BMX Freestyle vs. Racing

Posted on August 8, 2008
Filed Under Sports, TV | Leave a Comment

$\"BMX Freestyle\"$
BMX will be the first “action sports” discipline to enter the Summer Games Olympics, debuting this month in Beijing.

However, the BMX Olympic events will not be in the freestyle discipline (riders of vert ramp, dirt jumps, park courses, and streets) many are accustomed to viewing at the X Games or events like the Dew Tour, but consist solely of BMX racing.

Here are some interesting articles on BMX racing in Beijing and then a BMX freestyle vs racing article.

Here is the deal. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) had been considering a BMX freestyle event only if the discipline would conform to a new set of rules that would enable it to be an Olympic sport.

While the freestyle riders in the article listed above see the BMX racing events as a positive for the sport, and hope that it will open the door to future expansions (2012 in London), there is still some concern.

Chad Kagy, a freestyle rider, says, “Its a bummer we’re not included [as freestylers]. We did a Dew Tour vert event in China and the crowd just loved it. The Chinese people loved us. But 2012 works for me. I’m hoping to still be riding.”

Mat Hoffman, a freestyle rider and head of the International BMX Freestyle Federation, said that the IOC and other various governing bodies have told him that rules need to change in order to be considered. But much of the changes don’t fit the sport, which is freestyle, not conforming to rules.

Simon Tabron, another freestyle rider, said that it’s very difficult to translate what we do into an Olympic sport.

And my response to that and the IOC is: Really? What is so difficult?

The X Games and Dew Tour seem not to have any problems. You have a time limit and judging based on set of criterions (skill, style, difficulty, perfection, etc). How is this any different than gymnastics or snow boarding in the Winter Games?

The IOC tested “action sports” as a side show to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and they were a hit.

It looks like the IOC have dropped the ball on this one.

(photo via EXPN, Jared Souney)

C.Harv

National Anthem Marvin Gaye Style

Posted on August 6, 2008
Filed Under Videos | 1 Comment

Back in 1983, while I was still in kindergarten watching the TV show Emergency and eating Spaghetti-O’s, Marvin Gaye was performing the National Anthem in his own style at the NBA All-Star game at the Forum in Los Angeles.

Additionally, Coach K, the head coach of Duke University and Team USA Basketball, picked this song as the anthem for this years team and also to visually inspire them before they began their quest for gold.

(Flash Video Embedded)

C.Harv

X Games 14

Posted on August 4, 2008
Filed Under Sports, TV, Videos | Leave a Comment

“The Best of the Best” at X Games 14 in Los Angeles. Go to EXPN to get your fix on all the highlights and video coverage of the 2008 X Games.

(Flash Video Embedded)

Danny Way is one tough, maybe a little crazy, dude! Crazy flip on the dirt bike with only one hand! I got to go to the X Games one of these years.

C.Harv

Native American Sneakers Part II

Posted on August 1, 2008
Filed Under Sneakers | Leave a Comment

My post on Native American Inspired Sneakers, surprisingly, has been my “most viewed” post, and one in which a few have contacted me in hope to get their hands on a pair of these sneaks.

So, I did some more research to see where you could get a pair.

And the results, so far? Asian Exclusive! Crazy and unfair, I know.

Can Native Americans or anyone else who wants to rock these kicks in the States get a pair first? Didn’t the Native American flavor inspire them?

Word from a forum at Nike Skateboarding.org is that a sneakerhead in Japan got a pair for $140 in a April 2008 release. Another exclusive purchase was made in Tokyo for $75 in May 2008.

I also came across a low version of the Nike Court Force.

$\&quot nike_court_force_native_am-1\"$ (via Nike Skateboarding)

And I also stumbled upon these sneakers for those who love New Balance.

$\&quot nbnativeb\"$
(via KicksOnFire)

Or if you prefer them in Grey and Brown then check them out on this site via Mita Sneakers.

Let me know what you think and if you are successful in buying a pair.

C.Harv

Operation Yao Ming, Beijing Olympics

Posted on July 31, 2008
Filed Under Books, Sports, World News | Leave a Comment

$\&quot Operation Yao Ming\"$ Operation Yao Ming: The Chinese Sports Empire, American Big Business, and the Making of an NBA Superstar, written by Brook Larmer, is a fascinating book that I just finished reading.

The story begins with a groundingbreaking introduction into the forbidden kingdom of China and the communist-style sports system that Yao Ming was “drafted” into. Yao’s basketball playing parents, like many other athletes, were paired up at the urging of the dictatorial sports officials that were driven to create a generation of athletes that could compete with the rest of the world and bring glory to their nation.

As Yao began to grow into his 7′6” frame and develop into one of China’s top basketball players, the story takes many twists and turns into the complicated East-West tug-of-war battle over athletes and how American big businesses were trying to get their foot in the door of a country with 1.3 billion potential consumers.

There is a lot of hope and pressure that has been building for years in regards to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Take a glimpse into the weight that is on a nation and a ball players shoulders:

“No moment will symbolize China’s stunning rise more potently than the 2008 Olympics. The Games’ long-awaited arrival in Beijing, coming a full century after YMCA missionaries first issued their challenge, will mark China’s return as a global superpower, a nation that has leaped from the darkness of the Cultural Revolution to the bright lights of the world’s center stage in a single generation. The Olympics have always been freighted with political meaning, and a national pride naturally surges in host countries. But predictably, given the size of its population and historical ambitions, China has taken it to another level.

