Monthly Archives: June 2022

West Belfast teens hear from those whose addiction had them ‘gambling with their lives’ – Belfast Live

Posted: June 22, 2022 at 11:38 am

A charity is hoping to prevent teenagers from becoming hooked on gambling by bringing them the stories of people who have lived through the addiction experience.

Gambling With Lives has been working with the Lagmore Youth Project for the past three weeks, trying to prepare them to make informed choices about gambling products they may be confronted with.

The program finished on Monday night, with a specially commissioned film and a talk from a local man who is recovering from his own gambling addiction.

Read more: West Belfast man's mission to educate young people about dangers of gambling addiction

Declan said he had been through extreme periods of gambling in his life but was in recovery now and determined to help others getting hooked the way he was.

At one point, he had lost 30,000 in just days, saying that he would have bet anything between 100 and 1,000 on any race, such was the hold his addiction had on him.

He said: "I started gambling when I was around 16, I started gambling when I was in school.

"Of course it started small and gradually it gets a lot worse and more out of control.

"Throughout the years, throughout the gambling, it took its toll on me.

"I started to lose a lot of money and I was completely invested and addiction completely took over my life.

"I'm now in recovery, I haven't had a bet in 1,005 days, so things are going well.

"Of course I always have to keep my guard up as well, just so I don't slip down that path again because it's very easily done.

"It's been amazing to be honest to be able to share my story and I think if I can even help one of the kids out there, it'll be absolutely brilliant."

The young people involved in the program told Belfast Live they had found it useful and an eye-opener.

"Even if you're just playing bingo once a week, just to know everything that can happen," Saorse Hannaway said.

"I just think it's better to know it now, so that obviously when you get older you know and you're more aware and understand the consequences that go along with gambling."

"I think it was really educational," Caoimhe Denver added .

"I think it taught us a lot about the dangers of it, to be cautious of it and if there's anyone that has this addiction, to tell them to get the help and offer them the help that's needed."

Aron Hughes is a youth support worker with the Lagmore Youth Project and said the program's message was something that resonated with the local community.

"I think especially here in West Belfast, it is a prevalent issue, a lot of people don't see that - it may be a very underlying issue, but it is present, it is there," he said.

"A lot of these people in this room might have had family members or friends who have had issues with gambling.

"Being able to have this awareness-raising, being able for them ones to engage with this organisation, to understand what this can do, allows them to go and spread that word with their other friends, with their peers, so that the awareness is constantly like a ripple effect.

"With that hopefully, maybe it can help save someone's life or it can help prevent one of these young people from going down that route of spending money they don't need to spend, or getting into that bad habit cycle."

Barry Fennell is the Program Manager for Gambling With lives in Northern Ireland and said they focus on challenging the young people to think about potential harms.

He said they provided information on the types of gambling products young people might see and how they might trigger addictive behaviour.

"There's a lot of focus around drugs and alcohol awareness, we feel as an organisation that this (gambling awareness) is important as well.

"For me, it's very much about allowing and providing the opportunity for young people to unpack all of this information and I think that's the most important thing as well.

"We're very keen to have that lived experience voice and input, I do feel that young people can relate to that lived experience or story, whatever you want to call it.

"I do think that Declan's input and there's another guy I work with, I think that input is invaluable to what we're doing.

"Our approach would be 'we will give you as much information as we can and we hope that further down the line you can make a decision that's based on an informed choice.'"

Ex Wrexham star Marc Williams tells of gambling addiction and the moment he knew he’d hit ‘rock bottom’ – North Wales Live

Posted: at 11:38 am

Former Wrexham striker Marc Williams has spoken passionately about helping others who have suffered from addiction problems after he himself experienced what he calls his 'rock bottom' just a few years ago. Now aged 33, Williams is enjoying his football once more after a succession of injuries and gambling addiction threatened to derail his once-promising career.

Williams came through the ranks at Wrexham AFC, breaking into the first team at the age of 18. After enjoying an impressive start to the 2008/09 season, the former Wales under 21 international was widely tipped for a bright future in the game until a broken foot hampered his progress significantly.

It was during his period on the sidelines that his gambling addiction took hold. Thankfully, Williams has overcome his demons and now visits sports clubs in order to share his experiences as well as educating others about gambling addiction.

