Darusha’s Network

The Fiesta Bowl is Moving Out of Town

• November 9th, 2008

In College Football the Fiesta Bowl is saying good bye to the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona after 35 years since Arizona State beat Florida State 45-38 in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl on December 27th, 1971.

Next year, the College Football game will move across the Phoenix Metropolitan Area to Glendale, due to that all the proposals to build the new stadium in Tempe fell through and Glendale emerged as the winning site.

Some of the features that this new College Football stadium will show are: a retractable roof and a natural grass field that slides out in the sunshine when it’s not in use.

There were five national champions crowned at the Tempe stadium:

Penn State (1987)
Notre Dame (1989)
Nebraska (1996)
Tennessee (1999)
Ohio State (2003)

After 35 years in Tempe, College Football Fiesta Bowl fans have been seen with a sense of nostalgia in their eyes for this year’s game, knowing that a new era is about to begin, with a new place to go and encourage their favorite team.

About the Author:
Julie Smith is one of the most recognized copy writers on Sports and currently writes for www.instantactionsports.com
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.

Poop Bags On Mount Shasta

• November 8th, 2008

Topped by snow and glaciers, Mount Shasta rises up above everything else when you approach it from the north.

As soon as I saw it, I wanted to be up there. We were coming south from Oregon, after driving across the country from Michigan. A detour to northern California before heading home seemed like a good idea to both of us.

“I wonder if we could climb it?” I asked. John just nodded his head quietly, agreeing not to the climb, but to the fact that he was wondering the same thing. I checked the map. Mount Shasta is 14,162 feet above sea level. I liked the idea of climbing that high.

“Have you ever climbed a mountain,” John asked me. I thought about it for a while. “Not really. A lot of hills though.”

Mount Shasta City

“Oh yes,” the old woman at the visitor’s center told us, “people climb Mount Shasta all the time.” John pointed out the glaciers on the map she had given us. “Oh, well, did you bring crampons and ice axes?” John looked at me, and I could only say, “I’ve heard of these things.”

We did have some gear: backpacks, sleeping bags, and a tent. John had good hiking boots, but mine were more like high-top shoes. Neither of us had ever used crampons or an ice axe, so we went the few blocks across town to see what the guy at the climbing store had to say.

“Have you done any climbing before?” he asked us.

“A little,” I answered, remembering the buildings we used to climb on as teenagers, and the rocks we had recently scrambled up in Oregon. I figured we were ready for Mount Shasta.

“Well, you can’t put crampons on those boots,” he said to John, “and you sure can’t put them on those,” he told me, shaking his head at my shoes. Crampons apparently need rigid boots – our mountaineering lesson of the day. We could rent them, but only if we rented real mountaineering boots also. “And you’ll need ice axes, of course.” I felt a pain in my wallet.

Backpacking On Mount Shasta (Too Poor For Climbing)

A speeding ticket in North Dakota had strained the budget, and Mount Shasta was another detour from the route and the budget. We could, we decided, hike up the mountain and do a little backpacking. Still, I had to ask, “Do people climb Shasta without gear?” The store owner realized that the sale was lost.

“It’s been done,” he answered impatiently.

“It’s been done,” I reminded John as we drove up the road to Mount Shasta. He didn’t answer, which was a good sign. I watched the Pine trees go by, and absentmindedly poked a finger through a hole in my shoe.

“Old Ski Bowl Trailhead,” John said. I looked over at the sign. “7,900 feet.” We were at the trailhead, along with forty other cars, and it was early enough to hit the trail.

Mount Shasta Poop Bags

We looked at the registration forms, and had a decision to make. There was a $10 fee to hike or climb above “Horse Camp,” at 8,400 feet. John pointed to a pile of paper bags, each with a handful of cat litter in it, and a plastic bag to put it in. These were for carrying our excrement off the mountain, a requirement above 10,000 feet. That clinched it. We put $10 each in the envelope and dropped it in the slot. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to poop in a bag in the mountains. I took two for myself, in case of good luck.

An easy trail took us to the hut and spring at Horse Camp. We filled our water bottles. The dayhikers looked up at the mountain through cameras, while the climbers cooked noodles and discussed weather reports. They looked at my shoes and smiled at each other when I mentioned we might climb Mount Shasta.

After Horse Camp the trail gets steeper and rockier. The trees end at about 8,500 feet, leaving only grasses, flowers, and other tundra plants. Then the trail gets lost in the rocks just before the steep climb up to Helen Lake.

