Round The World 2008 Yachting Race (used sports equipment)
No commentsBy Roger Munns
This autumn’s 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race begins this October in Spain, with participants sailing the world and testing their skill against the most challenging conditions in sailing.
Formerly known as the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Volvo Ocean Race is now sponsored by Volvo, which has organized the event since they took over the 2001-2002 race. Upon Volvo’s involvement, three additional stopovers were added to the race in Sweden, France and Germany. Not surprisingly, these are Volvo’s three biggest markets for car sales on the European mainland. Additional changes in the point system were made to ensure that the race maintained a level of competitiveness throughout all legs.
Traditionally the Volvo Ocean Race has departed from a location in Europe some time in September. This year, however, the planned departure date is October 11, 2008, starting from Alicante, on Spain’s Costa Blanca.
This is one of two major changes that have occurred for the upcoming race. The yachts had always departed from somewhere in the United Kingdom up until the last race, which was the first to begin the race from elsewhere in Europe. Secondly, a new yacht design was introduced. The Volvo 70 is a lighter boat design with more sail area.
Until the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race, the event had traditionally been scheduled every four years. This year’s race will begin after a break of only three years. The route has changed many times and in various ways since the beginning of the race over thirty years ago. Beginning in Spain, the customary path heads south through the Atlantic, down around the southern tip of Africa, around the Southern ocean and back to England. Brand new additions will be a stopover in India at the major port of Kochi, and, also for the first time in Asia, at a port in Singapore where the second in-port event will be held. The race route will include one stop in North America in Boston, Massachusetts. The race will finish off in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Despite the many changes, a central objective remains at the heart of this and other sailing competitions: a matchless adventure and an exercise in sailing skill against the odds of nature.
Ericsson Racing Team, which has two yachts enlisted as challengers in the Volvo Ocean Race, has transported their boats and sailing crew to the Canary Islands. The crew have trained in Puerto Calero, on the island of Lanzarote, which offers ideal sailing conditions.
Lanzarote maintains relatively constant temperatures and sees low annual rainfall. Few days are lost to weather related problems due to this environment, which offers the premium atmosphere for technical improvements and beneficial training. In addition to these benefits, the winds are good and steady in the Canary Islands due to the north-east trade winds, which also bring cooler air in the summers to Lanzarote.
Atmospheric benefits are not the only plusses of Puerto Calero for the sailing crews. The marina has good hotels within strolling distance for the crews.
Like Volvo’s addition of certain ports within their sales arena, Ericsson’s presence in the race is similar, to improve sales and reach customers around the world. Ericsson is a communications company based in Sweden, providing technology and support for a variety of telecommunication and data communication systems. New stops added along the route will allow these and all involved companies to expand their customer bases in the Middle East, China and India.
More details about Lanzarote including hotels are available via yourlanzarote.net
The Lanzarote travel guide includes flight times from European airports and other flights to Lanzarote news.
Villa holiday companies who deal with Lanzarote villa holidays feature and at the other end of the holiday league they also have cheap Lanzarote hotels
The Store For All Your Sports Gear Needs
Using The Right Weight Training Equipment
By Martin Brinkmann
While gyms, health clubs, and spas contain acres of the newest and most expensive equipment, they still cannot improve on the kinds of basic, free weight exercises that can be done in the comfort of one’s own home. Anyone wishing to build a home gym, either as a supplement to their health club membership or as their primary place of exercise, would do well to keep the following basic principles in mind.
The first and most basic consideration for weight training is the weights themselves. Two options are available, standard plates and Olympic plates. Unless you already own a large amount of standard weights, Olympic weights are far and away the best option. These plates come in larger sizes, and have a two inch hole in their center.
What makes Olympic weights special is the bar, which has movable collars. These collars help prevent the transfer of momentum from the lifter to the weights themselves, and promote a more natural, smoother motion.
The other key piece of weight training equipment for most users will be the bench. The brands and models of weight benches are bewildering, but the key things you want to look for are adjustablity, the width of the bar supports, the quality of the padding, and the thickness of the supporting bar running beneath the bench itself.
