Entertainment

Windsurfing Comp LIVE

April 15, 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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Located just off the French coastline of the Mediterranean, Le Jaï, Marignane is a renowned location for slalom windsurfing, and the perfect venue for the 2019 PWA World Cup. Athletes will compete in Men Slalom and Women Slalom racing events.

Watch the 2019 Marignane PWA Windsurfing World Cup LIVE! starting Wednesday, April 17 at 3:30am EDT, and continuing each day of competition until Monday, April 22.

Programming Notes: 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 miss the live stream broadcast of this PWA Windsurfing event, you can watch video recordings of previous day’s competition by selecting from the video posts located in the upper right corner of the media player ↓

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 To 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

Pro Tennis LIVE

April 15, 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

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The 2019 Hardee’s Pro Classic in Dothan, Alabama is a USTA Pro Circuit event, and the first of four consecutive women’s clay-court tournaments (preceding events during the next four weeks to be held in Charlottesville, VA, Charleston, SC and Bonita Springs, FL) that are part of the Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge, which awards a men’s and women’s wild card into the 2019 French Open. The American man and American woman who earn the most ATP and WTA ranking points at the Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge events will receive USTA wild cards to compete in the main draws of the 2019 French Open (May 26 – June 9).

Watch LIVE! 2019 Hardee’s Pro Classic starting Tuesday, April 16 at 10am EDT and continuing each day until tournament finals on Sunday, April 21. See full tournament schedule → here

If you miss a live stream broadcast, you can watch video recordings of previous matches by selecting from video posts located on the media player below ↓

Feature photo is courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels CC0

Marathon Runners

April 15, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go. — Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Runner

Since the ancient Egyptians, there has been long distance racing, and today, countless marathons take place around the world each year. In 2017, more than 18 million people ran in organized competitive road races in the USA, and millions more participate in social, non-competitive organized running events.

Why run a marathon? Some people run a marathon for the physical exercise or the challenge. Others for the competition. Then, there are those that run for very personal reasons.

Johnnie Jameson, a Vietnam War veteran and US Postal Service employee, runs to heal, and he’s been running the LA Marathon since 1986, earning him the title of ‘Legacy Runner’. Mr. Jameson shares his story and explains his unusual backwards running style in Mile 19, a short documentary video by Big Pup Film.

English long distance runner and marathon world champion, Paula Radcliffe, finds beauty in running, and believes it’s a gift as well as an art– a way of expressing yourself. Take a run with Paula, and listen as she shares her thoughts about running.

And, there are those that just love the feeling of that runner’s high and get hooked on testing the limits of their bodies.

An ultramarathon (aka ultra running & ultra distance) is any foot race longer than a traditional marathon distance (26.2 miles/42.2 kilometers). There are two types of ultramarathon events: distance (the winner runs a specific distance in the shortest amount of time) and time (the winner runs the most distance in a specific amount of time). Ultra distances are typically 50 kilometres (31.1 mi), 100 kilometres (62.1 mi), 50 miles (80.5 km), and 100 miles (160.9 km), but distances as well as race courses and terrain vary. Timed ultramarathon events range from hours (6, 12 & 24 hours) to days (known as multi-day or stage race events). Self-supported ultramarathon stage races where each ultrarunner must carry all supplies needed to survive the race, including food, are considered the most demanding.

If you’re serious about this extreme sport, the training requires intense dedication. In the short video Ultra Man, Robbie Britton talks about his mindset and why he does it.

“If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” — Kathrine Switzer, Marathon Runner

Information/Resources:
Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS)
Find a Running Club in USA, Road Runners Club of America
How to Start Running by Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times Well (why run, how to train, and tips on picking your gear, fueling your body, hydrating, and preventing injury)
Why Stretching Might Not Make You a Better Runner by Richard Gray, BBC Future (March 28, 2019) – Research provides some surprising findings and tips on how runners can improve performance
Training Programs for Marathons and Half-Marathons (beginners-intermediate-experienced), Chattanooga Track Club
International Association of Ultrarunners – promotes and develops long distance running worldwide by encouraging events and activities and sanctioning competitions
10 Things No One Tells You Before You Run an Ultramarathon by Damian Hall, The Telegraph (May 4, 2017) – Take it slow, eat a lot, and enjoy the sport of ultra running.

Follow Sarah Brown as she trains for US Olympic trials in the short video documentary series, Run Mama Run. You’ll be inspired by her story of determination and family.

