Sports English

I was wondering…

maggie — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:13:32 +0000

I always wondered how much money a sponsor of the Olympics would have to spend. Now I know. CNN, in their “Countdown to the Olympics” revealed the facts:

Did you know?
Q: For this year’s Beijing Olympics, how much does a major corporate sponsorship cost?

A: An estimated U.S $40 - 50 million.

That’s a lot of money! I’d be interested to know who gets the money and how it is spent. Anyone out there know?

Just wondering…

Mother Daughter at Top of the World!

maggie — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:48:30 +0000

Wow, there is so much sports news that is related to our Sports Reading class that I can’t stop writing! There are some very exciting videos about this mother/daughter team from Australia who have reached the top of Mount Everest (that’s Mt. Qoomalongma in Tibetan/Chinese). Wow, what a team. Now they must begin the descent (climb down) which is as dangerous or more than the ascent (climb up). I wish them luck!

These are two amazing women! This is their 7th mountain peak to conquer! According to the article, “the pair has already climbed to the top of Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko (2,228m), Antarctica’s Vinson Massif (4,897m), South America’s Aconcagua (6,962m), Africa’s Kiliminjaro (5,895m), North America’s McKinley-Denali (6,195m) and Europe’s Elbrus (5,642m).”

If you want more information you can find an article at:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23750274-661,00.html?from=public_rss

Six Foot tall Girl Banned From Boys Basketball

maggie — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:11:45 +0000

This goes right along with the discussion we were having about girls playing sports with boys. Do you think her human rights were violated? See the article below and watch the video at

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=62062

Beaverton, OR (KOIN-TV) — A female superstar basketball player is at the center of a hoops controversy in Beaverton, Oregon, after being relieved from a boys team she used to call her own.

She’s competed against boys for more than a year, but now they’ll only let her play against other girls.

One look at 12-year-old Jamie Nared, and you realize this she’s no ordinary sixth-grade basketball player. She’s six feet tall, and can take over a basketball court.

“She’s absolutely as gifted a sixth grader as I’ve ever been associated with,” says Michael Abraham, Nared’s coach.

In fact, Nared is so good, she competes against boys her age and older. The Hoop in Beaverton allowed her to play in the Boys League, until a couple of weeks ago.

They say it’s against the rules.

“You know, we sold, we advertised, and we marketed the league as providing equal opportunities for men and women. It’s not a co-ed league,” says Dave Vizzini, with The Hoop.

Nared’s mother Reiko Williams, believes the rule is being selectively enforced, just for Nared.

She says Nared’s talent has ruffled some feathers.

“And I think some people, maybe male and female, have an issue with a girl on the court and competing successfully, and even shining in a program for boys. That’s just not supposed to happen,” Abraham said.

Nared has a strong basketball pedigree. Her father, Greg, played at the University of Maryland.

Nared’s older sister, Jackie, was Oregon’s leading 6A scorer last year at Westview High School in Beaverton, and she’ll attend Maryland on a basketball scholarship.

Meanwhile, Nared just keeps playing ball–be it against the girls or the boys.

“There’s exceptions to every rule, and Jamie is that exception,” says Vizzini, “We can’t have the girls playing in the boy’s division. We’ve had games we’ve had to forfeit because of that scenario.”

maggie — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:38:16 +0000

20-Year Journey for 15-Minute Free Fall

Extreme sports are becoming more and more popular. People are willing to risk their lives to do something thrilling or to do something that’s never been done before.

I just read an article about a guy, Michel Fournier, who is planning to jump out of a pressurized balloon at 4, 300 meters high. That’s high enough to start to feel weightlessness. It’s high enough to see the blackness of space and the curve of the earth. When he jumps he will accelerate fast enough to break the sound barrier. He will be wearing a protective space suit, otherwise he wouldn’t have enough oxygen to breath up there. His suit will also be pressurized so that he doesn’t explode because of the lack of pressure up there.

There are many things that could go wrong and if they do, he could die. Yet he has prepared for this for many years spending almost $20 million. Not only that, he is 64 years old! Wow, what a crazy guy!

Why do you think people like to do such dangerous sports? The French Government refused to let him try it in France so he is going to Canada where they have given their approval.