Adjustable benches allow for a different range of exercises and body-types. Be sure the bar supports are at least four feet apart — not only is this more stable, but it will not interfere with the lifter having a proper grip on the bar.
A note on machines: while some machines provide exercises that cannot be done with free weights, the overwhelming majority of machines merely duplicate a free weight exercise. Machines have their uses, but should not be considered a primary form of training as they do not allow for the body’s natural range of motion, and can create strength imbalances. They also will not strengthen a lifter’s joints and connective tissue as free weight training does.
From a basic weight set and bench intermediate users will want to explore other options. Dumbells are valuable training aids, either as an alternative to barbell exercises or as a way of training muscle groups in isolation.
A power rack or cage is the ultimate in home gym safety, as a lifter can exercise within its rectangular frame and pursue heavy squats and bench presses secure in the knowledge that the rack’s safety pins will prevent injuries. Other basic equipment includes chalk, for grip, and knee wraps or weight belts to protect an area during heavy lifts — though users should never become too dependent on these aids.
Martin helps people learn about weight training. You can read more of his work like Weight Lifting Equipment by
visiting the Personal Weight Training website.
Peter Crouch - From Ibiza To Portsmouth
By Roger Munns
Yet another celebrity figure has been spotted on a Spanish holiday recently. Soccer star Peter Crouch was photographed relaxing aboard a sailboat just off the coast of Ibiza in July. He was enjoying the afternoon with his celebrity girlfriend, Abbey Clancy. The pair has been dating since 2006. They’ve been an item long enough for Clancy to be referred to by British press as an official ‘WAG’.
Peter Crouch has had a notable soccer career since his first professional stint with Spurs in 1998. His game days go much further back than that though. Crouch has played soccer almost since he could walk. He was also taken regularly to games as a child by his father. It seems as though a soccer career was inevitable for Crouch.
Maddeningly, Peter Crouch is often noted more for his presence on the field than for his playing ability. At six feet, seven inches tall Crouch appears to have been more suited physically for basketball. Naturally, height plays as an advantage in almost any sport. Crouch certainly uses his. He is the tallest man to date to have ever played for the England national team. He is currently one of the tallest players in the Premier League.
Peter Crouch is known by several nicknames amongst his fans. ‘Crouchie’ and ‘Pantera Rosa’ (’Pink Panther’) are among them. More recently he has been referred to as ‘RoboCrouch’ and ‘Mr. Roboto’. These nicknames were granted, at least in part, because of a publicity stunt on the soccer field. In 2006 Crouch began performing his now famous ‘robotic dance’ after scoring goals. The dance, meant to be a parody, began to be requested by teammates and even Prince William. Soon fans all over Europe and the UK were imitating Crouch’s robo-dance. Crouch himself soon tired of the dance though. He believed it would eventually become a source of tedium and mockery. He did however appease his fans by promising in 2007 to perform it again only if he scored in the UEFA Champions League Final.
Dance or no dance, Peter Crouch still has a loyal fan base. Crouch currently plays for Portsmouth Football Club in England. Some of his fan base may also be attributed to his famous girlfriend. It certainly doesn’t hurt one’s athletic career to be dating a model. Clancy’s career has also blossomed since joining the WAG (Wives and Girlfriends) ‘club’. She has been featured in numerous magazines and has hosted talk shows and documentaries on fashion and the industry.
The couple flies under the radar for the most part. They tend to prefer to keep the details of their relationship private and don’t deliberately invite gratuitous media attention. Their high-powered relationship has undeniably benefited both their careers though. It’s hard for them to avoid being followed by cameras, even on a quiet Spain holiday.
Other celebrities who have been sighted on Spain holidays recently include Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria and Kate Moss. It’s little wonder that the stars flock to Ibiza and other areas for a Spain holiday. The balmy weather, beautiful geography and abundance of luxurious accommodations make a Spain holiday tantalizing. It will undoubtedly continue to draw the likes of Peter Crouch and other celebrities for years.
For more information about the island of Ibiza visit youribiza.net
Cheap Ibiza flights along with villa holiday companies who have Ibiza villa holidays in their brochures are featured.
They also have a range of cheap Ibiza hotels
Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 9:25 am and is filed under sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
