October 14, 2009
The French Open last year was the first serious outing for Samantha Stosur since she recovered. The Grand Slam was in her sights all along, but she was sickened by a tick-borne disease called Lyme disease. It put her out of commission for one full year.
She had been ranked No. 27 at one time before her illness. When she returned she sat at a much lower 149 in the rankings, but was very happy to be back to business as usual at all. She and her partner were ranked at No. 1. before the illness took hold of her.
Her family and friends were instrumental in her recovery and her return to tennis. They exhibited such faith in her that she couldn’t help but to keep a positive attitude. She beat Shahar Peer in the French Open to go on to the second round. Once she achieved that milestone, it became easier for her to have faith in herself.
The momentum has carried her a long way back to success. After the French Open she reached the semifinals at the Eastbourne. After that, she went to the quarterfinals at Stanford, and further into the season she competed in the Sony Ericsson Tour WTA finals in the single division held in Seoul, South Korea. At last year’s season’s end she left with a ranking of No. 52. That was going to give her a great starting point to begin the 2009 season.
So far this season she has made a fantastic showing and has been ranked among the top 20 for the first time in her career. She has decided to concentrate her efforts more on the singles game than the doubles.
October 14, 2009
Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova beat her fellow countrywoman Saturday at France’s Roland Garros. She won the Grand Slam singles by winning straight sets.
Safina was beaten by Kuznetsova in April at Stuttgart, losing straight sets to her then as well. Safina then made a fine recovery and went on to win 16 straight. This set a record for the longest winning streak on the Sony Ericsson Tour so far this year. Among the 16 wins was a win of revenge on Kuznetsova in Rome at the finals. They continued to struggle back and forth.
Kuznetsova, while Safina was on a tear of her own elsewhere, was gaining momentum. At Roland Garros she overpowered her first opponents by winning straight sets and then managed to beat Serena Williams, Samantha Stosur, and Agnieszka Radwanska, all in her seed group. She beat them all, losing the second set and winning the first and third.
Kusnetsova faced Safina in a final match and remained calm and collected. Safina was the No. 1 rank at that point, but hit double faults seven times. She lost six serves. Then Kusnetsova went ahead for four games straight for the victory. The final score, 64 62.
Though the two Russian women are rivals, they have a great respect for each other’s hard work and abilities. On teammate Safina, Kusnetsova commented “She’s an amazing athlete. She works very hard. One day she’ll make it here.”
Since 2004 Russia has been a definite dominant force in women’s tennis. This year’s Grand Slam Final was the Russian’s third since then.
October 14, 2009
Here are a few job titles and their descriptions put out in a recent article on the FA website. Since the FA oversees women’s and girl’s football, there may be some positions available for females in those areas.
The FA is attempting to recruit some good athletes to take their passion for the sport a step further and perhaps consider a career in sport. These positions are key and are needed at several levels from the children’s to the adult leagues.
Senior National Game Development Manager, SDMNG 09, is a role that requires applicants to lead and coordinate development, implement key targets of the National Game Strategy, and design and implement great quality programmes and provide resources for those that need or want them. The applicant will have designed Football Development Programmes, hold a good track record of providing quality customer service for a diverse group of supporters, is a strong leader and motivator, is capable of developing partnerships with business sponsors, and has extraordinary communication skills and the ability to influence others.
Five managers are needed for Regions, National Game (RMNG 09). The regions are London, South East, Eastern, East Midlands, North East, and Yorkshire. The managers will be leading National Game Strategies in one region. They will coordinate support services and identify where those might be needed. Managers will develop partnerships with sponsors to invest in the National Game. Candidates will know the game and the specific development, governance, operations, and business end of it. They will be able to motivate and lead, and will be able to influence a wide variety of supporters, have a good track record for showing results and bringing up performance where necessary, and can develop programmes that will secure investment from partners.
October 14, 2009
One does not have to starve to win the battle of the bulge. Eating more reasonable meals in a day will do more good. If you are hungry, try protein as a snack and absolutely add more proteins to your diet in general.
