I knew something had happened when I came into swim practice one day and all of my teammates were talking about Michael Phelps returning to swimming. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. After the 2012 Olympics, Phelps had seemed … Continue reading
Some may think it is stupid,
But there are few that ever feel the rush of water flowing over their body
The idea that you may never stop,
But the idea that you may never move.
It is so much work paid off
Countless hours towards everything
All related to one thing.
The will to win flows through our veins
We feel the water,
For we are its people
We speak with each other,
and have fun at every turn
But secretly, this we do not share,
We do work, and we do push ourselves
For we fight against something no other athletes do.
The water
We are not the ones to look down on, for if you do,
We shall pass you on the inside
We know who we are
We are swimmers
Mavericks is a surfing location in Northern California, USA. It is located approximately 2 miles from shore outside Pillar Point Harbor, just north of Half Moon Bay. Maverick waves are a surfer’s destination. Maverick’s are the biggest waves on the planet.
Maverick’s is a winter destination for some of the world’s best big wave surfers. Very few riders becoming big wave surfers, and only a select few, are willing to risk the sometimes deadly conditions at Maverick’s. After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can crest at over 25 feet and reach a total height of over 80 feet. Sea floor maps were released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2007. They revealed why Maverick’s’ waves form. A long angled ramp leads to the surface. The ramp slows the the wave over it. This shapes the huge waves and provides them with tremendous power, which can literally kill a man. If a surfer falls off their board, they are being propelled at the water at about 100 miles an hour. Behind them lies 90 tons of water. They are 60 feet above the water, which means they are basically hitting cement. Death is almost automatic.
An invitation only contest is held there in the winter when the waves come, provided the waves are safe. Surfers from all around go there and prove themselves to the pro’s. Think about watching 80 foot waves in the distance, roll in at over 100 miles an hour, and crash at the water. It would be pretty fun to watch and the surfers are most likely loving it.
For many weeks now Florida’s situation with red tide is rising. This is mainly happening in the southwest region of the state.
On a recent trip to Florida, I noticed that the beaches were littered with dead fish and other marine life. This is called the Red Tide. Red Tide is the overpopulation of algae, when it overproduces it has lots of toxic waste which affects people, fish, and other marine animals. Fis and other marine life will die slowly. People could get itchy red eyes, throat and nose irritation.
This Red Tide can affect tourism with thousands of fish and dead animals being washed up on the shore line, foul odors and unpleasant sights of fish with no eyes being ripped apart by savage birds makes you want to leave. Clean up crew started to clear the beaches in the morning ,and by the end of the day the new dead fish crowded the beach again.
Naples, on the southwest coast of Florida is a town with a medium range of damage with the Red Tide. Just north of Naples, the problem of Red Tide was worse.
What does your coach tell you? Make a perfect spiral, keep the ball in bounds, pass, or go for the free throw? How about try and keep a minimal splash, and keep your form straight? Chances are, you answered “no” … Continue reading
In today’s sports, such as baseball, basketball, and football, athletes need to be in prime condition in order to compete at such a high level. Year after year athletes are elevating their sport. Competing at the level they are at is getting harder and harder each and every year. They are setting the bar so high that it almost feels impossible to make it as a young athlete. Athletes all have their ways of staying strong, fit, and fueled. Some drink sports drinks and eat hefty meals. Some work out and do it the old way. Some athletes choose to disregard the right and legal way and take performance enhancing drugs.
These drugs make you stronger, faster, and can make you go longer. These drugs are very effective and help a lot, but the fact of the matter is, they are illegal. It’s no question these are unfair. It’s like if Tom Brady had a bionic arm and the rest of the quarterbacks had just a normal arm. It’s unfair and just not right. These drugs can also give you major side effects like chest pains, bleeding, headaches, and in some cases more serious conditions, like heart problems and brain failure.
One big controversy regarding PED’s, ( Performance Enhancing Drugs ) right now, is cyclist Lance Armstrong’s confession to drug use. Lance Armstrong is an American cyclist who won many events such as the tour de france, the longest and most popular race in the world, several times. He is an icon for any cyclist. He has always seemed like a very nice and innocent guy and nobody thought he would do drugs. But recently he was tested positive for PED’s. He has just confessed last week to Oprah on live television that he has used PED’s most of his career. A lot of people neglect that their is actually a large use of this in cycling. A top – notch professional cyclist can travel 20 miles per hour up a pitch of 40 degrees and can do this for at least 45 minutes without losing energy. Even though Lance is incredibly fit, later towards his career he needed that little boost to enable him to still compete, and that is what led to Lance’s drug use problem.
It makes a lot of people mad at what sports are coming too these days. Steroids are unfair and a little bit selfish too. A lot of people don’t care much if someone is doing PED’s, but it really is cheating. I feel that about one – quarter of the top athletes are doing drugs. Athletes are doing whatever they can and taking whatever they can, to make the millions they are and to stay on top of their sport.
Summer, Long nights, Basketball, “Campies,” Tans by the poolside, Family Take me back to Summer ‘12, Where there was basketball, Ohio Where there was camp, making new friends, like sisters, Where there was the warm weather, Days … Continue reading
The Swimmer at Work
This picture shows the swimmer trying to push her way thought the barrier of water. The breast stroke kicks up the water very lightly and small waves push off towards the lane buoys. The Worcester Academy Swim Team preps for a tough season almost every day of the week. I took this with a Canon EOS 5D Mark iii and a 50-200 mm telescopic lens.
Men in our world get to play sports at a high level of competition while women don’t get a chance to show off their skills. Women’s sports are just as good as men’s sports, and sometimes even better. Men aren’t the only talented ones on this planet and women should be able to show that. Women can really bring it to sports competitions. People don’t realize that women are very talented and should be treated in a better way. Many sports played by men are made into professional sports. The world is full of professional mens sports such as the NBA, National Basketball Association, the NHL, National Hockey League, the MLB, Major League Baseball, MLS, Major League Soccer, and so forth. Women only have the WNBA, Women’s National Basketball Association, golf, MLS, Major League Soccer, and gymnastics to be a part of. Women should receive more respect and publicity for their skills.
Up on Lake Champlain, on the New York side, resides a camp that has been running for over 125 years. It’s name is Camp Dudley. It is an all boys camp that only does sports but has a great theater program as well. With 250 acres of land and waterside property, Camp Dudley offers boys opportunities that they would never have at home. When you arrive at dudley all you get is smiles, nobody judges you if you can’t do something and everybody is encouraging. All these things show why Camp Dudley is the best camp ever.
With 250 acres of land and over 125 years of experience the Camp Dudley counselors have got the right idea on how to run a camp. With kids starting when they are nine, it is sometimes their first time being away from home. The counselors know exactly how these kids feel, most of them having gone to Dudley as a camper before becoming a counselor. With all those acres of land Dudley also gives kids opportunities to do things they never would have a chance to do, and a safe environment to do them in. Learning new things is a everyday activity, there are specialists for every activity waiting to help you. Being right on Lake Champlain you do things like sailing, fishing, swimming and kayaking. To catch a 5 pound bass was always one of my dreams, at dudley I was able to catch it along with other fish. You can also participate in rifle and archery. I had always wanted to fire a real gun and was able to when I went to Dudley. Being assigned to a sports team in which you spend a lot of time with teaches kids teamwork and how to be competitive but still have fun. Continue reading
WA English 8 Blog 