Horse Racing - The Sport of Kings

Thousands of years ago, man discovered that an animal from the Equus order was good for carrying his burdens and lightening his load. Then one day, as the human race as a whole are natural competitors, we began to use that animal, called the horse, to race against others.

Then man began breeding horses to excel in speed and endurance. When this new type of entertainment and sport began to evolve, it was the nobility, or royalty, who could afford the expense of breeding horses for this purpose. Therefore, that "class" of people were the ones who most often enjoyed the leisure of competing in horse races.

Early picture records of horse racing were found in the origins of prehistoric nomadic tribesmen of Middle Asia. It was they who first domesticated the horse around 4500 B.C. The first written records came much later, after horse racing was already an established sport from Central Asia to the Mediterranean. Horse racing became a part of the Greek Olympics around 638 B.C. And the Roman Empire was obsessed with the sport.

Modern racing traces its roots back to the 12th century. Knights of the British Empire imported Arabic horses upon their return from the Crusades. In the years that followed, hundreds of Arab stallions were crossbred with English mares to give the most desirable combination of speed and endurance. This breed of horse became known, after its evolution, as the Thoroughbred and of course the nobility were leaders in staging competitions between two superior Thoroughbred horses for private wagers, as a diversion.

As the sport evolved to being more professional during the reign of Queen Anne in the early 18th century, one-on-one races gave way to events in which several horses competed. Racetracks offered purses, or prize money to the winner of the events. And those purses grew larger in order to attract the best horses.

During the mid-1700s, it was decided that there needed to be a governing body to determine the rules and standards by which racers, breeders, and owners must abide. As a result the Jockey Club was established in Newmarket, and still exercises complete control over English racing to this day.

Once the Club established the complete rules and standards of the horses and the races which could be run under sanction of the Club, five races were designated as the "classic" races for three-year-old horses. The English Triple Crown - which is open to both colts and fillies - consists of the 2000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby, and the St. Leger Stakes. Two other races, which are open only to fillies, are the 1000 Guineas and the Epsom Oaks.

As the British settled in America, they brought very fine breeding stock and racing horses with them. The first known racetrack in the Colonies was on Long Island in New York. It was first laid out around 1665. Though horse racing was a popular local event, organized and professional racing did not actually start until after the Civil War. From there, the sport escalated in popularity across the settled parts of the country. And many of the racetracks were run by the "criminal element." As this was quite undesirable to the more prominent track owners and breeders, they met in New York in 1894 and formed the American Jockey Club. They soon established rules and regulations, similar to those of the English Jockey Club, and quickly eliminated much of the corruption.

The Kentucky Derby, one of the best known horse-racing events in the United States, was first run in 1875. Its home is at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It is one of the three races which make up the American Triple Crown. The other two are the Belmont Stakes, first run on Long Island, New York at Jerome Park in 1867, and the Preakness Stakes, first run in 1873 at Pimlico Park in Baltimore, Maryland.

Although interest has waxed and waned over the years, horse racing is the second-most attended spectator sport in the United States, outranked only by baseball.

There are other forms of horse racing in both Great Britain and the United States. These include:

- The steeplechase, which requires the horse to clear such obstacles as brush fences, stone walls, rail fences, and water jumps. The oldest and most famous steeplechase in Great Britain is England's Grand National. It was first run in Aintree in 1839, and continues even today. The most famous in the United States is the American National. It was first run in 1899 at Belmont Park and continues to be held there annually.

- Hurdle racing is similar to the steeplechase, but is much less demanding. It is often use as a training arena for Thoroughbreds who will later compete in steeplechases.

- Point-to-point races are generally run by amateurs throughout the British Isles.

- And last but by no means least is harness racing, which was very popular during the Roman Empire. Once the Empire fell the sport all but vanished until its resurrection, by those who liked to race their horses in harness on the country roads of America, at the end of the 1700s. The first official tracks for harness racing came about in the early 1800s, and by 1825 harness racing became a favorite attraction at country fairs all across the U.S.