Protein is more work for your body to digest, thereby raising your metabolism as though you were exercising. You will actually burn calories as you eat. Proteins make you feel fuller than you would if you ate more carbs or foods heavy in fats.
Eat more than three meals in a day. By eating smaller meals more frequently you will cause a stabilising effect on your blood sugar. When your blood sugars are stable, you are not as likely to experience cravings between your meals.
Drink water, water, water. Thirst is frequently the cause of your hungry feelings, not actual hunger. Also, it is easier on your metabolism, as the kidneys are stressed with inadequate water, which causes the liver to take over, which causes the liver to discontinue its real job-metabolising fat to energy. The fat gets stored instead. So, drink more water.
Eat unlimited amounts of veggies. Dark green, leafy types are the best. Broccoli and spinach add fibre and make you feel full. They also contain antioxidants, which can a lot toward boosting your immune system.
Finally, be sure to exercise. You will burn calories when you do, and you will also be suppressing your appetite. Exercising raises the body’s temperature, which suppresses the appetite and alters the hormone levels in your body.
October 13, 2009
When you shop for food, it is best to create a list at home before you go. Try to make your list when you are not hungry. You’ll be more practical about what you put on the list. In the same way, try not to shop while hungry. These are two habits that can cause the most careful dieter to go off the plan.
Here are some suggestions for your list. Plan to purchase proteins. These include eggs, cans of tuna (the water packed kind), tuna steaks, cottage cheese, low fat yoghurt (Greek is best), and chicken breast or turkey white meat.
The carbohydrates should be simple type carbs as unprocessed as possible. Buy brown or dark rye bread, or whole grain wheat bread. Buy fruits, veggies, especially dark green, potatoes, brown rice, and crisp breads.
You will need to eat some fats. The cholesterol you ingest as a result of good fats is necessary to the efficient operation of your bodily functions. Buy peanut and other nut butters, hummus (from garbanzo beans), and olive oil. Olive oil should become part of your everyday diet. It has properties that create a very healthy balance and is a powerful antioxidant. It can be used instead of butter for cooking. Try it in the frying pan when you make up scrambled eggs.
Optional goodies include cayenne pepper, black or white pepper, chilli powder, garlic, balsamic vinegar, basil, parsley, thyme, coriander, and dill. These are not necessary, but will do a lot to make whatever you cook taste like you’ve been at it all day.
October 13, 2009
The women’s team of Macgregor, Lush, and Martin won the top gold prize in the Delta Lloyd Regatta Women’s Match race of 2009. The race was held in Holland. The winning women’s team is comprised of British sailors.
This match race was the last leg of the ISAF World Cup Sailing Series held in Holland. The women’s team has achieved three golds, also known in the sailing world as a “hat trick”.
The ladies, Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush, and Ali Martin, were sailing for the Skandia Team GBR when they scored their hat trick of top prizes. The German ladies team gave the Brits a tough run of it, but the GBR team pulled through for the wins. The German team was led by Ulrike Schuemann. This is only the second competition held in this particular sport for these teams, as it has recently been added to the Olympic Games as a discipline. The ISAF World Cup Series is considered to be part of the Olympic precursors to the future Games.
Megan Pascoe, a fellow lady sailor, but in the Paralympics Division, said, “Lucy, Annie, and Ali performed well in the women’s match racing event, although the real test will come at the next World Cup event in Kiel when the new Elliot 6m Olympic boats make their first outing, so that will be interesting to see.”
Pascoe, also racing in the World Cup, finished in the number two spot in her division. She won a silver medal in the Paralympics class.
October 13, 2009
The new apprentice programme for coaches in the UK Swimming programme has begun. For the first time, apprenticeships are available for those young athletes wishing to take their expertise to the next level and enter the world of coaching.
The ASA and the Institute of Swimming will offer young people aged 16 to 24 the opportunity to join in the professional apprentice coach realm. There will be 40 spots available. The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence Programme has helped upwards of 300 people to stay in sports. The AASEP was helpful to Rebecca Adlington in attaining the two gold medals she won in Beijing at the Olympics.
