The Emmy Award-winning TV series, hosted by John Brenkus, uncovers sports’ biggest myths and mysteries by using cutting-edge technology to measure momentum, friction and the laws of gravity. John Brenkus encourages all athletes to watch his series to look at how the body works and what its limits are. On his show he brings in some of the top athletes in the world from all sports and compares what they can do to and object of the same stature. If you ever wondered how you could compete against the best athletes in the world, Brenkus can tell you. Being an average athlete like most of us, Brenkus puts himself in the role of the average Joe, getting in the ring or on the field with the best. He often acts as a crash dummy for more accurate information.

            They have many high class athletes come onto this show. From college studs to professional all stars, all of them do one thing, create science. In one of the episodes college football phenom Colt McCoy’s throwing motion was actually compared to an actual shotgun. They compared the speed of the receivers McCoy was throwing to, to the discs that the gunner was shooting at. Also in this episode they compared the distance that both were firing from, McCoy fires on average fifteen more feet than the gunner but is a whopping 850 miles per hour slower than the stars arm. Now to the pros, Drew Brees who is a pro bowl quarterback was tested by sports science too. Brees had his accuracy of throwing compared to the accuracy of an Olympic archer. What happened was that both athletes got ten throws at the target at the end of the ten throws they would compare who hit the bulls eye the most. At the end of the test they came to the conclusion that Drew Brees was more accurate than the Olympic Archer.

            Sports Science is one of the hottest fields for college kids to go into after college. It is so popular that barely anyone can get a job for it, only a select few are chosen to help out in the world of Sports Science. The study of sports science involves applying scientific principles to sports, exercise, and the ability of the body to perform physically. Sports Science tells you how the body can adapt to motion, movement and physical activity. Because it is so hard for kids to find work in this field the degree in Sports Science gives you the opportunity to find work in fields like fitness instruction, scientific research and nutrition. No matter where you work, with a degree with Sports Science you will be working to help athletes maintain their health in the best way possible for them to perform.

            The Gatorade institute of Sports Science is an institution that helps athletes maintains their max potential health and performance on the playing field with education of nutrition and hydration with Gatorade. On the website it has a “Sports Science Library” where you can click and learn about what they do in the lab and who they have tested.  The Sports Nutrition page is where you can go and learn how to maintain your bodies’ weight and health to keep you moving. In this section it also teaches you about the benefits and the risks of dietary supplements that go into your body. The section compares Gatorade and all the good it does for your body compared to the bad that supplements and energy drinks do to your body. Every second this institution is testing something new to give athletes an edge in the sports they play and love.

http://www.gssiweb.com/- This link takes you to the offical Gatorade Institute of Sports Science

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/health-medical/sports-science-major.htm- This link takes you to an article describing the college major of Sports Science

http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/reactiontime.html- This link takes you to a game that measures your reaction time and how fast you need to be to hit a 90 mph fastball

http://search.espn.go.com/sports-science/video/6- This link takes you to a page where you can watch some Sports Science episodes

Clash of the Titians is a classic teal of heroics in Greek mythology.  A war is about to explode between man and the gods. Perseus was raised as a fisherman, but is actually a half god. Perseus is the son of Zeus, he wants to take on the gods because his whole family was killed. Zeus’ brother Hades who is god of the underworld was the one who killed his family, and Perseus wants to kill him. However, it is Perseus’s destiny to rescue the city of Argos from the ruthless rage of Hades and his Kraken monster. With nothing to lose Perseus will try to defeat Hades and save the city of Argos. Perseus runs into many monsters along the way. With the likes of giant scorpions, Medusa and the legendary Kraken, Perseus and the creature designers had there work cut out for them.

The scorpions are the first creatures that Perseus faces on his journey. In the classic 1981 version, the Scorpions are not very large. The scorpions are bigger then your everyday scorpion that you can just step on and kill, but still not as impressive as the new 2010 scorpions. The three scorpions that take on Persesus and his companions in the 2010 version are massive. They are at least five times as big as the 1981 version. The technology defiantly bumped up the intimidation of the scorpions. Looking at fifty foot tall scorpions is much more intimidating then six foot tall ones. But Persues in both versions defeats this first foe and moves on to a second.