READ MORE: Stadium for the North: The big names backing the campaign as signatures top 15,000 mark

Speaking to North Wales Live, Williams revealed that he had opportunities to move clubs just before his injury but decided to stay with his beloved Dragons. "Gambling took me to my rock bottom, I got injured at the biggest purple patch of my career (during the 2008/09 season). I potentially could have moved in the January but I wanted to stay at my boyhood club Wrexham and get them promoted," said Williams.

"I struggled with that injury - I was lonely, bored and on my own. The only way I could cope with that was to start gambling and from that it got worse."

"My football wages were there and when I got back fit there was something else occupying my brain - I just wanted to get off the training pitch and continue gambling. It completely changed me, I became extremely angry and I changed how I treated people.

"I neglected my little girl. I remember the last day I had a bet, November 7, 2018 - I broke down in front of my little girl, crying my eyes out.

"I'd just had my last 10,000 I could get my hands on, I couldn't get any more money I was that much in debt. I looked at her and thought to myself 'wow, not only am I ruining my life, I'm ruining her future'.

"That was my rock bottom. I knew I needed help, from that point I vowed I was going to get help and be a better person and father."

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Williams said that having the support of his family and friends has been a huge boost. He also went on to say he hopes that to see the stigma around gambling removed so that more people will open up about their struggles.

Williams said: "I'm coming up to four years now, this November. It's been a long road, but I've had a lot of support from my parents, my siblings and my partner Zoe has been really supportive. I can only try to be a better person from this point, I can only try and help people as much as I can.

"I don't want other people to feel alone, we need to take that stigma away from gambling and stop it being that taboo subject. For all those years I was embarrassed and ashamed but I just felt I couldn't open up and that's what we're trying to change.

"At Epic Risk Management we have partnerships with the EFL (English Football League) and the Rugby Players Associations as well as the cricket also. We're quite fortunate to be able to visit these sports clubs, delivering our lived experiences and providing the educational side of it.

"Recently I've done a few talks at Blackpool, Hull City, Newport County, Tranmere Rovers and Crewe Alexandra. We go around all 72 EFL clubs so it's been great to share my experiences.

"We cover all bases to raise that awareness. We also go to schools and make them aware of how detrimental gambling can be."

Williams went on to say that he is finally enjoying his football again, plying his trade for Cymru North side Llandudno FC. He said: "I love being back at Llandudno, it's probably the lowest level I've played but it's not about that - it's about putting on the jersey, working hard and being part of a team. Eards (Llandudno manager Sean Eardley) brings the best out of me and it's a great place to be.

"I'm looking forward to next season already. Hopefully we can go one better and win the league, but for me now it's how I feel around the place - playing with a smile on my face, that means the world to me."

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Ex Wrexham star Marc Williams tells of gambling addiction and the moment he knew he'd hit 'rock bottom' - North Wales Live

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Sydney trains: Hate gambling on which train carriage will have a spare seat? Heres a secret peak hour hack – 7NEWS

Posted: at 11:38 am

A simple coloured graphic on train platform screens can help you determine exactly which carriage to head for, to score yourself a seat.

Despite being around for the past three years, the carriage capacity indicator has surprised NSW commuters travelling on Waratah trains.

Watch the video above to see the simple train hack

For more Travel related news and videos check out 7Travel >>

Coloured rectangles representing the Waratah train carriages and their current capacity were introduced by Transport for NSW on the platform service display signs in 2019.

They were introduced on real-time apps the year prior, but the seat-finding hack is still largely unknown.

The carriage capacity indicator colour codes the blocks in green, orange and red to show commuters which carriages are respectively empty, moderately full, and at capacity.

The information comes via weight sensors, which use the data to calculate how many passengers are onboard each carriage.

The feature is designed to help commuters know where to stand as the train approaches, so they can easily hop straight onto the emptiest carriage.

This type of technology is used in stations around the world, including in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong, according to Transport for NSW.

These displays will now be available on all stations that are serviced by Waratah trains, including the busy T1 North Shore and Western Lines, and will help customers to board the trains more efficiently, former NSW transport minister Andrew Constance said when the technology was launched in May 2019.

These capacity indicators will help passengers know where to go on the platform to get onto the train quickly and easily.

Ultimately its about using the latest technology to make life easier for our customers.

It has proven to be a great way for customers to quickly find out where seats are available on a train.

The hack was shared recently on TikTok, surprising Sydney commuters who hadnt been aware of the capacity indicator.

What? I have been travelling on Sydney trains my whole life and I just learned this tonight, one TikTok user wrote.

