Monthly Archives: September 2022

This is an opinion column.

For about as long as I can remember, I have loved watching the Olympic Games. I have dreamed of competing in them, but to my knowledge, shooting marbles was never one of the events. I was never good enough to compete in any of the other events. I probably wasnt good enough to compete in marbles either, but since that isnt an event, we may never know.

My family and I did have the pleasure of attending the Mens Gymnastics events at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, back in 1996. I have never done gymnastics a day in my life. In elementary school, the swings were about as daring as I got. I could barely climb the monkey bars on the playground without falling off! Our daughter did gymnastics for several years as a child, so we knew she would enjoy going.

I never imagined that one day I would finally get the opportunity to compete in the Olympics. I certainly didnt think I would be this old when my chance would finally come. If you had told me that my team partner and I would win silver medals, I might have asked, Have you been drinking? I have not been drinking, but for about a year now, I have been dinking. A dink is a pickleball shot that barely clears the net and lands just on the other side. Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in America. No, it is not played with a pickle. It has now become an Olympic event, and the Olympic Games have come to Opelika.

Okay, I do need to tell you the whole truth. You probably didnt see any of these matches on television, unless a friend of family member of yours videoed them for you. Thats because this was not the regular Olympics, but the Alabama Senior Olympics. The regular Olympic games are mostly for young people. Once an athlete reaches their 30s, many of them may be too old to compete. In the Senior Olympics, those athletes are too young to compete. The Senior Olympics are for those 50-years-old and older. Now, if you are a young whipper snapper, first of all, thank you for reading the newspaper. Secondly, I do realize that younguns are probably wondering what a bunch of 50-plussers can compete in. Well, todays senior adults are not our grandparents senior adults. We do far more than rock in rocking chairs on the front porch, sipping iced tea, and playing checkers. We sit in the swing on the back porch and play Wordle! No, really, we play golf, racquetball, walk, run, swim, and other things, now including pickleball.

The Sportsplex, in Opelika, hosted this years Alabama Senior Olympics Pickleball Tournament. In October, they will also host the racquetball tournament and cornhole tournament. The Sportsplex is the home courts of the Opelika Pickleball Club. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I play there with a group called The Dinkers. We dont always dink, but we try. Of the 211 players who competed in the tournament, 27 of them were Dinkers. Im not sure how many total medals The Opelika Pickleball Club won, but those 27 Dinkers won a total of 35. The youngest player was 50, 11 were over 75, and 3 were over 80. I dont mean to brag, but for a bunch of Been around the blockers, we are not over the hill yet.

Just because you are old enough to receive free coffee at certain restaurants, that doesnt mean you should stay home and sit down. Keep moving, keep doing, keep going, keep praying, and keep playing!

Bill King is an author, musician and native of Rainsville. Visit brobillybob.com for more.

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Shavez Hart, a Bahamian sprinter who represented the country in the 2016 Olympics, was shot and killed trying to break up a fight outside a Bahamas nightclub. He was 29.

The deadly incident occurred in Mount Hope on Saturday at around 2 a.m. local time when a group of men got into an argument and one of them went to his car, grabbed a gun and fired, striking Hart in the chest, TMZ Sports reported, citing a Royal Bahamas Police report.

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Shavez Hart of the Bahamas (C) reacts after a false start in the Men's 100-meter heat on Day Four of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Carrara Stadium on April 8, 2018, on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

He was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

"The Olympic family is saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Shavez Hart, a proud native of Abaco," the Bahamas Olympic Committee said in a statement. "He was always very humble, yet proud and determined to offer the very best of himself for the sake of country."

For the Bahamas, Hart won a gold medal in the 4x100 relay at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in 2013. He also picked up a silver in the 4x400 relay in the 2016 World Indoor Championships.

Shavez Hart, of the Bahamas, and Ameer Webb, of the U.S., compete. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)

OLYMPIC RUNNER DINA ASHER-SMITH WANTS MORE FUNDING TO STUDY HOW PERIODS AFFECT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

Hart was also a sprinter star for Texas A&M University. He was a 10-time All-American and won a gold medal as a member of the Aggies 4x400 relay team at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships.

