The Tide look to Roll again

NCAA football is one of the most popular sports in North America with some states considering it better than the NFL. There are many reasons for this belief and one may be the lack of whining players who want a load of money to play or they will not set foot on the field. These kids are attempting to get to that point, many will become those types of players but they are still true heroes in college. Another is the excitement of NCAA games due to the spread of talent and the extreme need to win every game. In the NCAA the talent is very spread out throughout over 100 teams making man of the Division I FBS teams equal in their chance to win every game. There is also more of a chance of big plays and some more exciting offences that work great in college and terrible in the NFL, much like the Spread offence. There is also a need to go undefeated every year to have a chance at the National Championship. Losing one game can ruin your season and it can happen against anyone, see D-I FBS Michigan Wolverines vs. D-I FCS Appalachian State. For all of these reasons NCAA is extremely popular but one of the main reasons is the meaning that NCAA has for many fans. For some fans their University/College experience was the best time of their lives and staying connected means supporting your team. Almost everyone in the USA is attached to a team and the loyalty expressed is like nothing else in sports. This makes the NCAA exciting and the season will start again and you never know what can happen any given week.

For those who are unfamiliar with the NCAA I will attempt to break down how the NCAA works as it is very different from other leagues. NCAA football is divided into 4 conferences known as Division-I FBS, Division-I FCS, Division- II, and Division-III. The main division that takes media coverage is Division-I FBS. This division includes 11 conferences with varying levels of skill and different championships in each. It also includes one Independent conference with no championship awarded due to the freedom to choose their own schedule and not play any team in the division. All teams in the division play within their conference, besides the independent conference, as well as outside of their conference. The first step for many is to win the conference championships, which are decided wither in a game at the end of the season between the top two or it is given to the #1 team in the conference. The next step is to the national level known as the Bowl Series. There are 35 bowls that are played throughout the nation, and one in Toronto, Canada known as the International Bowl. These 35 bowls are decided in a variety of ways. Many are between the champions of conferences and many of the major bowls are decided by the national rankings.

The national rankings for the NCAA are created by a group of media who vote on who they believe is the best team in the nation. At the halfway point a formula is put into effect whereby the team’s record, performance, and strength of schedule are measured. Through this the BCS computer creates a national ranking. At the end of the year the top 2 teams, although there have been year’s where the #1 and #3 team have played, are given a birth into the National Championship game while the other 8 teams in the top 10 are considered for the other 3 major bowls. The major bowls include the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. There is one other major bowl that is decided between the Big Ten and Pac-10 conference champions. These five bowls together are considered the BCS, Bowl Series Championship. At the national level the National Championship is played between the two best teams in the nation and a team is determined to be the best team in the nation. Along with the bowls there is one major prize that is given out to the best player in the NCAA. This is the Heisman Trophy and is essentially the MVP of the NCAA. The Heisman is voted on by media and given out at the end of the year.

Last year was a rollercoaster ride with two small schools, #4 TCU and #6 Boise State, made it into the BCS that us usually ruled by major schools like Florida, Alabama, Ohio State, and Michigan. They did not receive births into the National Championship due to their strength of schedule but played each other in the Fiesta Bowl where Boise State won. A once great program that had gone into a lull as of late made it back to the national championship to play the new power of the NCAA. #1 Alabama led by Heisman trophy winner and Sophomore Mark Ingram played #2 Texas led by Colt McCoy who was drafted in the 2^nd round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. Alabama beat the Texas Longhorns 37-21 and completed their great season on a high. This year the top 5 includes two BCS busters from last year, the former champions and two great programs that will all challenge for the National Championship. At #1 in the preseason is the Alabama Crimson Tide who are returning 10 starters including 9 on offence and 1 on defence. The 9 offensive starters include QB Greg McElroy and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, RB. Defence will be their challenge as one densive player will be returning and they will need to rely on new players. In Ohio the Ohio State Buckeyes have the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this year in QB Terrell Pryor. #3 Boise State will look to finally breakthrough the glass ceiling that is the BCS. Led by Kellen Moore under centre Boise State looks to make a path to the National Championship and show that small schools not known for a history of great football can win. Last year’s runner up is now at #4 with the longhorns losing their leader in Colt McCoy. Changing their system to allow for a run game to develop may allow some returning players to carry the team to a game after New Year’s. Finally rounding out the top 5 is another small school with high hopes. Texas Christian University looks to capitalize on their strong returning class and challenge the big schools for the #1 spots.

In the NCAA it is very hard to predict the winners as one week can change the outcome of the BCS. This year it seems hard to bet against Alabama as they will be returning the key players to their roster. Unfortunately recent developments have put their season in doubt. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram has an injured knee and a strong defensive end Marcell Dareus will be suspended 2 games due to inproper benefits, much like the recent Reggie Bush scandal. If the Tide can survive two weeks against San Jose State and #14 Penn State they will be in contention for the National Championship. Meanwhile Ohio State will look to capitalize on this situation and take the #1 spot. Behind them Texas and Boise will look to take #2 and play for the National title. Look for Alabama to repeat this year is they win the first two games. If they cannot get past these two games don’t be surprised if you see Ohio State and Boise State in the National Championship game on January 10^th 2011.

Preseason Top 25:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
3. Florida Gators
4. Texas Longhorns
5. Boise State Broncos
6. Virginia Tech Hokies
7. TCU Horned Frogs
8. Oklahoma Sooners
9. Nebraska Cornhuskers
10. Iowa Hawkeyes
11. Oregon Ducks
12. Wisconsin Badgers
13. Miami Hurricanes
14. Penn State Nittany Lions
15. Pittsburgh Panthers
16. LSU Tigers
17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
18. North Carolina Tarheels
19. Arkansas Razorbacks
20. Florida State Seminoles
21. Georgia Bulldogs
22. Oregon State Beavers
23. Auburn Tigers
24. Utah Utes
25. West Virginia Mountaineers

The Best Way To Play Better Tennis

There are thousands of articles and books with tips on how to play better tennis. Most of these are written by pros who employ various techniques and drills to improve strokes and strategies. However the best way to get better is very rarely identified. It is simply to practice or play with more players.

Anyone who competes in tennis will tell you that although instruction and practice ground your strokes, you cannot tell if you improve until you play with or against other people. Other players test your skills. The more often you play with different players, the more you are tested and the faster you improve. The surest way to improve is in competition because your game is really on the line, but any play against different opponents is instructive because every player plays differently.

Most tennis players tend to play with the same players over and over because it’s comfortable and easy to arrange. However, if you really want to improve you need to get out of this comfort zone and actually play against a variety of different styles and skill sets. New players force you to develop new or better shots and strategies. You’ll also get the bonus of meeting people and making friends. You can find new players by asking a pro to set you up or using tennis websites like www.usta.com or www.juump.com.

FanExpoCanada

On Saturday, I put on my creative hat and hit the FanexpoCanada to see what the heck goes on at these conventions. I am long time gamer (love the Final Fantasy franchise and also the Mortal Kombat one too) and am a fan of all things science  fiction and zombie so I was right at home amongst all the creative genius at the event. Entrance on Saturday was $35. That was the base cost and what got you into the event. Everything else cost on top. Not knowing what to expect I was hoping to get an autograph of Adam West or Leslie Neilson – not so much luck there unless you were willing to pay decent money for the privilege. William Shatner was also scheduled to make an appearance but only on the Sunday and your fee only covered the one day.

Line up’s were insane for everything once you got inside. I heard rumors an expected 69,000 fans would be passing through the convention center on Saturday alone. So what did my $35 bucks get me?

Access. Access to the various trade show booths some of which were extremely creative. You could line up and lie in a cryogenic pod from the Alien movie franchise and see what would be like to be in a pod and have the movie broadcast. For $5 you could see what it was like to lie in a coffin for a few minutes (I figured why rush the inevitable I will wait on this one). There was lots of free fake tattoos of vampire fangs, lots of t-shirts and swag to buy and lots and lots of people.  The celebrity line up was good, if you were willing to pay for a signature. That was definitely a point of contention with me. If you wanted to be involved in any of the Q & A sessions, it also cost you big bucks.  On the lower level they had a Warcraft room, an indie game room and the VIP areas. If you wanted to eat, there was pizza pizza on site but again, line ups were long. If you left, you could get back in but you were looking at about 1.5 hour to get back in.

All in, I was mildly disappointed but in the spirit of the trade show and the overall feel of the event was good. There were some good exhibits, some interesting characters and everyone was in a good mood. I can’t fault that. The costumes were amazing, I took some photo’s of Star Wars characters and I have to say the detail was amazing right down to the voice box.  I did learn a couple of things from the experience. They are:

1. Bring a backpack and fill it with food and water.

2. Have a good camera.

3. Be prepared to pay cash for everything.

4. Last of all, wear comfortable shoes!

I would like to checkout Comic Con when it’s in Toronto, Fanexpo overall was a good experience, maybe a little expensive for what you got but it was worth seeing the hard core fans do their thing.

Realsports is the Real Thing

I recently went to Toronto’s newest sports bar before an Argonauts home game and realized it is the ultimate sports bar. The bar is located at the newly built Maple Leaf Square, 15 York Street, and is the largest sports bar in North America. Equipped with a 2 story HD screen, DJ, and some great food this is the new place to be for major sporting events that you cannot attend in person. Much like anything Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment touches it is big and all about luxury. It is more than just a sports pub due to the atmosphere they have created in the restaurant. The only drawback is that it is more expensive than most sports bar that people go to. It’s not a place that you can go to for every leaf game, especially since it is almost always full. There are a couple of suggestions I have when you go. First if you plan on going for UFC make a reservation because people are there very early and wait until the fight is over. I attempted to go in to the bar at UFC 117 and it was full. I went at 7 pm and still there were no seats so make a reservation if you plan on going. Second try the beer blends that they offer if you’re in the mood for drinking. These beer blends are two beers mixed into one to make a very different taste. I tried three of these beers and I have to say the best of them was the Maple Leaves, which is a mix of Budweiser and Rickard’s Dark. Finally the last tip is to get anything with the Realsports symbol beside it. It is always a specialty and it is always good. That includes the Sweet Thai wings, which were great. I will be attending this great bar again for UFC 118 so come join me and have some fun at Realsports.

Sherpa Nad Experience: Platform Tennis (or paddle tennis)

Yesterday, I popped over to the West end of Toronto and had a tour and chat with Suzanne Lanthier one of the Kingsway Platform Tennis’s managers. She graciously showed me around the club and gave me a break down about what platform tennis is all about.

Platform Tennis, or paddle tennis, is best described as tennis meets squash – and its actually traditionally a WINTER sport.

It’s action packed, and has no age limits. There are no single person games, all games are played in foursomes.

They have mixed social leagues or ladies/mens leagues.

About the court and equipment:

The court itself is about 30% smaller then a traditional tennis court.

The court texture is also very gritty almost like really thick sandpaper and is elevated on a wooden platform. If you look closely at the pictures you will see it’s wooden planks.

It’s surround by chicken coup wire, which is actually used in play.

The courts are also heated by propane in the winter, keeping them clear of snow and ice during play. You can continue to play even if it’s snowing outside.

There are moving panels at the bottom of the court so snow on the court can be shoveled off through the openings.

The  rackets look like paddles, and were made entirely of wood in the early days of the sport.

The balls used feel like squash balls but look like tennis balls. They are a combo of both balls and are not as bouncy as tennis balls but not quite as tough or as small as squash balls.

About the sport:

Even though the peak season for the sport is in the winter, at Kingsway Platform Tennis Club they play throughout the summer simply because they love the sport.

The opening season usually starts in September  and runs  to April.

Tennis rules are used for scoring, but players can allow the play to continue when the ball bounces off the cage similar to squash. There are ref’s either it’s entirely self managed.

Platform Tennis In Action

The object is not to smash the ball.

In the winter, most people dress in yoga pants/jogging pants. Layered clothing, as it gets hot while playing.

Tournaments usually take place in March with the season slowing down as summer approaches.

The bigger tournaments take place in the U.S mainly New York and Chicago.

About the club:

There are 5 courts at  Kingsway.

It’s maintained by volunteers.

There is an annual fee, (very reasonable) and they currently have 200 members.

The courts are available all week long and most members have their own keys.

There is also a lovely club house to stow all your stuff, and spare paddles and balls for those new to the sport with no equipment.

There is a mixed social league and competitive league and at the end of the day it’s all about the party after.

The atmosphere from when I first arrived was warm and welcoming. All the club members I spoke to were gracious, friendly and SO passionate about the sport. It’s as if everyone was bursting at the seams to play. I did not see anything but smiles and good sportsmanship and am thinking I would like to join the club come the fall to keep myself busy.

Curious? Check them out at Kinsgway Paddle Tennis.

Tennis Profile: JUUMP.com

Calling all tennis enthusiasts! I know there are thousands of you out there in Toronto!  I have the biggest kept secret for resolving many tennis player frustrations and that would be, FINDING a partner.

Over the years, I have heard multitudes of friends and co-workers who are active or even casual players try to find consist people to play with. Juump resolves that specific need no matter where you are. Juump is a free online community that makes it easy to meet people and play more tennis –right in your neighborhood.

Here is the short and sweet on Juump.com

1.  You create a profile, and its actually linkable to Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets. I think this is a really unique and handy feature to have as you can post/tweet and communicate through your profile.

2.  Its city/postal code driven so you can narrow your bandwidth when looking for players or events.

3. You can research the courts ahead of time if you are not familiar with them. You can view user-editable details like number of courts, surface types and photos. Again, it gives you all the information up front so you’re not wondering about the details before you head out.

4. It’s skill level driven too, so if you are a new player or an experienced player you can further narrow your search.

5. The usage of the site is similar to Facebook in that you can create a wall and hold events, do mass e-mails to players and profile clubs.

All in it’s a user friendly and “on the ball”.  I created a user profile myself and was navigating around in the site. I did not find it difficult to flow through it or find active players.

Now that I have you attention, check it out, sign up and starting playing more Tennis!

Juump Log In

2010 RBC Canadian Open

The Canadian Open took place at the gorgeous Royal St. Georges Golf and Country club this year. I had the privilege of attending on championship Sunday and I was blown away by how beautiful the course was and how much of a challenge it would provide if I were lucky enough to get onto the course to play a round, as the course and club are private. The tournament itself provided a lot of drama and swings throughout the weekend, non-more exciting then the race to the finish by Dean Wilson and Carl Petterrson. Dean Wilson held a 4 shot lead going into the final day with Petterrson behind him. They took over the lead from Brent Delahoussaye who began the tournament shooting incredible well with a first two rounds of 62 and 69 respectively. He followed this up however with a third round 76 and quickly fell off the leader board. Carl Petterrson was out of contention and had to hole a put on the final hole of the day to make the cut. The next day he stormed back and shot a record setting 60 catapulting him to the top of the leader board and a share of the final group. Many people thought that Dean Wilson, who got a last minute exemption thanks to the help of his old roommate Mike Weir, would have an easy day just play smart golf and come out on top. He started the day well enough racking off a string of Par’s on the front nine with a birdie and bogey thrown in. The back nine was far less friendly to him as he came down the stretch netting two more bogeys at 12 and 14. His lead quickly evaporated as Petterrson continued his tremendous play on this course by dropping six birdies in eight holes.

All of a sudden Petterrson had a two shot lead and Wilson was struggling to find his form. Petterrson, who loves these old style courses having one on a similar style course earlier this year, held his form well and showed poise and nerves of steal as he held it together and dropped his last put to take the fourth oldest national championship in PGA Tour history, behind the U.S Open, British Open, and BMW Championship (formerly the Western Open). The other storyline that didn’t get much play was the performance of a little known 21-year old Canadian. Adam Hadwin was the best ranked Canadian when it was all said and done and I had a chance to follow him on the course for a couple holes. He surprised me with his calm cool demeanour in playing on such a big stage so young. He ended up tied for 37^th after posting a +1 final round but being so young and performing on home turf I think he did an exceptional job and he will continue to improve and be a mainstay on the tour and another role-model for Canadian Golfers to look up to. Overall the tournament had a backdrop of rolling hills and challenging greens, only Petterrson hit a putt beyond 7 feet on the final day that challenged golfers and provided an exciting finish to what is a tournament rich with history and always provides a good show for the fans, me included.

Bloor Yorkville Exotic Car Show

As the summer starts the cars will be coming out and not just regular everyday boring cars but the true beautiful pieces of art. This was seen at Bloor-Yorkville on Saturday with the Bloor Yorkville Exotic Car Show. My personal love for Ferrari’s drew me to this car show and was there a great collection. The show was presented by Bloor-Yorkville BIA and the Ferrari and Porsche dealerships in the BIA. The cars were donated by the Porsche and Ferrari clubs of Ontario and all proceeds went to SickKids Foundation. With cars like these out on the road I can see how it was so full even at 11:30 am. The best view was to look down the line of red Ferraris and all of a sudden see a green car and wonder why it was there. Of course it was a Porsche lined up just outside of the line of red cars. Both the Porsche and Ferrari collections were great and included some unique racing porsches and a couple o Ferrari Dinos. The best way to describe these fine cars is to look at the pictures so check out the gallery below for all the pictures.

Welcome Darren Brown! Sherpa In: Golf, Video Games

Sherpa In: Golf, Video Games

About me in four sentences: I’ve been an athlete all my life and try to experience as many different kinds of sport
as I can. I probably am becoming more of a spectator athlete as time goes on but I still have a passion and drive for competition, whether that be good or bad. I am a recent graduate from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Passion in life: Always has been and always will be any and every sport or competition.

Worst/Funniest Sherpa Experience: When I wrapped my brand new 7-iron around a tree on the first hole at Tom O’Shanter, it was always the very first swing I took with that club.

Unexpected Fact: Extended Family has more then 30 people.

“Carspotting” – Times you REALLY wish you carried around a camera

“The amazing Pagani Zonda Roadster (photo courtesy of http://www.paganiautomobili.it/).”

As a traveler and adventurer, you’re going to run into something pretty often – roads. You’ll encounter major highways and tiny dirt paths, roads through mountains and jungles, clogged traffic systems through city streets, roads with ten-foot high walls on either side and paths that end spontaneously.

But if you’re like me, you’ll find long winding roads that’ll just make you long to drive a raging fast, several-hundred-thousand-dollar super car down them at enormous speeds.

My boyfriend, Edward, and I are both gearheads. We love cars. We both work full-time day jobs during the summer, have full-time school for the rest of the year and don’t have the budget to travel around driving a spectacular piece of engineering and art.

So we play this game every so often that we call “carspotting.” And I’m here to tell you how fun it is when you get that rare find that just sends your heart a flutter.

When Edward and I go to work, we keep our eyes open during the day for super cars, the ones you need to be rich to afford and skillful to drive. When we’ve spotted something good, we let the other know.

Originally I just did car counts. But in Toronto, there are some supercars or smaller cousins that are commonly seen. I’d estimate I see at the very least a half dozen Porsche Carerras of various years every day. So I got bored counting them and just waited until I saw something more rare. Like the day I got a baby blue Ferrari 458 in a parking lot. Or when an Aston Martin DB9 pulled up beside me in my hometown of Pickering.

As soon as Edward started working, he won easily. His job means seeing the wheels of millionaires and often got some crazy rides. Sightings include Audi’s R8 and Maseratis, all in the same day.

But downtown Toronto still held some crazy surprises. Including one that roared past me a couple days ago.

I had my music on at nearly top volume and had my head down after a long day of work when I heard a car go by. I knew it must have been something big to hear it over the Kinks’ song All Day and All of the Night. I turned around and got a rear view of and incredibly styled car and a four-barreled exhaust that looked like a rocket.

It was a Pagani Zonda.

There are just over 10o in existence after 10 years of crafting. They sell for over $300 000 US and can reach top speeds of over 220 mph. They also look like aliens. (See their website at http://www.paganiautomobili.it/)

My jaw dropped and I muttered profanities in excitement and shock as it roared off with the green light. There’s something about a car like that that makes you giddy to get in and drive forever.

I got home and told Edward about my sighting. “I got an R8, two Maseratis, an old Skyline, a 70′s Dodge Charger R/T, and I’m pretty sure a new SLS AMG today,” he tells me, “but you’ve just won car-spotting forever.”

Edward and I are such car fans, we’d like to share our game with you. I’d like to hear back from anyone who is a gearhead themselves and your stories of spotting amazing cars wherever you go!

What do you love?

What do you love? My fondest memories and best friends come from Premiere Studio of Dance in Peterborough, Ontario. In high school, my sister would joke that the first weekend in June was our favorite holiday:”Recital weekend” trumping birthdays, Halloween and yes, even Christmas.

The dancers work hard all year in preparation to end the year in high style with the recital. Whether you are dancing in one number or ten, the showcase is an opportunity to shine in a high energy and fun environment.

As a former competitive dancer, the artistic director invites alumni to do a special guest number in the recital. This was my fifth year as “alumni” but I never miss the opportunity to see young dancers developing, watch their numbers, and reconnect with friends. This weekend, dancing served as a gentle tap on the shoulder with one central message: do everything you love.

Dance helped develop my confidence, poise, musicality, rhythm, timing, grace, flexibility, and strength. It is where I learned the values of perseverance, team work, and commitment. This weekend was a reminder of my past, who I am and what makes me happy. Check in with yourself, and ask, “What do I love?” You will enjoy yourself more and have a much better chance at being successful if you are true to yourself and what inspires you.

What’s going on in the city this weekend?

With summer in full swing and events cropping up everywhere – where do you start!

Here is a taste of what’s happening in the city this weekend:

Luminato – Toronto Festival of Arts

June 10th – June 20th

Where: All over downtown – best to check the website for times and locations.

http://www.luminato.com/2010/

From the website:

Now in its fourth year, Luminato is an annual ten-day celebration where Toronto’s stages, streets, and public spaces are illuminated with arts and creativity. Luminato is a multi-disciplinary festival of theatre, dance, classical and contemporary music, film, literature, visual arts, design and more.

Luminato embraces three key programming principles: collaboration, accessibility, and diversity.

* Luminato embraces artistic collaboration – creating unforgettable moments by bringing together artists from different cultures and genres. The festival encourages local, national, and international artists to discover unprecedented creative expressions through unexpected partnerships. The Luminato staff, led by CEO Janice Price, partners with the Luminato Artistic Committee, as well as the arts leadership of the City of Toronto, to shape the programming offered at the Festival.

* Luminato’s hallmarks include free widely accessible events, and “accidental encounters with art.” Festival-goers are invited to participate, explore, and celebrate their own creative spirit.

* Luminato embraces and celebrates Toronto’s cultural diversity, and recognizes that creativity flourishes when cultures join together in a spirit of tolerance and respect.

Luminato is a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose vision is to commission and present significant local, national and international programming that reflects the city of Toronto as a diverse and accessible city that engages domestic and international audiences. Luminato brings Toronto’s light to the world, and the world’s light to Toronto.

WOOFSTOCK!

June 12th and 13th

From the website:

http://www.woofstock.ca/ini.html

When Woofstock launched in 2003, the Toronto Star called it “the summer of canine love”.  What else can you call 300,000 dog lovers and their four-footed friends coming together each year for this wildly popular doggie love-in!

Woofstock is the largest outdoor festival for dogs in all of North America. One year it was beamed around the world on CNN for the entire weekend.

The Heel ‘n’ Wheel-a-Thon

June 13th

From the website:

http://www.heelnwheelathon.ca/EN/about/index.html

The Heel ‘n’ Wheel-a-Thon is the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada’s (CCFC’s) most energetic and fun fundraising events. Strap on your skates, hop on your bike, or lace up your walking shoes and join the thousands of Canadians  at almost 80 locations across the country who will be using their heels or wheels to raise money to find a cure for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Every year, thousands of Canadians in almost 80 locations across the country walk, run, ride, in-line skate, skip… anything that uses their heels or wheels to raise money to find a cure for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

CCFC funded IBD research has confirmed what we have suspected for years – Canada has one of the highest rates for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the world and those rates are increasing. In fact, one in 160 Canadians is affected by Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The Heel ‘n’ Wheel-a-Thon is a great way to spread awareness of IBD and raise much needed funds to continue essential CCFC funded research programs.

HOPE Volleyball Tournament Toronto

June 12th

From the web:

http://www.hopevolleyball.ca/tournament-info/general-info.html

How To Get There
The Queen’s Quay ferry terminal is located at the foot of Bay Street, behind the Harbour Castle Westin Hotel. Be sure to take the Centre Island ferry or you’ll have a long walk to the tournament.

Centre Island Ferry
Departure times: 8:00 a.m. and every 30 minutes thereafter Ferry tickets can be purchased in advance or arrive 15 minutes before departure. We recommend that your team depart from the ferry docks at least 1 hour before your scheduled game time.  Please note, it is very busy in the morning at the docks, so you may likely need to catch a subsequent ferry due to congestion.

Prices (prices subject to change by City of Toronto)

Food
The island is a perfect place for a picnic and there will be lots of picnic tables available for your use during the day. For those of you who prefer, the island food vendor (not affiliated with HOPE) will also be on site serving up hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and salads.

The TRAILBLAZER’S Annual “Blaze-a-Thon” Ride and Picnic

June 12th

From the web:

http://www.torontotrailblazers.org/blaze-a-thon.html

Join the TRAILBLAZERS’ Tandem Cycling Club for our biggest event of the year! This year, we will be combining our annual picnic and fundraiser together on one special day! Support us by joining the “Blaze-a-Thon” fundraiser ride or come out and enjoy some food, fun and games at our annual picnic.
Both single riders and tandem teams are welcome on the ride, and two different ride options are available to suit various skill and endurance levels. You can choose to attend the 50 km morning ride at 8:00 am, 25 km afternoon ride at 1:00pm or just come for our picnic lunch at 12:00 pm

MEC PaddleFest

June 12th and 13th

From the web:

http://www.mec.ca/Main/content_text.jsp?bmLocale=en&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302887491&bmUID=1275923140733

MEC Paddlefest is a celebration of Paddlesports in a variety of forms. The festival features over 120 water and land workshops suitable for people who have never been in a boat before, right through to expert paddlers wanting to fine tune their skills.

Port Union Waterfront Festival

June 12th

From the web:

http://www.waterfrontpark.ca/events.html

Events and Activities

• Ferris Wheel
• Scrambler
• Firefighter’s Bouncer, and other bouncers and games
• Face Painting by Storefront
• Entertainment at the amphitheatre
• BBQ with Enbridge with large hot dogs and pop, popcorn and snow cones
• 5KM Walk/Run, 10KM run. Register through the Running Room.
• Fire truck, Energy Martial Arts, Hawkshadow (Teepee)
• East Scarborough Boys and Girls Club Mobility Unit
• Community Information Tables
• Interactive tables from Waste Diversion and Toronto & Region Conservation Authority
• Passport for children with prizes
• East Enders Car Club display

The Ride to Conquer Cancer

June 12th – June 13th

From the web:

http://to10.conquercancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=to10_homepage

Think of it as a history-making opportunity for you to do something big about cancer, something epic. Like cycling from Toronto to Niagara Falls in two days – June 12-13, 2010. Sure, it sounds like a lot… and it’s meant to be. The conquest of cancer is a monumental task and won’t be easy. But make no mistake, this event isn’t just for athletes or cycling enthusiasts. The Ride to Conquer Cancer^® is for anyone who wants to challenge themselves for a great cause. Even people who haven’t ridden since they were twelve. All you need is motivation, a bike, and a helmet. The rest is history. Be part of it.

TELUS Walk for Diabetes

June 13th

From the web:

http://www.jdrf.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=AE81CBCB-CF1C-2465-1B09A2A6D4A3AB28

Streetsville Memorial Park, Mississauga
Enjoy a leisurely 5km walk along the scenic Credit River

Registration & Start
Registration: 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
TELUS Walk: 10:00 a.m.

Rain or Shine!
Join participants from family and corporate teams on this fun-filled day in support of diabetes research. With fantastic entertainment, great music, sponsor booths, a delicious lunch and giveaways, you don’t want to miss out!

Interview with Cayleigh Parrish – The SPORT Gallery

The SPORT Gallery is a great little stomping ground located in the Historic Distillery District downtown Toronto. Representing all things vintage, it’s a revival and hat’s off to the trail blazer’s of some of North America’s favorite past time sports. The gallery offers magazine prints from the 40′s, 50′s, 60′s and 70′s with images of some of the most influential and life changing sports moments and athletes.  I had the opportunity to chat with Cayleigh Parrish over the phone, daughter of the one of the resident owners and gatekeeper to the wonderful treasures offered within.

Here are some interesting facts about the gallery:

Most popular item:

Boys of Summer (pictured below)

Number of prints in archive: 250,000

Number of prints rotated currently: 40

Classic Customer: Men in their 50′s wanting to have a keepsake from the good ole days

Prints are rotated: every 3 months, 5 prints come down, 5 new ones go up

Online prints to select from: Currently 40, but with plans to house 1,000 by summer’s end.

Primary market: Most sales are to the U.S with baseball as the most popular sport, in Toronto it’s mainly hockey

Clothing Lines:

Staying true to vintage, they carry,

1. Ebbets Field Flannels: Authentic Vintage Apparel from Minor and Negro Leagues from early to mid 1900s
specializing in exact reproductions of flannels, ball-caps, and jackets – plus some quirky t-shirts with logos
from those same teams.

2. Mitchell & Ness: Major League Teams hoodies, jackets, caps, tees.

3. Old Time Hockey: With a focus on the Alumni Collection of the great players, as well as the Original Six teams.

4. PF Flyers: The re-issue of the original basketball shoe from 50s and 60s with some great modern styles as well.

5. CB Collection: Canada Basketball’s 5 Limited Edition T-shirts with 10% of proceeds going to benefit
the Canadian Basketball Foundation

Biggest surprise purchase: One customer came in and bought 8 prints to redecorate his basement one Christmas

Father’s Day Plans: There will be a father’s day sale starting by the weekend, Father’s Day cards, and themed baskets

Future of the gallery: There are lots of exciting new developments such as, pulling in more prints from the archive for display/purchase,  more upcoming exhibitions from local artists, growth of the vintage clothing lines and who knows, perhaps an alignment with existing Toronto Teams

All in, Cayleigh was delightful to speak with. You can sense the excitement when you speak to her about the gallery and the future prospects it has to offer. Personally, I plan to take a look and see if I can locate some Bobby Orr or vintage Bruins images.

The SPORT Gallery via web: http://www.thesportgallery.com/index.html

Address: 5 Mill St., Building 32, Suite 103.
Toronto, ON, M5A 3C4

Phone: (416) 861-8514

Welcome Angela Wagner! Sherpa for: Weekend Warriors

Sherpa for the :  “Weekend Warriors”

About me in four Sentences: I am a Kinesiologist and Sport Marketer who loves trying new things, learn new skills, challenge myself, meet new people, play outside and have fun.

Passion in Life:  Sports & nature.

Worst/Funniest Sherpa Experience: 6am Western triathlon team spin practice on a cold winter morning. Pounding through a particularly tough workout when I notice black oil smeared on my right leg, and continued concentrating on following our coach’s directions. Minutes later a bolt from my spin bike flies across the floor. At this point, I weigh the pros and cons of stopping; however it is way too early and I am severely under caffeinated, so I peddle harder. One stroke, two stroke, piercing scream- oh, wait? That’s me screaming,  right leg high in the air parallel to my handlebars, with my right foot secure underneath Velcro, and the peddle still attached to the long metal rod, long metal rod definitely not attached to bike whatsoever and waving around mid air. I must say that the most embarrassing part of the whole “unfortunate bike incident” was that my coach had me continue to pedal with one foot, holding my right leg up at a very awkward angle while he taught our team and fixed my bike at the same time with his toolbox. Some traces of black oil can still be found on my favourite race tee to this day as a memento of my funniest experience.

Suga too much for Rampage

As UFC 114 ended “Suga” Rashad Evans had his hand raised to end one of the biggest rivalries in the UFC. After all of the smack talk and exchange between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Suga” Rashad Evans the fight ended in a unanimous decision. After all the hype the fight did not live up to the extremely high hopes. Rashad Dominated the fight winning all three rounds and only getting in trouble once in the third round when Jackson connected with a right hand to Rashad Evans temple. Other than that one punch Quinton looked shocked from the 1^st round when he was rocked by Rashad. Overall Quinton was over matched by Rashad. In my scorecard Evans was the winner by a score of 30-27.

The rest of the matches were mediocre at best although some new talent did shine through including Jason Brilz, John Hathaway, and Mike Russow. The night ended with 2 KOs, 1 TKO, 1 Submission, 6 Unanimous Decision, and 1 Split Decision.  Ryan Jensen took home $65,000 for Submission of the Night after defeating Jesse Forbes via Guillotine. Knockout of the Night went to Mike Russow after his 3^rd round knockout of Todd Duffee. Finally the last bonus went to Jason Brilz and Antionio Rogerio Nogueira.

Here are the complete Results

“Suga” Rashad Evans def. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

(Unanimous Decision)

Michael “The Count” Bisping def. Dan Miller

(Unanimous Decision)

Mike Russow def. Todd Duffee

(KO, 3^rd Round)

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Jason “Hitman” Brilz

(Split Decision)

John “The Hitman” Hathaway def. Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez

(Unanimous Decision)

Dong “Stun Gun” Hyun Kim def. Amir Sadollah

(Unanimous Decision)

Efrin “Hecho en Mexico” Escudero def. Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon

(Unanimous Decision)

Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard def. Waylon Lowe

(KO, 1^st Round)

Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate def. Luiz “Banha” Kane

(TKO, 1^st Round)

Aaron Riley def. Joe “The South Side Strangler” Brammer

(Unanimous Decision)

Ryan Jensen def. Jesse Forbes

(Guillotine, 1^st Round)

Take-Off Trauma! (And how not to get caught in it)

It’s no secret that airports are obsessed with security nowadays. They are risking a lot when sending so many people up in the air everyday and have to do a lot security checks, both of their planes and of the people, and it’s stressful for all parties. While traveling with a friend, we managed to get through the Toronto airport fine, later we’d get through the Frankfurt airport with no difficultly at all. But in Montreal they were serious about their metal detector checks. I was clean, but friend was not. They made her clear her pockets, remove her shoes and belt. And even then she still dinged. After being searched with a hand-held device, she believed she had solved the problem.

“Maybe it’s the under-wire of my bra?” The stern airport authority scrunched her face and thought for a moment.

“Can I check?” she said in a thick Quebecois accent.

“What?”, my friend cried in embarrassment as she looked around at the rest of our class, but it was too late. The airport attendant had already grabbed her shirt and taken a peek. Satisfied, she let my blushing friend through. So here are some tricks to stay calm:

Always make sure you give yourself lots an lots of time. Get to big international airports a few hours before the flight. If everything goes smoothly, then great! Take some time to shop and eat – plane food may be awful, but most international airports have some nice restaurants for pre-departure meals

If you have adjoining flights, make sure you give yourself lots time in between as well. At least one hour, I’d recommend. I had forty minutes between my flight from Montpellier-Paris and Paris-Dublin …. and I ended up in a lot of trouble.

First my plane was late. Then the men with the staircase to disembark had disappeared. When we did finally get to the terminal, I was in Terminal D and my plane left from Terminal F. That’s a lot of distance to cover through that airport and I had about fifteen minutes to do so. At that point in time I had a bad left knee too (poorly diagnosed by a French doctor), so I limped the entire way.

I got to my terminal with only a couple of minutes to spare, and took off in a hurry to my gate. Only to get stopped by a military guard shoving his machine gun into my chest. This was probably one of the scariest experiences in my travels. And it happened twice. After he redirected me, I was yet again stopped by a machine gun and redirected again.

Luckily, I made that plane. Just. I was the last person to board.

Don’t leave anything to question. If you’re unsure, double-check and always read the fine print. My family was in a real fit of fear when they discovered the travel company I had been with had not bought my ticket due to a fee they said we owed for changing my return date. I had been on an exchange and instead of leaving at the end of the program I did a cruise with my family and we’d all go home together. We had done the planning months in advance, but were still left at the airport worrying how I’d get on that plane.

Tip: stay calm. Come prepared. My mother had all the papers for my trip and the ticket when she went for help. The airport attendants were great, and I flew home with my family in the end.

Although for me flying is still a thrill, it can be scary for some people. Make it easy on yourself and the airport attendants. Dress wisely. Something comfortable, no metal. Don’t have change in your pockets, don’t wear a belt. Have medical records if you have braces or metal implants.

If you have to bring any medication (I, for example need my iron pills) put them them in your handbags and have your prescriptions so you can explain to them and don’t get stuck later with the authorities in a little room with your bags trashed and them wondering why you have a sack of pills.

Medication laws are different in various countries. Find out the laws where youare  going and on;t take what’s illegal with you. If you’ll need medication there and run out, make sure you have the proper scientific name translated. Advil won’t always necessarily be Advil.

Luggage laws are different too. Pack as few liquids as possible – you can buy toothpaste and shampoo when you get there. Take as little as you can on the plane with you so you travel as light as possible.

And remember, once your on the plane, you’re off! Have fun.