Medusa is one of the most famous creatures in Greek mythology. Yes, she is the lady with the snakes on her head. In the old movie you don’t even want to look at the Medusa when she appears on the screen, and in the new one, Medusa resembles a man. The 1981 version did a very good job with a hard creature to create. Medusa is supposed to be the good as technology is did not capture the ugliness like the 1981 version. In the new version Medusa is actually not half bad looking for a women with snakes on her head. Both movies did remember to include her bow and arrow and her snake like body. The old version did a better job with Medusa even without the technology. They did this by not showing Medusa a lot and keeping you on the edge of your seat waiting to see her.

The Kraken is seen at the climax of movie, therefore should be the most exciting. The new and old versions went there own ways with there designs of the Kraken. In the old version the Kraken has more of a Godzilla sea monster look; the new movie went for more of a turtle octopus image. The old Kraken is very cheesy. Now I know that technology isn’t as good as it is today but after seeing how well Medusa was done the audience was expecting a little bit more. The Kraken in the new version is old of this world. This must have been the creature they took the most time with because it showed. With rows of sharp teeth and roar that is defining this Kraken was impressive. The old Kraken can not even be compared to the new one. The technology defiantly showed how much better it can make things.

For having a little budget and action figures and clay at their disposal, the 1981 version didn’t do to bad for itself. They had an impressive Medusa and not to bad scorpions and Kraken. The new version boosted an amazing Kraken and Scorpion but a weaker Medusa. In conclusion the technology of the 21^st century topped the clay and action figures of the 1980s.

http://clash-of-the-titans.warnerbros.com/

http://www.examiner.com/x-32109-Orange-County-Movie-Examiner~y2009m12d17-Retro-Comparison-Clash-of-the-Titans

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/

            With hard economic times in the business world across the country, Major League Baseball is also in a tough predicament regarding ticket sales and sponsorships. Many MLB teams have been losing money in their ticket sales and their lack of sponsors. This has been more of a factor to lower level teams in the league because the lack of competiveness diminishes people’s opinions to go watch a ball game. Studies show that in the 2009 MLB attendance decreased 6.7% compared to in 2008. The bigger aspect of this was that 22 of 30 MLB teams experienced a decrease in attendance during the 2009 season. Teams like the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Baltimore Orioles set single game record lows for attendance during the 2009 season. Two of these teams (Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles) happen to be in the American League East. The same division that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox play in. Both the Yankees and Red Sox are usually atop the league in wins at the end of the season. So this brings the question to mind. Are fans not going to see a struggling team play because they feel they are going to lose? This could be the case as well as many other possibilities such as fan frustration towards the owner’s decisions. Over the last two years the Cleveland Indians have traded away two CY Young award winners (best pitcher in their respective league) in Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia. Here’s the irony, last year in the 2009 World Series the Phillies faced the Yankees. Sabathia who was signed by the Yankees in the offseason and Lee who was traded to the Phillies pitched against each other in Game 1. Cleveland fans deserve to be upset in the moves being made by the front office if they gave away two World Series starters. The Orioles haven’t had a winning season in twelve years and judging by the start of this season, this statistic doesn’t look like it will be changing other than going to thirteen straight losing seasons. Over the offseason the Blue Jays traded Roy Halladay to the Phillies after losing 87 games in 2009 and would have lost even more if they didn’t have the dominate Halladay. So far this year Halladay has three wins with no losses and an earned run average that is hovering around 1.00. With this kind of start of a season for Halladay, Blue Jays fans can’t be happy for the department of their franchise pitcher. Another factor that contributes to the decline of attendance for these teams is their stadiums. The Indians, Blue Jays, and Orioles all built their stadiums during what was known as the “retro era”. Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles opened in 1992 and was known for being the first “retro ballpark”. Progressive Field formally known as Jacobs Field home of the Cleveland Indians opened in 1994. When both these stadiums were first built they were the center of attention in their city. The stadiums attracted many fans in the beginning but as years went on and the retro era passed through other stadiums left Camden Yards and Progressive Field in the dust. Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said about the situation, “moving into a new ballpark just gives you a two and a half-to three year burst. Our stadium is seventeen years old now.” When the Rogers Centre opened in 1989 (home of the Blue Jays), three years before Camden Yards opened; it was a huge hit to all local fans. The stadium held 50,000+ and was comfortable because it was inside with a retractable roof. It has a jumbo tron so no matter where you were you would be able to watch the game from your seat. But over the last few years MLB teams have decided to build stadiums with smaller capacities leaving the Rogers Centre way behind the pack. Watching a Blue Jays game today you can see how many open seats there are in the 50,000+ Rogers Centre.