I genuinely thought it was Sydney Trains just trying to be cute, another user wrote.

Just need to show how many eshays in the back carriage now, another wrote.

However, the online reaction also highlighted that the little-known feature is not entirely inclusive or relevant for some people living with disabilities.

Im red-green colour-blind, so didnt notice, one user wrote

But if youre in a wheelchair you always get put in the back carriage no matter how full, another wrote.

Excerpt from:

Sydney trains: Hate gambling on which train carriage will have a spare seat? Heres a secret peak hour hack - 7NEWS

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PHOTOS: Special Olympics Bocce competition at Wickliffe Italian …

Posted: at 11:37 am

Paul DiCiccos photos from the Special Olympics Bocce competition at the Wickliffe Italian-American Club on May 7, 2022.

Paul DiCicco's photos from the 2022 Special Olympics Bocce competition at the Wickliffe Italian-American Club.

PHOTOS: Special Olympics Bocce competition at Wickliffe Italian ...

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Spain stops 2030 Winter Olympic bid; 3 main candidates remain – Home of the Olympic Channel

Posted: at 11:37 am

Spain withdrew its bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics due to political differences, leaving Salt Lake City, Sapporo, Japan, and Vancouver as candidates to host. The IOC is expected to make its decision within the next year.

The Spanish Olympic Committee said the local governments of Barcelona and the Pyrenees region, which were to share hosting duties, could not come to an agreement.

We had other brilliant candidacies [for the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics] that didnt go ahead because we were competing with very strong rival cities, Spain Olympic Committee President Alejandro Blanco said Tuesday, according to a Reuters translation. But this one we have destroyed ourselves at our own home. There was no other way out than withdrawing our bid. We cannot spend months and months and months with the differences that there were.

We were transforming an integrating project into a war between constitutionalists and independentists, the Olympic spirit is not about that.

The Spanish committee told the IOC it wants to continue talks for potentially hosting a Winter Games beyond 2030.

As of 2020, the Spain plan called for city events in Barcelona, mountain events in the Pyrenees (150 miles north of Barcelona) and sliding sports and ski jumping in another country, as Spain does not have existing venues for those events.

Last week, a Salt Lake City bid team, includingLindsey Vonn, met with the IOC at IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and said it went well.

Salt Lake City expects the IOC to in December choose a city or cities for a more targeted dialogue phase for 2030 (and perhaps 2034), and a host city election next May 30 or June 1.

Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics. No nation has hosted back-to-back Olympics since World War II. Salt Lake City, which hosted the last Olympics in the U.S. in 2002, is prepared for 2034 if necessary.

We are focused on 2030,Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, said earlier this month. Everything we do, every contract we sign, is all focused on 2030. But it also has a provision for 2034.

We recognize the back-to-back Games are challenging. Geopolitically, its hard for the IOC to award back-to-back Games in the U.S., for 28 and for 30. We know that thats hard. But we also recognize there are opportunities through back-to-back Games.

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Spain stops 2030 Winter Olympic bid; 3 main candidates remain - Home of the Olympic Channel

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$13 billion Tokyo Olympics cost is double original estimate – Los Angeles Times

Posted: at 11:37 am

TOKYO

The final price tag for last years COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics was put at $13 billion (1.4 trillion Japanese yen), the organizing committee said Tuesday in its final act before it is dissolved at the end of the month.

The cost was twice what was forecast in 2013 when Tokyo was awarded the Games. However, the final price tag presented by organizers is lower than the $15.4 billion they predicted when the Olympics ended just under 11 months ago.

We made an estimate, and the estimate has gone down lower than we expected, Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said, speaking through an interpreter at a news conference. As a total amount, whether this is huge or not when it comes to that kind of talk it is not easy to evaluate.

Accurately tracking Olympic costs who pays, who benefits, and what are and are not Games expenses is an ever-moving maze. The one-year delay added to the difficulty, as did recent fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen.

When the Olympics opened on July 23, 2021, $1 bought 110 yen. On Monday, $1 bought 135 yen, the dollars highest level against the yen in about 25 years. Organizers chose to use a rate of $1 to 109.89 yen to figure the dollar price, which organizers said was the average exchange rate for 2021.

Victor Matheson, a sports economist at Holy Cross who has written extensively on the Olympics, suggested by email to AP that most of the expenses and revenues are in yen, so the exchange rate changing the dollar amounts doesnt affect how the event feels to the organizers.

