tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99779362012-04-15T23:29:47.796-03:00Informed writing about amateur sportsAmateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.comBlogger283125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-76193182315289509412012-03-19T22:29:00.006-03:002012-03-19T23:13:48.988-03:00

Mixed in with the CKC Excellence 2012 challenge, it seems quite a few members of the paddling community have joined in with the 115 Royal Burpee Challenge, launched by CrossFit to honour Royal Huddleston Burpee and the exercise he made famous. What? You've never heard of Royal Huddleston Burpee?? Well, neither had I. In fact, I find it delightful that the burpee is named after a person — who

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-52472345169649746782012-02-19T23:09:00.003-04:002012-02-20T00:10:26.698-04:00

We just got back from a week's ski vacation in Sunday River, Maine. I took a week's hiatus from P09X, meaning I suspended the program for a week after Sunday's X-Stretch. I counted the day's skiing as a workout from Monday-Friday, did an extra Yoga-X on Saturday after our drive home, and then completed the AMW run tonight before supper. Tomorrow morning I'll start Week 7 of the program, picking

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-90165256133814235352012-02-05T20:34:00.004-04:002012-02-06T01:07:40.710-04:00

The home gym can get a little steamed up on a cold morning. The CKC New Years Fitness Challenge continues, and we're still going strong. It's not too late to join in! From my perspective, there was a lot to feel good about this week. Week 5 of P90X brings the return of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, a result of what the creators call "muscle confusion." In essence, the program introduces a

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-83689911204079770382012-01-27T21:15:00.010-04:002012-01-29T22:46:50.928-04:00

Four weeks into this fitness challenge, I have to agree with Julia: this is starting to feel great! Like Julia, I haven't found it easy. I've been on 15 airplanes this month. I've done 9 of my 29 workouts while on the road, in two different US states and three different Canadian provinces. I'll add to all of those totals in February, no doubt. But I feel good about the fact that a daily

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-75982377790205496092012-01-25T21:45:00.007-04:002012-01-25T22:10:54.418-04:00

I have a confession to make. No, that is not me on the rowing machine. My confession is that on January 20 (last Friday) I had my first miss in this New Year's Challenge. I spent a very long day travelling from Maryland to Halifax, including two separate flights that departed from Montréal, and didn't make it home until midnight. I will confess that I snoozed through my 6 a.m. alarm that

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-62819523885905205032012-01-19T00:39:00.005-04:002012-01-19T01:03:47.501-04:00

From today until Friday, I'll be working out at the Hampton Inn in Lexington Park, Maryland. There's not much in Lexington Park to draw anybody outside at this time of year, and there's not a great gym at the hotel. It's one of those hotel gyms that just barely meets the minimum requirements. On the other hand, I'll give Hamption Inns credit: if you have to put your "fitness centre" in a cramped,

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-75801747752824458442012-01-16T22:06:00.005-04:002012-01-16T22:28:28.782-04:00

I started the day in a fairly miserable state. After a terrible night's sleep, I ignored my 5:50 alarm and snoozed through my designated exercise time. On the plus side, that meant I could do my workout (after the kids were in bed) with my favourite training partner. (And no ... I don't mean Tony Horton. He's very reliable and all, but frankly we're not entirely compatible). And today was (

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-4623527218586988302012-01-11T22:35:00.004-04:002012-01-11T23:29:36.746-04:00

Day 10 complete and I still haven't missed a day. Hooray! I suspect that when I eventually do miss a day of working out, I will have my busy travel schedule to blame. Some travel days make a real workout impossible. However, I am in D.C this week for some meetings, and I've been able to adapt my routine for this trip. The best way to do that is to stay in a hotel that has a great gym. I can

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-13491389451118310902012-01-09T21:01:00.000-04:002012-01-09T21:01:52.500-04:00

Well, that hurt. Still hurts, actually, when I climb the stairs. Or sit down. But the worst part of the start-up suffering should be over, so maybe now is the right time to share a few perspectives on my new fitness challenge. For 2012 I am joining Julia Rivard and 19 other members of the CanoeKayak Canada family in making a New Year's Fitness Resolution. My resolution is to work out every

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-42633443140386129972010-02-28T15:52:00.008-04:002010-02-28T23:06:03.557-04:00

If there was ever a time for the Svein Tuft award, today was the day. Actually, I am thinking of changing the name of the award. In case you missed it this afternoon — and there was some other big news today about some kind of hockey game that was going on in Vancouver — Devon Kershaw finished fifth in the men's 50 km mass start event in cross country. The 50 km race is considered the event

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-27532144313668036062010-02-27T10:38:00.007-04:002010-02-28T23:06:28.973-04:00

I've been a negligent blogger this week due to other committments; but to be honest I've been enjoying my role as an Olympic spectator a lot more since I stopped writing about my medal prediction every day. I promise (threaten?) that I'll have lots more to say when the Games are over about Own the Podium, the team's overall performance, and the post-mortem on my medal prediction. For the moment

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-79776317735526064062010-02-22T08:55:00.003-04:002010-02-22T11:19:14.357-04:00

The teachers and students at my son's elementary school are having a two-week celebration of the 2010 Winter Olympics this month. Each classroom has been "assigned" a Winter Olympic nation to follow, cheer for, and learn about. Last Thursday I was in to visit with one of the primary classes. I had a great time talking to the kids about the Olympics. The inuksuk pictured at right is installed

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-57328936926958178932010-02-21T11:00:00.002-04:002010-02-21T11:08:23.058-04:00