Feature photo is courtesy of Martins Zimlickis, Unsplash CC0

Racquetball Champs

April 1, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Here’s a brief run-down of the game of racquetball: Play begins with the serve, and the serving player is allowed two attempts (1st & 2nd serve) to put the ball in play (elite competition allows only one serve). A serve requires the player to bounce the ball once on the floor, hitting it directly to the front wall with a bounce back on the floor beyond the short line court floor marking. If the server fails to hit the ball directly on the front wall, serve is immediately lost to the opposing player. However, the ball can touch one side wall after the front wall, but not two, before hitting the floor. If the serve fails, it counts as a fault. Other fault serves include a ceiling serve (the ball touches the ceiling after the front wall), serving before the receiving player is ready, and stepping out of the service box before the ball passes the short line. After a successful serve, players alternate hitting the ball against the front wall. Players may allow the ball to bounce once on the floor or hit the ball on the fly. A ball in play can touch as many walls, including the ceiling, as necessary so long as it reaches the front wall before striking the floor. If the server wins the rally, the server scores one point and continues to serve. If the opposing player wins the rally, no point is scored and the player takes over serving. Under USA Racquetball rules, a match is the best of three games, with the first two 15-point games, and game 3, if necessary, played to 11 points. USA Racquetball rules do not require players to win by two points.

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The 2019 USA Racquetball National Intercollegiate Championships (April 3-6) featured the best college racquetball players representing 32 American colleges and universities, and winners of men’s and women’s singles #1 gold singles division are named to the US National Team that competes and represents Team USA at all international and world competition. If you missed the live stream broadcast of the championships, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select matches from the video posts located on the media player below ↓

If you missed the live broadcast of the 2018 National Singles Racquetball Championships (May 24-27) held at the ClubSport Pleasanton in Pleasanton, California, 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 ↓

If you missed the April 28 live stream broadcast of 2018 USA Racquetball New England Regional Championships, there’s still time to watch video recordings of competition matches. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts on the media player below ↓

The 2018 USA Racquetball National Intercollegiate Championships tournament features the best college racquetball players from 32 colleges and universities across the US. Winners of the men’s and women’s singles will be named to the US Adult National Team that competes and represents Team USA at all international and world competitions.

If you missed the live broadcast of tournament competition or want to watch a match again, video recordings are available from the selection of video posts located on the media player below, or click/tap the “Watch Again button↓

If you missed the 2018 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships, watch a video recording HERE.

Information/Resources:

USA Racquetball Rules

Want to learn how to play racquetball? Start with USA Team tips on the basics
And, take a look around for racquetball starter kits ⇒ SHOP Racquetball Equipment [Editor’s note: Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a purchase you make via this Amazon link. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.]

Feature photo courtesy of Flicker user, Edson Wong, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Cross Country Ski Racing LIVE

March 29, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

“You are one with your skis and nature. This is something that develops not only the body but the soul as well, and it has a deeper meaning for a people than most of us perceive.” — Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) Norwegian explorer, scientist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, champion cross country skier

Cross country skiing has evolved over thousands of years, starting as a practical means of travel over snow covered terrain in Scandinavia and China and becoming a universal recreational winter activity and competitive sport.

Men’s cross country debuted at the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France in 1924. The women’s cross country event debuted at the 1952 Oslo Games. Today, competitive international cross country skiing includes six ski racing events (sprint, team sprint, individual start, pursuit, mass start and relay), and Nordic combined events consist of both cross country ski racing and ski jumping. All Nordic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS).

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The US CROSS COUNTRY SKI SUPERTOUR is a vital component of the US Ski & Snowboard development program, providing top-level racing competition for athletes with aspirations of qualifying for the US Ski Team and competing on the FIS World Cup tour and in the Olympics.

During the 2018-19 SuperTour winter season, top US cross country athletes will race in seven cities across North America in a series of FIS sanctioned cross country events. Livestreaming of the 2018-19 SuperTour starts Saturday, December 1, 2018 and continues during each season event. If you miss a live stream broadcast, you can watch video recordings of previous SuperTour events by selecting from video posts located on the media player below↓

Here’s the 2018-19 SuperTour schedule:

December 1-2, 2018
West Yellowstone, Montana
Men: sprint freestyle, 15k freestyle
Women: sprint freestyle, 10k freestyle

December 8-9, 2018
Silverstar, British Columbia
Men: sprint freestyle, 15k classic
Women: sprint freestyle, 10k classic

January 3-8, 2019
Craftsbury Common, Vermont
Men: 15k classic, sprint classic, 30k freestyle Mst, sprint freestyle
Women: 10k classic, sprint classic, 20k freestyle Mst, spring freestyle

January 25-27, 2019
Lake Placid, New York
Men: 10k freestyle, 15k classic Mst, sprint classic
Women: 5k freestyle, 10k classic Mst, sprint classic

February 15-17, 2019
Minneapolis Saint-Paul, Minnesota
Men: sprint freestyle, 20k classic Mst, 10k freestyle
Women: sprint freestyle, 15k classic Mst, 5k freestyle

February 23, 2019
American Birkebeiner
Hayward, Wisconsin
Men: 50k freestyle Marathon Mst
Women: 50k freestyle Marathon Mst

March 28 – April 2
SuperTour Finals
Presque Isle, Maine
Men: sprint freestyle, 15k classic Mst, relay, 20k freestyle, 50k classic Mst
Women: sprint freestyle, 10k classic Mst, relay, 15k freestyle, 30k freestyle Mst

Programming Notes:

If you miss a live stream broadcast, you can watch video recordings of earlier SuperTour races by selecting from the video posts on the media player 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.

