Challenge

Windsurfing Comp LIVE

September 30, 2019 By Zola Zeester 1 Comment

Windsurfing (also known as ‘sailboarding’) is a dynamic, challenging water sport, sometimes described as a cross between surfing and sailing, but the experience of riding a board powered by wind feels more like flying.

It’s fun to watch, too. Experienced windsurfers can perform jumps, inverted loops, spins, and other “freestyle” moves as well as ride the world’s ‘Big Waves’ in lightening fast speeds.

There are 5 main disciplines of competitive windsurfing events held by the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA): Wave, Freestyle, Racing, Super X and Indoor. Freestyle and Wave are judged competitions. Olympic Boardsailing, Formula windsurfing, Slalom and SuperX are group races on a course, and Speed Racing is an individual timed race on a straight 500 meter course.

WATCH LIVE & FREE On2In2™

2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt is one of the biggest and longest running windsurfing events in the world, featuring all three main disciplines, 200,000 spectators on the beach, and some of the most extreme conditions. Disciplines: Slalom, Foil, Wave and Freestyle for Men, Wave only for Women.

If you missed the live stream broadcast, you can watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from event posts located in top right corner of the media player below.

On the island of Gran Canaria, located in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the northwestern coast of Africa, is a special place that’s all about windsurfing — Pozo Izquierdo. It’s one of the best natural areas in the world for windsurfing with strong winds and 1-3 meter waves, and every June-July, the best surfers in the world head there to test their skills and compete in the Gran Canaria Winds and Waves Windsurf World Cup.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of 2019 Gran Canaria Winds and Waves Windsurf World Cup, there’s still time to watch a video recording of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media player below.

Located just off the French coastline of the Mediterranean, Le Jaï, Marignane is a renowned location for slalom windsurfing, and the perfect venue for PWA Tour events. If you missed the 2019 Marignane PWA Windsurfing World Cup live stream broadcast, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts located in the upper right corner of the media player below ↓

If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2019 PWA World Cup freestyle competition hosted on the Dutch Caribbean island, Bonaire, April 9-13, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the event. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from video posts in the top right corner located on the media player below ↓

Watch more great surfing and personal stories on the “Cranking Surf” video channel, a collection of On2In2™ favorite short videos FREE 2 WATCH, On-Demand

FREE To WATCH big wave surfing videos, including the amazing world record Big Wave towed-in ride on an 80′ (24m) wave by Rodrigo Koxa (Guaruja, São Paulo, Brazil) at Nazaré, Portugal on November 8, 2017.

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Photo is courtesy of George Desipris/Unsplash CC0

Mer de Glace

September 24, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is categorized a “valley glacier”, a type of glacier that originates from mountain glaciers and flows down valleys, and located above the Chamonix valley within the Mont Blanc massif mountain range of the French Alps. Formed by the confluence of the Leschaux and Génant glaciers, the Mer de Glace is the longest and largest glacier in France, and one the biggest tourist attractions in the Chamonix valley as it’s accessible by the historic Montenvers Railway (Chemin de fer du Montenvers) and offers spectacular mountain views as well as tours, exhibits, and restaurant/hotel. However, the powerful beauty and recreational benefits of Mer de Glace were not always appreciated.

During the classical and medieval periods of European history, ice was deemed mysterious, evil and dangerous, and glaciers aroused intense fear as they were thought to be inhabited by demons that swallowed up unwary victims as well as whole villages. Consequently, glaciers were avoided, not explored, deepening myths and superstitions for many centuries. In 1690, fearful villagers of Chamonix took action against glacial evil by retaining the services of a bishop to exorcise the glaciers.

Two Englishmen on expedition to Chamonix in 1741, William Windham (1717-1761) an English landowner and Richard Pococke (1704-1765) a high ranking clergyman and anthropologist, disregarded the forewarning of evil lurking in glaciers, and climbed up the mountain for 3¾ hours with the aid of local guides and porters to carry wine (essential drink for 18th century adventure travelers) and provisions. It was a successful excursion as they returned safely and were able to provide the first written description of the glacier they called ‘Mer de Glace’. The achievement also marks the beginning of change in attitude as the phenomena of the Sea of Ice later attracted writers, adventurers, artists and photographers.

