|
Adaptive Sports And Recreation Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
| << April06, 2005 - Apr. 6, 2005, Issue 13 |
May04, 2005 - May 4, 2005, Issue 15 >> |
|
================================================= Adaptive Sports & Recreation April 20, 2005 Vol. 1, Issue 14 ================================================= Stephen Michael Kerr, Publisher stevekerr@ev1.net www.AdaptiveSports.AFreePress.com To subscribe, send a blank email to: 41809-subscribe@zinester.com Copyright 2005, Stephen Michael Kerr. ================================================= Privacy Policy ================================================= Your privacy is very important to me. Your email address will never be sold, shared, or distributed with anyone. You may forward copies of this newsletter to friends and family, and encourage them to subscribe. If you feel you have received this ezine in error, you may unsubscribe at any time; information on how to unsubscribe is at the bottom of this message. Some email programs automatically block or filter group mailings, so you may be missing emails and not know it. To make sure you receive each issue of this ezine, please add the following address to your approved email list: AdaptiveSportsAndRecreation@Zinester.com ================================================= In This Issue ================================================= - From The Publisher - Spotlight: Hoopin It Up With the NWBA by Stephen Michael Kerr - Profile: Rudy's Brave Heart Beats and Beats by Tabi King - In The News - Keeping Fit: 7 Surefire Strategies for Fat Loss by Richard Rigor - Helpful Links - On Deck - Contact Information ================================================= From The Publisher ================================================= Welcome to Adaptive Sports & Recreation, delivered to your inbox every other Wednesday. You'll find useful links and fascinating articles about unique sports played by people with many types of disabilities. Whether you're a friend or relative of a disabled individual, an adaptive physical education teacher, or a disabled person looking for ways to lead a more active life, this ezine can provide the information you're looking for. There's even a health and fitness section that anyone, disabled or not, will enjoy. Your feedback is always welcome. Please email me at: stevekerr@ev1.net ********** I'd have to say spring is my favorite time of year. It's warm during the day, and cool at night (although here in Texas, the weather can also be quite severe and unpredictable). Our state flower, the bluebonnet, is in season, and there are patches of them everywhere. My family loves to find a nice patch of them each year to take pictures. We even take our dog, Bridget, with us. Then, there are the spring sports: baseball, track, golf, and swimming. Only a few more weeks until our neighborhood pool opens, so I can take the kids swimming once school is out. Out of all the sports I keep up with, baseball is definitely my favorite. I spent part of last weekend by myself while the rest of my family went out of town to Boy Scout and Girl Scout campouts, and I must have watched half a dozen baseball games, in whole or in part. Yes, I admit it, I'm addicted to the sport. In fact, since it is baseball season, I think it's a great time to feature an article on an adaptive form of baseball played by the blind, known as beep baseball. You can read all about how players hit and field a ball, all while wearing a blindfold, in the next issue of ASR. This is one sport that is very familiar to me, since I played it for seven years. Meanwhile, I'll try not to hog the radio and TV now that my family is back! Talk to you soon. ------------------------------------------------- Stephen Michael Kerr is the publisher of Adaptive Sports & Recreation, as well as a radio broadcaster and freelance writer in Austin, Texas. Visit his official website: www.AdaptiveSports.AFreePress.com You'll find selected articles from ASR, links, adaptive sports news, and message boards. You can even post your own adaptive sports story or news item. Please support the site by clicking on the Google ads and using the Google search function on each page. ------------------------------------------------- ================================================= Feature Ad ================================================= NewsFlash*SnowPack is an ezine for the athlete in all of us. Filled with health and fitness info, tips, links and recipes, NewsFlash is your source for the latest healthy news. Articles include information about natural pain relief, the latest exercise research, a personal hiking journal, book reviews and so much more. Subscribe today at http://home.netcom.com/~newsflash Or send an email to: newsflash@ix.netcom.com with Subscribe in the subject line. ================================================= Spotlight ================================================= Hoopin