The training offered the young people will be for future careers as coaches, and can provide some stability in a career choice in these unsettling and uncertain times where jobs are harder to come by.
The first phase will give all the candidates a Level 3 UK Coaching Certificate, which will be earned in the environment of clubs. The organisations are planning a second phase which will give even more young people the opportunity to participate, creating an additional 200 spots for Level 2’s.
The head of ASA’s Talent Development stated that this programme is an opportunity for those young people who would like to develop their talents into a coaching career no matter what the aquatic discipline. He believes that the current top coaches have not had the opportunity to acquire formal education in their road to higher performance coaching roles.
October 13, 2009
The third leg of the World FINA Diving Series for 2009 was held in Sheffield in the UK. Many of the heroes and heroines of last year’s Olympic Games presented their best efforts again. The fourth leg, the final, was held in Qatar. The UK event was held at the Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and featured the cream of the diving crop.
British Swimming and UK Sport worked for three years to bring the event to the UK. The funding was provided by the National Lottery World Class Events Programme to the tune of 120,000 pounds. British Diving was given 5.8 million pounds for the time period of 2005 through 2009 to support their efforts in the Olympic Games. The money given in support of their ambitions helped to put them in the world’s spotlight.
The FINA World Series saw eight of the top divers in the world, all of whom competed in the Beijing Olympic Games. With this type of competition and the level of it, the British citizens can get a very up close look into the world of competitive sport. This is in the best interest of the UK’s future athletic representation around the world. It is a matter of pride in one’s country and gives the young ones something to shoot for. They have proper heroes and heroines to look to as well. This perpetuates itself in helping the athletic programmes to grow in popularity with the youth, and particularly with the young girls. Swimming and diving are very competitive in the women’s classes and the media coverage has increased, making it more and more accessible to them.
October 12, 2009
In April the ASA announced its new and exciting strategy plans for the next four years of competition. The plans will lead the UK up to and through the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in London.
Sport England will be involved in the planning and implementing of the strategy, making known the priorities and target issues for all to know each step of the way. The way the ASA execs see it, this is going to be a terrific opportunity to show everyone what the sport is made of, and will hopefully encourage a great deal more participation. They hope to bring greater public awareness to swimming and create a legacy along the way.
The plans are quite ambitious. They are going to encourage more people to swim just for fun and exercise, and swim more often than they do now. They are going to begin with the youngest and least experienced swimmers. There will be a first moment of “magic” for the very young child just beginning to learn to swim. There will be more Learn to Swim programmes and School Swim programmes. The object will be to create a love for swimming in the children that should carry through with them into adulthood.
One of the ways in which they hope to change the sport for amateurs is by improving the quality of the teachers and coaches. The ASA has spent more than a year in developing their plan. It has been designed with the help of people at all levels of the sport starting from the bottom and working through to the top level.
October 12, 2009
The Rugby Football Union for Women has announced that England will play host to the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2010. In 2006 the last one was held in Edmonton, Canada. Germany, Kazakhstan, and South Africa wanted to be the hosts, but England won out.
The first Women’s Rugby World Cup was held in 1991. There has been amazing growth in the sport for women since that time. At present there are more than 12,000 women and girls that play the game that has traditionally been reserved for men and boys.
England played in the finals in 2006, but lost in the end to New Zealand. Since then, though, England has been named the champions of the RBS 6 Nations triple grand slam, the European Cup, and the Nations Cup. The more depth England grows in numbers of players, the better the chances of staying at or near the top of the heap.
UK Sport has been supportive of the women’s rugby leagues. Visit London has also had a significant role in supporting the invitation to the World Rugby Cup. There is a fine stadium and the infrastructure to support such a large scale event. The event being held in London will also do wonders for the growth of women’s rugby all over the UK, as there will be lots of television and sport news coverage. Up to 150,000 pounds has been committed by the National Lottery to help fund the event.