Crossing the Mer de Glace on foot (1902-1904) — Mer de Glace Crossing, Zurich Central Library collection, 1902 – 1904, Public Domain

Two hundred and seventy-five years later, the explorers of Mer de Glace are on skis. In the video Ice Call from PVS Company, pro skier, Sam Favret, takes you on a freestyle tour through the icy waves, trails, and tunnels of Mer de Glace.

Vallée Blanche

Mer de Glace is certainly skiable, and you don’t have to be a ski pro like Sam Favret or an expert to enjoy the unique backcountry experience via the iconic off-piste ski route, Vallée Blanche. But, there are risks. The surface of Mer de Glace is very rough with gradient drops, large hunks of ice, deep crevasses, and seracs, making it extremely dangerous without sufficient snowfall, good intermediate skills (in all types of terrains & snow conditions) and a local mountain guide.

The Vallée Blanche is accessible from Chamonix, France via a 20 minute ride on the Aiguille du Midi cable car to the mid-station Plan de l’Aiguille (2,317m), then a walk through a tunnel and down a precarious ridge to a small, level area— the starting point for the main Vallée Blanche runs. There are four: the classic “voie normale” (the normal way), and the more challenging, Le Vrai Vallee Blanche, the Petit Envers du Plan and Grand Envers du Plan.

For the most part, the voie normale follows the valley floor through dynamic terrain, beginning with a descent into a bowl toward a large rock outcrop known as Le Gros Rognon (The Big Rock) and continuing along the mountainside. The run can be nice and smooth in spots, but depending on weather conditions, there could be deep powder, crusty layers, and icy moguls to navigate. About 2/3 down, the Refuge du Requin is a popular place to take a break, and 250 meters from there is the start of Mer de Glace. If snow conditions are good, it’s possible to ski all the way down to Chamonix. If not, the run ends at Montenvers, thus requiring a steep climb up iron stairs (misery!) to a gondola that connects to the Montenvers Railway. At a leisurely pace, including lots of stops, sightseeing and long lift queues, the up/down round trip will take 4 – 6 hours, but don’t rush…..enjoy the ride and take in the views.

The Fateful Retreat of Mer de Glace

Valley glaciers like Mer de Glace are relentlessly moving, flowing, growing, shrinking and deforming as a result of weather (temperature and snowfall) and stresses caused by the massive weight. As a result, they are appreciable indicators of climate change.

After a significant cold period in Europe during the late 19^th century, Mer de Glace was so large that it reached as far as Chamonix in 1850. Today, it’s hardly visible from Chamonix as the lower end of the glacier (the ‘snout’) has been shrinking during the last 30 years at a rate of about 4-5 meters (13-16 feet) a year. There is concern the retreat will not stop as Mer de Glace is an important fresh water source for the region as well as a tourist destination, and Christian Vincent, a French glaciologist with the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Geophysique (LGGE) and Institut de Recherche pour le Development (IRD), has warned it may shrink as much as 1.2 -1.4 kilometers (about ¾ of a mile) by the year 2040.

Resources/Information:
Wikipedia (Mer de Glace, Mont Blanc massif, Glacier, Richard Pococke, William Windham, Sr., French Alps, Chamonix, Chemin de fer du Montenvers, Aiguille du Midi, Little Ice Age)
The Annals of Mont Blanc – A Monograph by Charles Edward Mathews (1900)
Because It’s There – A Celebration of Mountaineering from 200 BC to Today (William Windham..from an Account of the Glaciers or Ice Alps in Savoy, in Two Letters) edited and translated by Alan S. Weber (2003)
Celebration of the Franco-English Friendship in Chamonix (1936), summitpost.org
Spiritual History of Ice: Romanticism, Science & Imagination by Eric G. Wilson
Chamonix visitor information: findtransfers.com (see also; chamonix.com, chamonix.net, ski-chamonix.net)
“Climate Change on Mont Blanc: The Vanishing Mer de Glace” by Helena Fouquet (2015), bloomberg.com
Mont Blanc: Glacier in Danger of Collapse, BBC News (September 25, 2019) – Italian authorities have closed roads and evacuated mountain huts after experts warned that part of a glacier on Mont Blanc could collapse.

