Thursday October 11, 2018

Go Rylen Brees!

 

 

On Monday night, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke Peyton Manning’s record to become the all-time leading passer in NFL history – and on a touchdown pass no less. The game was stopped while Brees celebrated with his teammates and coaches before running over to his family waiting on the sidelines. The headlines read, “Drew Brees Gives Inspiring Talk To His Kids After New NFL Record”.

Except he didn’t give an inspiring talk to his kids. He gave it to his three sons as his daughter watched, held in the arms of her mother, “Hey boy, hey boys!” Brees exclaimed. “You can accomplish anything in life that you want to work for, right?” Read More

 

Sunday September 9, 2018

2018 US Open Women’s Final: One Not Soon Forgotten

 

NAOMI OSAKA & SERENA WILLIAMS POST-MATCH,

US OPEN WOMEN’S FINAL

 
I rarely write those front-page sport stories that everyone covers, because I don’t know what else to add that hasn’t been said. It’s been 24 hours since Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams in the Women’s Final at the 2018 US Open however, and I’m still reeling with conflicting emotions about the match. This is much more than a sport story. The victory of a first-time Grand Slam finalist against the best women’s player of all time should have been a celebration. Osaka won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, but the events that occurred in the second set leading to that final score are ones we will be talking about for many tennis championships to come.

Tennis is a game of momentum. You watch it shift back and forth like the ball across the net. A first set win in a Grand Slam final by a first-time finalist like Naomi Osaka, often precedes a second set loss, and a 3-set win for a veteran like Serena Williams. In her 23 Grand Slam victories, she’s done it many times before. Most young players falter under the pressure in such a big match. Osaka did not. But Williams did. She lost it — and I’m not talking about the match. She lost IT in an on-court meltdown that was not unwarranted, but was unsportsmanlike.
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Friday August 3, 2018

The Duct Tape Invitational

 

 
The first ever women’s edition of the The Vans Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational debuted yesterday at the 2018 Vans US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, CA. Hosted in partnership with the largest action sports festival in the world, 16 of the world’s best female longboarders were invited to showcase their unique style and innovation on the famed shores of Surf City, USA. Founded by one of the longboarding’s most recognized surfers, the Vans Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational is a celebration of creativity in the most traditional form of the sport.

Joel Tudor, the event’s namesake and originator, is often regarded as the style master of longboard surfing. He won the U.S. Open of Longboarding nine times, including six in a row from 1995 through 2000. Despite his success however, Tudor grew dissatisfied the “high performance” direction of the sport that emerged in the 1990s. Instead of the classic nose-riding style of the 1960s and ’70s, longboarders began trying to imitate their shortboard counterparts — blurring the distinction between the two forms of the sport.

The Vans Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational has redefined the standard of longboarding with a return to its roots, rewarding those with an affinity for the grace, style and creativity for which the sport is known. Reflecting that style and creativity is the poster and artwork for both the men’s and women’s contest created by Geoff Mcfetridge. The simplicity and innovation shown by literally using duct tape for the waves, in combination with the black cut out shapes of the surfers, embodies the essence of longboarding and highlights the originality these surfers display even on the smallest of waves.

The contest is comprised of 16 invitees competing on traditional “logs” — single fin and 9’2 length minimum. There is a no-interference rule and surfers are encouraged to ride the same wave to see what they can create together. As an added incentive, additional prize money is awarded for best shared wave. Dedicated longboarding pioneers and true style mavens such as former world champions Honolua Blomfield and Jen Smith, respected shaper Ashley Lloyd, icon Kassia Meador, local Karina Rozunko and are competing in the women’s debut of the event showing the world how the ladies get it done. 

 

Sunday July 22, 2018

Paddle For Pink

 

 

TEAM SOS AT THE HAMPTONS PADDLE FOR PINK 2017

It’s a bit like playing Russian Roulette. Every year when I go to get a mammogram I feel like I’m spinning the barrel, pulling the trigger, and wondering if it’s my turn to get that diagnosis of breast cancer. So far I’ve been lucky, but so many women are not. For them we paddle…

On Saturday, August 4th, the 7th annual Hamptons Paddle for Pink will take place in Sag Harbor, NY. The donations raised by paddlers in this Stand Up Paddleboard race go to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), which is dedicated to ending that diagnosis of breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF funded research has played a critical role in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survival.

The Hamptons Paddle for Pink was founded by Maria Baum — a Sag Harbor resident, mother of four, and breast cancer survivor. Maria is an investor and entrepreneur who created Tutto Il Giorno and Dopo La Spiaggia restaurants, as well as Splash Mixers, following a successful career as a derivatives trader on Wall Street. Maria discovered Stand Up Paddleboarding shortly after being diagnosed with breast cancer and found it to be a therapeutic outlet during her treatment and subsequent recovery. Read More

 

Friday July 13, 2018

It’s Finals Weekend: Wimbledon vs. The World Cup

 

 

ILLUSTRATION BY FERDINAND VAN ALPHEN

What a sport lover’s weekend is in store! Saturday will feature Serena Williams battling it out against Angelique Kerber in the Women’s Final at Wimbledon. These two went head to head in the 2016 final, with Williams grabbing the win in a tight two set match. That was the last time Williams played at Wimbledon since becoming a mom and this only her fourth tournament back — amazing, but not surprising given her record as a Grand Slam finalist (30) and Grand Slam champion (23)! 

