Posted on: 02/23/10(0 ratings) Author: nansteez1984
I'm sad to admit that the Winter Olympic games have never really been on my radar when it comes to sporting events partly because it happens every four years when I'm usually in whatever phase of my life I'm in and largely because I don't partake in any winter sport. As a matter of fact, I've never even been to the snow or seen snow(not even man-made snow!).
When the Vancouver games kicked off last Friday I knew it was going on and I didn't really pay too much attention to the opening ceremony or even the first few events in the games.
Well, I have to say that I have changed my mind. This Winter Olympics has been captivating with its many storylines and just overall great performances by respective athletes. From the tragedy of the Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili losing his life the day of opening ceremony which lead to awareness of the dangers of some of the venues, to the amazing courage displayed by Lindsey Vonn as she managed to win Gold in the Downhill event with an injured shin, to the amazing beatdown that the U.S. team put on Canada on Canadian soil, I've become a huge fan of the Winter Olympics.
My friends and I even stayed up last Thursday night to watch the Mens Figure Skating Long Program finals after the Lakers were upset by the Celtics. We became experts on figure skating for an hour and a half as we watched the tension between Evan Lysacek and Yevgeny Plushenko beautifully play out into a difference of a little over one point to decide the Gold Medal.
I marvelled at Apolo Anton Ohno's last second dash to qualify for the final round in the Short Track 1000 meter speed skating competition who later went on to win a Bronze Medal making him the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history.
I felt happy and relieved for Bode Miller after he won his first ever Gold Medal after years of bad publicity and turmoil surrounding his lifestyle. It was great to see redemption in this Olympic Games.
I was never really in to hockey and I found myself on the edge of my seat during the United States v. Canada game where things got really hairy in the last period. There was a moment late in that game where it all just clicked for me. I finally understood hockey, the rules, the strategy, and the excitement it brings to a sold out arena.
There were so many other great moments that I was lucky enough to witness live(or probably tape delay) and I actually kind of regret not paying much attention to the last two Winter Olympics. Well if anything, at least I can say that I look forward to Women's figure skating to wrap up the week and to 2014 where Russia will play host to the next Winter Olympics.
We have to keep in mind that since the Olympics is only every four years, it is one of the few chances that these Olympians have to achieve their goals that they have been training for four years for. I'm glad that I've become such a fan of a global event and I'm probably going to plan a trip to the snow in the near future.
Posted on: 12/19/09(1 ratings) Author: TaraLConley
Copenhagen is finally behind us and some unbinding deals have been reached, including:
Emission limits for emerging powers India and China, along with new reduction targets for the United States.
An aid fund, to reach $100 billion a year by 2020, to help poor nations adapt to changing climate and employ low-emission fuels.
Nations will have until February to respond to specific emission commitments, but no real deadlines have been set. This, along with other provisions, has been disappointing to many environmental activists and leaders of poor and "climate vulnerable" nations.
So what do athletes have to say about climate change?
Just this past month, Canadian Olympic athletes and Ethiopian Olympic athletes have shown concern. According to CBC News, Canadian Olympic athletes wrote a letter to prime minister, Stephen Harper, calling on him "to support an agreement on cutting greenhouse gases at the UN conference on climate change in Copenhagen."
A victory for Canadian athletes? Well, maybe. If you consider the above unbinding deals any indication of progressive change on the climate change front.
On the other side of the globe, Ethiopian athletes are feeling a difference in outdoor temperatures. According to multi-world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie, he believes the climate change over the years affects how he trains.
"Three weeks ago I was in Asela and I jogged three kilometres," he said in the capital, Addis Ababa. "It was around 9.30 a.m. and you don't believe it ... I was sweating. I asked myself, 'Is this Asela? The place where we were training before? Yes it is'," he told Reuters.