Wind And Rain At Helen Lake

There is no lake. Helen lake is a more-or-less level area of snow and ice. At the edge, overlooking Horse Camp far below, there are dusty clearings in the rocks where the climbers camp. We found an empty spot and we set up camp. The wind was howling. We were at 10,440 feet.

About the time the rain started, I realized it might have been a bad idea to talk John into bringing only a tarp, instead of the tent. The edges pulled loose in the wind again and again, until we pinned down one side with heavy rocks, and wrapped the other side around us. Dust blew in, despite the tight wrap and rain. I was enjoying the adventure more than John, who was very quiet. So I talked until he fell asleep.

Climbing Mount Shasta

“Apparently they start very early,” John grumbled. It was dark, but there were lights and noise from the tents around us. I stood up, and I saw lights on the mountain a thousand up. It was 5:30 a.m. Hmm… climbers start early. With that new insight, we packed our daypacks, hid our big backpacks in the rocks, and stepped onto the ice.

Helen Lake was a mile of ups and downs, through sun-dished ice. Then we reached the loose rock at the base of a steep slope, in Avalanche Gully. We started climbing Mount Shasta. an hour later, we quit.

“I can’t do it,” John gasped. “Can’t get enough air.” We were at about 11,000 feet, and we knew there was less oxygen, but this was the first time John had actually been this high on foot. I once drove higher in Colorado, but apparently driving wasn’t a strenuous enough for me to notice the thinner air. I noticed it here. We both did. We sat down and rested for a minute.

“Are you sure,” I asked. He was – I wasn’t. It was light now, and John didn’t see any problem hiking down the four hours to the car alone. I would go on to the summit, and then come back down by evening. I had to continue. Mount Shasta was my first mountain, and I hadn’t even used the poop bag yet.

Altitude Sickness

The “Red Bank” is a line of broken cliffs above Avalanche Gully. I scrambled, climbed, slipped on ice, and eventually found a way up and over. Then there were long steep slopes covered in loose rocks, with a few bamboo sticks marking the way. My route converged with that of the other climbers, who had come up the snow-slope route with crampons and ice axes.

After much climbing, I finally made it to the summit, which is called Misery hill, because it isn’t actually the summit. It just seems like it should be. There was still a mile of snow to cross, and then more rocky terrain. One snow field had three-foot-high peaks covering it, like a huge merange pie.

I rested a moment, and realized I’d been hearing a new sound. Bang! Bang! Bang! It was the inside of my head, which had never been so loud before. Hmm…interesting. I got used to the noise and pain after an hour or so.

I got used to the smell of sulphur too. Mount Shasta, it turns out, is a volcano. When John Muir climbed it more than a hundred years earlier, he had to huddle next to the hot sulphur gas vents to survive a night near the peak. He was alternately freezing and burning.

At The Top Of Mount Shasta

“So this is the top?” I mumbled lamely to the guy who had just told me the John Muir story. Clouds, and smoke from forest fires, obscured the view in every direction, but it felt good to be so high, and down to the east, I saw my first glacier, a few hundred feet below.

“You can write your name in the register there,” the guy told me, pointing to something in the rocks. Guestbooks on top of mountains? Another lesson for the day. I signed in, wrote some comment, and started down the mountain.

Sun cups, or whatever they call those depresions in the snow, fill with water in the warm afternoon sun – another discovery. I’d climb out of one ten-foot-wide bowl and slide into the pond at the bottom of the next. This was the pattern until I thankfully reached the ankle-twisting mile of rocks piled up below Helen Lake. Climbing down, I realized, is more difficult than climbing up, or at least more dangerous.

I found the trail, my headache disappeared, I reached the road, where John was waiting. By evening we were driving towards Michigan, Mount Shasta hidden in the clouds and smoke behind us. Oh, and yes, I did get to use the poop bag. Somewhere around 11,500 feet, I think, which I remembered when I was looking through my pack. “Pull over at the nearest garbage can,” I told John.