            The decline of attendance in Major League Baseball doesn’t just consist of the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians. Other teams in the league are struggling just as much as they are. This year the Florida Marlins are offering what they call Super Saturdays. On 11 of the 13 Super Saturdays one fan will be awarded a check for up to $2,500 toward his or her monthly mortgage or rent payment. Another team that is struggling with its attendance is the Arizona Diamond which is doing something to promote attendance that is unheard of. They are giving away 41 season tickets to 14 different families in the Arizona community which is worth approximately $100,000 dollars. The Mets who have recently opened a new stadium (Citi Field) are selling top tickets for $800 dollars per, and empty seats have been rampant. Also in PNC Park home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a field level seat can be bought at only $32 dollars to watch a Pirates team that is better than usual this year and almost all of those seats are empty.

            There are however some teams around the league that are thriving in the baseball economy as we speak. The Yankees and Red Sox are two teams who are still selling tickets even with the current economy. The Yankees gate receipts rose to $319 million dollars in 2009, which is an increase of $100 million from the previous season. One major change that the Yankees made from a year ago was the making of their new billion dollar stadium. With the addition of the stadium and all the hype around New York City it was just a matter of time to see a $100 dollar growth in revenue. The Red Sox who play in Fenway Park one of the oldest ballparks in the game today are also thriving in the baseball economy. Last year the Red Sox broke the record for most consecutive sellouts. The record was 455 sellouts and the Red Sox didn’t stop there. Today the record still exist and last year they broke the 500 mark. So how did they do it? The Red Sox have one of the best fan bases behind their team day in and day out. Even when the Red Sox hadn’t won a World Series since 1918 prior to 2003, the city and fans attended games regularly. The reason why Boston natives did this was because of the fact that they stayed consistent every year. The front office made improvements as the years past by making the necessary moves like getting a key pitcher or power hitter. By doing this it gave the vibe to the fan base that they are actually trying to make the necessary moves in order to win a championship.

It seems that no matter how much Major League Teams promote tickets sales, seats are always empty each game. When you give them away for less when your team is struggling people still do not attend the games. When you have them overpriced even when your team is atop of the league people do not feel like paying for $800 seats for a baseball game. But what teams are forgetting to do is to restore the faith of the fan base. Fans don’t want to see their team giving away free seats to get people to go to the games. They want to see the franchise start winning some games and making that push to make it into the playoffs. Even if that means making a key acquisition that might cost you some money, but will repay you in the long run because you are winning games. One thing that is surrounding the MLB is that there is a lot of hullabaloo surrounding the ticket prices in baseball and how the franchise is going to sell those tickets to get fans more active in going to see a ballgame.

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4293:lwib-early-low-mlb-attendance-for-some-clubs-a-yankees-update-tidbits-&catid=67:pete-toms&Itemid=155

Above is a great website that describes the decline of attendence in major league baeball

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/apr/09/bba-tigers-detroit-automakers-040909/

This link above talks about the Detriot Tigers and how they paid for General Motors sign in center field

http://bucknellorgtheory09.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/how-the-economy-is-affecting-professional-sports-mlb/

This website above has amazing facts about what MLB teams have done to try and get fans to come to games

            The definition of a sport is the physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Some people start playing sports from the time they begin walking to even when you are at senior citizen status. Even if you need to be dragged out of your house to play sports or get exercise there is a sport for everyone even if you are not blessed with as much athletic ability as other kids on the block. For kids everywhere it is very easy to get distracted by Xbox or pc games, but to live a healthy lifestyle you must look past those luxuries and get out and be active.