The men take to the court Sunday morning for the Men’s Final at Wimbledon, where Kevin Anderson will be competing against… late breaking news: Novac Djokovic! In one of the tightest, longest, and most epic semi-final matches, after 6:36 hours on the court, Anderson finally edged out John Isner winning (7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24)! There are no tie-breakers in the fifth set at Wimbledon, and it took Anderson 26 games to win his spot in the final.  Read More

 

Tuesday July 10, 2018

#EveryoneOutside

 

 
If you’ve been looking for a crash course in any outdoor sport you’ve ever wanted to try, the Pursuit Series is the weekend getaway for you! Billed as the “Outdoor Adventure Camp for Grown-Ups”, the Pursuit Series takes place in different locations throughout the country. I recently visited the Pursuit at Hunter Mountain in upstate New York, where rock climbing, fly tying, and camping were just a few of the top picks on my action-packed schedule. 

The Pursuit Series offers a fully immersive experience in nature’s playground that you can customize from the most strenuous to the most relaxing activities: from outdoor sports like mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, and fly fishing; to outdoor skills like how to pack a backpack, cook in the backcountry, and use a map and compass; to wellness experiences like essentials oils for the outdoors, restorative hammock yoga, and very important to me, how to brew the “Ultimate Kickass Cup of Coffee”!  Read More

 

Tuesday May 22, 2018

Volvo Ocean Race

 

From top: Leg 9 start day, Newport to Cardiff, May 20, 2018. Photo by Ugo Fonolla/Volvo Ocean Race; Leg 6, Hong Kong to Auckland, February 18, 2018. Day 12 on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag with John Fisher (1970-2018) at the helm. Sadly underlining just how dangerous this race is, Fisher was swept overboard on March 26 in gale force conditions in the Southern Ocean and never recovered. Photo by Jeremie Lecaudey/Volvo Ocean Race; Leg 2 start day, Lisbon to Cape Town, November 5, 2017. Dongfeng Race Team drone shot from above. Photo by Eloi Stichelbaut/Dongfeng Race Team

 
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean as I write are 7 race boats sailing from Newport, RI to Cardiff, Wales in the 9th leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. With 11 legs in total, ranging from approximately 3 to 22 days at sea, the Volvo Ocean Race is described as the longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world. The race covers 45,000 nautical miles that cross four oceans, touch six continents, and visits 12 landmark Host Cities. What began in October of 2017 in Alicante, Spain will finish in The Hague in the Netherlands at the end of June 2018 in what will have been an 9-month test of endurance in some of the most grueling conditions imaginable.

Since 1973, the Volvo Ocean Race has provided the ultimate test of teamwork and adventure. Originally known as the Whitbread Around The World Race, Volvo took it over in 1998. The race is held every three years, and for more than four decades has held an almost mythical power over some the sport’s greatest. In the current era of One Design racing, every team races the exact same Volvo Ocean 65, ensuring the race is all about the sailing and not about the boat. There is no prize money awarded for the relentless intensity and perseverance required in this round-the-clock pursuit, but for a sailor to see their name etched into one of the silver rings of the Volvo Ocean Race Trophy has a value beyond compare. Put simply, the Volvo Ocean Race is an obsession many of the world’s best sailors have dedicated years of their lives trying to win. Read More

 

Wednesday February 21, 2018

A Photo Finish

 

TEAM USA’s JESSICA DIGGINS AND KIKKAN RANDALL CELEBRATE AFTER WINNING GOLD IN THE WOMENS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM SPRINT AT THE PYEONGCHANG 2018 WINTER OLYMPICS. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

 

Team USA’s Kikkan Randall and Jesse Diggins made history today becoming the first Americans to win a gold medal in Cross Country Skiing. Winning the Womens Team Sprint by just 0.19 seconds, their victory was too close to capture with the naked eye and was decided by a photo finish. The Men’s 15km Mass Start Biathlon was won by a similarly narrow margin in another photofinish earlier this week.  

Omega is the Official Timekeeper of Olympic games, and has fulfilled that role for 27 Olympics since 1932, when the games were timed with just 30 chronograph stopwatches. Among Omega’s many contributions to sports timing since has been the development of photoelectric cells. First used in 1948 in St. Moritz, a highly reactive beam of light was emitted onto the finish line. It stopped the timer as soon as the first athlete crossed it, measuring to 1000th of a second.
 

TOP: PYEONGCHANG 2018, WOMENS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM SPRINT, TEAM USA’S JESSICA DIGGINS CROSSING THE FINISH LINE JUST AHEAD OF SWEDEN’S STINA NILSSON; RIO 2016, WOMENS 400M FINAL, BAHAMAS’ SHAUNAE MILLER FALLS ACROSS FINISH LINE AHEAD OF USA’S ALLYSON FELIX

 
This technology was integrated into a new slit technology photofinish camera that captured a sequence of events through a narrow field of vision from a single point on a vertical dimension. While a conventional photograph shows a variety of locations at a fixed moment in time, a photo finish shows a variety of times at a fixed location. The time markings along the bottom of the image show the exact crossing time of any racer, and the elevated angle highlights the position of every racer in relation to the others. What results are these beautifully abstract and elongated horizontal streaks of the athletes bodies crossing the finish line. Read More

 
 

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