POP TENNIS

                                           

   POP TENNIS

I am still amazed five years after starting my 30 sport challenge that I am still finding new and modified versions of different sports being played in the Charlotte, NC region.  Today I met Mark who is trying to drum up business for the game of Pop Tennis.  He can be found at Carolina Pop Tennis on Facebook.  I, of course, was instantly drawn to learning a new sport when I saw him interviewed on a news show so I contacted him to learn this new game, which is really another version of Paddle Tennis that is popular out in California.  So what is POP tennis?  Think smaller court dimensions of tennis, shorter implements to strike the ball, and a different racket head texture. The ball itself is can be a real tennis ball but is used after it is poked with a pin to let the air out.  So the ball is slightly slower which will allow for longer rallies.  This leads to a great workout! And there is NO overhand serve so you start the game underhand.  This was the best feature for me since I usually get smoked on the serves and I just do the side shuffle back and forth on the baseline as I get beat by opponents in real tennis.  So why is it called POP?  Striking the ball gives a very unique popping sound as you rally back and forth on the court. There might be other reasons for the name but that makes sense to me.  Thanks Mark for a new sport that I will definitely be playing again.  Check out more details at: http://poptennis.com.

Trampolining

Trampolining at Sky High Sports

Don't need to explain much here except this 41 year old can still mimic a "Jordan"!

Thanks Sky High Sports in Pineville, NC for letting me jump with my family and allowing me to be a kid again!  There are trampolines everywhere for free jumping, flipping, jamming a basketball and even dodgeball. And YES the Trampoline IS a competitive Olympic sport.

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Work out with Jillian Michaels!

                                     

Wow this just got interesting!!  I was attending a conference in Washington D.C. to receive an award for my school and guess who showed up....Jullian Michaels.  She held a private workout for some teachers and I got to participate.  Lucky me....if you consider doing this lucky! This is the first time I have actually participated in a sport with a national celebrity.  As most of you know, Michaels is a well known fitness trainer that is part of the Biggest Loser phenomenon.  She led us in cardio strength exercises that wiped us out but I held my own, I'm proud to say.  Of course I HAD to take a few breaks to video this awesome experience, at least that was my excuse. Other than that, my legs were burning, I was huffing and puffing and working up a great sweat....which is my motto so I was enjoying myself quite a bit.  She definitely was motivating and very entertaining to watch (I mean work out with).  The best part was to occasionally look behind me at the other health professionals with looks of "I love this but when is it going to be over"!!  My favorite exercise by the way.....can I count stretching at the end!  Thanks Jullian for a great surprise.

Kubb

Kubb

This is my new summer game this year!  Pronounced like the word cube but not quite.  This is a great lawn game that in my opinion is better than corn hole.  It has cornhole elements but a lot of strategy.  It apparently has roots back to the Viking age, which is why is is also known as Viking Chess.  Blocks are placed at both ends of the court and the king block in the middle.  The object of the game is to knock over the blocks on the opposing side and then knock over the king before the opponent does.  Games can last anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour.  My game lasted close to 40 minutes in my friends back yard on a beautiful Carolina summer night.
Oh and I didn't have to buy anything either.
Just pvc pipes and wood laying around my garage did just fine!

BADMINTON

Today I decided to return to the same place that I had played table tennis to try another net game called Badminton.  It was definitely hard to walk back into the Hawthorne Rec Center after embarrassing myself last week on "the table" but I thought surely this might be better.  After all, the birdie is a little slower and easier to track, right??  Well, I was again met by some great individuals who introduced me to the game.  I watched for a few minutes and then got the honor of playing doubles with a gentleman who has been playing since the 70's.  We started a little rallying back and forth and I was feeling pretty good.  I was able to keep it going much longer than that ping pong ball last week.  And then I was asked to play in a real game!  YES!  I was excited until......they started picking on me.  I served the shuttlecock (official name for birdie) across the net and was quite proud that it went over.  Then it came back.....and landed on the floor!  I was told that I was admiring my serve and that I should have been getting in better position.  I knew that but apparently my body did not, so I just stood there!  With a little gentle yelling from my teammate with his accent from England, I began to move around more.  It was great to be coached by him especially since the game came from England.  I have tough skin and besides, that is the whole point of my challenge to be thrown into a game.  We lost the game 21-13 and then my teammate told me to come into the side room.  I thought he was going to yell at me and I prepared myself by walking slow but in fact he took the time to show me the correct striking techniques.  He spent a few minutes helping me out and then told me that basically "no offense but I was not ready for a game".  And he was correct.  I stood around and watched the other games being played and was again in awe of the POWER and speed of the game.  What a great feeling it must be to just slam the shuttlecock with control back and forth across the net.  And it too makes a great sound as it comes off the racket whiffing through the air.  Thanks to Jim and everyone else at the Charlotte Badminton Club for allowing me to try yet another sport in this great city of Charlotte.  What a cool thing they have going at the rec center and I will be back one day after some well deserved practice!

Table Tennis!