"This is so tragic. Shavez Hart was of course one of our finest athletes ever, but he was one of the kindest people I have met, and such a soft-spoken man," Texas A&M coach Pat Henry said in a news release. "Words can't describe the loss that the Aggie track & field family is feeling. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Antoine Adams, of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Shavez Hart, of the Bahamas, and Akani Simbine, of South Africa, compete in the Men's 100-meter heats during Day One of the 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships Moscow 2013 at Luzhniki Stadium on August 10, 2013, in Moscow. (Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

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According to TMZ, police arrested a suspect in the shooting and an investigation was still ongoing.

Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com.

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Olympic track star Shavez Hart, 29, shot and killed in the Bahamas - Fox News

Fifty years ago this week, two African American athletes, Vincent Matthews and Wayne Collett, won gold and silver respectively in the 400m at the Munich Olympics. At the medal ceremony they threw themselves into the maw of history.

During the US national anthem, the athletes shared the top tier of the podium which would usually have been reserved for Matthews alone as the winner an act of unity that broke Olympic protocol. They angled their backs away from the American flag and chatted casually, looking uninterested. Matthews rubbed his chin pensively before folding his arms. Collett stood barefoot, jacket open with hands on hips. As they departed, Matthews twirled his medal on his finger while Collett thrust a clenched fist into the air.

The International Olympic Committees response dripped with venom. In a letter to the US Olympic Committee, IOC president Avery Brundage excoriated the athletes disgusting display before handing down a lifetime ban from the Olympics. The IOC allowed Matthews and Collett to keep their medals, but Brundage warned that: If such a performance should happen in the future the medals will be withheld from the athletes in question.

It is past time that the IOC rights its historical wrong and apologizes to Matthews, Collett, and their families for the draconian punishment that Olympic powerbrokers meted out at the time.

Harry Edwards, the civil-rights stalwart and sport sociologist at San Jose State University, told me, Its never too late to apologize and to honor people who not only tried to reflect the Olympic ideals but to live by them, to be willing to sacrifice, to project and make real the ideals of the Olympic movement.

Brian Lewis, the president of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees, went further. He told me that the athletes should be given the Olympic Order, the IOCs highest honor bestowed upon people who have enlivened the Olympic spirit. Lewis called the IOCs treatment of Matthews and Collett a travesty and an injustice, adding that the ban should be rescinded.

The lifetime expulsion from the Olympics was extreme. But what in 1972 was a drastic penalty looks more like a blatantly racist double standard today. After all, only a few days before Matthews and Collett took action, middle-distance runner Dave Wottle inadvertently wore his hat on the medal stand after winning the 800m race. Wottle, who is white, was not rebuked by the IOC. Matthews was 24 at the time and Collett just 21, they had the potential to win more medals if not for the ban.

When I asked Edwards why he thought the IOC issued such a stiff penalty, he said, The whole history of the Olympic movement is rife with antisemitism and racism. The IOC has always fought any kind of protest or demonstration that would tend to highlight and challenge racist activities or actions.

In the 1960s, Brundage was dubbed Slavery Avery for his anti-Black racism. When Edwards teamed up with top-flight athletes to create the Olympic Project for Human Rights in 1967, their demands included the removal of the antisemitic and anti-Black personality Avery Brundage from his post as chairman of the International Olympic Committee and the curtailment of participation of all-white teams and individuals from the Union of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia in all United States Olympic Athletic events.

To be sure, the IOCs decision to issue a lifetime ban for Matthews and Collett occurred in the eye of a political hurricane. The Munich Olympics were meant to erase the painful memories of the 1936 Berlin Games, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis used the event to spread white-supremacist propaganda. But Munichs Olympic Park was constructed mere miles from the site of the Dachau concentration camp and then, brutally, Jewish blood was once again spilled on German soil when Black September, a Palestinian terror group, took hostage numerous members of the Israeli Olympic delegation. In the end, 11 Israeli coaches and athletes were killed, as were five Palestinian militants, and a German police officer.

Avery Brundage insisted that the Games must go on. And after a 24-hour and nine minute pause, they did. In Brundages official statement, he conflated the horrific attack with a successful campaign to keep the Rhodesian Olympic squad from participating in the Berlin Games because of the countrys racist policies. Under pressure from numerous African nations, Black athletes and their allies, the IOC withdrew its invitation to Rhodesia on the eve of the Games. The Games of the XX Olympiad have been subjected to two savage attacks, Brundage stated. We lost the Rhodesian battle against naked political blackmail.