What is it that drives people to spend so much money and risk their lives doing something so dangerous? Any of you out there like the idea of extreme sports?

I teach in China and most Chinese are way too practical to do anything so crazy. Anyway, if anyone wants to read the article it can be found here:

Read it and let me know what you think.

A Blur of Hands, Spokes and Determination

maggie — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:31:45 +0000

I read a great article about a wheel chair racer in the New York Times on-line. (link in blogroll). Talk about inspirational. After the Beijing Olympics the Paralympics will be held. If you have any doubt about whether these are serious athletes, check out this story.

Basically, it tells the story about a 24 year-old athlete named Josh Georges. He has not been able to use his legs since he was 4 years old after an accident, but he says he doesn’t feel ‘disabled.’ He has the muscular shoulders of a weightlifter and propels his racing wheel chair up to 23 miles per hour. He is America’s hope for a medal in the Paralympics come September.

There is also a very inspirational video with this story. Check it out and lets talk about this incredible athlete.

Discussion Question: Do you think the Paralympics is a serious competition by serious athletes or is it just a nice idea to make disabled people feel better?

I’d love to hear what you have to say about this and your reaction to the video.

The torch at the top of the World!

maggie — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:50:39 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDhkeMMrq84

This is exciting! Congratulations to the Tibetan People who carried the torch to the top of the world.

The End of the Semester

maggie — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:28:22 +0000

Well, everyone, the final is final which brings the semester to an end. Hope all of you did well. I haven’t had a chance to correct them yet, so I can’t tell you how you did yet. I heard comments from some of you that it was kind of tricky. That’s the nature of multiple choice quesions. Anyway, I hope you all figured out that right answers. I am sure if you were familiar with the material, you did.

Well, I will miss you all and trust you will have a great summer volunteering for the Olympics. You must have been exhilerated as you watched the news about the torch going to the top of Mr. Everest (that’s Qoomalongma (spelling?)) I know not all of you are doing a really exciting job, but try to enjoy being part of the bigger event. This is a big deal for China and the world. I’ll be watching it every day from the U.S. and will brag to all my friends and family about the places and people I know in China. Looking forward to coming back in October to hear about you experiences. Hey, if you really want to make me happy, keep blogging during the Olympics about your experience as a volunteer. It will be a great record that could be valuable some day! OK, if you don’t want to blog here then blog in English on your Chinese site and let me know where it is so I can read it. Really, I’d love to visit some of your other blogs if you’d write some of them in English. Anyway, don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of writing history with your view of the first ever Olympics in China!

A Runner Dreams of Gold Under a New Flag

maggie — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:01:46 +0000

Hey all my Sports Reading students. Do you want to live the life of an Olympic athlete vicariously (remember that word?). Then read this article. It’s about a runner named Bernard Legat, who is from Kenya and ran for Kenya in the 2004 Olympics. He became a U.S. citizen during that time and will now run for the U.S. He is a strong favorite for the gold in the 1500 meter, so I guess if he wins, both the U.S. and Kenya will be proud.

Anyway, about living vicariously, (that is, through someone else’s experiences,) Legat narrates his experience in the Olympics moment by moment so you can imagine what it was like running that race just by reading about it!

It’s also a good human interest story. Hope you like it.

Time to Update!

maggie — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:24:53 +0000

Ohhh, it’s been a long time since I updated this. Well, our Sports Reading class is finished with presentations and on to women in sports’ issues. Any other issues that you would like to read and talk about in class? Let me know.

Yao Injured!

maggie — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:58:52 +0000

This is terrible! Yao fractured his foot and has to sit out the rest of the season. There is concern over whether he will play for the Olympics or not. He says this would be the biggest set-back in his whole career. Let’s hope he recovers well enough to be able to play. The article I read, written by an American commentator, seems to indicate that he is worked too hard playing for both the NBA and the Chinese National Team. I assume that means he plays each summer for the National team, even in non-Olympic years. Well, if you’re interested, read the article and tell me what you think? Is it too much for him? Should he just play for one or the other (not counting the Olympics of course. we couldn’t imagine him not playing for China then). What do you think? Check out the article↓