Today I visited the Charlotte Table Tennis Club that meets at the Hawthorne Rec Center and quickly realized that this was NOT ping pong!  This was official table tennis and not for the lighthearted.  This was serious stuff.  I was greeted by some individuals who have been around table tennis in the Charlotte area for over 30 years.  They allowed me to hit around with them and I kept wondering when they would actually invite me to start a game.  I now understand why they did not since I was told that there is "nothing right about my game"!  There goes an ego buster!  But that is what my challenge is all about.  Throw me in a game and lets see what happens.......most of the time I'm humiliated and tonight was no different.  I did get to play a match with a gentleman that was new to the game but even he defeated me all three sets.  I was stiff, awkward, and most of the time off rhythm.  I looked in awe at all the other tables that displayed that beautiful "click, click" sound of the ball bouncing in perfect harmony.  I was so eager to be able to rally a ball like that.  With that said, I truly appreciate my chance to be in the same room with tournament players but now it's back to my garage......where I am CHAMPION of the table!!

4.0 for 40

I never proclaimed myself as a runner but I have definitely begun to enjoy it a little more this past year.  Today I took an idea from my wife's aunt who said she is going to run 7 miles upon turning 70. So I had to up my game from my 2-3 mile runs to 4.0 for my age 40 today!  All I can say is bring on 50!!

40!!

My challenge got revved up again in 2014 and brought my 30 sport challenge from the summer of 2011 up to 40 sports!!  I never envisioned this and there is still more to go!  How appropriate for my 40th birthday year!

FENCING

Today was another good day.  I have been trying for years to learn Fencing, one of the original Olympic Sports, and I finally got connected with Charlotte Fencing Academy.  Brian Toomey came out to my school for a "learn Fencing in an hour" session which prepared me for my first ever duel.  Speaking of duel, I found it interesting to learn the history of Fencing, which involved originally dueling to the death!  Luckily, society decided that was not the best idea.  After an explanation of all the basics, it was time to get real and get the equipment on.  I placed several layers of what looked like a straight jacket on, gloves, and a face mask with a metal screen.  I was actually dizzy looking out of it at first.  I was ready to poke someone nonetheless!  And then Brian approached me for my first practice.  I'm not going to lie to you, I was a little nervous when a guy with a dark screened mask approached me with a sword or foil as it is called.  Even though he assured me that Fencing is one of the safest sports around, a foil pointing at you is a little unnerving.  I, however, had a foil as well and was ready to lunge.  I paired up with some of our staff members in a one on one match to the death.....or to the poke.  Yes I got poked a few times but scored a few of my own as well.  This was a lot of fun today.  I loved the sound of the foils clinking together and the thrill of the one on one competition.  Thanks again Brian  for teaching me a new sport!

Nascar Racing....riding

My challenge really got "revved" up today as I participated in the Nascar Racing experience at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  I was able to ride alongside a professional driver or at least that is what I called him since we were literally inches I think from the wall at 185 miles an hour on the track.  I tried to get a video but it is hard to work a phone at that speed.  So what did I take from this experience....... Racing IS A SPORT!!!  No doubt.  What an exhilarating experience going that fast and we were not even in a race.  How do those drivers do it and come away unharmed.  Unbelievable.  Besides the gas fumes in my face for all of  3 minutes, the ride was incredible and I think I am finally a race fan now after growing up in a racing town.

SQUASH!

Today was a great day.  Another sport learned!  As you know, my whole mission is to find new and upcoming sports and activities that keep our community active.  And here is a great one, Squash.  What is it?? Well I always hate to compare sports.  Most passionate players of sport do not want to be compared to something else and squash is a very popular sport from England in and of itself.  But to be honest it is very similar to Racquetball.  After reading about a group starting a Squash club in Charlotte, I had to try it out.  I took my kids and some friends to participate in their open house today.  I was ready  to "squash" some competition.........ok, moving on.   However, with most things I've played, I was challenged.  So after one day of playing a pick up game at the Charlotte Squash Club's new and beautiful facility, here is what I know.

Squash uses longer rackets than racquetball, has a smaller and slower ball, is played on a shorter court but a similar width court as racquetball, and the scoring is to 11, not 15.

I really liked this sport.  I read that in 2003, it was ranked the #1 healthiest sport to play.  I definitely worked up a sweat in the few minutes playing on court and I really felt more successful at it than racquetball, which means I was able to track the slower moving ball better in this sport.  

And it didn't hurt that I won a raffle at the open house and selected a brand new racket and my sons won a ball and protection glasses!  BONUS!

Thank you Jim for letting me try a new sport today!

FOOTGOLF....what?

