Posts Tagged ‘softball’

Great to hear that President George W. Bush is doing the rounds amongst US athletes participating in the 2008 Beijing Olympics – surely great encouragement for those who have seen and spoken with him. Bush always said he wanted to attend the Olympics in Beijing to celebrate sport and Americans sportsmanship, and on Saturday, he did so with zeal.

He hit the sand with the American women’s volleyball team, dropped in on softball practice and took his own ride through the Olympic mountain biking course — all before attending his first event, the American women’s basketball game versus the Czech Republic on Saturday night.

The president during a visit with the women’s volleyball team on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Coex/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

“Mr. President, want to?” said Misty May-Treanor, half of the dominant American beach volleyball, turning her backside toward the president for the sport’s traditional method of encouragement: a slap.

Mr. Bush complied, though with a discrete flick of the back of his hand on her lower back. Dressed in a casual blue shirt and khakis, even a visor, he was even enticed to try a few volleys himself, quickly working up a sweat in the Beijing swelter (and comporting himself rather well).

The president — college cheerleader, baseball owner, sports enthusiast — is clearly enjoying his immersion in the American Olympic effort.

“I wasn’t exactly sure what to say to you, except to start with, God, I love our country and I love what we stand for,” he told the team during a greeting at the Fencing Hall, where he mugged and posed for pictures for a full hour on Friday. (His daughter, Barbara, scored a picture with Lebron James.) “And I love being with you.”

The morning after attending the opening ceremonies, Mr. Bush managed his typical weekend workout on his mountain bike, only this time at the Laoshan Mountain Bike Course. It was his second time on the course, having ridden it with the Chinese team during a visit in 2005. “Biking was really, really difficult,” he acknowledged afterwards, adding, “That’s why they call it an Olympic course.”

At a practice of the women’s softball team, Mr. Bush expressed his support for keeping the sport in the Olympics after Beijing.

“It’s good for the world to have girls playing softball,” Mr. Bush said, his back marked by a chalk handprint, a prank of the centerfielder, Laura Berg, “and these women are going to show girls how to win.”

On Sunday he is scheduled to attend men’s and women’s swimming and the men’s basketball game against China, after squeezing in a bit of work: meetings with President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders.

Ok so I realise that beach volley ball is hardly extreme in a sporting sense but right at the moment it is hard to get away from what is happening in Beijing. I have included a short YouTube video of the said Misty May-Treanor – what can I say – it is understandable why the President chose to visit the beach volley ball team rather than the weight lifting team!

It just remains for me to thank Steve Lee Myers of the New York Times who brought us this news.

What is this infatuation with going faster, higher and more dangerously than ever before?

Current numbers are significant. In the United States participation in baseball is down 28 percent since 1987, to 9.7 million players. Basketball participation has declined 17 percent from its 1997 peak. Since 1987, involvement in softball has dropped off 37 percent and volleyball has plunged 36 percent.

At the same time, skateboarding has surged 49 percent, to 14 million U.S. participants, and building a skate park is a growing trend in community development. Snowboarding now claims 7.2 million participants, up 51 percent from 1999. Mountain biking has an estimated 8.6 million participants, making it the second-most popular extreme sport.

Extreme sports can at times tax small local medical systems. In one study at the Fort William Mountain Bike World Championship in Scotland, 30 percent (52) of the 173 competitors in cross-country, downhill, and 4-by-4 events were injured – two seriously enough to require hospitalization.

So, are extreme sports harmful enough to be worthy of opposition?

With today’s obesity epidemic, any sport that gets kids (and adults) off the couch for some real exertion may have long-term benefits. Extreme sports offer an opportunity to challenge and express yourself. There exists an air of cooperation, without specific winning and losing that may help some children’s development of self-esteem. There is little organization into teams or leagues, and no overzealous parents screaming at their kids through the backstop fence.

While extreme motocross and base jumping may be exceptions, the true injury rate for many extreme sports is quite low. A British Journal of Sports Medicine study reported only 139 skateboard injuries requiring medical attention over four years, despite fairly significant participation in the sport. Snowboarding injury rates were even lower, with fewer than four injuries for every 1,000 boarder days. In both cases, most injuries occurred during “failed trick attempts.” Rock climbing, particularly at indoor gyms, boasts a very low injury rate of about three injuries per 1,000 hours.

Some studies indicate that most people injured while participating in extreme sports were not wearing any type of protective gear. If you’re undertaking high-risk maneuvers, wear whatever combination of helmet, elbow pads, knee pads and wrist guards is needed to keep you safe!

Despite this anything that keeps kids moving and excited about being outdoors, instead of sitting inside eating chips and playing video games is likely a very good thing.