There are more bold backcountry runs, big jumps and tricks to see on the “Downhill Runs” video channel and explore at Skiing China

Filmakers traveled to Alaska to explore Exit Glacier, but along with stunningly beautiful mountain views and amazing blue ice, they saw melting. FREE 2 WATCH → Glacier Exit

Feature photo is a still shot from the video “Ice Call” by PVS Company
Mer de Glace photo by Detroit Publishing Co. (1890-1900), US Library of Congress Prints & Photographs, Public Domain
Chamonix Valley Map sourced from chamonix.net
Crossing the Mer de Glace on foot, photo taken about 1902-1904, Zurich Central Library, Public Domain

Art Underwater

September 21, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

“For Art may err, but Nature cannot miss.” — John Dryden, The Cock and the Fox

Underwater public arts projects created by the visionary Jason deCaires Taylor are not just unique exhibition spaces for divers and snorkelers to enjoy. They’re also examples of successful marine conservation efforts as the sculptures serve as habitats for all sorts of sea life which transform Taylor’s work into living, constantly evolving art that inspires an appreciation for the natural beauty of the mysterious world underwater. This video takes you there.

He had a very big idea — create giant cement sculptures and place them on the ocean floor in areas with barren sea beds. Then, in 2006, Jason deCaires Taylor founded and created the world’s first underwater sculpture park off the west coast of Grenada in the West Indies. It was a great success, and has been listed as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic. In 2009, he co-founded an underwater sculpture museum, Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA), that includes a collection of over 500 of his art works in the waters of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc, Mexico. More underwater sculpture gardens followed in the Bahamas and Spain, and he’s currently working on a new project in the Maldives. In this TED Talk, Taylor shares his story and breathtakingly beautiful photography.

Jason DeCaires Taylor talk is courtesy of TED, CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International

Information/Resources:
Gallery: The sculpture garden at the bottom of the sea, by Kate Torgovnick May, Ted.com blog article (December 23, 2015)
Locations Map of the underwater sculpture exhibits around the world (Jason DeCaires Taylor Projects)

Underwater Sculpture Park – Granada, West Indies, Molinere Beauséjour Marine Protected Area

(listed as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic)
Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation (BREEF) Sir Nicholas Nuttall Coral Reef Sculpture Garden (Included in the sculpture garden is, Ocean Atlas, a young Bahamian girl who appears to be holding up the ocean, and at 60 tons/18 ft tall, it’s the largest underwater sculpture in the world.)

Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA), Museum of art under the waters of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc (Viewing via glass bottom boat, scuba and snorkeling)
Museo Atlántico, Located near the south coast of Lanzarote, in the Bahía de Las Coloradas, Spain
Alluvia, Sculpture lies at bottom of the river Stour running through city of Canterbury in Kent, UK
Pemuteran Temple Garden (statues of Buddha, Ganesha, Turtles behind an ornate Balinese gateway, constructed as one of three Bali Reef Foundation/Australian Aid funded projects)

Dive In2 deep waters and explore the otherworldly beauty of ocean life Watch: Underwater Discoveries, an On2In2™ collection of short videos, Free-to-Watch, On-Demand

BIG, POWERFUL (sometimes dangerous), and a beautiful BLUE, the Ocean does more than its share to sustain life on Planet Earth. Saving Our Ocean

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this post, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy.

Feature photo is a screen shot taken from the Jason DeCaires Taylor Ted Talk video

Silver King

September 15, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Tarpons are large, air breathing fish of the genus, Megalops, and they’ve been swimming the seas for 18 million years. There are two species, both found in saltwater as well as freshwater habitats. Megalops cyprinoides (Indo-Pacific tarpon) populate the east African coast, southeast Asia, Japan, Tahiti, and Australia. Megalops atlanticus (Atlantic tarpon, aka ‘Silver King’) is native to the Atlantic, and found along the western Atlantic coast from the US state of Virginia to Brazil, throughout the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and on the eastern Atlantic coast from Senegal to South Angola. Since the mid-1960s, there’s been a significant decline of Atlantic tarpon populations in the Gulf of Mexico, most dramatically at Port Aransas, Texas, likely the result of damming of rivers, toxic run-off, dredging of canals and shipping channels, and overfishing.

