EVENT # 20 BEACH SPORTS (July 30)

Well it is REALLY hard to try to play a true sport when you are on a 5 day vacation to the beach!  Most people just want to relax and let the waves crash over their feet.   But with this challenge I have set before me, I had to get creative.  I had thought about a variety of options, none of which I felt were solid enough to include alone.  So I created a SPORTS COMBO DAY at the beach.  I started out Saturday morning doing something that is a little "different" and new for me.  It is called funcycling or recumbent biking on the beach.  It is kind of like a big wheel that you control with your body.  I biked several miles up and down the beach as loungers were soaking up the rays.  It's just as well since I would be sitting around burning and not tanning!  Upon returning, I got engaged in a quick game of paddleball with my wife and a good round of bocce ball with the kids.  Then after a fun afternoon of boogie boarding with the boys out in the water, we went in for some much needed rest and then back out in the evening for the classic beach sport of Putt-Putt.  I knocked in a few hole in ones as did my 5 and 8 year old.  Not the toughest competition of the summer but I think I made it work.  Now on to the last third of my challenge.

EVENT # 19 TRACK AND FIELD (July 25)

I was back on my feet today thankfully.  I was able to get connected with the Sprints and Hurdles coach, Coach Vaught, at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where I teach part time.  He invited me to practice tonight with a group called the Carolinas Track and Field Club.  This club is designed for ages 30 and up and apparently there are some competitors in their 80's and 90's.  THAT IS MY GOAL!!  I was told for only $20 you can come out and join the team and participate in major events such as sprints, hurdling, relays, shot put, and all the other events involved with Track.  Tonight I began my training with an AWESOME dynamic warm up which included some jogging, skipping, squats, forward and backward walking lunges, and grapevines (sideway motion).  The coach then engaged us in three 50 meter sprints in which I finished.....well let's just say 8th place.  I was then trained individually by one of the members of the team with hurdles and was made aware very quickly that track runners do NOT wear basketball shorts or New Balance running shoes.  So I was not prepared completely but I began working on walking over hurdles, which then let to running over hurdles.  And as you can tell on the video, my hurdle was just a little bit shorter than the one next to it.  Yes it was the girls hurdle and also the above 60 age group hurdle.  I was just getting in shape for that.....in 23 years from now.  Anyway, I raised the hurdle up to mens level and thought it might just be easier to go UNDER but that is not allowed.  So THANK YOU COACH VAUGHT AND THE CAROLINAS TRACK CLUB for a great experience in my event # 19.

http://www.carolinastrackandfield.org/

EVENT # 18 ROLLERBLADING (July 24)

OK, here's the story.  I was about 13 years old and on a middle school church snow skiing retreat.  As my ski lift approached the top of the mountain, I attempted to get off and fell right in front of all the other lifts coming by.  I couldn't get up and the guy standing there just looked at me!  Then it took me about 2 hours to get down the mountain!  Needless to say, I DO NOT LIKE THINGS UNDER MY FEET!  I have never been good at skating, rollerskating, skiing, etc.  So tonight, I went out to my garage and dusted off an old pair of rollerblades that have been stored away for years and got completely padded up to face my fears.  I would absolutely LOVE to be able to skate freely and fast but as you can see, I look more like Frankenstein walking.  So after a few falls, I got back up and SLOWLY made it down the street.  I need some real coaching in this area.  Not one of my best events this summer but I tried and don't ever forget that lesson boys and girls.

EVENT # 17 RUGBY (July 21)

Today was the first day that I was feeling a little exhaustion from this challenge.  Maybe it was the heat.  My recovery time has been great though.  I thought I would be hurting after kayak polo the other night but I woke up feeling pretty good.  Things changed quickly tonight as I participated in Touch Rugby.  Let me put the emphasis on "touch", which is a good thing.  My energy came back to me tonight as I was once again thrown into a sport in which I have never played.  I was invited by a guy named Adam Angulo, who is also a parent at my school.  He runs the Matthews Rugby Club (for ages 6-18) in Matthews, NC.  Find him at:  www.matthewsrugbyclub.com.    He is located with his son on the picture.
My friend Jason accompanied me again for this adventure tonight.  He is the one in the blue and I'm the one with gray hair making a pass.  You may wonder why I'm passing backwards but that is the way rugby is played.  Tough concept to grasp but basically it is a non-stop running game in which players pass the ball  at an angle behind them to their teammates as they advance toward their goal.  I don't want to explain too much more because I was trying to grasp the whole concept myself.   I did have one pass bounce off my head because I was not in position and ready for it and I dropped a few along the way but overall it was a really great workout and fun!  THANKS TO ADAM AND RUGBY GUYS for not only allowing me to play but to participate in a safer and modified version of rugby so I can try to make it to event 18.
http://www.matthewsrugbyclub.com/

MY OPINION!

