Live Streaming

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.

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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

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.

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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

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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.

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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

Cutting Horse LIVE

July 24, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

The equestrian sport of ‘cutting’ emerged from the open ranges of the American West. Ranchers hired cowboys to work their cattle herds, and the job included separating from a herd (‘cutting’ from the herd) cows that were in need of branding or veterinary care or that had wandered and become mingled in a herd of neighboring ranches. The cowboys used their best ‘cow smart’ horses for the task, a western cross-breed descendant from the horses brought to North America by Conquistadors with an instinctive ability to anticipate a cow’s movement.

In 1898, the first cutting horse competition was held in Haskell, Texas, and it’s become an international sport with sanctioned professional, amateur and open events offering prize money and awards. In competition, a horse and rider work as a team to demonstrate the horse’s skills during a 2½ minute performance, called a “run”. The horse/rider contestant must make at least two cuts of cows from the herd during a run, one from deep inside the herd while others can be peeled from the edges. After the selected cow has been separated from the herd, it’s up to the horse to defend and hold the cow, except that a rider may use leg cues to prevent the cow from returning to the herd. Judges score a run on a scale from 60 to 80, with 70 being an average score. Cutting horse competition is primarily governed by the rules and regulations established by the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), founded in 1948. ‘Limited Age Events (LAE)’ are restricted to young horses in a specific age group. A ‘futurity’ is for late 3-year or early 4-year old horses; a ‘derby’ is for mid to late 4-year olds; and a ‘classic’, or classic/challenge, is for 5 and 6-year old horses. (See Spectator’s Guide→ HERE and 2017 NCHA Rule Book Here)

Information/Resources:
National Cutting Horse Association
Wikipedia: Cutting (sport)

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It’s a chance to see the world’s best compete! If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2019 NCHA SUMMER SPECTACULAR, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from video posts located in right top corner of the media player below.

FREE To WATCH Horse Reining competition – live action and video recordings

How to Beat the Bull – A champion bull rider reveals his secrets to success

Feature photo is courtesy of Flickr user, WM Rine, CC BY NC-ND

Darts Matchplay LIVE

July 20, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Super, Smashing – Bullseye! Darts is a competitive throwing sport as well as traditional pub game played by people of all ages and skill level.

There are lots of different games played using a dartboard, but playing a game of darts usually involves two players, with one player at a time throwing three darts per turn. The throwing player must stand so that no portion of a foot extends past the ‘oche’ (aka throw line or toe line), but can lean over it and stand anywhere else in the playing area.

The most common objective of darts is to reduce a score from a starting total (e.g., 301 or 501) to zero (called “checking out”) as the score for each thrower’s turn is deducted from the total; however, the final dart must land in either the bullseye or a double segment in order to win. When two teams play, the starting score is sometimes increased to 701 or 1001, but basic rules remain the same. Most professional matches are a simple game called “501 up”. See Darts Regulation Authority Rule Book → Here

Expert thrower, Darren Parzow, explains how to play 301 and 501 in an instructional video from the series ‘How to Play Darts’ → Here

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The 2019 Australian Open Darts Tournament was open to amateurs as well as elite professional players, providing an amazing opportunity for amateur dart players to take on the world’s best.

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

If you missed the darts competition at the 2017 Arnold Classic Australia competition darts, there’s still time tow watch a video recording. Just Click/Tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media player below. Also available is arm wrestling competition finals.

Before WWI, pubs in the UK installed dartboards made from solid blocks of wood, but it wasn’t an ideal target as the boards had to be soaked in water to keep the wood soft, and the darts damaged the surface causing holes to develop. In mid-1930’s, a pub owner and chemist came up with the idea of bundling and compressing plant fibers to make dartboards, and this successfully solved the problems of durability and maintenance.

Adding to the fun, electronic dartboards were introduced in the 1970’s, offering a wide variety of programmed scoring and games.

♦ Inspired to give the game a go? → Use this Amazon link to shop for your dartboard and darts. Then, start throwing! (Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a purchase you make via the link. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.)

Feature photo courtesy of FreeImages9/Pexels CC0

Show Jumping LIVE

July 16, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Horses didn’t do a lot of jumping until fences began appearing in previously open fields as a result of the adoption of a series of laws creating property rights and boundaries.