“He is a battle flotilla in full blazing armor, and peace and good will are not in him for an instant.” — Henry Wellington Wack

In 1885, the first tarpon was caught on a rod & reel in Florida. After more than 130 years, tarpon is still considered one of the great saltwater game fish because of its size (tarpon reach a length of 4–8 feet and weigh 60–250+ pounds), extraordinary ability to jump high out of the water, and fast, powerful fight at the end of the line. It’s tough to hook and land a tarpon—about one in eight hookups are successful catches, and a challenge to locate as they’re a warm-water migratory fish.

Florida is considered one of the world’s top destinations for tarpon fishing, with “hot spots” at Boca Grande in southwest Florida, Homosassa, and the Florida Keys. High season is May through July, but records indicate all sizes are caught throughout the year. Other places on the best tarpon fishing list: Yucatan Peninsula (year round); Costa Rica (Fall season); Angola (Dec – Feb); Gabon (late Oct – early Jan); Guinea-Bissau (Feb – March)

WATCH the THRILL of the CATCH! 120 Days: Tarpon Season, a short documentary video that captures a close-up view of the sport, featuring tarpon fishing guide, David Magnum, in his fervent search for the Silver King in the beautiful waters of Florida.

Information/Resources:

Tarpon, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Tarpon, Florida Parks and Wildlife Research Institute
Atlantic Tarpon, University of Southern Mississippi
Tarpon Research, Bonefish and Tarpon Trust
Megalops atlanticus-Gulf of Mexico, assessed “Vulnerable” by the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
The Silver Kings – Once so plentiful. Where did they go? by Stephen Harrigan, Texas Monthly (May, 2013) [Veteran fishing guides recall a time when Port Aransas, Texas was known as “The Tarpon Capital of the World”]

Ready for more water sport adventure? Watch as 8 paddlers set out to break the rafting speed record through the Grand Canyon on the wild and dangerous Colorado River in The Time Travelers video

Feature photo by Flickr user, Jack, CC BY-NC-ND

BOLDNESS

September 14, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Lose this day loitering—’twill be the same story
To-morrow–and the next more dilatory;
Then indecision brings its own delays,
And days are lost lamenting o’er lost days.
Are you in earnest? seize this very minute–
What you can do, or dream you can, begin it,
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it,
Only engage, and then the mind grows heated—
Begin it, and the work will be completed!

—– John Anster*

However you go, it’s a wild and dangerous ride through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. The first to do it was geologist/explorer, John Wesley Powell, and his team during a three month expedition in 1869. A hundred and fourteen years later, the river had changed because of the river’s damming in 1963, but remained a formidable challenge when three river guides in a small wooden boat rowed the 277 miles from Lee’s Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs in 36 hours and 38 minutes. No one much cared about their accomplishment until the story was told by Kevin Fedarko in his book, The Emerald Mile (2013)**, inspiring more paddlers to make an attempt to break the record. The current record (34 hours, 2 minutes) was set in 2016 by Ben Orkin in a sea kayak.

After eight months of preparation and training, the USA Men’s Rafting Team launched an attempt to beat Orkin’s record on January 13, 2017. The Time Travelers short documentary video chronicles the journey with “a dose of inspiration” for all of us.

Not going for speed, but for study — A group of scientists took a 16 day journey down the Colorado River thru the heart of the Grand Canyon to observe and study the river and its environment. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful view, but much has been lost during the 50+ years since the completion of Glen Canyon Dam. So, the goal is to find a way to restore and maintain a ‘naturalized’ ecosystem that’s currently in peril.

Information/Resources:
Grand Canyon Private River Trip Planning and River Trips and Permits, US National Park Service
10 Peaceful Places To Paddle by By Bill O’Brian, US Fish and Wildlife Service (for paddlers looking for an easy, scenic ride in a canoe, a kayak, a rowboat, or on a paddleboard through natural beauty of America’s wildlife refuges)
Colorado River: Grand Canyon Rafting Trip Reveals River in Peril by Brandon Loomis, Arizona Republic (October 22, 2018)

*Boldness has genius quote is taken from 1835 publication by Irish poet, John Anster, whose words were inspired by translation of “Faust”, Part One, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Feature photo is a screen shot taken from video, “The Time Travelers”, Gnarly Bay Productions, Inc.