About the Author

Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate ultralight backpacking. His advice and stories can be found at http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com

Making the Perfect Cup of Coffee

• November 8th, 2008

Making the perfect cup of coffee is not a skill, its and art form. I just wish I knew how to do it. Every time that I go to my uncle’s house, he always has a pot of delicious smelling coffee on. I don’t know how he does it. Does coffee just taste better at his house? Maybe its something in the water that makes it so good. What ever it is, he makes a perfect cup every singe time. I asked him how he did it and was surprised by the answer. He said that he does absolutely nothing special at all. The only thing that he does different is rinsed off the filter before putting it in the coffee maker. Doing this will rinse off the paper and cardboard taste. He does use a French vanilla flavored coffee, maybe that the special trick. He uses better coffee. It makes sense that if you use better coffee, a better cup is what you will get. When I go to his house, we usually go through an entire pot of coffee while playing checkers and chatting about the news. He has great coffee cups. They are from the fifty’s and forties, when they made the cups out of thick heavy glass. The big old cups seem the hold in the flavor and heat better.Aswe drink our coffee we check out how the garden is doing and chat about the little animals that always come and visit him in his yard. He has the best garden. I was wondering how all his plants and vegetable look so nice and healthy. He said this is because he feed the plants coffee grounds. When he is done with apot of coffee, he puts the used grounds in a special bag. Every couple of days he takes the bag outside and spreads the grounds around his garden. I don’t know what it isabout the coffee, but for some reason it helps the plants look amazing. I guesshis coffee is magical.

NEW World REcord Blue Catfish!

• November 7th, 2008

http://www.illinoiswaters.net/heartland/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8769

Maybe a few of you heard that a near miss state record 80+ lb blue
catfish was captured below Alton a few weeks ago.

Well this badboy didn’t miss. The IL state record blue catfish was 85
lbs and the record was crushed.

Check out the new WORLD RECORD blue catfish that was caught Saturday
night below the lock and dam at Alton.

The fisherman caught a 95 lb cat last year but he didn’t feel he was
prepared to keep the fish alive and turned it loose. The fisherman
agreed to let Cabela’s display the fish in Kansas City for a few weeks
and then is requiring them to turn the fish loose, as per their
agreement.

The fish’s stats:
124 lbs, 58″ long, 44″ girth

Photo and story on:
www.heartlandoutdoorsman.com

Please credit if used

Mike Clifford
Spring Photo Contest
w/Free Photo Software, Gear, etc.
Heartland Outdoorsman :: Index
www.illinoiswaters.net/heartland

About the Author

Mike is publisher of an outdoors website, and conservation enthusiast.

Never Fear Hills Again

• November 7th, 2008

Having run cross country in high school and college, I’ve seen a good number of hills. I’d begin a race in great sprits, but after a few hills I would fantasize about crossing the finish line and resting. Even after many miles of training, and many hill-workouts, those hills in races always seemed to mentally drain me. This was the case until I discovered a mental practice.

Several weeks before starting the cross country season of my sophomore year in college, I went away on a family vacation in the mountains. It was great to think about the incredible training that could be done there, but I had no idea what I would learn. While out on a run I came across the bottom of a ski slope. Because it was late in the summer there was no snow. Upon seeing the mountain that lay in front of me, I thought, “Why not?”, and turned off the road and started up the mountain. It was a grueling experience with some uphill stretches of at least 200 meters before any kind of resting plateau.

The run up the ski slope was both physically and mentally draining. That day I only went up about 1 mile, but it was one of the longest runs I had ever done.

After the combination of my summer training and that challenging uphill practice, the cross country race hills didn’t look so bad anymore. At the top of the hill I’d find myself thinking “That wasn’t bad at all. Where’s another hill for me to run up?”. That one day running up that mountain changed my perception of uphill running, and I have not feared hills since.

About the Author

Mark Williams has been a runner for 13 years. He ran cross country, winter track, and spring track at the High School and College level, and is currently a member of a New York Road Runner’s Club. He is an author of articles for www.TeachMeSports.com

How to Eliminate Your Golf Slice Quickly

• November 6th, 2008

Here’s a really good tip that may help you to get rid of your slice. Best of all, it’s really pretty simple once you get the hang of it, and understand why it’s being used.

Chances are that you have battled with a slice at some point in your golfing days. To be completely direct with you, dealing with a slice really sucks. It hurts your golf game in many more ways than one.

Luckily, it’s fairly easy to fix. I cannot claim that this small tip will completely cure your slice, but there’s a good chance that it will. I hope it does.

First off, please understand that when you come into the impact zone, there are really only 2 factors that can determine the “shape” of ball flight.

1. The angle of the club face at impact.

2. The Path the club is taking at impact.

So, here’s a few things you should concentrate on.

Try to keep your leading shoulder “down” on the ball through impact. This is called staying strong through impact. Many times the leading shoulder (left shoulder if right handed) flies up before impact. Now just for a minute, think about what that does to the club head when it’s in the impact zone.