I've wondered what real-world impact climate change has had on athletes, especially distance runners that have trained in hot climates over the years. When I was running track in Houston a few years back, I never thought that the scorching morning temperatures had anything to do with climate change. Honestly, I thought I was just experiencing normal climate shock coming from the Snow Belt area. I'm in no way qualified to say whether or not climate change was the reason Houston was so hot during those intense August mornings. However, Gebrselassie seems to have a unique frame of reference since he's been training near his home town for over 20 years.
Knowing now that some form of "deals" have been reached in Copenhagen, I wonder if it will matter in the end. I also wonder if, with erratic outdoor temperatures, we'll begin to see more athletes speak out for stricter emission standards.
This past week I was on a cruise to Canada (Saint John and Halifax, woohoo!) As it turns out, I missed an awesome skateboarding event right in my neighborhood when I was busy preparing for my trip. Last Saturday, June 27, Stoked Mentoring (remember them from our Just 1 Click in June?) held the Stoked Skate Jam under the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown. The event was the meeting spot for skateboarders to take the streets to celebrate Go Skateboarding Day (which was June 21, but this event was postponed because of the weather*). From the pictures and videos I’ve seen, this event looked like a lot of fun, and many youth turned out to support Stoked Mentoring. Once again, the mission of Stoked Mentoring is to help at-risk and disadvantaged teens hone their skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing skills with the support of an encouraging mentor. Stoked's mission statement says it all: "And one teen at a time, counterculture WILL change the world." Check out the pictures and video footage!
source: Bowery Boogie, Flickr
While in Canada, I did get to see some skateboarding as well. Saint John celebrated Canada Day (July 1) with a skateboarding competition at its brand new skate park. Here’s some video of young Canadians warming up.
How do they hold up against New York? How about LA?
“I’m going to stop them. I’ll lay in the path of the machines if I have to. I have to protect our land.”—Rosalin Sam of the Lil’wat Nation,on the construction of new ski-resorts in sacred wilderness areas. The Guardian.
As athletes around the world prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this August, some have already started thinking about the next winter Olympic Games scheduled for Vancouver in 2010.
More specifically, indigenous communities in Canada have voiced fervent opposition to the Games. They say that the winter Olympics will take place on stolen indigenous land, devastate natural resources, and largely ignore the impoverished Native communities in and around Vancouver.
"We look on the extravagance of what the Olympics represent to us as indigenous people and, quite frankly, we're pissed off. So today...we are standing united in telling the Olympics if they want a peaceful Games they have got to come and pay attention to the poverty that is in our communities."
Photo: Last month, thousands of First Nations supporters organized across Canada to protest the 2010 Olympics, bringing nation-wide attention to their concerns.
Not everyone agrees about the affects that the 2010 Olympic Games will have in Native communities. The Four Host First Nations formed an official group to increase indigenous support for the Games. They say that Olympic development will bring economic growth.
But the Four Host First Nations’ viewpoint doesn’t quite represent the majority of First Nations members, whose growing commitment to stop Olympic exploitation gave rise to the Native 2010 Resistance Campaign. The Campaign website states that increased development has already begun to destroy Native lands. From road construction to ski-resort expansion, Native groups haven’t received any compensation for the environmental damage that will continue to accrue as the Games get closer. While many indigenous folks still depend upon the natural environment for food sources and sacred ceremonies, Olympic planners and development corporations seem to care more about the commercial potential of the land. As a final slap in the face to Native communities (who frequently live below the official poverty level), low-income housing projects are being converted to luxury hotels and condos to prepare for wealthier visitors. Many will need to relocate into less expensive regions.
The Olympics are intended to bring athletes of all races and ethnicities together for some friendly competition. But when a cultural group feels abused and ignored in the face of large corporate interests, the guise of friendly competition becomes yet another tool of oppression. Instead of losing touch with the human face behind the jersey, I’d like to see our nation celebrate sports that are fun, inclusive, and mindful of basic human dignity.
"We look on the extravagance of what the Olympics represent to us as indigenous people and, quite frankly, we're pissed off. So today...we are standing united in telling the Olympics if they want a peaceful Games they have got to come and pay attention to the poverty that is in our communities."