The sport of show jumping developed from challenges created by this new obstacle, and fences started showing up in sport arenas during 19^th century equestrian competitions in Europe (known at the time as ‘Lepping’ or ‘horse leaping’). An early form of show jumping competition was included at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games. The sport was then included in its current format at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, and has continued to evolve and gain in popularity as a spectator sport.

Courage, Control and Technique

Grand Prix is the highest level of show jumping competition, and one of the most exciting sports to watch. Held under International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) jumping rules, the horse must jump a course of 10 to 16 obstacles, with heights up to 1.6 meters (5’3”) spread out up to 2 meters (6’7”).

A horse must have courage to jump fences as well as athletic ability and skillful technique to handle the sharp turns and bursts of speed necessary to navigate difficult show jumping courses. Different breeds of horses have been successful show jumpers, and while most are tall (over 16 hands, 145cm/57in), there’s no correlation between size and athletic ability, and tall horses don’t necessarily have an advantage in jumping competitions. In fact, pony-sized horses may sometimes compete in open competition with adult riders. The most famous example is Stroller (1950-1986), a cross-bred who was only 14.1 hands, but won 61 international competitions and an individual silver medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics, jumping one of the only two clear rounds in the individual competition.

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2019 Grand Prix competitions at Hunter Farms North, New Jersey USA are LIVE — Sundays, July 21, July 28, and August 4, 12-2pm EDT.

Programming Notes:

If you miss a Grand Prix live stream broadcast, you can watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media players below.

Sometimes it happens — scheduling changes, breaks in competition, or technical interruptions in the live broadcast. Please check back for live action updates, and take a look at the Live Stream Program Guide for more On2In2™ streaming info.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2019 Liftmaster Grand Prix, 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 on the media player below ↓

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 courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels CC0

Competitive Fencing LIVE

July 1, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

In fencing, there’s tension and excitement in every bout — LIVE & FREE To WATCH at the 2019 Summer Universiade competition, July 4 – 9.

Programming Note: Sometimes it happens — scheduling changes, breaks in competition, or technical interruptions in the live broadcast. Please check back for live action updates, and take a look at the Live Stream Program Guide for more On2In2™ streaming info.

Based on traditional skills of swordsmanship for duels and self-defense in military training, fencing as a sporting activity started to evolve in the mid-18th century, and it has been featured in every one of the modern Olympic Games. There are three forms of fencing competition, each using a different style of weapon and rules: foil, épée, sabre

A foil is a light-weight weapon with a flexible and blunted steel blade that derives from a 16th century sword used during practice sessions. The tip (not the side) of the blade must touch the target area (torso, including the back, neck and groin) to score a touch in foil competition. A switch at the tip registers a touch with an electric circuit while the metallic foil vest (lamé) worn by each competitor verifies the touch was within the target area.

Épée (‘sword’ in French) looks similar to a foil, but the blade is stiffer, and it’s heavier than the other two weapons used in fencing. Much like scoring in foil, only the tip scores a valid touch, but unlike foil, the entire body is a valid target.

The sabre is a light cutting and thrusting weapon that targets the entire body above the waist, except the weapon hand. Different from both foil and épée, saber hits with entire blade are valid, resulting in quick movements and attacks.

After a point is scored, fencers must return to their starting marks, and the fight will start again after the referee gives the commands: En garde (On guard), Êtes-vous prêts? (Are you ready?), Allez (Fence!).

Nzingha Prescod is two-time Olympian foil fencer and the first African-American woman to win an individual medal at the senior world championship. She’s also a member of the US Women’s Foil Team (including, Lee Kiefer, Nicole Ross, and Margaret Lu) that made history at the 2017 FIE Fencing World Championships in Leipzig, Germany with a silver-medal performance –the best result in the team foil event for US women in world championships history.

Information/Resources:

Fencing 101 (the basics of competition) USA Fencing
Fencing Rules for Competition – The International Fencing Federation is the governing body of fencing and maintains the rules for sanctioned international events and the Olympics
Learn to Fence – Find a fencing club, USA Fencing
The Peter Westbrook Foundation – a not-for-profit organization (founded in 1991 by legendary sabre fencer and Olympic bronze medalist Peter Westbrook) that uses the sport of fencing to enrich the lives of young people from underserved communities in the New York metropolitan area.

Feature photo is courtesy of Unsplash CC0

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