Get up from the computer and actually go though the motions slowly. Let your leading shoulder fly up as you approach impact and you’ll actually be able feel and see the clubface coming from an outside-in path. That’s the cause of the slice you are battling.

See, golf is all about thinking and analyzing your shots to get better. A huge part of this game is understanding “why” you’re getting a certain result, and the physics behind that result. Thinking through your golf swing will provide huge dividends if you’re willing to invest the time it takes.

So what can you do to correct that flying shoulder? Well, for starters, try to learn to keep your leading shoulder strong. Keep that shoulder “Down” on the ball all the way through impact, even after the ball is gone and flying straight down the fairway.

So, after impact the leading shoulder is still down. The triangle between your shoulders and chest is still present. Most importantly, the body has NOT gotten ahead of the hands. This is a HUGE distinction. As you may notice, the left shoulder is actually higher than the right shoulder. So what do I mean when I say “leading shoulder down”?

You have to envision yourself from the back looking down on the ball. When I say “down”, I mean that the leading shoulder and chest is still facing the ball through impact.

So even though it may seem like the leading shoulder is higher than the trailing shoulder, it’s still facing the ball at impact. NOT TOWARDS THIRD BASE in comparison to the ball. If your leading shoulder was facing towards third base at impact, which would mean that you have let the leading shoulder fly up.

Furthermore, hand action is huge in this game. You must learn to release your hands correctly through the ball. This means that you release the hands while the leading shoulder is still “down”, or facing the ball.

The key is to let your arms release through the ball, while your left shoulder is “Down” on the ball. To do this you will need to rotate your forearms correctly, and use your leading ELBOW (not shoulder) as a hinge. So another way to explain this movement would be that your hands are still moving towards the target, but your leading elbow has almost stopped.

Keep the leading shoulder down and let your arms and hands release through the ball and you will see the ball go farther and higher. This will take a while to get used to, but once it clicks, the results will be outstanding.

About the author:

David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of “The Simple Golf Swing” which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to http://www.golfswingguru.com

Keys to Staying Motivated

• November 4th, 2008

One of the biggest reasons that people quit working out is due to a loss of motivation. They go to the gym and eat healthy, but they just don’t seem to be making any progress. They will start coming up with excuses of why they shouldn’t go to the gym any more. In this article, I will show you many different things you can do that will help you stay motivated.

The first thing that you will have to do is set goals for yourself. You need to set both short-term and long-term goals. It is better to set more specific goals so you know exactly what you are working for. This is a very easy and effective way to stay motivated.

The second thing that you can do is track your progress. Keep detailed workout logs with all of your sets, reps, and weights. If you do this, you will be able to see exactly how much stronger you are getting each workout. You can also take pictures of yourself. Take a new picture every few months to compare with older ones. You will be able to see all the changes that your body has made. It is very pleasing to see how much better you look each month. It will also show you if you have a body part that hasn’t improved as much as others.

For short-term motivation, listening to music will definitely help. You can listen to music while you drive to the gym or by using some headphones. Watching movies such as Rocky IV or other personal favorites will also work. One last thing that I will recommend is to get a workout partner. Get somebody that will push you to work your hardest and that won’t let you skip a day. Using some of these tips should keep you motivated and in better shape than ever before.

About the Author

For more Fitness Articles, Supplements, and Free Ebooks, visit www.geocities.com/home_page5

Instantly Improve Your Golf Swing

• November 3rd, 2008

So you need a little help with your golf swing. This article will give you some tips that may help with golf swing improvement. Golf swing improvement is an important consideration when you are serous about the game.

Golf swing improvement tip #1: You need to have self confidence. Without self-confidence the likelihood of golf swing improvement is not very good.

Golf swing improvement tip #2: Don’t worry about what others think or say about your golf swing. Think about how you feel about your swing and then work to improve it.

Golf swing improvement tip #3: Develop a positive attitude about your golf swing.

Golf swing improvement tip #4: You may not feel relaxed but you can learn to play whether you are relaxed or not.

Golf swing improvement tip #5: If you have problems with your left knee buckling when you swing, try imagining that you are holding a basketball between your knees.

Golf swing improvement tip #6: Don’t swing too quickly. Figure out a rhythm and stick with it.

Golf swing improvement tip #7: Remember to use the muscles in your legs and trunk. Using your wrists only will not produce the swing you need.

Golf swing improvement tip #8: If it is breezy it is not going to do you any good to hit the ball harder. Try hitting the ball lower.

