The Mountain West Conference... Is it really fair?

Have you ever attempted to hike up a mountain? Did you notice your light-head, shortness of breath, burning lungs, and other effects? You were probably experiencing the effects of the altitude- the main element and central force in the Mountain West Conference (or at least for the poor teams at sea level).

According to online sources (and I know other athletes can agree), while at altitude attempting to take part in strenuous activity many things happen to the body:

• Depth of respiration increases
• Pressure in pulmonary arteries increases, forcing blood into portions of the lung not normally used
• Dehydration
• Dizziness

Below is a list of Mountain West schools and their respective elevations:
1. Wyoming, 7220 feet
2. Air Force, 6600 feet
3. Colorado State, 5200 feet
4. New Mexico, 5100 feet
5. BYU, 4660 feet
6. Utah, 4660 feet
7. UNLV, 2024 feet
8. TCU, 635 feet
9. SDSU, 441 feet

Schools even use their altitude training and prowess against their opponents, such as the picture below taken at the Air Force Academy pool...

So is the conference technically fair? Last time I checked Fort Worth, Texas was not mountainous or very far west, so why must all the TCU, and San Diego State for that matter, athletes be forced to torture at the hands of altitude? Do you think it makes a difference, or is altitude more of a mental force?

Let me know your thoughts!

Recipe for Success

What does it take to become an elite athlete? Regardless of which sport you may be competing in, there must be a certain recipe and synergy of characteristics that propel one individual past another. Today I want to examine the combination of two sets of qualities: brain vs. brawn and youth vs. maturity.

Brain vs. Brawn

We have all heard the mantra that any sport is 90% mental and 10% physical, and I both agree and disagree with the statement... I undoubtedly agree if applied to one individual alone, but disagree if the statement is applied to multiple individuals competing against one another.

For example, if Michael Phelps is swimming, focusing solely upon his swim, his mental capability, resilience, and determination will lead his body to the result he desires. If his mind is clear, relaxed, and focused- that will be the key to victory.

However, if Michael Phelps were to swim against, well, anyone in the world, his freakish physique and superior physical qualities (flexibility, wing span) will always triumph. His brawn and strength will ultimately win out, regardless of the mental stature of his competitor.

Youth vs. Maturity

If a NCAA football team is entering the new season with a true freshman quarterback, everyone holds their breath... but is it 100% of the time a negative? With youth comes exuberance, agility, excitement, and eagerness to prove oneself. Unfortunately, with youth comes shaky performances, inexperience, and nerves.

With maturity comes past experience handling 3rd and long situations, 4th quarter deficits, and opponent's stadiums holding 80,000 screaming fans. The mature athlete knows what to expect, but do they always have the secret to know how to endure and triumph over these situations?

What's the recipe for success?

So... what are the qualities that ensure an athlete will be elite? I believe there are countless qualities that truly combine to create the "perfect" athlete. They must have the mental strength, physical toughness and stature, a youthful excitement, a mature calmness, and much more.

What other components attribute to creating a world class athlete?

Houston Chronicle

The picture above is the front page of the College Football Preview in this morning's Houston Chronicle. I thought it related perfectly to my Quarterback Report, and wanted to share! Enjoy!

Celebrity Sports Owners

It was announced yesterday that Venus and Serena Williams would be the two newest partial owners of the Miami Dolphins franchise. They now join the likes of Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, and Gloria Estefan—and that’s just the one team. In fact, there are several celebrities with a stake in different professional organizations. They include:

Michael Jordan & Nelly, Charlotte Bobcats
Usher Raymond, Cleveland Cavaliers
Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
The Walt Disney Company, Anaheim Angels
Jimmy Buffet, Miami Dolphins (partner, NOT owner)
Jon Bon Jovi, Philadelphia Soul of the Arena League
Jay-Z, New Jersey Nets

What do you think of celebrities feeling the need to expose and emphasize their outrageous wealth by purchasing small portions of professional sports organizations?

I’m a mixed bag when it comes to this question…. On one hand, I believe individuals such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson know the sport and could be legitimate owners, so it would be a positive relationship. In addition, the “celebrity” factor of bringing in non-sports figures could attract new demographics of viewers and could serve to foster endorsements. On the other hand, I feel that these corporations, performers, and athletes should stay in their respective industry and leave the sports teams be- you don’t see Kobe Bryant trying to purchase Def Jam Records, do you?

What do you think?

Where are the Role Models?

The most frequently used words in professional athletics:
Jail sentence, plea deal, probation, DUI, vehicular manslaughter, illegal possession of a weapon (and shooting yourself?), steroids, dog fighting, lies, scandal, greed…. even professional swimmers have been busted for public drug use! What happened to the wholesome athletes whom small children grew up idolizing and dreamed of becoming? The idyllic role models like Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Joe Montana, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan… where are the role models of today? I believe there are still some out there, but so often it’s the negative, not the positive, garnering all the attention.

I’d like to take the time to remove the likes of Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, Roger Clemens, Pacman Jones, Dante Stallworth, Manny Ramirez, and even Mr. Fickle, Brett Favre. Let’s highlight those athletes out there representing the goodness of their sport through their dedication, persistence, and good works. The athletes that are well rounded, do their job well and without demands, don’t cause any trouble, and give back to those who fill the seats to watch them each and every weekend.