The prestige of the nation, one-fifth of the world’s population, seems to hinge on that single fortnight in August 2008. By staging a successful Olympics that showcases the country’s “peaceful rise” (and erases a darker history), the leaders hope to prove to the world, and to their own people, that this truly is China’s century.

The star of this global coming-out party will, almost inevitably, be Yao Ming. Moreover, as Beijing prepares to dazzle the world with its development. the nations’s sport authorities seem eager to excel in basketball, a “big ball” sport with not only deep roots in the Middle Kingdom but also future import as the quintessential global game. Eighth place will not be good enough this time around. Chinese authorities are already promising the country’s first-ever men’s basketball medal in 2008, and the pressure will be on their 7′6” center to lead the way.”

As I posted on Twitter, I didn’t win the Yao Ming Foundation raffle, but I am still interested in seeing how the Beijing Olympics transpire, and how the basketball competition unfolds.

Anyone going to watch the Olympics? Any other great stories to watch this year?

C.Harv

WordPress + iPhone = Fun

Posted on July 23, 2008
Filed Under Blogging, Mac | 2 Comments

$\"iPhone WordPress Button\"$
Finally, WordPress comes out with a solid application for the iPhone.

I am writing this post on my iPhone right now.

Highlighted Features:
1. Embed photos taken from your iPhone (and it let’s you take one right from the app) or from your library.
2. “Write” screen works with ease in adding a title, tags, and synced categories.
3. Options to save a post to a local draft, publish, or even change the date, and preview your work.

Downside:
1. Adding links without showing the URL (can’t we have it all ).
2. Using editing features and items like the Bold fonts.

Overall, a very sweet app. They say you need WP version 2.5.1 or newer to run app, but I’m running it on WP 2.5 with no problems so far.

Also, the app will work on WordPress.com supported blogs (non-self-hosted), though I haven’t tested it yet.

Anyone using this app yet?

(Note: added link and picture from WordPress on my laptop).

C.Harv

ESPY’s 2008: Justin Timberlake Skit

Posted on July 22, 2008
Filed Under TV, Videos | 2 Comments

I missed the 2008 ESPY’s this past weekend, but I have been watching a few clips online to catch up. Justin Timberlake was the host and he seemed to do a great job. Here is a funny interview skit playing off of events that happened in the sports world.

Timberlake
Uploaded by bsap11

(Via Sports Business Radio)

C.Harv

Proof John Piper Is a Gangster

Posted on July 17, 2008
Filed Under Conferences | 1 Comment

$\"John Pipers\' A Gangsta\"$

Apparently the story is that this girl wanted Piper to throw up a “West side” sign to go along with the theme of the conference he was speaking at (”Word of God”).

Even if he didn’t know that the sign he was throwing up is a gang sign, John Piper is still a gangster of the gospel, throwing Word bombs every time he speaks.

(via Joshua Harris)

C.Harv

Home Run Derby, Josh Hamilton

Posted on July 15, 2008
Filed Under Sports | 1 Comment

If you are like me and missed the home run derby last night at Yankee Stadium because you don’t have cable or you didn’t know it was on, then check out the highlight of the night.

Josh Hamilton, a former #1 Draft pick, turned down the wrong path of drug addiction, and was out of baseball for four years before his recent comeback a few years ago.

This guy is the talk of baseball right now because he has some serious skills:

(via Sports Business Radio Blog)

Yao Ming Foundation

Posted on July 14, 2008
Filed Under Outreach, Sports, World News | 2 Comments

Want to help children affected by the 8.0 earthquake in China? And also be the personal guest of Yao Ming at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing?

$\"Yao Ming Foundation\"$
The Yao Ming Foundation is offering this very opportunity.

Yao’s Foundation is selling raffle tickets ($2.00/ ticket, minimum purchase of 5 tickets) that will go toward rebuilding schools and providing assistance to the children devasted by the earthquake in China.

Not only will you be supporting a great cause, the raffle ticket winner and guest will get hooked up as well.

Grand Prize:
* Winner and Guest will receive 6 nights 7 day hotel accommodations in Beijing China (Single Room, Double Occupancy, From August 7, 2008 to August 13, 2008)
* Winner and Guest will receive roundtrip airfare from any international airport worldwide to Beijing
* Winner will receive a $1,500 cash stipend for meals and expenses
* Winner and Guest will enjoy a Team China vs. Team USA Olympic Basketball Game
* Winner and Guest will each receive an autographed Official Yao Ming NBA Jersey
* Winner and Guest will enjoy a meet and greet with Yao Ming in the United States after attending a Houston Rockets NBA game (at a mutually agreed upon time)
* Winner and Guest will enjoy a Guided Tour of the Great Wall of China
* Winner will also receive a cash prize in the amount of $3,995.00 to mitigate the Winner’s tax liability that results from winning the raffle. This prize is withheld and paid, on behalf of the Winner, directly to the IRS ($3,300.00) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ($695.00)

Drawing Date: Monday, July 21, 2008.
Entry Deadline: 9:00 AM EDT July 21, 2008.

Note: Winner and guest must have a valid U.S. passport (expiration date no earlier than March 1, 2009) and a visa. Winner and Guest will receive assistance from a professional visa expediting firm as part of the prize.
Must be 18 years of age, or older, to purchase a ticket. However, the rules allow an Entrant to “Gift” their tickets to another person, which may or not be a minor (must confirm this when signing up for the raffle ticket).

I am excited about the cause and the grand prize, and have already bought a few tickets of my own.
I even had to expedite my passport this weekend (over looked expiration last month) to be eligible for the trip. Hey, one can dream, right?

Can’t win unless you play!

C.Harv

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