Two days after the Munich massacre, amid this pianowire-tense, politicized context, Matthews and Collett won their medals and climbed the podium.

In his memoir, Matthews wrote, For me, not standing at attention meant that I wasnt going along with a program dictated by Number One: those John Wayne types my Country right or wrong. Although the athletes suggested they were not carrying out a protest just like Wottle when he accidentally wore his cap on the medal stand both expressed dissatisfaction with the way Black people were treated in the US. Collett said of the national anthem, I couldnt stand there and sing the words because I dont believe theyre true. I wish they were. I think we have the potential to have a beautiful country, but I dont think we do.

Matthews and Collett have slid silently into the folds of history. This contrasts sharply with the unforgettable protest at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics when John Carlos and Tommie Smith stood atop the medal stand and stabbed their black-gloved fists skyward to protest injustice. Although both athletes experienced significant struggles in the wake of their action, they are widely celebrated today. Barack Obama honored them at the White House. In 2019, they were inducted into the US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame. Even the official Olympic Channel praised Carlos and Smith as legends, calling their act of dissent one of the most iconic moments in the history of modern Olympic Games.

When it comes to Matthews and Colletts action, Edwards emphasized that protest timing can be more important than messaging. He noted that because social movements were on the decline in 1972 and a racial backlash was in full force, There was no broader context for protest that they could use to frame up what they were doing, making their act of dissent largely illegible to journalists of the time, especially because so few of them were African American.

Although Collett died in 2010 and Matthews is famous for avoiding the press and not looking backwards, the 50-year anniversary of their medal-stand action is the perfect time for the IOC to express regret and to make amends.

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Fifty years on, Matthews and Collett are owed an apology for their Olympic expulsion - The Guardian

Suni Lee became a household name after the Tokyo Olympics. Sunisa Lee popularly known as Suni Lee stunned the world by winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She was just 18 back then. Her successful campaign at the Olympic games ended with two medals, a gold, and a silver. However, due to her medal-winning performance, her popularity skyrocketed overnight.

The youngster started training at the Midwest Gymnastics Center in Minnesota at the age of six. After gaining a considerable amount of experience over four years, she qualified for the elite at eleven. Sunis gold medal-winning performance in the finals while competing against Simone Biles was astonishing.

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The Champion gymnast,Suni Leerose to worldwide fame after winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the womens all-around. At the beginning of the event, Simone Biles was expected to win the gold medal. However, she dropped out of the Tokyo Olympics sighting mental health concerns.

Sunis life turnedcompletelywhen she returned from the Olympics. A student at Auburn University in Alabama, Suni Lee prefers to keep a low profile in contrast to the popularity that she got.

Speaking on that she said, If you know me, you know Im a pretty shy person. I dont love the spotlight, so its been a balance between pushing myself out of my comfort zone to take advantage of the opportunities I have been afforded since the Olympics and wanting to be the homebody I am.

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The Olympic gold medalist admitted that she would disguise herself to avoid getting recognized. Opening up on issues with the spotlight in her college life after the Olympics victory she said, I like to dress in a disguise at Auburn!

Suni embarked on a remarkable victory at the Olympics at such a young age. However, her journey is what shaped her into the champion gymnast that she is today. Notably, she is the first Hmong Olympian. During her initial training day, her coach sensed great potential in her. She was selected for the US gymnastics team at the age of 14. Since then, she never looked back.

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Tokyo 2020 Olympics Gymnastics Artistic Womens Individual All-Around Medal Ceremony Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo, Japan July 29, 2021. Gold medallist Sunisa Lee of the United States kisses her medal in front of the Olympic rings REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Suni won the gold medal at the National Championships in 2018 and missed beating Simone Biles at the world championship trials by four-tenths of a point.

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WATCH THIS STORY:Suni Lee Pulls Another Perfect 10 to Advance Auburn to First NCAA Championship Since 2016

There were many mishappening in her family as well in the last few years. Just two days before the national championships in 2019, her father fell from a ladder which caused him to be paralysed. Despite that, she performed remarkably.