            There are many benefits to playing sports. The physical benefits of playing sports are that it boosts immune system, improves body image, develop strong muscles and lowers blood pressure. Sports can also benefit you in a social aspect. Sports can improve mood and reduce the chance of depression and make new friends that can last a lifetime. Personally playing sports can really help, it can relieve stress and get your mind off the bad in life, experience success and increase self discipline. Kids who play sports usually do better in school and are less likely to dropout or smoke. Within every sport you learn a special skill. In soccer you are trained to have greater foot speed and footwork. In baseball you work on your hand eye coordination, football you need agility and muscle build and in cross country you need endurance.

            There are five components of fitness: stamina, strength, suppleness, speed and skill. Stamina is simply the ability to keep going throughout a sporting event. You can work on your stamina by running as much as possible to make your lungs work hard and the heart to pump efficiently. Strength is basically a muscular force against resistance. You can work on your strength by weight lifting and basically anything against resistance. Suppleness is pretty much another word for flexibility; you need flexibility for many sports like stretching to get someone out at first in baseball or even going up to block a shot in basketball. You can get a lot more flexible by simply stretching before a sporting event. Speed is the ability to move the body quickly. You need speed for pretty much every sport you participate in like if you were trying to beat out a play at the plate in baseball or obviously running in a track meet. You can work on speed by doing a plyometrics workouts or just going to the weight room and work on your legs. The last component of fitness needed is skill. Skill is defined as the degree of proficiency that can be measured in a physical activity. Skill can be mastered by the popular saying “practice makes perfect.” We would say when coming to a sport skill is the most important component to becoming good at the sport you participate in, no matter how tall or how short you may be if you are the most skillful out of anyone, you are bound for success.

            Sports benefit your health the same amount if not more than eating healthy. Sports are a fun way to exercise and have a friendly competition with your friends. With all the hullabaloo surrounding health and well being, get healthy by doing something fun, take up a sport.

http://library.thinkquest.org/C0124861/health/sports/physical/components/skill.html

http://www.y-coach.com/involve.html

http://sportmaxxclub.com/why-play-sports/

            When the calendars turn to June in the capital district, many know that the Dave Matthews Band will be coming to town to perform at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center otherwise known as SPAC. Year after year the concert attracts younger fans that pack both the amphitheatre and the lawn seats. The concert is a two day event that sells out regularly each year. This year the concert falls on a Friday and Saturday which allows younger fans to attend the concert which starts at 7:00 pm Friday and 6:00 pm Saturday. Tickets for Saturday’s concert have already sold out which is not surprising. Friday’s event is close to being sold out and many people are scavenging to find good tickets for both days.

The average age of a Dave Matthews fan is nineteen years old. Of course this is under the legal limit of the consumption of alcohol. Saratoga Springs School District conducted a survey on drinking in late October and early November and found that 54 percent of the 11^th and 12^th graders reported they had consumed alcohol within the past 30 days. There have been many occurrences of underage drinking at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, specifically at Dave Matthews Concerts. There has been so many occurrences of underage drinking at SPAC that Live Nation (the ownership of SPAC) has now limited those who buy alcoholic beverages to stay inside the beer gardens until they have finished their beverage. SPAC also has hired more police to help limit the amount of underage drinkers at Dave Matthews. John Huff, general manager for SPAC said about the underage drinking situation, “We are proponents of a safe and controlled environment for our guests. We want people to come, be responsible and enjoy themselves and then get safely home.” SPAC is also hiring more public safety for this year’s event to prevent public harm and injury. Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy said about the event last year, “During the Dave Matthews Band concerts we had four ambulances continually making runs with people who had alcohol poisoning or otherwise overindulged.” Live Nation’s beverage vendor has met with the state Liquor Authority to discuss an application for on premises liquor sales at SPAC.       

 http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=829087

http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/push-and-pull-over-alcohol-at-spac/2134/

http://insideaddiction.org/news_archive%20July%206%202009.htm

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” This is the opinion of many people regarding the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The NCAA and its corporate partners are thinking of expanding the sixty-five team field to a ninety-six team field.