It Up with the NWBA by Stephen Michael Kerr Of all the adaptive sports available to people with disabilities, wheelchair basketball is one of the oldest and most popular, especially in the United States. Following World War II, many veterans came home paralyzed or with amputated limbs, and had to adjust to spending the rest of their lives in a wheelchair. They needed activities that would give them back the self-confidence and high quality of life they once had. A number of adaptive sports began to take shape around this time: swimming, softball, volleyball, water polo, basketball, among others. It took only a few years for basketball to surpass the others in popularity. It first took root in numerous Veterans Administration hospitals around the country, and then spread abroad to Canada and England. While this provided a great opportunity for paraplegic and spinal cord injured veterans, there were many other non-veterans with similar or more severe conditions who were not exposed to the sport. This led to the creation of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association in 1948. Before long, wheelchair basketball was being played by athletes of all ages, skill levels, and disabling conditions. The growth of the NWBA has been phenomenal. Within a year of its inception, the first NWBA tournament was held, won by the Kansas City Pioneers. Today, the Association boasts 185 teams,separated into three men's divisions, a women's division, an intercollegiate division, and a juniors division. How has wheelchair basketball managed to sustain massive popularity for over five decades, while other adaptive sports struggle to recruit potential athletes and field teams? One possible reason is that basketball is an easy game to organize, either one on one or with a team. Grab a ball, find a gym or outdoor court with lines and a goal, get a few friends or family members together, and you're set. NWBA Program Director Todd Hatfield believes the strength of the Association's junior division, currently made up of 75 teams in prep, junior varsity, and varsity categories, has also played a key role in keeping the sport alive. "Kids are graduating from that division every year," Hatfield says. "A lot of times, the more talented kids will end up going to one of the colleges, where they continue to practice almost every day at the college level. They'll play for five years, they'll leave with a degree, (and) they'll return to the community setting where they'll enter into a workplace, and often will continue to play. "So we have that feeder system, that pipeline, that maybe a lot of other sports don't have." At present, the collegiate division consists of nine teams: Wisconsin-Whitewater, University of Texas-Arlington, Illinois Men and Women, Edinboro University, the University of Arizona, Southwest Minnesota State, Oklahoma University, and Oklahoma State. Although each team must adhere to NCAA guidelines such as academic eligibility, they are still sanctioned by the NWBA. "I think our intercollegiate division has been just a tremendous tool for us," Hatfield says. "It's like we have resident teams, where people are getting job training and they're competing in basketball full-time." Men's teams are divided into Divisions I, Ii, and Iii. Division I is the most competitive. Players don't have to stay within their community to play for a team; they can compete with any team from around the country. Teams play with a 24-second shot clock, as opposed to 35 in other divisions. Division Ii is community-based, which means teams must be comprised of players within a particular community. Division Iii concentrates more on recreation than competition. The NWBA would like to see more women's teams sprout up around the country. 10 teams currently make up the women's division: six adult, three college, and one junior team. As in the case of women's professional basketball, the NWBA's women players tend to leave the game earlier to start families and careers. "Our women's division struggles for numbers," Hatfield admits. "It's something we really need to try to focus on." However, lack of numbers hasn't kept the women from achieving success. During the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, the U.S. Women's Team captured their first gold medal since the 1988 Games by beating Austrailia 56-44 in the finals. Jennifer Warkins led the U.S. Team with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and six steals, while Christina Ripp contributed 16 points and seven rebounds. Over 50,000 athletes have discovered a new way of life thanks to the NWBA's efforts to promote the game at the local, national, and international levels. Camps and instructional books are produced for players, coaches, and referees. It also sanctions the U.S. Wheelchair Basketball Festival, a program that brings emerging elite athletes