**Editor’s Note: Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a book purchase you make via the Amazon link within this page. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

More stories of great adventure are available on-demand at Watch: Tours de Force, an On2In2™ collection of favorite videos

Sport Climbing Comp

August 29, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Sport climbing competitions are usually held indoors on purpose built climbing walls, featuring three main disciplines: lead, bouldering and speed, all requiring different skills from the athletes. The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) organizes a series of international climbing competitions throughout the year, including the Climbing World Championships, and the sport will be in the Olympic Games for the first time in 2020.

Lead climbing is probably the most well-known as competitions have been organized for more than 30 years. Climbers in lead competition face a 15 – 20 meter high artificial wall, and climb with a rope for safety. The goal is to climb as far as possible on a previously set route within a time limit. The winner is the climber that climbs the farthest. In order to be successful in lead climbing, athletes need a lot of power endurance.

Bouldering is a form of rock climbing performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls, known as ‘boulders’, without using ropes or harnesses. Mats or mattresses (‘crash pads’) are placed on the ground to help prevent injury from falls. It began as a training method for roped climbs and mountaineering, then evolved into a separate discipline of sport climbing in the 1990’s.

Bouldering competitions feature extremely difficult sequences and complex moves (or ‘problems’) within a short climbing route, time limits, and close proximity to spectators. Competitors are typically allowed several attempts, but they cannot watch other climbers on the boulder or receive advice or coaching after competition has started. Score is determined by the overall number of routes made by the competitor and the number of attempts. If a climber doesn’t reach the finishing hold at the top of the climb, points may be awarded for having reached a particular hold during a climb, the ‘bonus hold’ or ‘Zone’.

During speed competition, the winner is determined over many rounds where both speed and endurance are required, but time is everything.

In the combined format competition (aka the ‘Olympic Combined Format’ as it will be format for 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo), athletes climb each sport climbing discipline (lead, bouldering and speed). A score is given by multiplying the competitor’s ranking (place) in each discipline. All disciplines are weighted the same.

WATCH On2In2™

If you missed the 2018 IFSC Climbing World Championships live stream broadcast, there’s still time to watch video recordings of world elite climbers compete in lead, bouldering, speed, combined format, and paraclimbing.

Just click/tap the play button located in the center of any media player posted below.

Information/Resources:
International Federation of Sport Climbing

FREE To WATCH: CLIMBING, an On2In2™ video collection of extraordinary climbs and personal stories of adventure in the mountains and on the rocks.

Feature photo is courtesy of Fancycrave/Unsplash CC0

Synchronized Swimming

August 22, 2019 By Zola Zeester 2 Comments

Don’t be fooled by the showy costuming, heavy makeup and incessant smiles. Originally known as ‘water ballet’, synchronized swimming is an aquatic sport and art form requiring a combination of exceptional water skills, strength, endurance, flexibility, artistry and precise timing, as well as extraordinary breath control.

In 1891, the first recorded synchronized swimming competition was held in Berlin, Germany (at the time, a male-only event). The sport began to breakthrough in Europe and North America in the early 20th century when it became a women’s sport and popular entertainment at large halls and theaters equipped with big water tanks on stage. Katherine Curtis, an American synchronized swimming pioneer and educator, organized and trained the ‘Kay Curtis Modern Mermaids’, a water ballet act that performed at the Chicago ‘Century of Progress’ World’s Fair (1933-1934), and during the 40’s and 50’s, Hollywood movies starring swimming sensation, Esther Williams, boosted the interest in synchronized swimming with elaborately produced routines.

Six decades following those big synchronized swimming movie productions, the film, Breathless, presents a very different approach with a dramatic story shot entirely underwater. Totally captivating.

Depending on the level of competition, synchronized swimming includes solo, duet and team events, and begins with a “technical” routine or “figures” with predetermined elements performed in a specific order without touching the bottom of the pool. Then, swimmers perform a longer “free” routine, requiring no specific technical elements and allowing more creative choreography (but, again– no touching the bottom). Routines are scored on a scale of 100, with points for artistic impression, execution, and difficulty.