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I Like to Dress in a Disguise: Suni Lee Opened Up on Issues With Spotlight in Her College Life After Olympics Victory - EssentiallySports

Former Oregon basketball star Sabrina Ionescu had success in her third season in the WNBA, taking the New York Liberty to the first round of the playoffs. There is no offseason for Ionescu, who starts practice this week with Team USA.

Ionescu is no stranger to working and playing with Team USA. She did it when she was at the University of Oregon. This time, it is for an opportunity to compete in the 2024 Olympics in France,

In her third season with the New York Liberty, the former number one overall pick played lights out. Most nights she was unstoppable hitting double digits in scoring. She had more than a handful of triple-doubles throughout the season and hit some key benchmarks in just her third year as a pro.

She averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game pushing her way to her first All-Star game and scratching and clawing her team into the WNBA playoffs.

The Team USA list was released on Monday and included several other key players on their respective teams including Ariel Atkins, NaLyssa Smith, and Diamond Deshields. As the WNBA Playoffs wind down, the list will continue to fill out with some who are currently helping their team push toward a WNBA Championship.

It is a positive to have Sabrina Ionescus name on the list this early along with her past experience with Team USA. Her experience in the league and her accolades from both the college and professional level shows that she clearly belongs among the elite after playing just three seasons. More importantly, it shows her potential.

As Team USA looks for someone to showcase on their 2024 Olympic team, Ionescu now has the chance to continue this season and push toward representing her country in France in 2024.

The WNBA is currently playing the semi-final rounds as they make their way to crowning the 2022 WNBA Champion. The best of five game WNBA Finals begin on Sunday, September 11th.

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Sabrina Ionescu shifts gears from WNBA to Team USA, eyes 2024 Olympics - Autzen Zoo

BEIJING, Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --As an important part of the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services, Olympic Cities Development Forum 2022 is hosted by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association and organized by the Beijing Olympic City Development Center and ADG Expo Group Co., Ltd., which was officially held in Beijing Shougang Park in the afternoon of September 1st. Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, Vice President of International Olympic Committee delivered a keynote speech. Liu Jingmin, Executive Vice President of Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association delivered an address. Fu Xiaohui, Secretary General of Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association delivered a keynote speech. Marie Sallois, Head of Corporate and Sustainable Development of the International Olympic Committee; Gnther Platter, Governor of Tyrol, Austria; Gianluca Lorenzi, Major of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; Ingunn TROSHOLMEN, Mayor of Lillehammer, Norway; Liu Haifeng, Vice Mayor of Zhangjiakou Municipal People's Government; Zhu Yuetao, Deputy Secretary of Qingdao Olympic Sailing City Development Association; Zhang Xiaoqi, Chairman of Nanjing Sports Industry Group delivered keynote speeches. Zhang Li, Executive Vice President of Asia Digital Group; Li Guohong, Director of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Chaoyang District Committee of Beijing Municipality;Ren Jianghao, Vice Governor of Yanqing District Government, Beijing; Wang Shihong, Vice Mayor of Jilin Municipal People's Government andWang Daming, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Shougang Construction Investment Co., Ltd held a roundtable dialogue.The moderator of the forum is Gao Yunchao, Deputy Secretary General of Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association. Wang Kun, Deputy Bureau Chief of Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Center; Wang Shuxian, Director General of Beijing Olympic City Development Foundation, and Zhu Dongfang, CEO of Asia Digital Group attended the forum.

Juan Antonio Samaranch Jrexpressed in his address that, as the world's first city to have held both Summer and Winter Olympics, Beijing has set an example for the world in the sustainable utilization of Olympic legacy. As an international platform for exchange and cooperation among Olympic cities, the Olympic Cities Development Forum has enhanced friendship and mutual trust among Olympic cities around the world, strengthened exchanges and cooperation in sports culture, pooled experience and creativity in the inheritance and utilization of the Olympic legacy, and promoted the development of the ice and snow industry and the popularization of ice and snow sports. He expects the Olympic Cities Development Forum to continue to be held as a legacy of the Winter Olympics, play an important role in promoting the integrated development of Olympic cities around the world, and develop into a branded world-class event for the exchange and mutual learning of Olympic legacy.