together each year for evaluation and instruction in a setting similar to international competition. With all the growth the NWBA has seen over the past five decades, there is still room for more teams. A campaign called "Get Back in the Game" has been set up to introduce the sport to an even greater audience. The goal is to add an additional 50 teams in the U.S. and Canada within the next five years. If you wish to start a team, or join an existing one, go to the official NWBA website at: http://www.nwba.org/index.php Or, send an email to: info@nwba.org ** If you have an idea for a spotlight on a particular adaptive sport or organization, send it to: stevekerr@ev1.net with "Spotlight" in the subject line. ================================================= Profile ================================================= Rudy's Brave Heart Beats and Beats by Tabi King From the Challenged Athletes Foundation Website Editor's Note: Rudy Garcia-Tolson competed for the U.S. Paralympic swim team in last summer's 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, after this article was written. He took home the gold medal in the 200 Im, shattering the world record in his class. Rudy continues to compete as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Elite Team, and has completed numerous individual triathlons, all despite the loss of both legs. To read the full story on Rudy, go to the Challenged Athletes Foundation website: http://caf.temp.powweb.com/html/pages/feature_athlete___rudy_ ** Have an idea for a profile? Just send an email to: stevekerr@ev1.net with "Profile" in the subject line. ================================================= In The News ================================================= The United States Association of Blind Athletes will offer a 2005 Youth Sports Festival in Colorado Springs July 7-11, along with a coaches clinic July 6-11. Blind and visually impaired persons ages 13-18 from all over the country will have an opportunity to improve their skills and learn new techniques in four sports: judo, swimming, track and field, and goalball. Athletes will also have an opportunity to work with elite Paralympic athletes in a series of clinics that will culminate in competitions in specific sports. To find out more about the festival, go to: http://www.usaba.org/pages/feature5.html ********** The Michigan Disability Sports Alliance is gearing up for its 2005 Sports Festival for Athletes with Disabilities, May 19-21 at Michigan State University in east Lansing. Events include swimming, bowling, cycling, boccia, and more. For registration and other information, contact J.J. Lewis at: j.lewis@MiDSA.org You can also visit the MDSA site: http://personal.myvine.com/~mcpla/sports%20festival.htm ********** Six members of the Paralympic Movement were honored at the 32nd annual Canadian Sport Awards March 29 in Toronto. Chantal Petitclerc, a track and field athlete, was named Female Athlete of the Year. Track coach Peter Eriksson received Coach of the Year honors. Canadian Paralympic Committee President Patrick Jarvis received the 2004 Leadership Award, the Corporate Excellence/National Team award went to Pfizer, Canada, the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Team captured Male Team of the Year honors, and the Canadian Goalball Team was named Female Team of the Year. For a complete list of nominees, visit the True Sport sebsite: www.truesportpur.ca/index.php/press. ** If you know of an adaptive sports event for this section, send it to: stevekerr@ev1.net and put "News" in the subject line. ================================================= Keeping Fit ================================================= 7 Surefire Strategies For Fat Loss! by: Richard Rigor 1. Weight Training. Building lean body mass (muscle) will speed up your body's metablism. Muscle is "active" tissue, meaning it takes calories to maintain. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. You build muscle by doing resistance training exercises. Simple enough? Let's go on... 2. Reduce Carbohydrate Intake. Say what? I thought you need a lot of carbohydrates for fuel? True, but an excess intake of carbs (please don't call them carbos) can and will be stored as body fat. 100% of all my clients who reduce their carbohydrate intake for fat loss succeed. I can't let all my tricks out of the bag in fairness to my paying clients, but a good starting point would be 1 - 1.25 grams of carbohydrate per pound of lean body weight per day. 3. Eat Frequently. I know you've all heard this before and it's true. Four to six meals daily has its benefits, especially on a sub maintenance calorie diet. It allows for a steady flow of nutrients to the body which creates a favorable metabolics environment for muscle growth and fat loss. 4. Eat More Protein. That's right... The building blocks of muscle are amino acids, and you get that from protein. I've found that