Golf swing improvement tip #9: Work on a golf swing that has good balance and a very smooth tempo.

Golf swing improvement can occur with a little mental and physical work.

About the Author

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Golf-Swing-Improvement.com. He provides more golf swing and golf putting tips that will improve your golf game and lower your golfing score.

More Unusual Baseball Statistics

• November 3rd, 2008

Come and See Those Interesting Baseball Stats

For some people this is Baseball Fantasy

For some people this is Baseball Memorabilia

For me it is joy and amazement. I love perusing the baseball stats.

Walter Johnson – One of the first to enter the Hall of Fame in 1936

From 1912 to 1915

He won 124 games

Started 152 games and completed 131 games – Do you think the Senators had a strong bullpen?

Pitched in 196 games

10 years with an era of under 2

Lifetime era 2.17

Pedro Martinez

Third highest lifetime winning %

2653 strike outs in 2296 innings – an average of 10.39 strike outs per game

321 starts – 42 complete games

Christy Mathewson

His initial three years he had a record of 34-37

His next three years – 94-34 – He discovered spinach?

Lifetime era – 2.13

He pitched in a total of 11 World Series games.

His era was .97 yes .97 in those 11 games.

79 career shutouts

Babe Ruth

Won 47 games in two year period of 1916-1917

Has 15th best era lifetime.

671 winning % is 10th highest.

Sandy Koufax

Last two years- He won 53 and lost 17

When most players careers lose steam at the end he had his best years.

In a two year period he struck out 699 batters.

Greatest pitcher I ever saw.

Grover Cleveland Alexander

From 1914-1917

He pitched at least 355 innings per year

He won 121 games

From 1915-1916

28 shutouts

In his career he

Completed 437 of 599 games started – He didn’t trust many people, most of all his bullpen.

Had six straight years of era under 2

Nolan Ryan

Won 71 games from the ages of 40 to 46

From 1972-1974 Struck out 1079 batters

Had 15 seasons of 200 or more strikeouts

Randy Johnson

Six years over 300 strikeouts

+ three years with between 290-299 strikeouts

First six years – 56-61 record

From ages 29-40 190-67 record

About The Author

Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 45 years. His passions have included; playing, watching, reading , evaluating, and coaching the game he adores. Check out his baseball ezine. For inspiring quotes, unusual statistics and most of all heartwarming stories go here. If you love baseball you will love his site.

http://www.baseballsprideandjoy.com/index.php?tag=acity

awallad@optonline.net

Why Oren from Thailand Goes to Chamonix Mont Blanc

• November 2nd, 2008

Chamonix France is a unique holiday destination with the famous Monte Bianco as well as tumbling glaciers. We like to go canyoning or even sightseeing. I sometimes catch a plane from Grapevine and stay at a Chamonix catered chalet for the duration of my stay.

We previously stayed in ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makaiwa however it sometimes didn’t live up to its marketing: Situated on 10 beachfront acres in eastern Kauai, the ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makiawa has gained notoriety for its popular luaus, and is approximately six miles from Lihue Airport. Local attractions include the center of Kapaa, approximately two miles away, and Poipu, located 20 miles from the resort.The ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makiawa is home to a coconut grove that is almost 100 years old. A sandy beach is steps from the property, and the outdoor pool, whirlpool, and sundeck offer views of the Pacific. The nightly luaus (for a fee) have become quite popular within the community, and the grounds also feature gardens and jogging trails. A fitness center and a tennis court round out the resort’s recreational facilities. The Pua Day Spa offers massages and beauty treatments. Other amenities include a tour desk, coffee kiosk, laundry facilities, 24-hour front desk, valet parking, and a sundry store. Dining options include the Voyager Grille, live entertainment at Cook’s Landing, and Hawaiian cuisine at Tihati’s Hiva Paseficia.Guest rooms feature telephones, cable TV, irons and ironing boards, air-conditioning, high-speed Internet access, refrigerators, coffeemakers, hairdryers, safes, alarm clocks, and voicemail.Note: this resort charges a resort fee of $12.00 per day per room, plus tax.

However in Chamonix Mont Blanc the self catered chalet is nearly always brilliant. Furthermore eating out in our number one bar, Auntie Em’s, munching Cold Spring Tavern Wild Game Black Bean Chili is a treat. Chamonix Mont Blanc is a big enough destination to insure that there is lots for the skier to do. Including a museum and a weekly market with fresh local produce, Chamonix provides a combination of walking, old town charm and tourist attractions which few ski resorts can match.

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