Out of the rebirth of harness racing, a new breed of horse was born. In 1788, an outstanding English Thoroughbred stallion was imported to the United States. He was bred with American Thoroughbred and mixed-breed mares to establish the line of Standardbred. The name is based on the "standard" distance of one mile in harness racing speed. The descendants of this line were rebred over the years to create this new breed which has the stamina, temperament, and physical size and structure to endure racing under harness.

Although harness racing suffered a decline of popularity again in the early 1900s, it bounced back in 1940 after being reintroduced at a raceway in New York as a pari-mutuel betting event. Its number of tracks and scheduled annual events outnumber those of Thoroughbred racing in the United States today. It has also gained popularity in many European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

What was once almost exclusively "the Sport of Kings" has segued over the years to encompass people of all lifestyles and income. It remains, however, a sport quite often associated with the "well-to-do", those who can afford the vast expenditure involved with raising the standard of horse required to run in, and win, the large purses awarded by, the most popular horse-racing events around the world.

The Sport of Archery in the Olympic Games

Archery was not a sports event in the first ancient Olympic Games in Greece. However, the games were held for over 1,000 years, so it's entirely possible that at some time archery was an Olympic sport in the past.

Archery for men was an event for the first time in the modern Olympics in 1900. The first archery event for women was in 1904. However, there was no uniformity in the rules in those early Olympics and archery was dropped as an event after 1920. The international governing body for archery, the Federation Internationale de Tira l'Arc (FITA), was founded in 1931. It took many years before all countries accepted the new international rules for competition, but archery was able to return as an Olympic sport to the 1972 Munich Games. In 1988, team competitions were held in addition to the individual events.

Since 1992, the event format is head-to-head competition for the top 64 athletes. There are four archery events: Men's Individual, Women's Individual, Men's Team and Women's Team.

Individual competitors (men and women) shoot 72 arrows at a 'bulls-eye' target from a distance of 70 meters (229 feet, 8 inches). Each shot must be made within a 40-second time limit. A perfect score would be 720. A 'sudden death' overtime shot is made in the event of a tie.

Team competitions consist of 16 3-archer teams. As in the individual events, each archer shoots 72 arrows are shot at a distance of 70 meters. In a tie score, each team member will shoot one arrow. The arrow closest to the center of the target determines the winner.

The target has ten rings. One point is scored for an arrow landing in the outermost ring, 2 points for a hit in the next ring, continuing in this manner to the center ring which awards 10 points.

The recurve bow is used by Olympic Archers. An arrow shot by this bow travels at more than 150 mph. The bows are very 'high-tech', manufactured from wood, fiberglass and graphite. They have stabilizers which help keep the arrow flights straight and sights to help in aiming. The strings are made from a hydrocarbon product or from Kevlar. The arrows are aluminum or carbon graphite. The cost of this gear is over $1,000.

An Olympic archer has normally been training for at least ten years. It's essential to develop perfect form (or as close to perfect as humanly possible). A good coach is also very important. The proper equipment, of course, is needed. Fortunately, archery is much less expensive to pursue than many other sports. Read, study, talk to other archers. Attend and compete in local and national tournaments. Most important, practice, practice, practice.

Archery is a sport accessible to many disabled athletes. A New Zealand woman, Neroli Fairhall, was the first paraplegic to compete in the Olympic Games. She was a gold medalist in the Commonwealth Games. This is also a sport that people can continue with for much of their lives and enjoy with their families. Hope to see you at the Olympics!

Sport Combat Is Still Sport

Like many people over the Memorial Day weekend I took time out to remember our nation's fallen heroes, but afterwards I went to a friend's house to enjoy a barbecue.

The food was great and except for the whining of a few liberals I had a great time. At one point a friend of a friend came over to pick my brain about martial arts. He wanted to improve his health and get back into shape without injuring his back again.

He wanted to learn a good sport martial art that would give him a workout, but also teach him self defense. He looked confused when I told him that he wouldn't be learning self defense, and the best he could hope for from most martial arts schools was a good workout.

The fact is most people don't realize that sport combatives like boxing, mixed martial arts, wrestling and fencing are just sports.

I am not taking anything away from them by any means.

All take a lot of skill, training, and heart to compete in, but at the end of the day they only simulate real life combat.

