Games of Knowledge | Sports and Exercise

Games Guy | November 8, 2010

Advanced planning is important if you want to get maximum enjoyment from a snowsports holiday, both in terms of selecting which resort and accommodation to choose and also in getting yourself ready physically so that you can enjoy your time on the slopes.

In terms of resort selection, a number of factors play a part and budget is a key influencer. Some resorts have a reputation for being more expensive than others. Places like St Moritz, one of the oldest ski resorts of all and Klosters, which has been favourite amongst celebrities and royalty over the years may be out of reach to many people, who will opt for more cost effective locations. Accommodation selection also presents an opportunity to control the cost of a holiday. From a fully inclusive stay in a five star hotel, through the popular choice of a catered chalet, to a self-catering apartment, there are options for everyone. Currency exchange rates can also be a big factor. The Dollar and Euro exchange rates are slowly improving for UK skiers and snowboarders, whereas last year they increased the price of lift passes, in-resort equipment hire and eating out. Travel operators, of course, negotiate and fix the prices of their packages well in advance, so further improvements in exchange rates may not necessarily be passed on holidaymakers. Opting for a country outside of the Eurozone is another opportunity for saving money. The Swiss Franc follows its own course in terms of value and Bulgarian ski resorts are still priced in the local currency of the Lev. In 2009 Slovakia adopted the Euro, so prices for its popular resorts like Latras, Fatra and the Orava region could be slightly higher this year.

Next comes the question of equipment and what to wear. For those whose finances allow, it is very tempting to go out and treat yourself to the latest in fashionable alpine clothing. There are some very nice technical items out there that both look good and will keep you warm in all weather conditions, but fashions do change so you may not want to spend a fortune on something that could only be worn for one week of the year and may look dated in a couple of seasons time. The decision whether to buy or hire equipment follows the same argument, but with even more considerations to make. As well as the expense of buying your own equipment, which you need to carry with you as you travel to your snow resort and maintain yourself, equipment styles and innovations come thick and fast. For the one week-a-year skier or snowboarder the arguments for hiring in your resort are quite compelling. Hire outlets can usually afford to renew their stock each season, so although you may not have access to top of the range models, you will at least be getting fairly recent equipment that is maintained and fitted by experts, and of course you don’t have to lug it through the airport and back again afterwards. For beginners damage is another factor, depending on where you ski or snowboard and your ability, you may or may not cross areas of ground that can damage your prize snowboard or new set of carvers. Almost everyone will generate a few scrapes and cuts on their equipment during a holiday, but that wear and tear is little worry if you have hired your kit.

This will ensure that no snow or water gets in, which is sure to happen to most people who don’t take this precaution. For the neck and face, wear a neck warmer than can extend below the neck and over the side of your goggles, helmet and nose. 

Most sports today require participants to wear some sort of head protection. Skiing is no different. Lately, with the increase in numbers of people taking up the sport, accidents involving head injuries have been on the rise. March 2009 saw a head injury as a result of a ski accident take the life of Natasha Richardson. Since then many ski resorts have made the wearing of ski helmets mandatory for the 2010 season. So make sure you get a proper helmet prior to setting of on your ski day or vacation

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Tags: Advanced Planning, Bulgarian Ski Resorts, Currency Exchange Rates, Euro Exchange Rates, Eurozone, Fatra, juegos, Klosters, Maximum Enjoyment, Mortgage, refinance, Royalty, Saving Money, Self Catering, Skiers, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, Slopes, Snowboarders, St Moritz, Star Hotel, Swiss Franc, Travel Operators, Weather

Games Guy | October 28, 2010

Well the squad for the upcoming 4 nations rugby league tournament has been announced and it has to be said that England coach Tony Smith has made some pretty bold and brave decisions in selecting his squad for this tournament.

Personally I think he is right in what he has done as otherwise we would have had the same problems that the squad had in the last disastrous and quite frankly embarrassing world cup. Saints and Leeds are still the 2 powerhouses of the game and we know from the RFLs review into what went wrong in the World Cup one of the problems was that the squad was basically split into 2, the Leeds camp and the Saints camp and this couldn’t have been healthy for team spirit.

We have seen over the last super league season that the rest of the league is starting to catch up with Leeds and Saints, with only really Salford and Celtic Crusaders not really coming up to Super League standard. However the fact that they have another season before their franchises are reviewed gives them time to do some remedial work and the fact that the Crusaders are recruiting Brian Noble as the new coach is a positive step forward. The fact that Warrington and Huddersfield managed to both make it to the Challenge Cup Final boads well for the future of the game.

Much of the current discussion about such rules and regulations, or laws as they are formally termed by the IRB (in honor of the original draft submitted in 1871 by three ex-Rugby mates who were lawyers), centers around a new set of 10 ELVs (Experimental Law Variations) approved for adoption that are scheduled to be officially recognized beginning in August of this year.

Olympic lifters (watch out for them in the London Olympics followed by Samba in Rio!) also capitalize on speed. In strength conditioning it is important to include repetition. That is, train your muscles repetitively for the movement you want to perform. There is a very good reason why Olympic athletes may not be able to bench press as much (I often find people on the internet criticize strongman competitors when they find out they cannot bench as much either).That is because of our strength training anatomy. Diving into human biology, our brains build neural pathways. A neural pathway tells the brain that a certain set of muscles need to be used in a certain sequence under a certain amount of force. Our bodies adapt to the strains imposed upon them and build the necessary strength training anatomy to handle the load. This adds strength to the statement – practice makes perfect. Determining one person’s strength over another is futile as it all depends on the function they have been training for. Sometimes the lanky looking guy is more dangerous down the dark alley than the big bench monster. Using momentum together with conditioning your body (by repeating the strength exercises) is what delivers the most power. As a part of your strength training, weights training, gym workout or training program, include speed and repetition to push or pull heavier weights.

There is still a lot be learned from the science of strongman competitions. Strongman competitors, Power Lifters and Olympic lifters all provide unique learning points for Rugby players. It is wisdom to learn battle plans from Spartan Warriors; it is wisdom to learn about combat from Gladiators and it is wisdom to learn from the professional strongmen of this world on how a physical game like Rugby could be mastered and taken to a whole new level.

There will be much more to come

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Tags: Challenge Cup, Coach Tony, Crusaders, England Coach, Good Reason, Huddersfield, Irb, juegos, Lifters, London Olympics, Mortgage, Olympic Athletes, Powerhouses, refinance, Remedial Work, Repetition, rugby, Rugby England, Rugby League, Rugby Rugby, Strength Conditioning, Team Spirit, Tony Smith, Warrington