Someone asked me if I saw the women's soccer game the other day.  As much as I would support that, I haven't watched ANYTHING this summer!  I've been too busy playing and I 'm realizing now how much better that is than getting bogged down with all of this nonsense in Pro and College sports right now.  We have NFL lockouts, the NBA looking bleak for next season, and multiple colleges on probation.  Do you want something that is satisfying?
GET OUT AND PLAY!!!

EVENT # 16 KAYAK POLO (July 19)

So I decided to combine two of my favorite activities into one.  Kayak Polo is basically kayaking and basketball combined on the water.  Sounds easy?  This was by far one of the most physically draining and challenging sports so far.  And I was sitting the whole time!  The club's name is the Carolina Kayak Polo Club and they play at McDowell Nature Preserve.  Find them at:  http://www.carolinakayakpolo.org/.  I was invited by Adam, who is a parent at my school.  He has been playing for years now and took the time to introduce me to this incredible sport.  I started out just learning how to put on the equipment (helment, life jacket, and a skirt??)  You just have to experience it if you want to know what a skirt is.  Once I got locked into place, the paddling came naturally to me, until it was game time!  Then, just like in lacrosse, I was thrown into a real game and there were not enough people to sub in.  So I played four games at about 20 minutes each.  Beside the little bit of pain in my lower back and hamstrings, I was getting a heck of an upper body workout.  So basically, in a nutshell, Kayak Polo is kayaking back and forth from goal to goal trying to THROW a ball into your goal while being defended by the other team.  So you can imagine that things can get ugly and FUN!!  I describe it as intense bumper boats....at least that is what I did a lot of.  There is dribbling which is basically throwing the ball ahead of you and paddling up to it.  You can carry the ball under your arm while paddling and you can pass the ball in the air or give a lead pass to your teammates as you break for the goal.  Because I got totally immersed into this sport so quickly, I WAS able to attempt several shots, actually about 5 or so.  I did make 2 shots for my team.  The guys were going easy on me though but it was a blast!  Oh and by the way, I only flipped over twice which made for a nice refreshing dip in the water on a 95 degree night on the lake!  The guys came to my rescue and I was able to pull myself out quickly with only a little embarrassment.  THANK YOU POLO GUYS and thank you Adam for you time.  I will definitely try this one again!
http://www.carolinakayakpolo.org/

HALFTIME SPEECH: "PUT ME IN COACH.....I'M READY TO PLAY"

First of all, let me say how blessed I feel to have been healthy enough to participate in 15 events so far.  I really hope to finish this thing by Labor Day, which will put me at 30 sports in 90 days.  It as been as much fun to play these sports as it has to search for them.  It is kind of like finding a good deal.  So far, after 15 events now, I have only spent $50 and that was the birthday gift to my wife for ballroom dance lessons.  My goal is to spend as little as possible to prove that there are free and cheap things to do to stay active.  Most people think you have to pay hugh fees to play in a league.  It just takes some pre-planning and a simple question of asking "Can I Play?"

HOW DID I COME UP WITH THIS CHALLENGE?
Again, I was inspired by this video:  http://eas.com/unstoppabletour
I wanted to try this but modify it for the "average joe" who works and has a family and obligations.  So I picked a season of my life (summer) where I knew I could devote some energy into this and with the support of my wife....I think, I have been playing and blogging all summer.  I also have been mulling over this idea for a while now.  I wanted to try a workout that focused on cross-training, very similar to that show Shaq Vs.  Remember how he was trying to get into shape for the NBA and decided to cross train by competing against other athletes?  He was not afraid of failing.  He just enjoyed the art of competing and playing.  That is what I have focused on so far.

WHERE IS THIS GOING?

Hopefully to 30!  Maybe 31 since it has been noted that walking Disney was NOT a sport.  I agree.  I should have used a pedometer on those days to tally my steps.  Then it would have been interesting.  Anyway, I really hope to inspire my own two boys by doing this so that they will have a desire to get out and play as well as my 500 students at my elementary school.  I have quite a few things to tell them when we get back to school and ask that famous question, "What did you do this Summer?"