            The first year the NCAA tournament came to be was 1939. Through the years the tournament has seen many different set ups. In 1939 their were with eight teams then grow to sixteen, twenty-two, thirty-two, forty, forty-eight, fifty-two, fifty-three, sixty-five, and 2001 the NCAA went to its current format of sixty-five teams. The tournament gives thirty-one automatic bids. The rest of the teams make the tournament by “at large bids.” These are teams picked by a NCAA committee. The teams are placed in four divisions, seeded from one-sixteen. Once the field is selected, the tournament last for three weeks. For the teams that do not make the field there is another tournament called the NIT. The NIT take thirty-two teams that didn’t make the tournament and put them into there own bracket.

            The field should not be changed. The sixty-five team bracket is perfect. It forces teams to play hard during the regular season and makes Selection Sunday more exciting. If the field was expanded, everyone would know the teams that would be in the tournament, making the anticipation less. “Adding more teams takes a huge focus off the conference season” said Washington athletic director Scott Woodward. “It’s a stable. It’s branded. And you have to earn the right to be there. That’s what makes it special. The larger they grow the field, the more it diminishes the true value of making it.” Says New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies. There will be more games but they may not be as exciting. A number one seed would be facing a thirty-two seed instead of a sixteen, making the competition less.

            All the people that believe the tournament should remain the same, just as many want it to be expanded. The expanding of the tournament will add more teams and another round. Many coaches want there student athletes to get a chance to play in tournament, “A boarder field would give more athletes a chance to experience the thrills of March Madness.” said Greg Shaheen, vice president of NCAA men’s basketball. Along with the vice president of the NCAA men’s basketball, many of the top college coaches want to see an expanded field, “By expanding to that (ninety-six team bracket) and not having an NIT, you reward everybody who wins the regular season. So it puts value on the regular season. I think it would upgrade everything.” said one of the top coaches in the land, Mike Krzyzewski, coach of the Duke Blue Devils, who received a number one seed in the tournament this year. (Coach K’s thoughts) Many people feel that since the NCAA division one basketball has added many teams over the year’s expansion may not be such a bad idea. “I think they should expand it. There’s fifty, sixty, seventy-five more schools in Division one now since they expanded to sixty-four.” Said Randy Bennett coach of Saint Mary’s who won their first tournament game on Thursday night.

            Really, the only reason CBS is thinking of expanding is money. It’s all about the money is how many people feel. “The opportunity to decide what is going to happen to our revenue is a big deal.” said Shaheen. (Vice President of NCAA’s Shaheen) The NCAA generates about ninety percent of its revenue from the tournament. CBS is thinking of adding other networks like ESPN to help cover the tournament if expansion occurred.

            Overall this is a great topic to discuss. There is a lot of hullabaloo surrounding this topic. Right now, the tournament is perfect, and there is no need for expansion.

Trevor Marsicano during his olympic race

The Story Behind the Silver

 By: Schuyler Meyers, Dave Russell, and Matt Bynon

Athletes from all over the world gathered in Vancouver two weeks ago. Among the thousands of athletes was 21 year old Trevor Marsicano, a speed skater from the local village of Ballston Spa. Trevor was born in raised in Ballston Spa and took up the sport of short track speed skating after a short career in youth hockey. Trevor went into the Olympics knowing that he would compete in four events. These events included the 1000 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters and team pursuit. In the 1000 meter distance race Marsicano finished in 10^th place, hoping to get out his rookie jitters he went on to focus on the next two individual races. Unfortunately for Trevor he did not crack the top ten. It was on the last day where Trevor Marsicano would finally see a medal around his neck placing silver with his teammates in the Team Pursuit event. When asked how it felt standing on the podium, Trevor simply said, “WOW”. He talked about how couldn’t help but to thank god for getting him to where he is now, being an Olympian for the United States of America.

