Friday June 19, 2020

As Pro Sports Return, Some Stars Say Not So Fast

 

 

United States Women’s National Team star Megan Rapinoe will be noticeably absent from the N.W.S.L. Challenge Cup when the National Women’s Soccer League resumes play later this month. Rapinoe is refusing to play on the grounds of safety, and her team, OL Reign, will be without her for the month-long tournament taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The 34-year-old soccer star is one of the biggest names in the game, having led the USWNT to victory in the 2019 Women’s World Cup. “I understand her motivations,” her coach Farid Benstiti was quoted as saying in the The New York Times, “but I am disappointed and frustrated that she will not be with us to compete in this tournament. Megan is important to the group, and we could have achieved something big if she had joined the rest of the group. She will be missed by the team and also by women’s football.”

Rapinoe isn’t the only member of the USWNT who is refusing to play, according to Yahoo Sports, but she is the only one who has been named so far. Players have voiced concerns about safety and testing protocols, isolation from their families during the required quarantine, and the risk of injury in a compressed schedule where most games will be played on artificial turf — the latter of which has been an ongoing concern for players even before the Coronavirus pandemic hit. Rapinoe tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee while training on a turf field before one of the national team’s victory tour games, and also tore the meniscus in her left knee in 2017.
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Friday June 5, 2020

Drew Brees Fumbles… Again

 

 

In October of 2018, New Orleans Saints fans cheered as their beloved 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. We celebrated this accomplishment but with a more scathing view in Go Rylan Brees.

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?” (watch here)

I was stunned when I first saw it, unable to believe how rampant sexism still was in this sensitive climate – not just in sports, but the media too. I couldn’t believe no one picked up on it or told that story. But thankfully Drew Brees’ fumble on Wednesday did not go unnoticed, when a statement he made in an interview with Yahoo Finance went viral and became headline news. Read More

 

Monday October 28, 2019

Longines Global Champions Tour

 

THE NEW YORK CITY STOP OF THE LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR

 
Last month, on a perfect fall Friday in New York, I hopped on the ferry to Governors Island for the inaugural Big Apple stop of the Longines Global Champions Tour. It was a short walk to the grounds, where a showjumping ring had been constructed, situated in front of breathtaking views of the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan skyline.

Along for the ride happened to be Bruce Springsteen. His daughter, Jessica Springsteen (above), is one of the top riders in the sport. Like the rest of us, he was en route to watch her and many more of world’s best show jumpers compete. Read More

 

Saturday July 13, 2019

Paddle For Pink

 

 

TEAM SOS AT THE HAMPTONS PADDLE FOR PINK

On Saturday, August 3rd, the 8th annual Hamptons Paddle for Pink took place in Sag Harbor, NY. The donations raised by paddlers in this Stand Up Paddleboard race went 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

 

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

 

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. 

 

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

 
 

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