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Most betting devotees should have found the expression “offshore sports betting”, but might not be totally in the know what that refers to. An overseas betting site essentially functions out of the administration of a particular country but alternatively it can mean a world wide web based sports betting website which places its servers within the borders of a state in which PC accessible wagering is not at this time proscribed. In short therefore, it is a betting web site functioning extraneous of the supervison of the country of the gambler. Web based betting world wide web sites are by and large modulated through three organisations. These corporations are the OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), the IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and finally the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association (the FTGA).

The Offshore Gaming Association is an unbiased watchdog body that audits the overseas betting business with a duty to also deliver gamers the capacity to quickly discover honorable internet organizations to play games of chance with. It tries to maintain the concerns of customers, also they charge no membership charges. The agency is a proficient not to mention neutral third party association which expresses nonpartisan assessments, advised by customer feedback, objective analysis, phone discussions, insider prompts moreover offers industry information.

The IGC are a non-profit-making council. The agency was designed to provide an arena for involved people to address controversies furthermore to further collective interests in the world-wide web-based gambling industry, to ensure honest and also stable trade precepts and practises that enhance end user trust in web based gaming products and utilities, also to work as the gaming trade’s inclusive procedure advocate and in addition the council provides a data clearing house.

The IGC have built up a distinction for advocating dependability, consistency and also solidity by virtue of the scrupulous standards it demonstrates, and also its appeal for legitimate sites. The Interactive Gaming Council regulates overseas sports betting through championing a distinctive 10-step set of precepts and also charges sports gambling websites a license fee for the use of the council’s logo. Unfulfilled customers may moreover state any of their conflicts to the Interactive Gaming Council.

The FTGA was established in a venture to compose a benchmark which will improve the policies of web based betting web sites. The council understand that doing business entirely with credible partners, they can cultivate a union of the most honest and most professional offshore gambling operations internationally.

So, in brief these are agencies that supervise the transactions of networked sports gambling and which should with luck help to mitigate a few of the trepidation experienced by numerous gamers. Internet based gambling internet sites are entirely free from risk, in that private details are not required and also the payouts not to mention the odds are consistently exactly as uniform and fair as in a standard Vegas-type wager. These websites wipe out travel expenditure, but still retain of a casino, but nowadays you can wager in your own house.

Let’s continue our discussion…..on our golf training program article.

Now, the best and last 2 simple & proven ways to improve your golf on the course.

Finding out your “physical and mental limitations” is the first step towards a lifelong better game of golf. Once you find out what’s keeping you (which is quite easy) from making that perfect swing, you can set up a game plan to improve it.

It may be a flexibility or a matter of adjustment or changes and even mental issues, or it may be a strength issue. But either way, you’ve got to find out what it is. Even veteran golfers are not spared from this. Is golf training program really works?

The most common issue (especially for the older golfer) is flexibility. Not being able to rotate your body fully on the backswing (this may even injure your back or spine) , creating that power and torque for maximum clubhead speed.

If your back swing is cut short, you may even LOSE yards on your drives! And I say again; no amount of lessons or hitting balls will make that any better. You’ve got to do specific golf stretches to improve this limitation.

Now on the other side of these limiting factors is strength, specific to golf. And one of the most common limitations is weak the back of the upper leg. The role of this is critical. It allows you to maintain your golf posture throughout the swing and for 18 holes. It prevents undo strain on your lower back. And can give you a steady, comfortable position while putting.

If your hamstrings are weak, I can almost say with certainty, you’ve got some low-back pain or injury. This is prevalent in older golfers and even the younger ones too.

Back pain is the number reason to keep a golfer from playing his/her best. Have you ever walked off the course with your back in pain? I’m sure at one time or another you have. You can’t just enjoy this game of golf, if your hamstring is weak. So, is there a solution for this without injuring your back and up your golf level.

Now do you think hitting more balls or taking more lessons will improve this? I think you know the answer.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of “Why Talking A Golf Training Program Isn’t Always The Answer?”

Eddy’s website is about Golf Training Program.

Eddy’s website is about Golf Training Program.

The chip shot is one of the easiest to learn in the game. Yet, many recreational players have trouble hitting the short chip shot, even after several golf instruction sessions. In fact, they’re so bad, they substitute their putter for wedge, which isn’t always wise, as I explain in my golf lessons.

Using a putter when you need a pitching wedge or a sand wedge is, needless to say, a poor decision. It can add strokes to your overall score or cost you a hole in match play. It’s a problem you must overcome to lower your golf handicap. If you can’t hit a short chip shot well, don’t despair. There’s help.

The inability to hit a short chip shot is as much mental as physical. To overcome these obstacles, you need to simplify both your mental approach and your physical technique. The next time you have a short chip shot, try using an 8 iron instead of a wedge. It’s an approach I sometimes use myself. That’s because it works.