Matheson and fellow American Robert Baade researched Olympic costs and benefits in a study called Going for Gold: The Economics of the Olympics. They wrote that the overwhelming conclusion is that in most cases the Olympics are a money-losing proposition for host cities; they result in positive net benefits only under very specific and unusual circumstances.

Muto said there were savings because of the absence of fans, which cut down on security costs and venue maintenance costs. He talked vaguely about squeezing costs and simplifying operations to reach the reductions.

However, organizers lost at least $800 million in income from ticket sales because fans were banned due to COVID. Muto called baseless reports before and after the postponement that costs might hit $25 billion.

There is one undeniable fact: Japanese government entities, primarily the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, covered about 55% of the total expenses. This amounted to about $7.1 billion in Japanese taxpayer money.

The privately funded organizing committee budget covered about $5.9 billion. The International Olympic Committee contributed $1.3 billion to this budget, with the largest contribution of $3.4 billion coming from local sponsors. Organizers also listed $500 million in income from an unspecified insurance payout.

A University of Oxford study in 2020 said Tokyo was the most expensive Olympics on record.

Scenes from the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times; Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

In the several years prior to the Olympics, government audits found official costs might have been much more than stated.

Its impossible to assess the long-term impact of the Tokyo Olympics, particularly in a sprawling city like the Japanese capital where change is constant. The pandemic erased any short-term tourism bounce. Local sponsors, who paid $3.4 billion to be linked to the Olympics, didnt seem very happy according to local reports.

Dentsu Inc., the giant Japanese advertising and public relations company, may have benefited. It directed marketing for Tokyo 2020, received commissions for lining up sponsors, and has been linked to an IOC vote-buying scandal that was tied to Tokyo getting the Games.

The scandal forced the resignation of Tsunekazu Takeda in 2019, an IOC member who also headed the Japanese Olympic Committee. He denied any wrongdoing.

The Games were hit with other scandals, including the resignation of Yoshiro Mori, the president of the organizing committee who made sexist remarks about women. The former Japanese prime minister stepped down five months before the Games opened.

I was baffled, surprised it was so unexpected, Muto said when asked about Moris departure. I really had a tough time dealing with the situation.

Tokyo had billed itself as a safe pair of hands in its bid in 2013 to get the Games.

Tokyo will also be remembered as the first Games that were postponed for a year, and then held mostly without fans in a so-called bubble.

The most important legacy is surely the $1.4 billion National Stadium designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Though its a new venue, it blends seamlessly into its central location.

The goal should be that the costs of hosting are matched by benefits that are shared in a way to include ordinary citizens who fund the event through their tax dollars, Matheson and Baade wrote. In the current arrangement, it is often far easier for the athletes to achieve gold than it is for the hosts.

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$13 billion Tokyo Olympics cost is double original estimate - Los Angeles Times

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USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships: Ten events to watch – Home of the Olympic Channel

Posted: at 11:37 am

Ten events to watch at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships that start Thursday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The top three in most events are in line to make the team for Julys world championships, also in Eugene. Events with reigning world champions or reigning Diamond League season champions who have byes into worlds get four individual spots on the team. Statistics via World Athletics and Tilastopaja.org

Mens Shot Put (Final Friday 9:42 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics: Ryan Crouser(gold),Joe Kovacs(silver), Payton Otterdahl(10th)2022 U.S. Rankings:Crouser (23.02),Kovacs (22.49),Darrell Hill(21.84)

Crouser is on world record watch after breaking it at Hayward last year at Olympic Trials, then repeating as gold medalist with an Olympic record throw. Kovacs, ranked second in the world this season, has a bye onto the team as reigning world champion. Rio Olympian Darrell Hilland Josh Awotunde and Adrian Piperi are also ranked in the top 10 in the world this year, but no more than two of them can make this team, assuming Crouser qualifies.

Womens 100m (Final Friday 10:21 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics: Teahna Daniels (seventh), Javianne Oliver (semifinals), Jenna Prandini (semifinals)2022 U.S. Rankings: Aleia Hobbs (10.83), ShaCarri Richardson (10.85), Cambrea Sturgis (10.87)

Richardson won the Olympic Trials, then was disqualified for testing positive for marijuana, ruling her out of Tokyo. She was the worlds third-fastest woman in 2021. Hobbs beat her fellow former LSU star Richardson on June 12, lowering her personal best for the first time in five years. Theyre followed in the 2022 rankings by the fastest NCAA sprinters over the last two years Sturgis, Melissa JeffersonandTwanisha Terry. Brittany Brown, the 2019 World 200m silver medalist, ran 10.66 on April 23, but it was with too much of a tailwind to count as a legal time. Daniels is the lone member of the Olympic trio to break 11 seconds this year (10.99).