So this is what I REALLY LOVE about my challenge, finding new and interesting ways of playing games and being active.  Yes, this is a combination of GOLF and SOCCER!  And what a perfect time now since the World Cup is over and I'm still interested in soccer at the moment.  So I discovered this game called Footgolf, which is a part of the American Footgolf League.  I used to call it Soccer Golf.  Yes I have actually played this game with my students before but never thought it could be a "real" sporting or recreational event.  So a friend of mine and I found a golf course in Charlotte called Sunset Hills Golf course and they have designed a 9 hold course.  The rules are very similar to golf......basically how few times you can kick the ball to get it to the flag and hole.  Oh and by the way, the hole is BIG enough for a size 5 soccer ball to roll into.  Or in our case, big enough for it to be filled with water and crickets and frogs.  Hey I always like a little nature in my adventures.  So as we approached the first tee, we placed our soccer ball down and took a 90 degree step back as they do in american football, ran up and kicked as hard as we could down the fairway.  The first 5 holes or so we just didn't know quite what to think.  But as we worked harder on our short game it became much more exciting to PUTT the ball with the inside of our foot to watch it roll right into the hole.  And that was COOL!  I really like this new sport.  In fact, this is definitely going down on my top 5 list so far of most fun games.  Thanks to Sunset Hills Golf for hosting this game at your course!

Ran 5K with my son

Believe it or not, in 30 + sports, I have not written about running.  I didn't think going for a quick run around the neighborhood really counted as a sport.  A 5K, though, is a definitely a good event to count.  I have run several 5K's in the past but this time was a little more special since I ran with my 11 year old son for the first time.  I was very proud of him for finishing the run in around 38 minutes, I typically will run in under 30 minutes but I wanted us to finish across the finish line at the same time.  I think he was proud of himself and I definitely was.

CURLING!

HAPPY WINTER OLYMPICS!  I seem to be on a little roll all of the sudden in 2014 with finding new sports to play.  Last night I learned the olympic sport of Curling.  By now, everyone should know something about this sport but if not.....here goes.  A sport that was created in the 1500's in Scotland, actually came to the U.S. near New York first and then ended up huge in Canada.  Not a high endurance game but definitely one of great skill.  I am practicing here with two curling rocks but during a game you will "throw" (roll) one at a time over 145 feet across the ice while your teammates "sweep" the ice to create a smooth surface for continued motion.  If you can land it in the target (I'm in one on my side), then you have a chance of scoring.....think bocce ball on ice??

Anyway THANKS again to EXTREME ICE for their classes on Curling!

Pickleball

Thanks to NANO Sports in Matthews, I have been able to try a new sport that I haven't played since learning about it in college.  This is an indoor version of tennis played with a small wiffle ball and a paddle.  You can play singles or doubles.  It is an easier version of tennis but is still challenging and can give you a pretty good workout.  A lot of people say it is becoming popular in the retirement community but I'm here to tell you that I played against someone close to my age and got beat consistently today, especially on backhand!  Thanks Nano!!

POLAR PLUNGE....well kind of!

Well after convincing my friend's dad to open his pool on New Year's Day, we embarked on our first ever Polar Plunge, in the pool that is.  Most people do this in open water but this was a good start.  The water temp was at a cool 50 degrees but it felt like freezing to me.  As soon as I hit the water, I lost my breath and had to push on through.  The rule was that we had to swim down and back in the pool.  I was cold for days!!

Lessons for my Students

There has been a renewed interest in my blog recently since I was nominated a finalist as Teacher of the Year in my school district.  I haven't written very much about the impact of this blog on my students that I teach, but it has been so incredible to share this with them.  Here are some of the lessons and teaching moments that have come up over the last two years in relation to my blog:

-Yes, there are 30 sports.......and MORE!

-If you want to play something, then you need to just ASK the question "Can I Play".  This is a new rule at our recess that students must ask and be allowed to play.

-Cricket is not a bug, at least in the world of sports.  I created a unit of instruction on the sport of Cricket and not only did it teach my students about the sport, but it taught a lot about different countries and multi-cultural exposure.

-I have also taught Lacrosse, Golf, Basketball, Disc Golf, Dance, Modified Rugby, and Ultimate Frisbee since this blog was started.

-One of my students actually took a modified version of my challenge himself....30 sports that he played!  Way to go Scott!

-Students think it is funny that I fell down rollerblading....of course they did.

-I have collaborated with my music teacher this year to bring our students better instruction in DANCE and my students know that I danced as one of my sports, so they REALLY had no excuse!

-We now have disc golf goals and basketball goals installed at our school.  Thanks PTA!

-Sports are fun but so is PLAY.  Don't forget about the VALUE in just creative play that children can do in their backyard.  This is one of the reasons we have a new creative play area at my school!

Great View!

Come on warm weather!  A little chilly out on Lake Norman today.

Caribbean Paddleboarding

Look what I did last week to break up the winter blues!

BROOMBALL

Well due to work and family obligations, I did not complete a challenge last summer but.....I have found a new sport and just had to try it out.

Thanks to Extreme Ice Center again in Indian Trail, I was able to feel like a real ice hockey player.  As you know, I looked pretty awkward on ice skates during my original challenge but I have discovered the game of Broomball!  In this game, I wore specialized rubber shoes that help to stay up and running on the ice.  We play with a 7' rubber ball and use sticks that have something like a plastic web on the end of them.  The game is similar to ice hockey but played without skates and with a ball.  This is certainly a new and exciting game to play and is definitely a GREAT alternative for someone like me who cannot skate well.  Thanks to Mondo at Extreme Ice for hooking me up with this sport.  I ended up playing pickup for a few weeks at the center.