Here are 6 keys to chipping as if you were putting that I recommend in my golf lessons:

• Replace your wedge with an 8 iron
• Take a normal putting stance
• Place hands and weight forward
• Hold the club vertically
• Hit the ball off the toe-end of the clubface
• Rock your shoulders to control roll of ball

First, set-up as if your were going to make a long putt. Use your normal putting grip and play the ball back in your stance, off the inside of the heel of your back foot. The 8 iron is ideal for this type of shot because it’s short enough to deloft without the club’s shaft hitting you during the shot.

Also, keep your hands and weight forward, favoring your front side, as you would if you were hitting a chip shot. Hold the club vertically, so that the club’s heel is raised off the ground, enabling you to stand closer to the ball. And spread your elbows

Moving the ball back in your stance and shifting your weight forward positions the ball off the toe-end of the clubhead when you hit it. Using the toe-end will deaden the ball when you make contact. It will also help control the ball’s roll.

Hit the ball with a gentle rocking of the shoulders, as you would if you were putting. This technique raises the club several inches off the ground in the backswing and forces you to hit down on the ball slightly, chipping it into the air. Concentrate on maintaining the width of the gap between your elbows as you swing thorough. It also ensures a pure arms-and-shoulders motion.

Using the 8-iron approach takes your wrists out of play. Recreational golfers who have trouble making short chip shots often have overly active wrists. With my approach, you’ll eliminate your wrists yet still strike the ball solidlyjust keep your head still and focus on making a short, firm follow-through,

You can also use my approach for longer chip shots. Just lengthen your stroke to play the longer shot, as you would if you were hitting a long putt. For extra long chip shots, try using a 5 or 6 iron to get the required roll.

Chip under Target Drill
The key to accurate chipping is keeping the ball low so it runs like a putt when it hits the ground. Here’s a drill I use in my golf lessons designed to teach players to keep the ball low.

Lay a club or bag horizontally across two baskets placed about three feet apart. Then, step back a few feet and try chipping under the obstacle toward the hole, using either a wedge or an 8 iron.

To chip under the obstacle, you must deloft the club, which you can do by keeping your hands ahead of the clubhead when you swing. Having a visual obstacle to hit the ball under forces you to develop your ability to keep the ball low. Keep practicing this shot until it becomes second nature

Hitting the short chip shot wellwhether you use a wedge or an 8 iron is a start toward improving your short game, and chopping strokes of your golf handicap. And aren’t those the real goals?

Massage therapy is something else to consider when preparing for you first Ironman Triathlon. For some reason, there are those who benefit more than others from massage. I have tried it, but found it a bit expensive to be able to include it as a weekly part of my training. I used it more as a reward after 6 or 8 weeks of hard training.

Should you decide to include massage therapy as a regular component of your training, be sure to find someone skilled in “sports massage” which in many cases is a deeper massage than most people are used to.

There’s no doubt that a massage can do wonders after a long bike or run session, but I wouldn’t recommend it too soon “before” a planned long training day. I always found that I was so relaxed, I didn’t want to do anything after a massage.

It’s for this reason I would “never” get a massage too soon before a major race day like the Ironman Triathlon. If you want a pre-race massage I would highly recommend getting it several days before the big race.

If you only have one massage all year, there is one you must make a point of not missing out on. It’s the free one you get right after they put that Ironman Triathlon finishers medal around your neck. Just tell that volunteers who are “supporting” you that you would like to go to the massage tent. They will make sure you find your way there. Get there as soon as can after crossing the line as if tends to be pretty busy depending on your race finish time. You may have to sign in and take a seat, but normally you won’t be left waiting too long.

Different things work for different people and possibly your best option is to give sports massage a try and see if it enhances your recovery and training. If so, and if its financially viable, you may want to make it part of your Ironman preparation. At the very least, treat yourself to a massage once in a while as a reward for all your hard work.

The name of my site is “Ironstruck”

The address is http://www.triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com/.

Spain’s notorious Bullfight is one of the most famous customs upheld by the Spanish. It draws attention worldwide from people who just love the sport, and also from many others who are agains’t this barbaric onslaught.

I hasten to add that this kind of entertainment is not for me, but for many thousands that travel to watch a Bullfight they get to mingle with the dedicated locals who have a tradition to uphold. This is a sure sign that they do not feel the way I do.

Stuffed like sardines into a jam packed arena, avid enthusiasts who in support of this sport continue to excite each other with roars of encouragement for the Bullfight to commence. Cheers of Ole is how excited spectators greet this mighty powerful bull as he makes his grand entrance and presence known to all.
Confused and not sure as to why he was the center of attention, the bull decides to take advantage of his new famed popularity by giving a priceless perfomance to the maddening crowd. He would do this by digging his hoof into the ground beneath him sending dust clouds swirling into the air while at the same time from his steaming nostrils an encore of snorts.

Looking more like a riot at football match the cramped stadium and all the commotion makes the beast very nervous.
Why he was summoned here today he did not know – but he was soon to find out.

What on earth is the Bull thinking?

Sheer jubilation among the crowds as the adrenalin began to pump, as it was only minutes away before the Bullfight.

Picadores armed with lances announce there presence into the arena on horseback to a stadium of screaming fans. All mounts blind folded.
These men (Picadores) and their job is to tantalise and maim the bull before slaughter. This is done by following orders that on departure from the ring, that they leave all weapons behind and they do just that.

Pierced in-between the shoulder blades of a very frightened Bull.

What on earth is that Bull thinking now?

This is just the beginning of the end. Stunned dazed and hurting, the bull now with so many body piercings still manages a few breathless snorts. The reflection of his image is like that of a voodoo doll. Not a pretty sight.

The efforts of the Picadores were never enough at a bullfight, you have the Banderilleros whose mission is to distract the bull, and how they would do this is to run in circles in and around the animal thus making him tired and dizzy.

How do you distract a dying bull with so much blood loss? not a hard job, the bull’s options for escape are zilch.

Stabbed and drained of his almighy strength and unable to raise his head due his injuries. Makes the bull an easy target for any Matador.

In all his finery the murderer oops sorry Matador enters the arena. Black beret, jewelled bolero red cape and breeches buttoned at the knees. This sight alone was enough to scare any bull.

Spurred on by the cheering crowds to cast the fatal blow, the Matador provokes his dying opponent to charge. All attempts made by this sad oh so sad disoriented bull to retaliate to the words TORO, were not that of a fully charged up angry irate bull. Amenesty is given to the bull should the Matador miss his target. A slayer is called in to put the beast out of his misery by cutting the spinal cord with a dagger. Has this bull not had enough stabbings for the day? This action can go terribly wrong leaving the bull conscious paralysed and in severe pain.

Remove the lances and spears

Replace the blood loss with a transfusion

Give the bull back his pride

Now throw the Matador back in in to the ring 100% hero of the day THE BULL

Want to know what the bull was thinking (What did I do to deserve this)

To think a couple of hours before the Bullfight this bull was chewing the cud in fields of green.

Kacy

Hi Kacy is my name and I am about to take another route in my life. I know it is a challenge but what the heck. Life is all about challenges.
Kacy

http://www.benidormbeaches.com

Every four years a World Cup will come along and occupy a football fan’s thoughts and time for weeks. Game after game, the best footballers in the world will parade their skills in front of thousands at the stadium and millions watching on the TV back in their homes.

Players

Players generally make the World Cup what it is. If there were not great players we would certainly not be watching this tournament in the vast numbers that we do. In previous World Cup finals we have seen the emergence of some great talents, talents that we would not normally be able to see.

History

Which players did the world discover after displaying their skills in previous World Cups? There would be far too greats many to be able to list in detail and there has always has always been heated discussions about who is the greatest player of all time, with two players always at the forefront of the debate.

Lets look at these players’ credentials.

Diego Armando Maradona [Argentina]

[World Cup Honours : 1982, 1986 (winner), 1990 (2nd), 1994]

Maradona is a flawed genius, no-one has ever had his sublime talents and been able to hit the self destruct button with such great effect. Never before has a player been credited with winning the World Cup trophy single handed as he did in Mexico 1986. Even in the infamous 1986 quarter final and scoring what is widely regarded the best goal that has ever been scored in the Finals. After picking the ball up in his own half he managed to dribble hi way through a quality England side before slotting the ball past Peter Shilton, the England keeper on the day.

The Argentinean team that he played with in this tournament were all excellent players but possibly not quite good enough to lift the trophy. However, with Maradona at the height of his powers there could only be one team that could possibly win.

Maradona also helped his nation to the final of the World Cup in 1990 in Italy and only lost to a German penalty scored by Andy Brehme.

However, after failing a drug test in 1991 his career was on a downhill path and then came his final appearance on the greatest stage in the game of football.

In 1994, the World Cup in USA when he scored in Argentina’s first game against Greece anyone that watched his celebration knew that it was not only adreneline that powered the little magician. Eyes glaring into the camera, the hearts of all Argentineans knew that drugs were fuelling their talismanic captain. A drug test followed and the inevitable positive result ended Maradona’s tournament and effectively his career.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Pele

[World Cup honours : 1958 (winner), 1962 (winner), 1966, 1970 (winner)]

The only similarity between Pele and Maradona is that they hail from the same continent. Pele was the original World superstar, enjoying a career that can be regarded as a being a model professional.

Pele’s credentials are there for all to see, he set up goals, he was an instrumental leader on and off the field and he also scored goals. In fact the amount of goals that he scored is a substantial feat in itself.

His record is phenomenal, scoring five goals in a game six times, four goals 30 times and three goals 90 times. These are numbers the modern player can never dream of matching. In his illustrious playing career he scored a stunning total of 1283 goals. In his international career he scored an amazing 77 goals in 92 appearances. However, there was much more to Pele than ‘just’ goals.

He will also be remembered as being the only player in history for winning the world Cup on three occasions, a feat that is unlikely to ever be repeated. Only an injury in 1966 in England stopped him from possibly winning the World Cup on four consecutive occasions, allowing a fine England side to become World Champions for the first time.

He was captain of the greatest team of all time, the 1970 Brazil side that won the tournament so convincingly in Mexico. Anyone who has watched the final game of that tournament, which Brazil defeated Italy by four goals to one, will be amazed at the skill and vision of the original total footballing side.

Given that Pele hung his playing boots up over 20 years ago and is still revered by football fans that never saw him in his prime is testament to the great man’s passion and skill for the greatest game of all.

Other Great Players

Many others have graced the greatest tournament that is the World Cup, but both of the players named above are by far heralded as the greatest two. But who would make the top ten complete?

Gordon Banks, Eusebio, Puskas, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Garrincha and the Johann Cruyff to name but a few. In fact many modern day critics may have Cruyff as the greatest modern player, a player who helped to mould the game into the style of play that you see today.

Then there are players that did not manage to show their talents in the World Cup, the most notable being the late, great George Best from Northern Ireland. The other most notable absentee is Alfredo Di Stefano. There are actually many Latin Americans that would hail the ‘Blonde Arrow’ Di Stefano as the greatest player that the world has ever seen.

Among those still playing, Czech Republic playmaker Pavel Nedved, of Juventus, Manchester United’s Dutch predator Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ukrainian goal-machine Andrey Shevchenko, of AC Milan, would top the list. But all three will appear at Germany 2006, barring late injuries, and will probably write some new headlines too.

We look forward to this year’s event with great enthusiasm and hopefully it will be remembered as being one of the greatest tournaments of all time. Let us all hope!

Joe Kenny writes for Football Talk, an online football news and discussion site. Discuss this year’s World Cup in Germany in our football forums. With the latest football news on the World Cup, transfers and more.

Visit Football Talk today: http://footballtalk.org

Derbies held in the north and the midlands will end all square and Manchester United could take a step closer to ripping the Premiership title out of Jose Mourinho’s greasy mitts. But more importantly, this could be the weekend Sunderland win at the Stadium of Light to finally give their masochistic season ticket holders something to cheer about writes David Walker.

Saturday 8 April 2006

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City
Tottenham are clinging onto fourth place at the moment but could face an attack of nerves against Manchester City in this lunchtime offering. White Hart Lane has generally been a happy hunting ground for the Citizens with them winning once and earning a draw twice in their last four meetings. Spurs won this fixture last season 2-1 but a stalemate could be in the offering this time around.
Walker’s Word: Get on the draw at 13/5.

Charlton Athletic vs Everton
The Addicks are in solid home form at present and the last time they suffered defeat at the Valley was on Boxing Day to Newcastle United. Everton, on the other hand, have not win away from home since beating Portsmouth 1-0 on 14 January.
Walker’s Word: A slender home win at 13/10.

Portsmouth vs Blackburn Rovers
Portsmouth have a great chance of Premiership survival this season. Not only are they on a run of three straight wins, they also have more home games left to play than their relegation rivals. Unfortunately, this won’t be one that Harry Redknapp’s side will capitalise on. Blackburn Rovers have won three of their last four visits to Fratton Park in both the Premiership and drew the other. The home side’s recent run has seen Rovers price increase which makes it all the more attractive.
Walker’s Word: Blackburn Rovers at 7/4.

Sunderland vs Fulham
It’s been a long old season for Sunderland and after the way they stormed the Championship last term not even the most pessimistic supporter could have anticipated such a poor season. After 12 home defeats and a miserly nine goals to cheer, this could be the week Sunderland do the impossible and win at the Stadium of Light. The players showed tremendous heart in earning a 2-2 draw at Everton last weekend and who else to go one better against than Fulham, a side almost as bad on the road as Sunderland are in general? Chris Coleman’s team have not won away all season and have lost 13 of the 17 matches on the road. The Black Cats won’t get a better opportunity this season – and check out those odds!
Walker’s Word: Finally, a home win at 12/5.

Wigan Athletic vs Birmingham City
Wigan have not won a Premiership fixture at the JJB Stadium since they beat Manchester City in an epic 4-3 battle. Since then they have lost to Blackburn, West Brom, Liverpool, Manchester United and West Ham but managed a draw with Everton somewhere in between. They have a great opportunity to get back to winning ways against a Birmingham side who have lost seven of their last eight matches on the road and scored just one goal in their last seven league and cup matches. A goalless draw against Chelsea does not suggest a major turnaround is on the cards.
Walker’s Word: A first home win of the year for Wigan at 10/11.

Sunday 9 April 2006

Aston Villa vs West Bromwich Albion
In the first of two midday kick-offs, West Brom need three points to pull away from the relegation zone but the fact it’s against local rivals Aston Villa, who are themselves just one place above the Baggies in the table, adds more spice to the fixture. Villa have lost four of their last five including heavy defeats at Arsenal and Everton, putting manager David O’Leary under intense pressure. West Brom themselves have lost five of their last six so this match has all the characteristics of a draw, a result both sides could do without.
Walker’s Word: Derby day stalemate at 9/4.

Chelsea vs West Ham United
Despite a massive gulf in class in recent seasons, Chelsea have won just five matches in 11 Premiership encounters at Stamford Bridge against the Hammers. While I fully expect a Chelsea side who are unbeaten at home and have won 15 out of 16 this season there is no value whatsoever in the stingy odds offered by the bookmakers. This one should be left to the big hitters only but if you are going to get involved, remember it kicks off at 12pm.
Walker’s Word: No value in it, but Chelsea at 2/7.

Liverpool vs Bolton Wanderers
Liverpool are keeping the pressure on Manchester United for second place and have won four Premiership matches on the spin. They should make it five on Sunday against a Bolton side that they have beaten in six out of seven league meetings at Anfield. Added to this, the Trotters have not won away since hitting four without reply against Everton last December.
Walker’s Word: History dictates a home win at 1/2.

Middlesbrough vs Newcastle United
Newcastle ended a run of three successive league defeats last Saturday by beating Spurs while Middlesbrough have won their last two Premiership matches. Both sides could do with a win to keep their run going but this could end another derby day draw. Newcastle have had the better of previous meetings, winning five out of nine at the Riverside Stadium although three matches have been draws, surprisingly 2-2 on each occasion and that’s what I’ll be going for.
Walker’s Word: Try the draw at 9/4 and if you are feeling lucky get on the 2-2 correct score result at 14/1.

Manchester United vs Arsenal
United are making a real fist of the title race this season and have cut Chelsea’s lead to just seven points. With the Blues facing West Ham who they are expected to beat, this clash at Old Trafford becomes all the more important. Since losing 4-3 at Blackburn on 1 February, United responded magnificently with eight league wins in a row. Arsenal have hit form also, winning their last four in the Premiership. Both sides need a win, United for obvious reasons and Arsenal to close the gap on the top four. With all the matches the Gunners have played recently and with United strikers Louis Saha and Ruud van Nistelrooy in scintillating form, the home side could just about edge this one.
Walker’s Word: It will come down to who wants it the most, but I’ll predict a narrow United win at evens.

David Walker is the resident tipster at a popular free bets website. Feature Walker’s Word on your own website, blog or forum for free each week.

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Most betting devotees should have found the expression “offshore sports betting”, but might not be totally in the know what that refers to. An overseas betting site essentially functions out of the administration of a particular country but alternatively it can mean a world wide web based sports betting website which places its servers within the borders of a state in which PC accessible wagering is not at this time proscribed. In short therefore, it is a betting web site functioning extraneous of the supervison of the country of the gambler. Web based betting world wide web sites are by and large modulated through three organisations. These corporations are the OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), the IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and finally the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association (the FTGA).

The Offshore Gaming Association is an unbiased watchdog body that audits the overseas betting business with a duty to also deliver gamers the capacity to quickly discover honorable internet organizations to play games of chance with. It tries to maintain the concerns of customers, also they charge no membership charges. The agency is a proficient not to mention neutral third party association which expresses nonpartisan assessments, advised by customer feedback, objective analysis, phone discussions, insider prompts moreover offers industry information.

The IGC are a non-profit-making council. The agency was designed to provide an arena for involved people to address controversies furthermore to further collective interests in the world-wide web-based gambling industry, to ensure honest and also stable trade precepts and practises that enhance end user trust in web based gaming products and utilities, also to work as the gaming trade’s inclusive procedure advocate and in addition the council provides a data clearing house.

The IGC have built up a distinction for advocating dependability, consistency and also solidity by virtue of the scrupulous standards it demonstrates, and also its appeal for legitimate sites. The Interactive Gaming Council regulates overseas sports betting through championing a distinctive 10-step set of precepts and also charges sports gambling websites a license fee for the use of the council’s logo. Unfulfilled customers may moreover state any of their conflicts to the Interactive Gaming Council.

The FTGA was established in a venture to compose a benchmark which will improve the policies of web based betting web sites. The council understand that doing business entirely with credible partners, they can cultivate a union of the most honest and most professional offshore gambling operations internationally.

So, in brief these are agencies that supervise the transactions of networked sports gambling and which should with luck help to mitigate a few of the trepidation experienced by numerous gamers. Internet based gambling internet sites are entirely free from risk, in that private details are not required and also the payouts not to mention the odds are consistently exactly as uniform and fair as in a standard Vegas-type wager. These websites wipe out travel expenditure, but still retain of a casino, but nowadays you can wager in your own house.

There are several run-equipment choices I feel can help you quite a lot in your quest for your first Ironman Trathlon finisher medal.

SHOES- Of course well fitting shoes are a priority. I’ve tried every sort of shoe you can imagine over the years and have come to this conclusion:

You can train just as well and stay just as injury free in $50 shoes as you can in $150 dollar shoes. For instance, what if an outlet has a brand new 2005 model shoe on sale for $69, and sells the new, improved (same shoe) 2006 model for $149. Does that mean the older model was no good and will hurt your feet? Of course not! In order to stay competetive, manufacturers have to continually make small changes and/or improvements in their product to stay in step with the competition.

The change from one year to the next may just be in the color, or new lacing system or a bit more build-up in some part of the shoe. Sometimes the change is really small.

Just shop around. See whats out there and in your training try several different types of shoes and when you find the one that just feels great, fits perfect, and never gives you blisters no matter how far you run—then that’s your race day shoe. Try and make your choice for a race day shoe the lightest of all your shoes.

Remember: Whatever you do, don’t go out and buy some fancy shoe for Ironman day because it looks really great. Go with the old shoe that got you there. Don’t make any late changes.

I heard this story years ago and have never forgotten it and it’s just a great example of what I’m talking about.

It’s 1960, Rome Olympic Games. An African from Ethiopia shows up for the games. He is running in the marathon. He has no shoes. He didn’t train in shoes. He trained back home by chasing rabbits for miles in his bare feet. A major shoe distributor at the games gave him a brand new pair of shoes to wear. He put them on. They hurt his feet. He took them off. Said “No, thank you”. He ran the marathon in bare feet. Twenty miles were over the cobblestones of Rome.

HE WON THE GOLD MEDAL!!

Now the shoe manufacturer really LOVES him and gives him shoes to train in at home.

FLASH AHEAD 4 YEARS TO THE NEXT OLYMPIC GAMES–

This African runner from Ethiopia shows up at the Olympic Games. He is entered in the Marathon again. He is wearing shoes that he trained in at home. They don’t hurt his feet now.

HE WON THE GOLD MEDAL!! AGAIN!!

HIs name is Abibe Bikila. The first African to win olympic gold–now they are a dynasty.

The moral of the story is:

If he had worn the shoes for the 1960 Olympics, not only would he have not won gold, he would have trashed his feet. Just imagine the blisters. He wasn’t accustomed to wearing shoes.

If he had not worn shoes in the 1964 Olympics, not only would he have not won gold, he still would have trashed his feet. He wasn’t accustomed to bare feet anymore and his feet would not have the same toughness as the previous olympic games.

So I repeat: Go with the footwear that you’ve done lots of training in. Don’t make any late changes. When I found a pair of racing shoes I just loved, I wore them training until they were nicely broken in. I put those elastic, lock laces on them, so I never had to tie them again and I put them away. I wore them for 5 Ironman races. In that last transition, it was like putting on a favorite pair of slippers. I NEVER had blisters or foot problems. I ran one Ironman marathon in 3:34 in those same shoes.

FUEL BELT-I was so glad to see these come on the market. It used to really bug me to run a long distance in training with a water bottle on my hip. I just seemed out of balance. For that reason, I never bothered taking a water bottle out on an Ironman run course. You should really make a fuel-belt a part of your Ironman run-equipment for training and racing. The belt I prefer holds 6 smaller containers. They are spread out around your waist so you don’t feel out of balance and you hardly know they’re there during your runs. These are a particularly good idea for the Ironman marathon because you can use them for your favorite fuel if its not being supplied on the course. The belt also has reflectors built in for night running.

HEART MONITOR- I really feel that everyone training for an Ironman should make use of a heart monitor. It’s just a really important piece of run-equipment. See my page on training with a heart monitor.

WEAR A CAP- I’m not sure why some Ironman Triathletes don’t wear hats. They provide protection from the sun of course–but more than that–they are ideal for putting cold water in(or ice) at aid stations to keep you cool. On extremely hot days you just HAVE to do everything you can to keep your body cool.

CLOTHING- For training of course, you have to dress for the weather in your part of the world. For race day however there are a few ways you can go.

TRISUITS are a really good idea. You wear the trisuit under your wetsuit and you’re good to go for the other two events. Usually they dry out pretty quickly, but you may be cool in the early portion of the bike ride.

A second option is tri-shorts and a seperate top. The shorts are padded for the bike and like the trisuit, you just wear the shorts and top under your wetsuit.

A third option is just wear a swimsuit under your wetsuit and make a complete change into clean, dry, and warm cycling clothes. Then make another complete change at transition two into running clothes.

In my later races when time was more of a factor for me, I went with the second option. I preferred a seperate top, because I had pockets(similar to a cycling jersey)sewn into the top to hold food. Normally trisuits don’t come with pockets and its not really the type of material you can sew a pocket onto. Also, if I felt like changing into running shorts at the second transition it was a simple operation. Just wear the same top and change shorts.

For your first Ironman the run-equipment you choose can make a big difference in how you perform on the day.

The clothing you choose will make a difference to your comfort level on race day. I would recommend for your first Ironman Triathlon, that you take your time and go with clothing option number three. Just wear a swimsuit under your wetsuit, make a complete change into cycling clothes, and make a complete change into Your favorite running clothes and shoes for the marathon.

Visit “Ironstruck”. The site created for the beginner triathlete and novice Ironman. Its full of training and racing tips that cover every aspect of the Ironman Triathlon. triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com

The judges ranking and their score for the OD are in parentheses.

1) Belbin/Agosto (2, 67.54) It is quite ironic that after spending all season complaining bout how much I dislike this program that I am ranking it first at worlds. But I feel they were the clear winners of the OD. They attacked this program and nailed everything. I got a good laugh at the British Eurosport’s commentators trying to find something about this performance to criticize and coming up with ‘Their arms weren’t always in perfect unison,’ because if that is the biggest problem with any program, it was obviously skated fabulously. The Charleston and quickstep were arguably the best of the night, and their foxtrot was almost up to the level it was four seasons ago. The choreography still is not very good, but their performance overcame that and made you forget about the it.

2) Navka/Kostomarov (1, 68.67) This is by no means a bad program, but it is also not a great program. Both the quickstep and foxtrot were done well, but not amazingly so. Still, the transitions are 1000% better than they were a season ago, making this actually looks somewhat like a dance program, instead of a pairs program with dance elements. And how can one not give them points for their extremely original musical selection of “Sing Sing Sing”? But as neither the difficulty level nor the interpretation was up to the level of Belbin/Agosto’s, they deserved to place second.

3) Chait/Sakhnovski (5, 61.19) After placing 3rd at the GPF in the OD, I was crossing my fingers that their placement would be the same here. Unfortunately, the judges failed me. They, unlike the teams directly below them, had great interpretation of the rhythms and skated without any mistakes. And their energy level, as always, was ridiculously high. Plus, their skating skills, while not quite as good as the skating skills of the very best in the world, have improved so much that they should challenge those other teams.

4) Denkova/Staviski (4, 62.79) Awkward OD interpretation, but thy did skate all out. Their skating skills – and the fact that they too did not mess up, held them above the other teams here. Still, this OD is very forgettable.

5) Delobel/Schoenfelder (6, 60.25) Had Isabelle not made a small mistake on the sbs footwork sequence, they would have been challenging the top teams. Unfortunately, she did. Isabelle has nice interpretation, and even Olivier seems less lifeless than usual. Plus, the choreography is superb. The only other problem is that they are slightly off-beat for part of the foxtrot.

6) Grushina/Goncharov (3, 63.17) This program has many of they same weaknesses as B/A’s does, which should not be a surprise, considering it is basically the same program. (Morozov’s creativity or lack there of has sunk to a new low for “his” programs for G/G this season.) But unfortunately for them, they do not have B/A’s technical strengths and charisma. Elena is lovely as always; Ruslan is dull as always. And I’m still waiting for them to finish their sbs footwork. Somebody needs to go out and push them during any footwork sequence.

7) Domnina/Shabalin (7, 58.86) These two probably had the best foxtrot interpretation of the season. It was graceful, musical, and truly brought the classical foxtrot to the ice. They even made their dance spin seem foxtrot-y. The sbs footwork didn’t seem very powerful, and their twizzles, while miles better than many of the other team’s, were a bit shaky. The quickstep was okay.

Dubreuil/Lauzon (8,58.30) Argh. The foxtrot and quickstep sections were extremely well-interpreted and the whole dance was extremely cohesive for a combination OD. But the sbs footwork was a complete and utter disaster. It got messed up about 1/3 of the way through, and they never quite got it back on track. There was a little to much of time spent not touching each other. And their Charleston was a bit awkward in places. Plus, why are they miming holding umbrellas? Isn’t the whole point of “Singin’ in the Rain” that one is singing in the rain, and not covered by umbrellas?

9) Faiella/Scali (9, 56.13) Their stroking has improved dramatically. Their twizzles still aren’t very good. And they didn’t really seem to truly get either rhythm, especially the quickstep. But technically, it was a strong program, and they had good energy as always,

10) Wing/Lowe (10, 52.52) They start off with a nice, although slightly dull, foxtrot. And then they transition into a nice, but slightly dull Charleston. I normally really like this team, but this performance seemed to lack energy. They don’t have the technical content of the teams above them.

11) Fraser/Lukanin (13, 48.82) Their speed and polished has dramatically improved. Very nice foxtrot expression. They spend a little too much time apart. They had nice musicality too.

12) Kerr/Kerr (11, 50.71) There’s still a fairly sizable gap between her skills and his, although he has improved. They have nice foxtrot expression. Theirs twizzles in the sbs footwork was very messy towards the end. Their quickstep was fine, but not quite as good as the foxtrot.

13) Gregory/Petukhov (12, 50.22) I got the advice to only watch him, not her, and I enjoyed them much more than usual. Interpret that as you want. Of course, then I missed the mistake she made on the twizzles during the sbs footwork, which also lacked flow. Decent Charleston expression. Too much stroking in foxtrot section.

14) Kulikova/Novikov (14, 48.72) She did best with the quickstep, while he shone in the foxtrot. Second quickstep had very little traditional quickstep character. They had a slightly messy quality overall.

I did not rank the rest of the teams.

Hoffman/Elek (17, 45.34) They start with a foxtrot, which was absolutely lovely and really captured the rhythm. The quickstep was very good too, but did not quite work as well as the foxtrot. And somebody needs to teach Atilla to twizzle, because I’m sick of him messing those up, as he did on the sbs footwork. And then he had trouble lifting Nora on the final lift, although a portion of that can probably be blamed on her 472346 pound dress. But overall, this was a very nice OD.

Gudina/Beletski (18, 42.85) They start off with an enthusiastic Charleston. But the foxtrot was dull, with little difficulty. And unfortunately they could not pick up the energy level with the final quickstep section, to Dancing Fool of all songs.

Watanabe/Kido (15, 46.57) A very good and in-character quickstep. Diagonal footwork could flow better. Their foxtrot was good, but not quite as in character as the quickstep. He has some trouble with the last lift.

Grebenkina/Azronjan (16, 46.02) Great energy, and their movements are very dance-y and fit the quickstep well. Their foxtrot is to extremely odd music – just a rhythm and no melody. But they end with another well-done quickstep section.

Beier/Beier (20, 41.66) Very cute and charming, with a good ballroom interpretation of the rhythms.

Kauc/Zych (22, 40.92) Fabulous foxtrot expression. Twizzles during sbs footwork were messy. Basic skating is very good. This program lacked the falls that their programs usually have, but it also lacked the energy and attack. Their quickstep expression is also very nice.

Pechalat/Bourzat (23, 40.71) They start with a very charming and well characterized Charleston. But she takes a bad fall during the sbs footwork. Their musicality in the foxtrot was good, but the choreography wasn’t very ballroom. They fixed that during a great quickstep section.

Yang/Gao (19, 42.67) Decent foxtrot. She hits a lovely position during the lift. She’s very charming. Charleston is nice too. He looks to have trouble rotating the final lift.

Golovina/Voika (21, 41.57) They start with movements that seem to exaggerated for the more subtle foxtrot rhythm. But they still have good musicality and energy. Decent quickstep, but again the movements don’t fit the rhythm very well.

Munana/Munana (25, 36.31) As sick as I am of Chicago ODs, this one was great. Both rhythms, especially the Charleston, were interpreted fabulously. Both skaters sparkled. They clearly do not have the technical ability of the top teams, but if they can ad technical content in the future, they most definitely will be contenders.

Akimova/Shakalov (29, 31.35) Very polished, but little else going for them. He tripped on the sbs footwork. Diagonal footwork is . Their musicality is pretty good.

Aureli/Vaturi (24, 38.66) They start off with a lot of dancing in place. They have somewhat poor ice coverage on the sbs steps. But they have a good understanding of both the quickstep and foxtrot. Unfortunately, they really lack in technical content.

Haunstetter/Hoenlein (27. 33.00) Chicago. Again. But they have a very good Charleston, and his foot position during the lift was fabulous. Ugly and out-of-sync twizzles. The rest of the sbs wasn’t much better. They looked like they were skating two different programs during the sbs steps. He is terrific.

Buck/Nelson-Bond (28, 32.85) Good Charleston expression. Pretty good speed through diagonal footwork. She hits great positions in their lifts. Their weakness seems to be basic skating. They also had unison trouble on the sbs footwork.

Keller/Keller (26, 33.23) Really weird Charleston music. Decent musicality. Their program is very empty. They also lacked energy. Their quickstep expression was the best of the three rhythms.

Galcheniuk/Krupen (30, 28.14) Most of their skating is decent. Their programs aren’t empty, and their musical interpretation is okay. Plus, they have nice energy. Unfortunately, nothing about their skating is anything better than decent, especially their basic skating.

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Competition Reviews