Liu Jingmin stated in his address that the successful conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics has presented to the world a streamlined, safe, splendid and unparalleled Winter Olympics and fulfilled its solemn commitment to the international community. The Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics is a vivid demonstration of the concept of hosting a green, sharing, open and corruption-free Olympic Games, and a success story of implementing new development concept, building new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. The rich legacy of Winter Olympics is a valuable asset for the Dual Olympic City. He also gave a profound summary of the legacy from Beijing holding two Olympic Games, which set the direction of sustainable, green and people-oriented city development for Beijing. He also said that as an organization carrying on the Dual Olympic legacy, Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association will fully implement the deployment of the Beijing municipal Party committee and government, implement the people-centered development thinking, inherit and make good use of the Dual Olympic legacy, and allow the people to share the achievements of the Olympic Games.

Fu Xiaohui pointed out that innovation is the driving force of development in our time, and sustainability is the key to continuous development. Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association was conceived and developed in the process of innovation, and has been committed to innovation since its establishment, constantly exploring ways to effectively carry on the Olympic legacy, and striving to realize the sustainable development of the Olympic legacy. Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association will stay committed to "the main position of spreading Olympic spirit and inheriting Olympic legacy; serving as a unique window to help build Beijing into an international exchange center; a high-end think tank serving the organization of international large-scale sports events; an effective force promoting the building of Beijing-Zhangjaikou sports culture tourism belt". These four functions are reflected in efforts in four aspects, namely, inheritance and innovation, meaning effectively inheriting the "Dual Olympic legacy"; stay committed to our duties, meaning strengthen the publicity of the "Dual Olympic legacy"; extensive cooperation, meaning comprehensive sharing "Dual Olympic legacy"; serve the city, meaning make good use of the "Dual Olympic legacy". In the next step, Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association will work with all sectors in the society to deliver solid outcomes in the post-Olympic era, to do a good job in inheriting and utilizing the "Dual Olympic legacy", continue the glory of "Dual Olympic city", to await the successful opening of the 20th National Congress of the CPC with practical action.

In addition, representatives from Olympic cities at home and abroad delivered keynote speeches on the theme of "innovation" and "sustainability", shared valuable experience of Olympic cities leveraging Winter Olympics legacy to promote cities' sustainable development, winning rounds of applause from guests.

At the end of the forum, with Zhang Li as the moderator, representatives from Chaoyang District, Yanqing District in Beijing, Jilin City and Shougang Park had a roundtable dialogue on issues including the sustainable development of regions in the post-Olympic era.

Themed "Carry on Olympic Spirit, Build a Better City - Innovation and Sustainability", this forum combined offline forum and global livestreaming, pooling experts and scholars in the field of Olympic cities development from home and overseas, to discuss various topics such as Olympic opportunities and urban development, urban planning of host cities and venue utilization after sports events, international cooperation and exchange among host cities, and experience in the inheritance and utilization of Olympic legacy to offer suggestions for the future development of Olympic cities. It is worth mentioning that this forum also presented an Olympic-themed Picture Exhibition on-site to demonstrate the charm of Olympic cities with beautiful pictures, and open a visual window for the public to know more about Olympic cities.

Since the Olympic Cities Development Forum was first held in Beijing in 2009, it has invited the president of the World Union of Olympic Cities, mayors or city representatives of Helsinki and Lahti of Finland, Lillehammer of Norway, Sapporo and Nagano of Japan, Lausanne and St. Moritz of Switzerland, Pyeongchang of South Korea, Tyrol of Austria, and Cortina d'Ampezzo of Italy to attend and deliver keynote speeches, and has played an important role in promoting exchange in the experience of Olympic legacy inheritance, pooling great ideas for the sound development of the ice and snow industry, boosting the popularization and development of ice and snow sports, publicizing and demonstrating the concept of Beijing Winter Olympics.

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Innovation and Sustainability: Olympic Cities Development Forum 2022 Held in Shougang - PR Newswire

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Shortboard - Round 1 - Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, Tokyo, Japan - July 25, 2021. Carissa Moore of the United States in action during Heat 1 REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo

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LOS ANGELES, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Winning the first Olympic gold medal in surfing might have been a high watermark for some, but for Carissa Moore it has done little to dampen her competitive hunger as she aims for a sixth World Surf League title in California this week.

The affable Hawaiian hall-of-famer is never slow to smile or laugh, but beneath it all is a burning desire to be the best in a sport that has become even more visible since making its Olympic debut in Tokyo a year ago.