USATF OUTDOORS: Broadcast Schedule

Mens 100m (Final Friday 10:30 p.m.)Tokyo Olympics: Fred Kerley (silver), Ronnie Baker (fifth), Trayvon Bromell (semifinals)2022 U.S. Rankings: Micah Williams (9.86), Bromell (9.92), Christian Coleman (9.92), Kerley (9.92)

Coleman was the worlds fastest man in the last Olympic cycle, but missed all of last year over a ban for missed (but not failed) drug tests. He gets a 100m bye into worlds as reigning world champion and could decide to focus on the 200m this week. That means three others will join him on the individual 100m team. Bromell had the worlds top time in 2021 leading into the Tokyo Games, where he was eliminated in the semifinals. He still finished as the worlds fastest man for the year. Williams, a 4x100m relay member at the Olympics, ran that 9.86 at NCAA Regionals on May 26, then ran 10.19 two weeks ago at the NCAA Championships, where he was seventh. Kerley, who dropped down from the 400m to the 100m last year, has broken 10 seconds in all four of his races this year. Baker last raced in April and didnt enter nationals.

Womens 400m (Final Saturday 5:21 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics: Allyson Felix (bronze), Quanera Hayes (seventh), Wadeline Jonathas (semifinals)2022 U.S. Rankings: Talitha Diggs (49.99), Britton Wilson (50.05), Athing Mu (50.42)

Felix, an 11-time Olympic medalist in her farewell season, told On Her Turf on Tuesday that she does not know if she will race the 400m at worlds should she finish in the top three at nationals. She has said shes hoping to run at least one relay at worlds, which would probably require a top-eight finish at nationals. Hayes has a bye into worlds as reigning Diamond League season champion. Wilson, a 400m hurdler, and Mu, the Olympic 800m champ, will not race the 400m at nationals. That puts Felix joint-third-fastest this year among women entered in the event at nationals. She is bidding for a U.S. record-extending 10th world championships team. Internationally, only race walkers have competed in more than 10 world championships, according to Bill Mallonof Olympedia.org.

ON HER TURF: Allyson Felix has a retirement date, but her legacy is still evolving

Womens Shot Put (Final Sunday 4 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics: Raven Saunders (silver),Jessica Ramsey(12th), Adelaide Aquilla (qualifying)2022 U.S. Rankings: Chase Ealey (20.13), Aquilla (19.64), Ramsey (19.38)

Maggie Ewen, who missed the Olympic team by three centimeters, has a bye onto the team as reigning Diamond League season champion. That extra worlds spot may be important for Saunders, who ranks sixth in the nation this season. It should also help 2016 gold medalist Michelle Carter, who plans to return to competition for the first time since April 2021 and after having a benign tumor on her right ankle removed last year.

Womens 800m (Final Sunday 4:54 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics: Athing Mu(gold),Raevyn Rogers(bronze), Aje Wilson (semifinals)2022 U.S. Rankings:Mu (1:57.01), Wilson (1:58.06),Allie Wilson(1:58.18)

At 19, Mu won Olympic gold and broke the American record in Tokyo, then lowered it again 18 days later. Shes fastest in the world again this year and undefeated at 800m for two years. Rogers and Aje Wilson own a combined eight medals among the Olympics and world indoor and outdoor championships. But none of them have a bye into worlds, which makes it a tad precarious given the presence of Allie Wilson, a 26-year-old former Monmouth runner who was sixth at Olympic Trials, lowered her personal best by 4.38 seconds since the start of 2021 and is fifth fastest in the world this year.

Mens 200m (Final Sunday 5:38 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics: Kenny Bednarek(silver),Noah Lyles(bronze),Erriyon Knighton(fourth)2022 U.S. Rankings:Knighton (19.49), Lyles (19.61),Fred Kerley(19.80)

Lyles has a bye as reigning world champion but will run at least one round this week. Knighton, 18, moved up to fourth on the all-time list with his 19.49 on April 30, behind Usain Bolt,Yohan BlakeandMichael Johnsonand one hundredth better than Lyles personal best. Kerley missed the Olympic 200m team by one spot. Bednarek ranks sixth this year among those entered in the 200m at nationals, just behindColeman andMatthew Boling. If Lyles races all the way through, the winner here likely becomes the favorite for worlds.