Trevor’s Middle School experience was full of hullabaloo. In 8^th grade he began being home schooled by his parents, Randy and Linda. An experience with a school bully led to a huge string of depression. Trevor said, “It got so bad, that I had to go on depression medication.” The depression went on for four years and one day at church he grabbed a pamphlet about accepting Christ into his life and having a great source of Hope (Jesus Christ). After reading that pamphlet he said, “Living for Christ had a new meaning to me.” Trevor is quoted as saying “a quick prayer before a race is a must.”

 When Trevor was fifteen in 2004 he suffered a very deep open wound to his thigh in the semifinals of a skating event. When it happened he did not know that it would be as bad as it was until, he saw his femur bone in his thigh. This injury put Trevor out for one whole year and began the transition from short track skating to long track. The move worked for Marsicano, he won the bronze in the World Junior Championships and sprung up to 5^th at the 2009 All around Championship. In March of 2009 he broke the World record for the 1000 meter race which made him the only skater to ever get under 1:07.20 minutes. This record was short but sweet because Shani Davis (the world’s number one) broke that record shortly after.

Being a young athlete Trevor has a long road ahead of him in the sport of long track skating. He has accomplished a lot already and has a bright future ahead of him. He is taking a short break, relaxing and remembering the lasting memories that he has made for himself at the Olympic Games in Vancouver. When he was asked at the Olympic Games if he was the next Eric Heiden he softly said, “No I’m Trevor.”

Interview with Trevor

Trevor Marsicano’s Twitter Page

            You would expect comical commercials about beer and potato chips during the Super Bowl. But Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy Winner had a different perspective. Tebow had two Super Bowl ads that took place during both the Pre game show and the first quarter of Sunday’s game. The Ad itself talked about how Pam Tebow, (the mother of Tim Tebow) nearly lost her son at birth and how she calls Tim her, “miracle baby.” The commercial has caused a lot of controversy because some pro abortionists believe that the commercial is favoring anti abortionists.

The commercial itself does not mention anything about abortions, but the pro abortionists argue the main theme of the commercial was to not have an abortion. Pro abortionists say the commercial was to state the fact that Pam Tebow didn’t have an abortion, which resulted in Tim living a successful live both as a human and an athlete. “Bottom line, abortion is a legal medical procedure, and a personal choice, period. Pro choice people do not insist pro lifers have abortions but respect their right to decide for themselves, but pro lifers do not respect a pro choice person’s right to terminate.” Says a pro choice advocate. Many pro abortionists (Pro choice) told CBS not to air the commercial because of the outrage it would stir up throughout the country. Now since it has aired many pro choice advocates are boycotting CBS.

Funding for the commercial was provided by Focus on the family, which is a non profit organization for anti abortionists. The original ad was rejected by CBS because Pam Tebow was advised by a doctor to have an abortion for medical reasons when pregnant with her son, and said, “Both of our lives were at risk.” Jim Daly said about the rejected ad, “They felt it was too much, so we dropped the line. We didn’t fight them. The word “abortion” is never used.” After monitoring the commercial it was aired twice during the Super Bowl. The supporters of the ad argue that the commercial doesn’t mention the topic of abortion, so there should not be a debate on whether the commercial should have aired or not.

 The Tebow family is a very religious family and this did not change after the birth of Tim Tebow. The family came together as one after what they like to call a “miracle”. The Tebow family consists of three daughters and two boys. The youngest of them all is Tim. The whole family was homeschooled throughout high school their mother Pam. Although homeschooled, all of the Tebow children where able to play in high school sports. All the Tebow’s excelled in high school sports and four them where able to receive college scholarships to participate in college sports.

I’m not going to get into the debate on whether I agree with abortions or not because that will just spark up more hullabaloo than there already is. But I am going to say that I applaud the Tebow family for telling their story on TV during the most watched televised event in the history of America.   

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/nsc/box/video_player.aspx?video=super_bowl_ad