In boxing for example, there are rules governing what moves a fighter can and cannot use in a match.

Head butts, elbows, and biting are all fouls that could end a boxing match, but are perfectly acceptable in a street fight for self defense.

In Kendo, a shinai (bamboo practice sword) can pass across the neck and do no damage in a match, but in real life it could sever an artery ending the fight.

Sports are games and they are meant to be fun. And no matter how competitive they might be, nobody is ever supposed to get hurt or die.

I had to laugh some weeks back when I saw a website advertising deadly mixed martial arts (MMA) techniques that had been banned by Ultimate Fight Championships (UFC).

Of course they had been banned from the UFC because it is a sport. And as difficult as it is, as great as those athletes are, it is simply not kill or be killed combat.

So what happens when things escalate to kill or be killed combat?

Where do combative sports fit in?

And is it even worth your time to do these sports?

Listen, if you train in combat sport, just realize that it is not self defense training.

Sure combat sports have striking, grappling, and weapon usage, but they are just the beginning of real close combat training.

But what is VITALLY important for even the most die-hard self-defense or martial arts junkie is that it is ONLY combat sport that can provide the conditioning for actual combat.

The two MUST fit hand in hand with one another; otherwise both camps are kidding themselves.

A chilling example of this principle involves the first family to fall victim to the BTK (Bind, Torture and Kill) serial killer Dennis Rader.

It was January 15, 1974 when 15-year-old Charlie Otero came home and found his mother father and his younger brother and sister dead at home. The victims had been tortured before being killed and the females had been masturbated on by the killer.

In the years to come this modus operandi would become all too familiar to the police in and around Wichita Kansas.

As the police investigated the Otero family murders they found no reason for the murders, and the family was by no means an easy target. Joseph Otero, 38, had been a career Air Force man and an excellent boxer.

His wife Julie, 34, had extensive Judo training, and all the children were known to be skilled in the sport as well.

People that knew the family thought they were well trained in self defense, but they weren't. They had no idea how to deal with a killer like Rader as they were conditioned to fight with rules, regulations, and etiquette.

Again, if interested, use combative sport training as a fun, entertaining way to get fit. But unless you plan on bringing a referee to that critical moment when you will be called upon to defend yourself and your family, I suggest tuning off the pay-per-view crap and investing in some REAL self defense training.

Skating - An Elegant Sport

Skating is an elegant sport. It is a sport which can charm and enthrall you and brings magic and enchantment in the air. When you see the performers glide on the skating ring effortlessly and perform stupendous antics, you are bound to feel awed by their talent.

The swirl, the jumps, the glide, the spins, and the twirls may look effortless on the surface but they take eons of perseverance and practice to reach to that perfectionist level. The attire of the skater is also very elegant and eye-catching yet suitable for the purpose of skating, such as leggings, or short skirts, or tight-fitting flexible pants.

There are various types of skating, such as roller skating, ice skating, skateboarding, and snowskating. Each one of the sport is fun and interesting in their own way.

However, amongst them, figure ice skating tends to be the favorite sport of many. Such a sport, performed on frozen ice, is not an easy task specially when it comes to jumping and landing with perfect ease and yet being careful not to put too much pressure on the ice. Figure skating can be performed individually, in couples, or in teams. There have been several competitions in figure skating such as World Championships, Winter Olympic Games, and European Figure Skating Championships.

Such championship events are a pleasure to watch because you come across all kinds of talents and performance at different levels. It is like watching a piece of art. Unlike other sports, which involve cheering, shouting, this is a sport, which imbues an air of sophistication and silent appreciation.

Rock Climbing

To participate in the sport of rock climbing, you don’t have to be a super athlete. It is more a sport of grace and balance rather than one of strength. What is the allure of rock climbing anyway? You will usually come away from an encounter with ripped hands and various scabby body parts and there will be times where you will be scared out of your wits. For many people it is about exploring the natural world around you and finding the strength and perseverance buried deep inside of you.