Womens 200m (Final Sunday 5:46 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics:Gabby Thomas(bronze),Jenna Prandini(semifinals), Anavia Battle(semifinals)2022 U.S. Rankings: Abby Steiner(21.80), Thomas (21.98),Brittany Brown(21.99)

Thomas ran 21.61 to win the Olympic Trials, then 21.87 in the Olympic final. She last raced May 21, then withdrew on the eve of a June 12 meet to avoid the risk after doing something funny to my leg during a sprint. Steiner, a Kentucky junior, smashed the college record by winning the NCAA title in 21.80 on June 11. She has run 47 races so far in 2022. Prandini, who lowered her personal best from 22.16 to 21.89 over three rounds at Olympic Trials, has a best time this year of 22.45 in three wind-legal races. Brown, the 2019 World silver medalist, lurks.

Mens 110m Hurdles (Final Sunday 5:54 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics: Grant Holloway(silver),Devon Allen(fourth),Daniel Roberts(semifinals)2022 U.S. Rankings:Allen (12.84),Trey Cunningham(13.00), Holloway (13.06)

The intrigue here isnt so much about who makes the team as it is world record watch. Holloway, who last year missed the world record by one hundredth, has a bye as reigning world champion, but will run at least one round this week and perhaps all three. He may be motivated by what happened on June 12, when Allen ran the third-fastest time in history, handed Holloway his first defeat to an American since August 2019 and arguably supplanted Holloway as the favorite for nationals. Allen, eyeing his first global championships medal next month at his college home of Oregon, will head to Philadelphia Eagles training camp after worlds.

Womens 400m Hurdles (Final Saturday 5:51 p.m. ET)Tokyo Olympics: Sydney McLaughlin(gold),Dalilah Muhammad(silver),Anna Cockrell(eighth)2022 U.S. Rankings:McLaughlin (51.61),Britton Wilson(53.75), Muhammad (53.88)

Muhammad, the 2016 Olympic champion and second-fastest woman in history, hasnt raced since May 21 due to injury but has a bye into worlds as reigning world champion should she run at least one round this week. That takes a lot of the drama out of the battle to make the world team in an event that used to be one of the two or three deepest in the U.S. but has since seen McLaughlin and Muhammad separate themselves significantly. In her last three meets running the 400m hurdles dating to last year, McLaughlin has run three of the four fastest times in history, including breaking the world record twice. Her one race so far this year reportedly had a hurdle in an incorrect position, messing up her steps, but her time is still listed in World Athletics rankings. Two more women can make the team after Muhammad and McLaughlin. Wilson, the NCAA champion from Arkansas, lowered her personal best by 2.61 seconds this year. She has run six of the 10 best times this year among Americans. The field also includes veteran Olympic or world medalists Cassandra Tate, Shamier Little and Ashley Spencer, but they along with Cockrell may be fighting for one spot.

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USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships: Ten events to watch - Home of the Olympic Channel

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Canoeing chiefs sign agreement with Special Olympics to strengthen ties – Insidethegames.biz

Posted: at 11:37 am

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Canoeing chiefs sign agreement with Special Olympics to strengthen ties - Insidethegames.biz

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Sandburg graduate Dylan Jacobs, who wins the 10000 meters for Notre Dame, enters transfer portal. And the Olympics? ‘It’s a goal.’ – Chicago Tribune

Posted: at 11:37 am

Notre Dame senior Dylan Jacobs was coming down the stretch in the 10,000-meter run of the NCAA Track and Field Championships on June 8 in Eugene, Oregon.

Jacobs passed the leader en route to a final lap of 55.45 seconds. The Sandburg graduate would become the first runner from Illinois to earn a national title in that event.

John OMalley, Jacobs coach in cross country and track distance at Sandburg, usually tries to stay on an emotional even keel but that went right out the window.

I was screaming at the TV so much so that my wife (Heather) actually picked up the phone to record me, OMalley said. With 1,200 meters to go, I felt like he was going to win.

I can always tell when Dylan is feeling good, and he was locked in.

But there were two things OMalley and a lot of other people didnt know.

Jacobs fell at the 3,000-meter mark. He had battle to get back to the pack. His fall wasnt shown on TV.

Then, Jacobs ran the rest of the race on a sprained ankle that was swelling with every step he ran.