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NFL

• Kurt Warner: quarterback who uses faith as a foundation for his good works, founder of First Things First Foundation, Man of the Year Award Winner in 2008 (Read more at http://www.kurtwarner.org/)

• Peyton & Eli Manning: The Kennedy family of sports, athletic royalty, and constantly classic and refined behavior

• Drew Brees: Founder of the Brees Dream Foundation, partnered with Operation Kids

NBA

• Steve Nash: Founder of the Steve Nash Foundation which, according to his website, "is a private foundation dedicated to assisting under served children in their health, personal development, education, and enjoyment of life." (Read more at https://stevenash.org/)

• Tim Duncan: Founder of the Tim Duncan Foundation for sports and recreation (Read more at http://www.slamduncan.com/about-foundation.php)

• Shane Battier: The silent warrior of the Houston Rockets. His maturity and wisdom speak volumes with the young team and helped lead the Rockets to a Game 7 with Los Angeles in the 2009 Playoffs.

MLB

• Albert Pujols: The King of St. Louis, and a real solid man. I'm still skeptical of his astounding numbers, though. I hope and trust they aren't being enhanced by outside substances.

• Lance Berkman: The Astros' "Big Puma" is the epitome of a good ole Texas boy- the heart, soul, and mature anchor of the Houston franchise.

• Read more about Major League Baseball's community initivate at http://www.mlb.com/pa/trust/action.jsp

______________________

In your eyes, who are some other professional athletes worth of being a child's role model? Are there any NCAA athletes that can step up to be an icon?

College Football 2009: 20 Questions

With help from its rock, Tim Tebow, and a 100% returning defense, Florida was recently voted #1 in the AP poll by the largest margin in history.... It made me start thinking about some questions to consider for the 2009 NCAA Football season….

1. Should everyone wave the white flag and present the National Championship Trophy now or will Florida somehow stumble along the way? If you think they will be upset, by whom will that be?

While I do encourage giving everyone a fair shot and putting up a good fight, I think it is once again Florida’s year to reign supreme. They continue to have all the pieces of the puzzle, and barring any monumental failures should be a tough force to crack. Although, with college football you never know what type of upsets may happen on any given day...

2. Will there be a BCS buster? If so... who will it be?

You never know with this one—there’s always the possibility of Boise State appearance due to their less than impressive schedule. Also, as an alumna of the Mountain West, I would love to see TCU or Utah shake things up!

3. Is Notre Dame worthy of the #23 AP ranking after a rather dismal past few years?

This is going to have to be a wait and see type of scenario… They have some tough games—most notably, USC on October 17… While I do think Lou Holtz is completely out of his mind predicting the Irish to go to the National Championship, I’m interested to see what changes were made during the off season.

4. Will last year’s successful season for Utah and TCU bring more publicity and respect to the Mountain West Conference as a whole?

Initially both schools will be granted the attention and respect they deserve, but I’m afraid they will face the rarely televised and publicized dark that is the Mountain West. With its lackluster bowl opportunities and no outright BCS bids, it’s like trying to fight with one arm behind your back for the MWC.

5. Will Rich Rodriguez’s second year at Michigan revive the Wolverines and return them to greatness?

I have a feeling Michigan will not repeat their frustrating 3-9 record, but I don’t believe a 180 degree turnaround will happen with just one year. With games against the likes of Iowa, Penn State, and Ohio State it will be an uphill battle.

What are your thoughts?

College Football 2009: Quarterback Report

The time is inching closer and closer! School is back in session, and soon the time will commence for college football season to begin! Evenings of packed stadiums, hours of tailgating, and storming the field to celebrate an upset- nothing beats it. The headline story of college football this year is sure to be a tale of 3 quarterbacks, Heisman finalists: Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Tim Tebow.

What about other quarterbacks in the mix? The article below outlines the Top 10 Quarterbacks to keep your eye on in 2009. They include:

10. Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech

9. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame

8. Kellen Moore, Boise State

7. Robert Griffin, Baylor

6. Jevan Sneed, Ole Miss (Definitely keep your eye on this one, he's received a ton of pre-season hype, so I'm interested to see how he develops this year.)

5. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

4. Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State (OSU was recently featured as the cover story for Sports Illustrated... They're one to watch.)

3. Tim Tebow, Florida

2. Colt McCoy, Texas

1. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

Read more for yourself:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/231373-the-top-ten-quarterbacks-in-college-football

Here we go...

Thank you so much for stopping by to read my very first blog post! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a sporting event wishing I could be standing on the sideline with the microphone or camera in my hand, wishing I could translate and express my love of the sports world. Maybe now I can take advantage of the opportunity to use this outlet to write about the people and passion behind the scores, times, and records.

If I sat down today to attempt to dissect and analyze the true meaning of the word “sport” I could be here all day. I do believe, though, that sports are a universal language. Everyone speaks the language of competition and sportsmanship. Athletes around the world know what it takes to train, and present a peak performance at the perfect time. They understand the emotion it takes to perform well, and they understand the emotional crushing after a heart breaking defeat.

Think about different moments in sport and more importantly, emotion, even if just from the past summer… The anguish and disappointment on the face of veteran Tom Watson after relinquishing the lead of British Open on the 18th, Usain Bolt’s devious smile and expression after running the fastest 100 and 200 meters in history with what seemed like ease, Michael Phelps snapping his LZR suit in defiance after downing loose talking Milorad Cavic, and Y.E. Yang’s exuberance as he lifted his bag in glory after slaying the previously untouchable Tiger Woods at the PGA Tournament. All of these moments stem from different types of emotion, different types of individuals, from different type of backgrounds—yet they have one common thread, it was done through their passion for the sport.

That’s what I want to highlight in my blog— I want to go beyond who won and lost, beyond yardage, points scored, and rankings. I also want to most importantly, have fun, entertain, and celebrate one of my greatest passions—the world of sports.

Next UP….
With college football season quickly approaching, that will be my first project to tackle! What you can look forward to include: games of the week, short snippets covering any and every sport, headgear predictions of the Game Day crew, as well as team, player, conference highlights, and much, much more! Hopefully I’ll see you again!