The first Olympic demonstration of the sport was at the 1952 Olympic Games, but synchronized swimming did not gain acceptance as an Olympic sport until the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In 2017, FINA, the international governing body for aquatic disciplines, renamed the sport of synchronized swimming to ‘artistic swimming’ for the stated purpose of clarifying the nature of the sport and enhancing its popularity; however, the decision has been criticized by some swimmers and coaches.

Not For Women Only?

It’s a bit ironic that synchronized swimming started out as a male-only swimming competition, and now the sport excludes men.

Pau Ribes, a professional artistic swimmer from Barcelona, Spain, first saw a synchronized swimming show when he was a child, and was immediately hooked on the sport. But, there was a problem. Synchronized swimming was, and still is, considered a sport for women, and men have been excluded from amateur and professional competitions.

It was only after Pau discovered Panteres Grogues (Yellow Panthers) [a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping LGBT community members succeed in sports] that he found acceptance and was able to train. In 2015, Pau made history by participating in an international competition that included male swimmers for the first time. But, his dreams and goals didn’t end with that accomplishment. Watch him tell his story in this short video Synch or Swim by Great Big Story.

Synchronized swimming, however, is not just about competition these days. It’s a sport that can be enjoyed by everyone at any age.

Information/Resources:
Synchronized Swimming Lessons For Adults, Swim England Synchro
The Los Angeles Synchronized Swim Club offers free monthly “Synchro Basic Clinics” and other programs
Why Doesn’t the US Have a Synchronized Swimming Team in Rio? by Vicki Valsik, The Atlantic (August 19, 2016) [Americans once dominated the sport, but things changed after 1996, and you guessed it — money is a big factor]
Synchronized Swimming Has a History that Dates Back to Ancient Rome, by Vicki Valosik, Smithsonian.com (August 12, 2016) – Before it reached the Olympics, the sport was a spectacle of the circus and vaudeville
Wikipedia: Synchronized Swimming

WATCH On2In2™

Canada Artistic Swimming is on a mission — to pioneer the sport of synchronized swimming…. “transform what is expected, what is possible, and what people around the world think about artistic swimming”.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2019 Canadian Championships, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts located right top corner of the media player below ↓

More than 225 athletes from across Canada competed in the 2018 Artistic Swimming Canadian Championships (April 24-28) at the state-of-the-art Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre, Windsor, Ontario, all vying for national titles in over 18 events. If you missed the live stream broadcast of the competition, there’s still time to watch video recordings. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts located on the media player below ↓

Don’t know how to swim?
It’s never too late to learn this life-saving skill.

Feature photo by Flickr user, Voxsports Voxer, CC BY-NC 2.0

Bicycle Road Racing

August 21, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

The sport of road bicycle racing (bike racing on paved roads) began in the 19th century, gained popularity in France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy, and developed into an organized sport in 1868 — just 50 years after German Baron Karl von Drais patented his bicycle design ‘Laufmaschine’ (running machine), the first commercially successful two-wheeled, steerable, human-propelled vehicle. Today, road bicycle racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing among spectators and competitors with events held across the globe, and some of the earliest races continue each year among the biggest [Liège–Bastogne–Liège (established 1892), Paris–Roubaix (1896), the Tour de France (1903), the Milan–San Remo and Giro di Lombardia (1905), the Giro d’Italia (1909), the Volta a Catalunya (1911), and the Tour of Flanders (1913)].

There are several formats and types of bicycle road races: Single-day, Time Trial, Stage Races, and Ultra-Marathon. The most common are mass start events, where riders start the race simultaneously and ride to a set finish point, and time trials, where individual riders or teams race a course alone against the clock. A stage race or “tour” consists of separate races, or ‘stages’, during several days of competition, including mass starts and time-trial stages ridden consecutively. Ultra-Marathon is a very long single stage event where the race clock runs continuously from start to finish.

Single-day race distances may be as long as 180 miles (290 km). Courses run from start to finish (place to place) or cover one or more laps of a circuit; other single-day races combine both course types. Races over short circuits, often within a town or city, are known as ‘criteriums’. Some races, known as ‘handicaps’, are designed to match riders of different abilities and/or ages by grouping the slower riders at the start in front of the faster riders.