He still won with a time of 28:12.32, including a 1:57.63 in the final 800 meters.

Adrenaline is a crazy thing, Jacobs said. I didnt really feel it.

He said he cant remember ever falling in a race before, blaming himself for the mishap.

I stepped on the rail, he said. It was definitely all on my own and its part of the reason I said, You better get back up. It was all on me.

I was on the inside of Lane 1 and looking up, and I snuck a little too far on the turn.

Notre Dame's Dylan Jacobs, a Sandburg graduate, reacts after winning the 10,000-meter run during the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene Oregon on Wednesday, June 08, 2022. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

Already impressed with Jacobs finish, OMalley was floored when he heard the rest of the story.

I did not know about the fall until his postrace interview, OMalley said. I talked with him on FaceTime the next morning, and he showed me his swollen ankle that was wrapped up.

It makes it that much more amazing. He said the pack wasnt running very fast at that point, so it wasnt as challenging to reconnect, but there is an undeniable loss of energy, momentum and emotional drain from such a challenge.

Staying calm was key for Jacobs, whos the first Notre Dame runner since Ryan Shay in 2001 to win the 10,000-meter race.

I just focused on staying as relaxed for as long as possible, Jacobs said. It just happened, so you know, get back up and get to the back of the pack and just be ready for any moves that are going to be made.

I was pretty relaxed before. I figured if I was in the back of the pack or the middle of the pack, it was no big deal. You just try to stay calm and stay relaxed and everything will go well.

So many things have gone well for Jacobs in 2022.

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He broke a four-minute mile in January and set an American college standard for the indoor 5,000 meters in February with a 13:14.04.

Jacobs future is intriguing. He graduated from Notre Dame but still has a year of college eligibility left and has entered the transfer portal.

If he doesnt use up another year in college to try for another national title, Jacobs could turn pro and shoot for the 2024 Olympics.

OMalley said the NCAA champion in the 10,000 meters is usually a contender for an Olympic spot.

Its a goal, Jacobs said of the Olympics. After this race, its become realistic. There would still be a lot of training and work to be done before that.

Im not too focused on that right now, but its in the back of my mind.

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

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Sandburg graduate Dylan Jacobs, who wins the 10000 meters for Notre Dame, enters transfer portal. And the Olympics? 'It's a goal.' - Chicago Tribune

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Special Olympics Maryland holds summer games in Towson – WBAL TV Baltimore