I admit it — lately I've been getting a bit down about Canadian results at the 2010 Olympics. But I don't want to forget about the great things that happen, just because they don't end in a podium ceremony. On that note, yesterday's results in the cross country, the men's 30 km double pursuit, were a highlight of these games so far. So the Day 8 Svein Tuft of the Day goes to the Canadian cross

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-64963056568647539212010-02-19T00:14:00.001-04:002010-02-19T10:49:01.685-04:00

The COC issued this flash quote from Canadian biathlete Megan Tandy after the 15 km race on Day 6: I felt pretty decent on the ski trails, defiantly fatigued on the last loop though. To all my friends on the Mission Team: I wish you defiance in your fatigue as you start Day 7! On another somewhat superficial note, Canada witnessed another one of Maëlle Ricker's talents tonight. If you didn't

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-56586283290628093922010-02-18T11:07:00.025-04:002010-02-18T23:30:38.058-04:00

Unnoticed Noteworthy Performance for Day 5 For Day 5 I had a tough time finding an unexpected, non-medal, overachieving performance for Canada. It was one of those days. Due congratulations to Marianne St. Gelais for her silver in the short track 500 m yesterday, but the medal disqualifies her from consideration. I'm going to name two co-recipients for yesterday. Both of them probably had

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-66106175460733639862010-02-16T19:52:00.011-04:002010-02-17T07:39:32.986-04:00

Svein Tuft of the Day for Day 4: JP Le Guellec It was a bit tricky to find an unnoticed noteworthy performance today, but in the end I had to give it to Jean Philippe Le Guellec for the second time. I didn't see any of it, but it sounds like Le Guellec had a very weird day. He officially finished eleventh — a very respectable finish on its face. But in fact, Le Guellec was fifth to cross the

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-9921971811458023612010-02-15T19:31:00.022-04:002010-02-16T08:08:14.926-04:00

Svein Tuft of the Day for Day 3: Ivan Babikov My pick for Team Canada's unnoticed noteworthy performance of the day is cross-country skier Ivan Babikov. Babikov finished eighth in the men's 15 km free this morning. He was eighteen seconds (in a thirty-three minute race) behind the bronze medallist. Canada's previous best result in the 15 km event was a fourteenth place by Pierre Harvey in

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-46521021945684355092010-02-14T22:25:00.014-04:002010-02-14T23:43:54.921-04:00

Svein Tuft for Day 2: Jean Philippe Le Guellec Jean Philippe Le Guellec, ranked 33rd in the World Cup sprint standings in biathlon, finished sixth in today's 10 km sprint event. The previous best-ever for Canada at the Olympics was an eighth-place finish by Steve Cyr in 1992. It seems that Le Guellec was considerably smarter about his chances in this event than most of the pundits. Here's

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-53471242728588179432010-02-14T08:53:00.015-04:002010-02-14T11:36:28.712-04:00

I've decided, inspired by my friends who are with the Canadian team in Vancouver and Whistler, to take a daily detour from obsessing about math and medal counts. Welcome to the first installment of the Team Canada Svein Tuft of the Day. I know that some of you are thinking, "What the hell is a Svein Tuft?" Well, if you're a Canadian sports fan, you should already know that, but you probably

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-16970360841382101582010-02-13T23:12:00.011-04:002010-02-14T01:30:55.435-04:00

I don't have a lot of editorial comment to make about Day 1 of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I watched a lot of it on television, I followed team media announcements on Twitter, and I enjoyed myself. There was a great variety of stuff going on, covering many of my favourite Winter Olympic things. Canada didn't have a great day, but it wasn't terrible either. Jennifer Heil won a medal in moguls,

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-26654426978655193952010-02-12T21:34:00.000-04:002010-02-12T21:35:05.316-04:00

Call me old-fashioned, but the thing I like most about the Olympic Games is the sports. I am not a big fan of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. I usually find the two-week television extravaganza more frustrating than illuminating. And I try not to get caught up in the predictable angst over Canada's team uniforms. I do believe that the Olympic Games are the greatest sporting event in the

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-81283763733429607962010-02-10T21:41:00.023-04:002010-02-11T21:46:22.484-04:00

If I was a journalist writing for a newspaper or sports magazine, I'd have to open this story like this: Canada will win 27 medals at the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics. The nice thing about that kind of prediction is that it's easy to encapsulate the result in a single sentence. The bad thing is that the single number '27' doesn't really tell the whole story. Back in 2006, you'll recall, I

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-11823190766020860512008-12-12T07:19:00.002-04:002008-12-13T22:17:14.941-04:00

Quick quiz: what was Canada's final rank, in terms of total medals won, at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games? The correct answer is: check back in 2016 and we'll let you know. As specified in Article 6.5 of The IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008: Samples shall be stored in a secure manner at the laboratory or as otherwise directed by the IOC and may

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-66797094983500740922008-11-29T21:14:00.004-04:002008-11-29T21:28:23.911-04:00

Just before the Olympic Games started in Beijing, I put together an interactive Google map of the 2008 Canadian Olympic team. It was too late to get it incorporated into the COC's own excellent 2008 Beijing web site, but here it is for your entertainment. The map is interactive in the usual Google Maps way, and clicking on the icons will bring up a capsule on the athlete in question. Within

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9977936.post-84517245247015856852008-11-15T20:06:00.006-04:002008-11-15T20:16:37.434-04:00

File this one in the category of Left-Brain specials from somebody else’s brain (thanks to SportsFilter for picking up on this, many weeks ago). In September, four physicists from the University of Oslo submitted a scientific paper cleverly titled Velocity Dispersions in a Cluster of Stars: How Fast Could Usain Bolt Have Run? As the abstract describes, the paper investigates the question of

Amateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231031426264837427noreply@blogger.com0