If This Doesn't Motivate You...

...then you're not "motivate-able!"

Tennis buddies: it's almost time!

The Cruise!

Yes, you eagle-eyed readers are right - it has been some time since I've blogged. Mea culpa! Won't bore you with the details, other than a pledge to get back at it.

What has caused me to get off the dime is a commitment I made to some new friends while on our Caribbean Cruise. After trying to determine how I was going to email videos of our Zip Line tour of the jungle in Belize, I realized this may be the easiest. Since the file sizes are much larger than most email systems can handle, it's merely sending a link to this post.

First, my new friend Les. We had to do some quick planning to make sure we had the camera on the "receiving" platform to get each of us landing. Here's my videography of his "zipography:"

Next, is someone who I am sorry to say, I don't know her name. However, her landing was one we shall all remember. It looks pretty "contained" in this video, but I assure you, it was a bit more "exciting" as she was coming to a stop. Enjoy your movie role!

Last, but not least: me. Les and I were quick enough to swap the camera to that we could get each other in our starring roles. And I mean quick! As you've seen, it didn't take long to get hooked in, zip, unhooked, and off to the next platform. We had to do some creative sequencing with some of our fellow zippers to buy some time between zips, but as Larry the Cable Guy might say, we "got 'er done!"

Les and I decided that when we retire and take over the tourist trade in Belize, we would keep the long bus ride, keep the lunch (not bad, actually), keep Mel (Melanie) as the tour guide, but we would absolutely do the Zipline loop 20 or 30 times (well, maybe 2 or 3) before the long ride back.

Feel free to check back for photos and more commentary.

Dave

Sports Tradition, Superstition, and Habit

Carl Del Souza/AFP/Getty Images

Wimbledon is probably the most storied and tradition-filled institution in the world of sports. The players, the plays, even the weather have played a major role in creating the aura that surrounds the annual event.

The weather is what is causing the latest stir as it relates to the first-ever retractable roof over Center Court. Countless matches have been delayed or postponed over the years, but weather delays look to be no longer served up. Thanks to a 1,000 ton retractable cover with translucent canvas. As you can imagine, purists aren't pleased.

It appears that even Wimbledon struggles with change. How do you approach your sport? Whether you are a pro, avid amateur, or week-end warrior, everyone has their own traditions, superstitions, and habits. Aspects of our game that must stay the same. But which are they and where do the lines blur between them?

As a hockey player back in the day, I had a very specific way in which put on my gear, stretched, warmed up and took practice shots (I was a goalie.) If you were to ask me then, I'd say, "Well, it's a logical series of steps to prepare for the game." Bull. It was all superstition, with maybe a bit of habit thrown in. The only tradition involved was the fact that I did it that way (habitual superstition) for a long time!

What about you? What quirky... er... I mean... interesting rituals do you practice before any sort of sporting participation?

- Do you wear the same socks when you play tennis because they feel the best, or is there a bit of superstition involved?

- At the golf course, do you hit a bucket of balls before your round to "warm up" or is it more traditional for you?

- When you go for a run, do you listen to the same kind of music each time because it puts you "in the groove" or are you simply a creature of habit?

It's OK to come clean. This is a (relatively) anonymous forum.

Dave

Pittsburgh Penguins Claim Stanley Cup

Yes, the tuxedo trimed birds claimed the Stanley Cup on a foreign ice flow, winning the famed 7th game in rival Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. The Pittsburgh Penguins: you have to like a bird that dresses for dinner. How can you not want them to succeed? Didn't you see March of the Penguins?

Stanley Cup Finals; 7th Game; down to the wire: what all hockey players use as a backdrop for street hockey (shinny for you purists) games to build drama.

But the drama is something that most people never experience. I've of course never experienced Stanley Cup success, except for when it came through town a few years ago and was able to visit, touch the names and marvel at its presence. As a long time, but quite "previous" hockey player, I get a chill when I see the cup and experienced a thrill when I got to touch it.

But this accomplishment begs a question: if you have achieved a "championship" in any fashion, do you re-connect to that time when you see a team or individual achieve that milestone? Do you (at least temporarily) live vicariously through them? As someone who has experienced several championships in my youth as a hockey player, I can attest to the fact that there are not may other feelings quite as fulfilling.

What's your experience? Have you achieved "championship" status in any endevor? Was it individual or a team accomplishment? Do you relive it with the same passion when you see current teams do the same?

I need to know if I'm the execption, or the rule.

Thanks,

Dave