How do you get started in the sport of rock climbing? You don’t need to be young or overly fit. Many people begin climbing later in life and there are excellent climbers of all ages. Climbing is not only about strength either. There have been many men who have been humbled, by a graceful female, and the apparent ease with which she clambers over the rocks. Rock climbing is mostly about balance and knowing your body, and how to reposition it in space. You have to be creative when you are rock climbing because you have to adapt to what the rock you are climbing has to offer you. Your legs and feet are your most important tools for getting you up, though your upper body gets a fairly good work out as well.

Rock climbing is about overcoming your fear of the unknown. It is about learning to trust your instincts and your body to help you get through some rough patches. Rock climbing can be a solo sport or a social sport. The bond that exists between climbing partners is quite strong because you have to trust that person with your life, without questions and no mistakes are allowed.

It takes years of practice to perfect the basic moves. Rock climbing comes in many styles. Some basic rock climbing includes bouldering, free rock climbing, traditional rock climbing, indoor climbing, ice climbing, and alpine climbing. You can learn the basics of rock climbing at an indoor climbing gym before you make the move to the great outdoors. The sport of rock climbing is a sport that will leave you breathless from the beauty that surrounds you and proud of yourself for getting to the top unscathed.

Rugby - not a Sport for the Weak!

Most people in the United States know very little about the great sport of Rugby and those who have watched probably do not really get it much. They simply do not understand what they are watching. It is not like football as the action is on-going and it is a rough sport, certainly not for the weak. Many believe this is why the French are not so good at it? Although let's not pick on the French, as the Americans do not play rugby either. Yet, it is sort of an American Type of sport in a way, as we like to play rough.

The truth is whether or not Americans understand the sport of rugby is rather irrelevant because Rugby is not played in America anyway. I believe Americans should play rugby, because unlike Football there are no time outs to catch your breath and believe me when I tell you that; Rugby is Not a Sport for the Weak!

In the United States our Professional Football Players dress up in lots of pads and get paid huge amounts of money plus lots of endorsements and they expend massive brawn for a few seconds and the play ends. Although people call them superior athletes few of them could run a marathon. Rugby players on the other hand are severely under padded and under paid by our standards and they are in top shapes as they truly are top athletes. Consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow"

Surfing - Unaffordable Sport?

Fortunately both the surfboard and the wetsuit are long-lasting equipment. Thus, though with some effort, you can save to purchase the equipment or use some kind of financial product and pay for everything in small installments. Here are some tips that can help you get what you need to start practicing surfing without too many hassles or sacrifices.

Price Range And Savings

The price range of surfboards goes from a couple of hundreds and up to a few thousands of dollars while a surf wetsuit can cost a couple of hundreds generally with some higher price rare exceptions that can be as high as one or two thousands dollars. All in all, the whole kit can demand an average price of a thousands dollars sometimes reaching higher amounts depending on the quality of the equipment.

Saving that kind of money is not such a difficult task. Yet, all depends on your income and spending. Modifying your budget to include a small amount every month towards a savings account for the purchase of the equipment shouldn’t be such a sacrifice. Yet, if you don’t have that kind of control over your finances, you may want to resort to other means.

Financing The Purchase Of Equipment

Most of the stores selling this kind of equipment will accept credit cards without ado. They may even have some promotions specially tailored for credit card purchases. Bear in mind though, that financing with credit cards is rather expensive compared to most of the other financial products. Though using a credit card may be the most comfortable and quick financial option, chances are that it won’t be the cheapest one.

Most banks and financial institutions are offering unsecured personal loans for their customers every day. It may be time to take advantage of these offers. Make sure to compare interest rates first (look especially to the APR which combines all costs in one so you can easily compare). Then analyze what kind of repayment program you would benefit more of. A longer repayment program implies lower monthly payments but higher amounts spent on interests while shorter repayment programs may entail higher monthly payments but the costs of financing will be lower.

If you decide to go for an unsecured personal loan, consider including the amount necessary for taking some lessons, if you are just starting to practice this sport. It isn’t that costly and it can save you a lot of time and hassles.

The requirements for getting approved for an unsecured loan are not that harsh. If you are already a client of the bank or financial institution, chances are that you may have a pre-approved loan available. Otherwise you may have to show proof of employment or income and provide authorization for a short credit verification.