let the games begin!
—
“a lifetime of training for just ten seconds.”
-jesse owens
—
olympic art credit: rachel whiteread
Living room acrobatics earn Peruvian inaugural Balloon World Cup
Anyone who has ever leaped over a couch to prevent a party balloon from touching the living room floor can now dream of parlaying those skills into a World Cup triumph.
Inspired by a series of viral videos and organized by Barcelona soccer playerGerard Pique and internet celebrity Ibla Llanos, the inaugural Balloon World Cup took place in Tarragona on Thursday.
Francesco De La Cruz emerged as the first champion after beating German Jan Spiess 6-2 in the final on a 8×8 meter court littered with living room furniture as well as a small car.
“I am very, very happy, I thank God that I have been able to achieve this,” said the Peruvian teenager.
The rules of the game are simple. Players have to hit the balloon in an upward direction and they score points if their opponent fails to prevent it from touching the ground.
Teams from 32 countries took part including an American team of Antonio and Diego Arredondo, whose videos of the game they played with their sister, Isabel, at home in Oregon were a huge hit on social media and inspired the tournament.
“We played the game as kids, and then, during the start of quarantine for Covid, we wanted to play it again,” Antonio Arredondo told Reuters.
“We started arguing with each other over if it hit the ground or not, so we started taking videos in slow-mo to see if it did, and then finally it got to the point of ‘Let’s post this video of us on Tik-Tok.’
“When I woke up the next morning, it was completely viral, like a million likes, and then after that we just decided to keep playing and played more and more until one of our rounds got the attention of Ibai and Pique.”
Without sport, footballers turned to video games in 2020
Pique, who won a soccer World Cup with Spain in 2010, was delighted with how the inaugural tournament had gone. “It’s been amazing, it’s something totally different, sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone and try new things,” he said.
—
“and with just 4 minutes gone, the score is already 0-0.”
-ian darke
—
credits: reuters
meanwhile in tokyo…
—
“the only victory that counts is the one over yourself”
-jesse owens
—
just another skill
acquired during the pandemic
my son-in-law built an axe throwing target
as something to do for fun
showed me how to throw
i’m definitely not a natural
but kept trying
finally got it to stick
my aim is not great
which might make me
even more dangerous
but that’s for another day.
—
“an axe cuts through a forest not because of its size, but its endurance.”
– matshona dhliwayo
Michigan football wide receiver Ronnie Bell has an epic quarantine workout
Ronnie Bell had a unique routine while quarantining back home in Missouri.
To stay in shape, the Michigan receiver would go outside … and push his family’s Chevy Tahoe around the block.
“I’ve been pushing the cars with my little brothers,” Bell told MGoBlue’s Ed Kengerski. “We’ll take the car outside and put it in neutral and just push it around the neighborhood. “They push the little Lexus and I push the Chevy Tahoe.”
Like many of his teammates, Bell went home for a spell after the coronavirus outbreak forced Michigan to cancel in-person classes and athletic activities, including the Wolverines’ spring practices.
“We were probably a week out from spring ball before everything happened,” he said. “Just kind of had to shift mindsets from getting ready, mentally, for spring ball, getting all excited for spring ball, and then having that taken away from you. You’ve got to adjust and adapt to your different circumstances.”
Bell, who is majoring in creative writing, says the shutdown made his academic life more difficult, as it prevented him from participating in office hours with his professors. But he did appreciate the opportunity to go home and spend time with his family, calling the experience “the best thing about” quarantine.
Bell is back in Ann Arbor, where he lives with running back Hassan Haskins and linebacker Cam McGrone.
Does he miss football? “Of course.”
“(I miss) just being around the guys and being around the facility with all the coaches,” Bell said. “Everything about it. You don’t realize how much you were going to miss it until you get it completely taken away from you.”
For now, Bell and his teammates have connected with each other and the coaching staff through Zoom. He says the team has tried to install the offense as best it can through virtual meetings.
Bell, who had 48 catches for 758 yards and a touchdown in 2019, has been watching film on a consistent basis in hopes of improving upon his breakout sophomore year. He says he has gone over film of himself looking at situations in which he could’ve done “something different” or “something more.” He is hoping football will return in the near future.
“Everybody’s just unbelievably excited,” Bell said. “You could tell everybody was just getting antsy and itchy, just to get back to it. Everybody’s on edge because nobody really knows when everything will somewhat go back to normal.
—
“whatever I engage in, I must push inordinately.”
-andrew carnegie
—
credits: orion sang, detroit free press, ed kengerski, mgoblue.com
‘ESPN to televise stone skipping competition from Mackinac Island. And I’m not kidding.’
– d.m.
—
“all sports for all people.”
*Pierre de Coubertin
—
*Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (French) 1863 – 1937, (also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin) was a French educator and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and its second President.
—
credits: dave millar, roger priebe, mackinac island dockporters association
Mackinac Island, Michigan, USA – Spring 2020
to say that the detroit lions
have not played like a top tier team in a long time
is an understatement.
I found this display
in the middle of a big box hardware store
with no explanation
and loved the artistic statement it made.
this still somewhat hopeful
and ever loyal fan
has been waiting quite a long time for a win.
that is strong and that is funny.
—
“i’m a hopeful cynic.”
-tracy chapman
first game of the year
and lots of excitement buzzing around town
most everyone embraces it
even the new arrivals on campus
on sorority/frat row
and the car wash
that stays open and works
while also hosting tailgaters
complete with
buses, games, food, and mini bar
now that’s team spirit.
—
“you are either supporting the vision or supporting division”
― saji ijiyemi