many of my clients consumed too little protein. Now that I've taught them these nutritional tactics, they're on their way to losing fat and getting lean! Isn't that what you want? 5. Reduce Intake of Saturated Fats. Notice that I was specific in saying saturated fats. Saturated fats are the ones that cause the most problems, healthwise. There are good fats and there are bad fats. There are a group of fats called Essential Fatty Acids (or EFAs) that are just that. They are essential to life. The body cannot make them so we must consume them through our diet. There are certain fats that I recommend to people to help them lose fat! My clients know, but do you? (Hint: F??????? Oil) 6. Water. Drink, drink, and then drink some more, not necessarily in that order. An adult can probably survive several weeks without eating food, but only a few days without drinking water. Need I say more? Water regulates body temperature, rids the body of waste, lubricates joints, and provides a medium for chemical reactions that occur in the body. 7. Know What You're Doing! Get with someone who knows or better yet - Get a personal trainer! Do you know when the two BEST times are to do cardio (aerobics) for fat loss? Do you know how many sets and reps to perform for a given exercise in order to MAXIMIZE your goals? Do you know how to use free-weights? What are macronutrients and how can I manipulate them to enhance and hasten fat loss? If you don't know the answers, be efficient and get a personal trainer. It'll save you time and money in the long run. Copyright 2004 By Richard Rigor About The Author Richard Rigor is the author of "The Ideal Body Fat Loss Guide". He has a degree in Nutrition and has been a top fitness consultant for over 11 years. Visit www.theidealbody.net for more information. ================================================= Feature Ad ================================================= Like our Newsletter? Please vote for our ezine! Visit: http://www.ezine-marketing.com/cgi-bin/ezsearch/vote.cgi?ID=1094716097 ================================================= Helpful Links ================================================= American Adaptive Badminton Association Promotes adaptive badminton for both amputee and wheelchair athletes, and hopes to begin fielding teams in the United States. http://www.activeamp.org/badminton/index.htm British Blind Sport Believes in the benefits that sports provides for both children and adults with visual impairments, including improved health and mobility, broadening horizons, making new friends, and becoming more independent. http://www.britishblindsport.org.uk/index_txt.shtml Wheelchair Disabled Sports Contains information and a list of websites devoted to wheelchair sports. http://www.interactiva.org/Di/English/Wheelchair/Sports/Disabled/ ** If you have a link to an adaptive sports organization that you would like listed in this section, email it to: stevekerr@ev1.net with "Helpful Links" in the subject line. ================================================= On Deck ================================================= Here's a peek at what's coming up in the next issue. In the next "Spotlight", you'll read about a fascinating game of baseball played by the blind called beep baseball. The ball beeps, the bases buzz, and the players all wear blindfolds, whether they have vision or not, and it's a highly competitive sport. Gary Norman is a Baltimore attorney and a member of the Baltimore Rowing Club, even though he can't see the water or the boat he's using. Read his interesting story in the next "Profile". Thanks to power wheelchairs, people who once thought they could never be independent again, go where they wanted to, or take part in physical activity, can now do all that and more. Maricon Williams talks about the many benefits of owning a power wheelchair in the next "Keeping Fit". ================================================= Contact Information ================================================= Stephen Michael Kerr, Publisher stevekerr@ev1.net 1218 Hughmont Dr. Pflugerville, Tx 78660 www.AdaptiveSports.AFreePress.com There is no charge to subscribe to this ezine. Just send a blank e-mail to: 41809-subscribe@zinester.com To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to: 41809-unsubscribe@zinester.com ================================================= Disclaimer ================================================= Although we believe our advertisers to be honest in their practices, we cannot be held responsible for the products or services they offer. Please make sure to check out all opportunities, products, or services before you buy. |
|
| << April06, 2005 - Apr. 6, 2005, Issue 13 |
May04, 2005 - May 4, 2005, Issue 15 >> |
|
Adaptive Sports And Recreation Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on Adaptive Sports And Recreation |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |