Whaddya know? MMA edged out more popular sports this time as ESPN chose Gina Carano over more popular female athletes to grace the cover of its “The Body Issue.”
One would think that Ms Carano’s kick (and breasts barely covered by her hand) splashed on the cover of ESPN would drive readers (or even non-readers) to a magazine-buying frenzy.
ESPN’s “The Body Issue,” is all about, well….the naked body. The issue features volleyball players in the nude, nude motocross riders, to SERENA WILLIAMS all in their naked glory. One of the six athletes featured to grace the cover, Sara Reinersten said, “It got easier as we kept going. I think, you know, you get comfortable with people on set. You know, after the first two minutes of being horrified that you’re totally naked!”
ESPN”s “The Body Issue” features only six athletes to grace the cover. Besides Gina Carano, Williams, and Reinersten are Dwight Howard, Adrian Peterson, and Clair Bevilacqua.
It’s a nice combination of athletes, we think. But….
MMA-Tap-Out can’t help but notice a collective groan from fans asking “Why not … (fill in the name of a female sports icon you wish were a part of this, uhurm – naked collection)?”
And here’s our take on some of the missed opportunities (in random order):
Danica Patrick. IRL driver. The first woman to win an Indy car race. Yes, we’ve had a lot of Danica photos in revealing outfits, but hey…this is ESPN’s “The Body Issue.”
Jennie Finch. The most famous softball player of all time. Forget the Olympic gold medals and other awards she won with her U.S. team, her Sports Illustrated photos are more interesting. ESPN could have given us more.
Gabrielle Reece Volleyball player. She’s also a model and a sports announcer. We just can’t get enough of her spikes, dives and digs.
Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova. Why skip these two tennis divas?
And finally… Allison Stokke. Pole vaulter turned internet sensation.
Why ESPN…Why didn’t you?
New York City Sports News November 12th, 2008
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Giants, Jets, and Even Knicks Make for Best NYC Sports Day Since the Super Bowl
The last time New York City sports fans enjoyed as much good fortune as they did yesterday was February 3, 2008, when a man named David Tyree — who, with his season-ending injury, it seems clear you’ll need not think about again — caught the most ridiculous of all touchdown passes en route to an amazing Giants Super Bowl victory over the undefeated Patriots. That was a pretty great day. Yesterday came close.
Here’s how it went down. First, the Jets played their most complete game of the season — and probably their most complete in several years — with a thorough 47-3 shellacking of the St. Louis Rams. The game wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated; the Jets ran out to a 40-0 halftime lead in what became the biggest victory margin in franchise history. As has been the case lately, Brett Favre wasn’t the reason for the win; even if he’d tossed up five of his signature oh-what-the-hell-let’s-just-try-this heaves, the Rams still wouldn’t have had a shot. This game sets up a rollicking Thursday-night first-place matchup with the hated Patriots.
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Queens to host wheelchair hoops tourney
Top wheelchair basketball teams from around the country and even the world will come to the Bronx to compete in the Mayor’s Cup Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.
The tournament, which is being presented by Forest City Ratner, will take place at Manhattan College and Horace Mann High School in the Bronx with festivities and games taking place on Friday, October 10 through the championship games on Sunday, October 12. Free to the public, the event is a presentation of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.
“It is one of the best wheelchair basketball tournaments on the East Coast,” said Middle Village resident John Hamre, 40, who has been coaching the New York Nets team for the past 10 years.
This year, the Mayor’s Cup Tournament has 10 Division III teams participating, including Hamre’s New York Nets. Hamre said that most of his players reside in the New York City area with many of them living in Queens, the Bronx and Long Island.
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New York mayor honors returning Olympians
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba on Monday welcomed home the city’s returning Olympians and presented each of them with a crystal apple at a ceremony in City Hall Park.
The U.S. Olympic team included 10 athletes from New York City, nine of whom attended the ceremony, including silver medal-winning fencers Erinn Smart (women’s foil team) and Wang Chen (table tennis), according to a report available on www.nyc.gov.
The mayor also presented crystal apples to fencing team captain and coaches and boxing coaches.
“No city in the world epitomizes the spirit and diversity of the Olympic Games like New York does, and the athletes from the five boroughs (of the city) who competed in Beijing are consummate New Yorkers,” Mayor Bloomberg was cited as saying.