WATCH On2In2™

The first Antwerp Port Epic, a single-day bicycle road race, covered more than 200 kilometers (124.3 miles) through the port and windy ‘polders’ (low lying tracts of land enclosed by dykes) in the north of Antwerp and over unpaved strips and cobbled roads. If you missed the September 2nd live stream broadcast, there’s still time to watch a video recording of the race. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button on the media player below ↓

It’s FREE to Watch: Cross-Country Cycling, an On2In2™ collection of bicycle adventure videos

Feature photo is courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels CC0

Rowing Regatta LIVE

August 16, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

The competitive sport of rowing (‘crew’ in the US) is one of the oldest Olympic sports, and has a history dating back to early 10th century when races were held between professional watermen on the River Thames in London. At the end of the 18th century, amateur competition began with the organization of “boat clubs” at British public schools and universities. Inter-colonial racing began in Australia in 1833 when a Sydney crew raced against a Hobart crew in whalers. The first rowing club in the US was the Detroit Boat Club, founded in 1839, and the first American college rowing club was formed in 1843 at Yale University. Rowing in New Zealand has been a competitive sport since the 1850’s.

Competitive rowing events are divided into two disciplines: sweep rowing and sculling.

Rowers with two oars, one in each hand, are called ‘scullers’. There are three sculling events: the single – 1x (one person), the double – 2x (two), and the quad – 4x (four).

Rowers with just one oar are ‘sweep rowers’. Sweep boats sometimes include a ‘coxswain’ to steer the boat, and those without, are steered by one of the rowers moving the rudder with a foot. Sweep rowers come in pairs with a coxswain (2+) and without (2-), fours with a coxswain (4+) and without (4-), and the eight (8+) always have a coxswain. The eight is the fastest boat on the water, capable of moving almost 14 miles per hour.

When watching a race and the graceful rowing of the competitors, many of us don’t see the physical and mental demands of the sport. A 2,000-meter (approx 1.25 miles) rowing race, demands extraordinary athletic capabilities: “aerobic ability, technical talent, exceptional mental discipline, ability to utilize oxygen efficiently and in huge amounts, balance, pain tolerance, and the ability to continue to work when the body is demanding that you stop.” (US Rowing) Just try it sometime, and you’ll understand soon enough what it takes.

RACE WATCHING – What To Look For

While you’re watching, look for a continuous, fluid motion of the rowers, with no discernible end or beginning. The crew making it look easy will likely be the winner of the race.
Synchronization. Rowers strive for perfect synchronization in the boat.
Clean catches of the oarblade. If you see a lot of splash, the oarblades aren’t entering the water correctly. The ‘catch’ (oarblade is placed in water) should happen at the end of the recovery, when the hands are as far ahead of the rower as possible. Rowers who uncoil before they drop the oarblades do not get a complete drive, and that sacrifices speed.
Even oarblade feathering. When the blades are brought out of the water, they should all move horizontally close to the water and at the same height. It’s not easy, especially if the water is rough.
The most consistent speed. Shells are slowest at the catch (when oarblade is placed in the water) , quickest at the release (when oarblade is removed from water). Good crews time the catch at exactly the right moment to maintain speed.

RACE WATCHING TIPS

Race times vary depending upon the course and weather conditions. Tailwinds will improve times, while headwinds and crosswinds will slow down a boat.
If a crew “catches a crab,” it means the oarblade has entered the water at an angle instead of perpendicularly. The oarblade gets caught under the surface and will slow or even stop a shell.
A “Power 10” is a call by the coxswain for 10 of the crew’s best, most powerful strokes. Good coxswains read the course to know how many strokes remain for their crew to count down to the finish.
Crews are identified by their oarblade design. The USA blades are red on top and blue on the bottom, with a white triangle at the tip. List of national team oars
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve won an Olympic medal or don’t make the finals, each and every crew carries the boat back to the rack.
A worldwide tradition – coxswains from first-place boats are thrown into the water by their crews.
Coxswains don’t yell out “stroke! stroke!”, and probably never did. Their job is to steer the boat, implement the coach’s strategy during the race, and keep rowers aware of where they stand in the race and what they need to do to win.