Posted: at 11:37 am

Special Olympics Maryland holds summer games in Towson

Updated: 11:04 AM EDT Jun 21, 2022

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COULD SEE SOME SHOWERS AND STORMS RETURN BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. JENNIFER: THANKS, TAYLOR. SPECIAL OLYMPIC ATHLETES FROM ACROSS MARYLAND ARE IN BALTIMORE COUNTY THIS WEEKEND TAKING PART IN THE SUMMER GAMES. JOINING US LIVE THIS MORNING FROM TOWSON UNIVERSITY IS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS MARYLAND, JIM SCHMUTZ. GREAT TO SEE YOU. YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE PHENOMENAL WEATHER. >> ITS REALLY COOL TO LISTEN TO THAT WEATHER. ITS UNBELIEVABLE THE DIFFERENCE FROM YESTERDAY TO TODAY. WE HAD OUR OPENING CEREMONY LAST NIGHT, SO MUCH ENERGY AND ITS COMING BACK HERE ON THE TRACK THIS MORNING. WEVE GOT HOWARD COUNTY ATHLETES GETTING READY FOR THE 3000 METER TO KICK US OFF. WE ARE PUMPED TO BE BACK IN TOWSON. JENNIFER: YOU HAVE TWO DAYS FILLED WITH EVENTS. YOU DID THE CHILLING COMPETITION -- CHEERLEADING COMPETITION LAST NIGHT AS WELL. HOW CAN PEOPLE GET INVOLVED? >> THEY CAN COME OUT TODAY AND JUST WATCH. . IF THEY VOLUNTEER, THEY CAN MARKUP. IF THEY WANT TO COME OUT AND VOLUNTEER TOMORROW, THEY CAN WALK UP. ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. COME OUT TO THE TRACK. WEVE GOT BOCCE, SWIMMING INSIDE, SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT AT ELLICOTT CITY AT AEROTECH PARK. THEYVE GOT VOLUNTEERS DOWN THERE. ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. COME CHECK OUT OUR ATHLETES. THE BOCCE COMPETITION IS REALLY COOL. JENNIFER: IT MEANS SO MUCH FOR THE ATHLETES TO HAVE PEOPLE COME OUT AND CHEER THEM ON. IT REALLY PUMPS THEM UP. >> THE ENERGY, THE ATHLETES BRING SO MUCH ENERGY. WE TALK ABOUT IT, AS MUCH AS THE MISSION IS FOR THE ATHLETES, WHEN PEOPLE INTERACT WITH OUR ATHLETES, THEIR LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED. JUST TO, AND WATCH THESE ATHLETES, AND LOOK, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE ARE FULLY BACK, THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019. I AM TELLING YOU, THE ATHLETES AND COACHES AND FAMILY MEMBERS ARE SO EXCITED TO BE OUT HERE, AND SO I MIGHT. FIRST GUN IS UP AT 9:00 THIS MORNING. THE OTHER THING WEVE GOT IS HEALTHY ATHLETES STARTING THIS MORNING AT 10:00. WEVE GOT DISCIPLINES LIKE SPECIAL SMILES, VISION SCREENINGS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE TOWSON UNION CENTER. AND AGAIN, A HEALTHY ATHLETE IS A BETTER ATHLETE. JENNIFER: BOY, YOURE NOT KIDDING. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO BUSY. YOU HAVE THIS MAJOR TRIP. SOME. TELL US WHERE THE ATHLETES WENT TO. >> WE HAD A DELEGATION OF ABOUT 100 ATHLETES, COACHES AND VOLUNTEERS DOWN IN ORLANDO FROM JUNE 5 TO THE 11TH COMPETING IN THE USA GAMES. THEY HAD AN UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE. IN ADDITION TO WINNING A LOT OF MEDEALS, THEY JUST HAD THE MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE. REPRESENTING SPECIAL OLYMPICS MARYLAND IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND EXCEPTIONALLY WELL. JENNIFER: LETS JUST REMIND PEOPLE THIS IS WHY YOU PLUNGE, THIS IS WHY YOU DONATE IN JANUARY, IN THIS CASE, IN MARCH, SO YOU CAN HOST GAMES JUST LIKE THIS. >> 100%. ATHLETES TRAIN YEAR-ROUND IN 27 DIFFERENT SPORTS FREE OF CHARGE. WHEN WE GO IN THAT COLD WATER IN JANUARY, IT SETS US UP FOR THE SPRING. AS SOON AS WE COME OUT OF THESE SUMMER GAMES, WEVE GOT ATHLETES GOING TO COMPETE IN KAYAKING, GOLF AND INTO OUR FALL SEASON, SOCCER, FLAG FOOTBALL, CYCLING, POWERLIFTING ANTENNAS. ATHLETES LOVE THE SPORTS AND THEY ARE EXCITED TO BE BACK IN ACTION. JENNIFER: TELL ALL MY FRIENDS ARE SET HI, WILL YOU? >>

Special Olympics Maryland holds summer games in Towson

Updated: 11:04 AM EDT Jun 21, 2022

Special Olympic athletes from across Maryland are in Baltimore County this weekend taking part in the summer games. Joining us from Towson University is president and CEO of Special Olympics Maryland, Jim Schmutz.

The rest is here:

Special Olympics Maryland holds summer games in Towson - WBAL TV Baltimore

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Monthly Archives: June 2022

West Belfast teens hear from those whose addiction had them ‘gambling with their lives’ – Belfast Live

Ex Wrexham star Marc Williams tells of gambling addiction and the moment he knew he’d hit ‘rock bottom’ – North Wales Live

Sydney trains: Hate gambling on which train carriage will have a spare seat? Heres a secret peak hour hack – 7NEWS

PHOTOS: Special Olympics Bocce competition at Wickliffe Italian …

Spain stops 2030 Winter Olympic bid; 3 main candidates remain – Home of the Olympic Channel

$13 billion Tokyo Olympics cost is double original estimate – Los Angeles Times

USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships: Ten events to watch – Home of the Olympic Channel

Canoeing chiefs sign agreement with Special Olympics to strengthen ties – Insidethegames.biz

Sandburg graduate Dylan Jacobs, who wins the 10000 meters for Notre Dame, enters transfer portal. And the Olympics? ‘It’s a goal.’ – Chicago Tribune

Special Olympics Maryland holds summer games in Towson – WBAL TV Baltimore

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