"I'm definitely competitive, like I want to win -- when that horn blows, there's that part of me that wants to play the game hard with all the other women do on tour," the 30-year-old told Reuters in a video interview.

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"There's this nice contentment now in what I've achieved and not feeling like I need to need this win, but it's more like, I just really want to win, and I want to perform well."

Her 2021 clean sweep of the WSL title and the Olympic gold medal put her in the public eye like never before.

"I definitely saw an increase in followers and interest on Instagram, (I was) travelling and interacting with people that I never would have thought knew surfing or would watch surfing, and they were like, oh, they knew my name. And I thought that was pretty cool," Moore said.

In the past season women got to compete at Teahupo'o in Tahiti, the beach that will be the venue for the 2024 Olympic competition but previously had been considered too dangerous for female competitors.

"It is definitely a very intimidating wave. It's something that I like you have to see in person, because just seeing it via a TV screen, or a phone screen, or a computer screen just does not do it justice," Moore explained.

"It's a wonder of the world, how it just comes in over this reef and it surges. And there's this big barrel, and it's crazy... there's a lot of consequence in a wave like that, but it's really, really exciting if you get a good one."

When asked if she intends to surf it to defend her Olympic title, Moore points to the strength of the competition in American surfing at the moment, and says it is by no means a given she will be chosen to attend.

"I'd love to be a part of the Olympics. But I have some work to make that, I have some work to do if I want to, (but) I want to be there," she said.

For now, she has the WSL finals to look forward to starting on Thursday at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, where she once again expects the surfing to put on a show for the global audience.

"You will be glued to your screen from sunup to sundown, and it'll be eight hours of really great actions, because all of the athletes left in the event -- there are five men, five women -- they wouldn't be there if they weren't incredibly talented, driven, competitive," she said.

"There's some really great matchups and it'll be fun, I just I love the head-to-head matchups all the way through and it looks like there'll be some really good swell on offer, so lots of good surfing."

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Reporting by Philip O'ConnorEditing by Christian Radnedge

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Olympic champ Moore aims to make it six of the best in WSL finals - Reuters

Seran Krikorian

It was another beautiful day at the AYF Olympics in Worcester. The weather was a carbon copy of Friday. It was in the 70s again and clear skies that turned partially cloudy. The events on tap were softball and basketball at Clinton High School. To make things more festive, delicious kebab dinners were sold all day long and the Nor Kef Ensemble provided the soundtrack. It was an old-fashioned Armenian picnic softball and basketball tournament.

There were 15 teams playing softball. Boston actually had two teams: Boston AYP and Boston Pen. Last years winner, Detroit, had a bye in the first round. Boston Pen faced Chicago and advanced to play Detroit in the second round. North Andover beat Washington to meet the Western Region in the second round who bested Worcester in the first round. New Jersey beat Granite City and moved forward to play Philadelphia who won their opening round against New York. Providence made quick work of Manhattan and moved on to play the Boston AYP team who beat Canada.

In the second round action, Detroit looked likely to repeat as champions this year in their win over Boston Pen. But Providence looked equally powerful in beating the other Boston team. North Andover got everyones attention in an impressive upset win over the Western Region. Philadelphia won the game with neighboring New Jersey.

In the semi-finals, Detroit took on North Andover while Philly and Providence squared off. Detroit again looked unstoppable in their win over North Andover. The Philadelphia Providence matchup was a blowout with a final score of 28 to 2, sending Providence into the finals.

Detroit jumped out to an early lead, but Providence adapted, tightened up their defense and began an offensive assault of their own. They took a commanding lead and held a late surge from Detroit to secure the championship with a 25-19 win.

There were acrobatic catches and plays, great base running and heartbreaking errors in almost every game. I witnessed two grand slams in the three games I watched. The fans cheered on their teams, who were all pumped to win. The games were hard fought and fun to watch. Yet, win or lose, the teams shook hands and took group photos together. AYF spirit and fraternalism shines during the softball games.

Basketball was happening during the softball tournament at the gymnasium which was convenient for those who want to attend both. The half court, three-on-three, version that is played in the AYF is also exciting to watch. As there were only two womens teams, the one game that was played was for the championship. Philadelphia faced a mixed team of New Jersey and Detroit. It was hard fought, but Philadelphia gradually pulled away.

