before you can finally even get in the water.
Still, take solace in the notion that this too shall pass. Give it a few months and the major portion of these water newbies will have given up on their new habits, and succumbed to their restive natures. Others will find alternative activities to involve themselves in, and yet another large portion will have found the crowded pool so horrible they vow to never return.
Some swimmers use January as an opportunity to take a break from swimming for a brief period. A lot of others will just have to adjust their schedules, showing up at unholy hours of the morning to avoid the teaming masses.
Swimming with fins
A lot of swim coaches make the use of swim fins mandatory during practice. While some old schools of thought argue against them, fins can add a tremendous element to your swimming routine.
One type of fin in particular is the positive drive fin, or PDF. This little number squeezes your foot into what looks like a rubber hoof that’s been flattened out. The rounded short fin can give a swimmer much greater friction with the water, and really enhance a workout.
A great swimming sequence can incorporate swimming first with swim fins in place, and then swimming the same circuit again without fins but at a higher speed. The theory is that the positive drive fins will train your leg muscles and help to perfect form. Then, when you train without them you will be more agile and nimble in the water.
On strange side effect is what one swimmer referred to as the toothpick foot. After swimming with the PDFs for a while your foot feels odd after first taking them off. Not to worry, however, as this side effect passes quickly.
A lot of swimmer report a big assist from fins is being able to better feel where their feet are during specific strokes. The power generated from the kick is also a nice offset for the strength required from the shoulder action. This not only has the benefit of working the major muscle group through the legs, but it also preserves the shoulders.
The main advantage of the PDF versus the older, scuba-style swimmers is their relative light weight. Swimming with those boats on the end of your feet required you to change the way you kicked in the water. These smaller fins, however, allow a swimmer to kick essentially the same way they would without fins.
Lifeguard testing
- Image via Wikipedia
Becoming a lifeguard requires completing a series of swimming related tasks within a certain amount of time. The swimmer must also show proficiency in all fields of testing to pass. A common prerequisite for many swimming programs is a swimming test divided into two major portions, including a basic swimming exercise and a brick retrieval. To pass the swimming portion a swimmer must be able to pass three different sections of a 300 meter swim. The first 100 meters of the swim a swimmer must demonstrate aptitude with the front crawl. In this stroke the swimmer is on their stomach reaching out with alternate arms and pulls their hands underneath them. Their legs must maintain a regular, steadying kick and the swimmer must demonstrate regular breathing. Next the swimmer must use a breast stroke for another 100 meters. This stroke must consist of a pull, breath, kick, glide interval. The swimmer will first pull themselves forward using both arms simultaneously with their head under water. The pull ends with the head breaking the water and the swimmer taking a breath, as he kicks and and glides back under water to repeat the pulling motion. The final 100 meters must show a proficiency in both of these swimming methods. The last portion of the test is a brick retrieval, where the instructor will place a 10-pound weight in seven to 10 feet of water. The swimmer must swim 20 meters above water using a freestyle or breast stokes and then dive and retrieve the weight. The swimmer must then swim back to the starting point with both hands on the weight. Once the swimmer reaches the starting point they must exit the water with the weight without using the ladder. The swimmer has one minute and 40 seconds to complete the retrieval.
What Type of Pool Should I Get?
- Image via Wikipedia
Before you get a new swimming pool for your family, there are several factors to take into consideration. You may want to decide first what shape that you want. Most above-ground pools are either round or oval, while in-ground pools come in a variety of shapes, such as oval, kidney-shaped, square, or even a combination of these shapes.
A pool that is in-ground will come in a bigger size than the above-ground pool, giving you more room. An above-ground pool does not usually have an end deep enough for a diving board to be used. When you buy an above ground pool you will need to place a deck around the pool and a high fence. Buying an in ground pool only has the expense of fencing that is of regular height. However, it is much more affordable to get an above-ground pool if you total up the full cost of the project.
When you put on one of your many water resistant Michele watches which pool do you want to get into? You just need to decide what you want to do in the pool. Do you want to do your daily laps in there? Do you want to play with your kids there? You may also consider what type of pool your family will benefit from in the future.
Even though the in-ground pool is more expensive it will offer the greatest versatility. It can let you have a slide and diving board. This will also offer you the ability to swim laps. The above-ground pool is great for playing fun games and splashing around on a sunny day.
Which one of these is right for you? That is something that only you can decide on.
Cold water swimming
While swimming in near freezing waters may seem to some the perfect form of torture, it is for others a regular and enjoyable outdoor experience. Take for instance the channel swim in the UK on Christmas Day which brings large numbers of swimmers out of their relatively warm abodes for slips into chilled water.
For those who are interested in breaching this new activity, there are a few basic beginners rules to consider.
First, make sure you have all the necessary equipment. This means everything you will need before, during and after your swim. Prior to your swim, make sure you are warm, dry and stretched. If you have been either drinking or not sleeping the night before, don’t bother getting in the water.
Being hung over or sleep deprived will seriously hamper your body’s ability to deal with the effects of the cold water. Also, make sure you have plenty of warm clothes to change into after your swim. Also, something to stand on when you are changing, like a spare towel or some cardboard is quite handy.
While you are swimming you really should use a swimming cap, if not several. Goggles are also important, along with a set of swim fins. Some people will even use a neoprene swim or dive suit on these swims, which is not a bad idea despite the complaints of some more hardcore swimmers.
A beginner will also want to make sure they are familiar with the methods for getting in and out of the water. If the water is swelling, as it might in colder weather, it’s important to take that into consideration when planning an exit route.