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Aikido is one of the oldest and most widely-used martial arts forms in the world. It is being taught for centuries as a form of self-defense and protection. It is also a way for people to learn centeredness and balance in their lives.
Aikido is a martial arts form that requires constant practice and dedicated study for it does not only teach you self-defense, it also teaches you discipline. A good aikido training school is needed to achieve this. This is the reason why it is important for you to find a school that will not only teach you the basics but will also nurture your budding talent.
Here are some tips in choosing a good aikido school.
Go for the recommended ones
Although all aikido training schools will be teaching the same set of tricks and techniques, there are schools that will give you better training. One way to look for good aikido schools is to ask around your neighborhood or among your friends and acquaintances. They are great sources because not only will they be able to provide you with names that are located in a place convenient to you, they will also be able to give you first hand information on the teaching method of the school.
In fact, they can even give you tips and advice on aikido training. Another way is to ask martial arts teachers. Even if they are not teaching aikido, they will know people who teach aikido and will be able to recommend good ones. There are also forums over the internet where you can post your questions. Members of the site or those that frequently read the forums will surely answer. Chances are they will know a good aikido school that is near your house. Forums like these are very effective because members are mostly aikido or martial arts buffs who know the business and will surely know what they are talking about.
Look for one that is near
In addition to the training, you will also need to find a school that is near your house or your place of work. Location is important in giving you the drive. Places that are far from your place will only result in frequent absenteeism, which is not good for your training. Another advantage that near locations provide is the fact that it gives you the chance to urge friends or family members to come with you and also be interested in the martial art form.
Teacher and mentor
Before enrolling in a program, make sure that you got to meet and talk to the teacher. Although it may seem unimportant, it is vital to also be attuned and in harmony with the teacher of aikido as he or she will not only be teaching you aikido basics but also your mentor in your life.
Scheduling
Getting a good schedule is another crucial point in getting a good aikido training. Look for schools that offer the schedule that you want. Remember that the time that you will be training is also important because it will determine your readiness for the lesson. If your schedule is not the right fit, you will only feel tired and uninspired during the training, something which is not good when learning aikido as it asks for your total commitment and passion to the task.
People with disabilities can have a hard time in doing strenuous physical activities. Their disabilities limit their capabilities to push harder to any physically-demanding activities such as sports. Disabled persons are vulnerable to attacks. Nevertheless, their disabilities should not be the total hindrances for them to learn how to defend themselves.
There are different kinds of human disabilities. Commonly, blind, deaf or mute people are considered to be sensory impaired. However, these people only lose one or two sensory functions that have made them less than ordinary persons. Their physical aspects can still function. They can still be able to do physical things if only determined.
People who are mute and deaf or are blind can learn martial arts moves. Martial arts can be learned as self-defense for disabled persons. If still physically active, people with sensory disabilities can practice Kung Fu, tae kwon do or judo. Although hindrances and limitations exist in learning the martial art techniques, individuals with sensory impairment can still push their physical limits.
Deaf and mute people may have a problem in communication in the learning process of martial arts. Blind people, on the other hand, could have a really hard time in practicing the moves for it would require visual sense to learn the martial art techniques. Nevertheless, it is possible for these people to learn the ways of the martial artist. Time and patience would enormously be required for people with sensory impairment to learn these.
Martial art is regarded as among the popular forms of self-defense for disabled person. The moves of a particular type of martial art can improve the physical condition of a physically-disabled person. An example of this is Choi Kwang Do.
Derived from the more popular taekwondo, Choi Kwang Do is created by Kwang Jo Choi. The Korean creator based his new styles martial art on bio-mechanical principles.
Choi Kwang-do can be best practiced by disabled persons. The movements are done gradually based on the natural body movement pattern. The moves in this kind of martial art should be slowly practiced in sequential pattern.
Martial art seems to be the most common form of self-defense for disabled persons. Even people on wheel chair can still learn some of the basic moves in martial arts.
Certain benefits can be likely attained by people with disabilities such as improved confidence and physical condition.
Knowledge and good faith can still be considered among the best forms of self-defense for disabled persons. The things they learn form self-defense can be applied in real-life situations. Their confidence to face the challenges even with disabilities can also help them.
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