On the mens side, I had the opportunity to watch the semi-final game between Boston and Worcester. Worcester was scrappy but no match for agility of a few of the Boston players. Boston took the game and was to face Philadelphia in the final. As chance would have it, the Philadelphia men also played on the softball team, and they were playing Providence in the semi-finals. The final game had to start right away to get it in before the hard stop that was in the contract for using the gym. Basketball or softballPhiladelphia had to forfeit one of them, and they chose basketball. As a result, Boston became the winners of this years AYF basketball tournament.

Tomorrow is the big day. Track and Field will determine who wins the Olympics this year. Will it be Boston, Detroit or Providence? We will know in a few short hours after which we will all celebrate at the Olympic Ball.

Mark Gavoor is Associate Professor of Operations Management in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management at North Park University in Chicago. He is an avid blogger and oud player.

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Saturday at the 2022 AYF Olympics - Armenian Weekly

The image appeared in Sports Illustrated, then in the newspaper Bild including to illustrate a report on a field archery tournament and then in a textbook on archery published in 1969.

Somehow, it ended up with the design chief for Munich 1972, Otl Aicher.

He appeared in person at the sports shop in Waldtrudering in which Lehner worked as a salesperson and built an archery department to show her a draft of his poster for the Olympics.

He asked me if I agreed with it, says Irene. She did and the poster was released. Lehner was subsequently accused by her teammates of violating the amateur rules that then surrounded sport.

Neither then, nor later, did I ever get a penny, not even a poster, she says. Although her sister-in-law who worked at the Franzis-Druck printers in Munich did find her a copy.

Lehner didnt make it to the Olympics. Although she was a top archer in Germany in the years preceding, she stepped away from the sport after her son had an accident in 1970. She later founded Hofolding Archery Club in the south of Munich in 1972 and sat on its board for 40 years.

Now in her eighties, and 50 years since her image was used to promote archerys historic return to the Olympic Games, Irene can still be found shooting her bow.

Quotes, photos and research courtesy Stefan Grus and based on an article previously published on DSB.de.

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The poster girl for archery's return to the Olympic Games in 1972 - World Archery

The remarkable achievements of Michael Phelps describe how he is one of the greatest swimmers the world has ever seen. His devotion to swimming was seen in 2016 when he grabbed five gold medals before he ended his career as a swimmer. In addition, he did a runway walk in his last Olympics with model Gisele Bndchen, wife of footballer Tom Brady.

It was also the last runway walk of the Brazilian model, Gisele, where she slayed with her looks.

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The 2016 Rio Olympics excited everyone with its opening ceremony. Also, before it started, there was a rumor regarding Gisele doing her runway walk. However, when the moment of her runway walk came, she mesmerized her audience with her glamorous outfit. The walk was the last moment of her modeling career.

Similarly, the legendary swimmer also did his last runway walk before putting a full stop to his career. In the opening ceremony, Michael was seen holding the flag of the U.S. with full pride. Other athletes followed him. He also stated, Im honored to be chosen, proud to represent the U.S., and humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all it stands for.

The opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics was emotional for the fans of Gisele and Michael. Even though they belong to different professional backgrounds, their work was remarkable. The Brazilian model gave a perfect touch to the moment by wearing a beautiful dress made by designer Alexandre Herchcovitch.

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Gisele announced her retirement way before the 2016 Olympics.However, in 2015, after doing a So Paulo Fashion Week, she posted about her retirement on her Instagram handle. Meanwhile, Michael announced his retirement after 2012s London Olympics but made a comeback in 2014 to complete what was left. In 2012, the model topped the category of the highest-paid model, as perForbes.

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She was the perfect face of huge brands like Chanel, Carolina Herrera, and Louis Vuitton. Another common thing Michael and Gisele shared was their contract with Under Armour. In 2018, she published a book titledLessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life,where she described her moral values in life. At the same time, Phelps released his autobiographyBeneath the Surfaceway back before he flourished in his career.

WATCH THIS STORY:Resurfaced video shows Michael Phelps Race of the century with Ian Thorpe, Pieter Van Den Hoogenbands at 2004 Athens Olympics

Read more from the original source:

Tom Bradys Super Model Wife Gisele Bundchen and Michael Phelps Walked Their Last Career Run at the Same Olympic Games in 2016 - EssentiallySports