Finally make sure those dry clothes after the swim consist of many lighter layers as opposed to fewer heavy layers. And don’t forget those gloves and a hat.
How to make travelling a fun??
- Image via Wikipedia
If you are exhausted from your daily busy routine and want to take a break for recreation then you must choose to go for a trip. A trip full of fun will help you to relax yourself in a good way. Choosing a right place for travelling is one of the most important factors that may affect your trip. People are always eager to go on such places which are far away and are full of natural beauty. Travelling for recreation is not limited to any age group even small children can go for trips with their families.
Many people travel for different reasons. Some may travel because of their job or business or to attend training sessions. Another reason to go to long trip with friends and family is just for recreation. You can’t enjoy travelling to the maximum extent if you don’t have fun.
You can make travelling a source of fun by doing some extraordinary things to create fun. Having fun during traveling is all that matters and will make your trip more memorable. Fun time during traveling is an important aspect of it. During traveling stop worrying about your dull routine tasks which you left behind at home and just enjoy to the full extent. Traveling is the time to keep yourself free from all kind of junk that make you feel bored and exhausted at home. Take the time and plan well for travelling so that you have to think about it when you are on trip.
You can make plan for shopping, visiting the cultural places, staying out till late night, visiting dance bars, have some drink. Another thing that can spice up your fun is playing on custom poker tables in nearby casino with a little money in pocket and dreaming to win millions from that little amount. This is a thing which you shouldn’t miss because it will generate a lot of fun for you.
Travelling should always be done for amusement, so during travel enjoy the maximum and leave behind all the worries.
Stretching and swimming
Like all athletic past times and exercises proper stretching of all the muscle groups is a must. Aside from playing a major factor in preventing injuries like strains and pulled muscles, proper stretching can also improve muscle growth.
For swimming there are a few key stretches to consider. It’s important to properly warm up shoulders and arms, as those are the two areas where swimmers are most likely to experience some sort of injury.
The key to good stretching is flexibility. One basic stretch for warming up before entering the pool is to reach upward with each arm alternately, pressing the ear flat and reaching as high as possible. A good thing to keep in mind here is a nice, straight line. It might be tempting to pull or lean forward, but it’s key to maintain a nice, 180 degree line from your heels to your finger tips.
Another good stretch for improving flexibility is the bridge. By bridging your back upward off the ground, you can bring your shoulders in line with your head. If you can’t straighten your legs at first, that’s normal. Try elevating your feet by placing them on the couch or a stack of gym mats.
There are also a number of yoga poses which will help with flexibility and with stretching over all, so it’s worth the time to learn a few basics. A beginner’s yoga reference guide will have some good places to start.
In the end a lot of the traditional arm stretches are going to be good for warming up. Pulling your arm across your chest and stretching the deltoids; pulling your elbow behind your back; locking your arms behind your back and pulling up toward your head.
Just remember, the key is to feel a warm, stretching sensation. If you are feeling acute pain then you are doing it wrong, or need to warm up more slowly.
Raising Money to Keep Community Sports Teams Afloat
- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
If you are coaching a community team then the likelihood is that you are often faced with the issue of how the team’s needs are funded. While in some areas it may be appropriate to ask team members or their parents to pay a fee or subscription to take part in practice sessions and games, in other areas team sports need to be provided free of charge at the point of play as a community resource. This is because there are recognizable benefits to being involved in team sports for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. In this situation an alternative method of raising money to pay for equipment, uniforms, venue hire, team travel and additional expenses will need to be found.
Community fundraisers are a great way to raise awareness of the needs of your team. Some good ideas include getting the team to carry out errands such as washing cars or weeding gardens in return for a donation to their team kitty.
Alternatively, you may wish to stage an event such as a “bring and buy” sale where visitors donate goods from cakes to bric-a-brac to be sold to raise money for the team, as well as being encouraged to browse and purchase other items for sale.
Or, if you are feeling ambitions, why not put on a fun evening for friends and family of team members as well as others in your community. Ideas for events include a fun casino night where visitor make a donation to play at poker tables and roulette wheels in an effort to win non-monetary chips with a small prize being awarded to those with the highest number of chips at the end of the evening. Or maybe a sporting exhibition where team members can show off their skills in other entertainments, with monies being raised from the sales of tickets.
Increasing lung capacity
One recent visitor to a local swim class was asking how he could improve his lung capacity. He said he has quit smoking not too long ago and was wanting to learn methods to train his lungs to hold more air, longer.
What a swimmer experiences when they run out of air is hypoxic pain. This is the burning urgency experienced in the lungs which create an urgent need to draw in a breath.
What the gather of swimmers had to say seemed to be a lot of good advice, which the man was eager to take.
First, he was advised to try swimming sets and increasing the number of strokes between breaths with each set. The way it would work is he would swim one 50 meter length of the pool taking a breath every third stroke of his arms. He could do this about ten times, and then increase the number of strokes between breaths to four. He could repeat this interval until he was swimming seven strokes between breaths, and then gradually repeat the process in reverse.
Another workout actually consisted of standing in one place in the pool. He would take in a deep breath and then submerge. While under water he would slowly and deliberately expel all the air from his lungs. Once he was deprived of air he would resist the urge to emerge from the water and take a breath for as long as possible.
Once the hypoxic pain was too much he would raise up from the water and take in a deep breath, again repeating the process. The real goal of these exercises is not actually to stretch out the lungs. It is in reality to train the lungs to become more efficient at drawing air out of each breath faster. Swimming, overall, should help with lung capacity and efficiency.