Information/Resources:
Viewers Guide, US Rowing
Rowing 101, US Rowing (quick facts, glossary of terms, fundamentals, and equipment)
International Rowing Rule Book, World Rowing Federation (‘FISA’ from the French, Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron), governing body of the international sport of rowing
Rowing development projects and Training Camps, FISA website
Find a rowing club in US, (search tool and club information)
Rowing New Zealand, The New Zealand Rowing Association
Rowing Ireland (formerly Irish Amateur Rowing Union) is the governing body of rowing in Ireland. There are more than 100 affiliated clubs.

⇒ ⇒ Recommended Reading: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – It’s the poignant story of personal and physical struggles faced by a University of Washington eight-oared crew during the Depression, and triumph as the team made it to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Regardless of your experience or interest in rowing, it’s a compelling read and Zola favorite. Sure to inspire as well as give you some history and understanding of the commitment required in the sport of competitive rowing. [Editor’s Note: Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for the purchase of a book made via the Amazon link within this page. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.]

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Coastal rowing in Ireland is something you’ll see along coastlines as well as on some lakes. Equipment varies from area to area, from traditional boats which have been used for centuries to specifically designed racing boats. Crews race over different distances depending on the event. The Irish Coastal Rowing Federation Ltd. is the governing body of coastal rowing in Ireland, and there are seven affiliated associations.

If you missed the 2019 All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the racing competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media player below.

Southern California teams competed in the beautiful Newport Harbour at the 54th Annual Newport Regatta on Sunday, March 24, 2019. If you missed the live stream broadcast of the event, there’s still time to watch a video recording. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media player below ↓

If you missed the big season opener on March 2 as teams from UC Irvine, Berkeley, Davis, UCLA, San Diego and Santa Barbara competed at the 2019 UC Challenge Cup, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the races. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media player below ↓

First organized in 1965, the Head Of The Charles Regatta, also known as HOCR, is a rowing head race* held each October on the Charles River, separating Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it’s the largest 2-day regatta in the world, with 11,000 athletes rowing in over 1,900 boats in 61 events.

A *head race is a time-trial competition in the sport of rowing. Rowers race against the clock where the crew or rower completing the course in the shortest time in their age, ability and boat-class category is deemed the winner.

The challenging 3-mile course (4,800 meters) of the HOCR starts at Boston University’s DeWolfe Boathouse near the Charles River Basin and finishes just after the Eliot Bridge and before Northeastern University’s Henderson Boathouse.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2018 HOCR, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the races. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts on the media player below ↓

Watch as 8 paddlers set out to break the rafting speed record through the Grand Canyon on the wild and dangerous Colorado River in The Time Travelers video

Feature sculling race photo, by Flickr user, Annie C, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Pro Tennis LIVE

August 2, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

In 1979, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit was formed to provide players an opportunity to earn professional ranking points needed to compete in major pro tours, and it’s become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, with as many as 90 tournaments offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Fun 2 Watch and cheer on these champions!

It's free to watch live action USTA pro tennis tournaments via On2In2™️ — Photo courtesy of Zoe Reeve/Unsplash CC0

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King

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With $60,000 on the line and the last Pro Circuit stop before the US OPEN, competition was high stakes at the 2019 Koser Jewelers Tennis Challenge. If you missed the live stream broadcast, there’s still time to watch video recordings of tournament play. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select matches from the video posts located in upper right corner of the media player below.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2019 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championship, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select matches from video posts located at the upper right corner of the media player below.

If you missed the live stream broadcasts of the 2019 Berkeley Tennis Club Women’s Challenge and the 2019 Braidy Industries Women’s Tennis Classsic, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts located in right top corner of the media players below.

Four consecutive USTA women’s clay-court tournaments (Dothan, AL, Charlottesville, VA, Charleston, SC and Bonita Springs, FL) were part of the 2019 Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge, which awarded Lauren Davis and Tommy Paul USTA wild cards to compete in the main draws of the 2019 French Open.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of these wild card challenge tournaments, there’s still time to watch video recordings. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select matches from video posts located top right corner of the media players below.

Feature photo is courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels CC0

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