Athletes competing in the 2018 FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup are fighting for a spot on their country’s World Cup team. If you missed the December 19-20 live stream broadcast of Nordic Combined cross country racing at Park City’s 2018 International Ski Jumping & Nordic Combined Festival, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button on the media players below ↓ You can watch Nordic Combined Ski Jumping competition → here.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2018 Continental Cup Nordic Combined cross country racing on December 14 at Steamboat Springs, there’s still time to watch a video recording of the event. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button on the media player below ↓ Watch Nordic Combined Ski Jumping competition → here

Information/Resources:
Nansen Ski Club – the oldest continuously-operating skiing club in North America
Cross Country US Ski Team
US SuperTour 2018-19 (official website)
Cross Country Skiing (information, tips & technique, including ‘Beginners Survival Guide’)

Eva Sars Nansen was an avid cross country skier and influential 19th century voice for women's right to participate in winter sports. — Eva Sars Nansen in 1889 by Ludvic Szacinski CC BY 2.0 – National Library of Norway

Celebrated Norwegian opera singer and ski pioneer, Eva Sars Nansen (1858 – 1907), was an influential 19^thcentury advocate for the right of women to participate in winter sports on equal terms with men. She is believed to be the first woman to cross the Hardangervidda mountain plateau on skis, when she did so with her husband Fridtjof Nansen in 1892 wearing an unconventional ski costume designed by her husband and made by her with a skirt reaching only slightly below the knees.

Telemark skiing combines Alpine and Nordic skiing techniques, including cross-country, slalom and ski jumping, and has become an international sport sanctioned by the FIS with competitions involving several race formats.

Feature photo is courtesy of Flickr user Guillaume Baviere CC BY-SA 2.0

Synchronized Swimming

March 27, 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.

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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”. And, it started things off with the 2019 National Qualifier (March 26 -31). 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 right top corner of the media player below ↓

The 2019 Canadian Championships are scheduled May 6-12, so please check back with us for live stream updates.

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 ↓

The 2018 Canadian Artistic Swimming Qualifier is a huge event! Over 570 Canadian athletes, coaches and officials converged at the Repsol Sport Centre, Calgary to take part in this year’s Canadian Artistic Swimming (formerly synchronized swimming) Qualifier, a 6-day competition featuring 18 different events in 13-15, junior and senior age groups. Athletes in junior and senior age groups have a chance to qualify for the 2018 Canadian National Championships, April 24-28 in Windsor, Ontario.

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

If you missed the live broadcast of the 2017 Open Synchronized Swimming Canadian Championships, a recorded video is available here. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” tab on the video player to see event highlights.

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

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

Alpine Ski Racing LIVE

March 22, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

It’s all down hill in alpine skiing, and oh — what a fun ride.
Fun to watch, too.

While humans have been sliding down snow covered mountains for thousands of years, skiing as a recreational and competitive sport did not catch on until the 19th century.

The first slalom competition was held in 1922 in Mürren, Switzerland, and both men’s and women’s alpine skiing debuted at the Olympics in 1936, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Today, there are many types of alpine ski competitions, but they can be categorized into two major disciplines: Racing, which includes Downhill, Super-G (aka super giant), Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Combined, and Freestyle which involves moguls, aerials, halfpipe and skicross.

Here’s a quick run down of alpine ski racing events (freestyle we’ll leave for another day and a separate post):

Downhill is all about ultra-speed. Skiers start at the top of a long, wide race course, and ski down as fast as possible to the finish line, reaching speeds of up to 93mph (150 klicks). I like this race – point ’em down hill and go – fast with just a few easy turns. It’s a great experience for a recreational skier like me. But, can’t image going anywhere close to 90mph on skies. Elite athletes make it look easy, but it’s dangerous and takes courage as well as skill.

The Super-G is similar to the Downhill as the race course is wide and fast, but it requires a skier to make sharper and more frequent turns than in Downhill, making for lots of speed and thrills.

In Slalom, technique is the major focus. Skiers must maneuver around a bunch of poles and make very sharp, quick turns while going as fast as possible. I tried to go down a slalom course once. Think I got through maybe 3 gates, and that ended my career. I watch Slalom in awe.

The Giant Slalom is best described as somewhere between the Super-G and Slalom because the race course requires turns around gates spaced closer together than a Super-G race, but not quite like the turns in Slalom.

Traditionally, an alpine Combined competition consists of one run of Downhill and two runs of Slalom, raced on separate days, and the skier with the fastest total ‘combined’ time is the winner. A modified version of combined competition is called the Super Combined with one speed race (either a Downhill or Super-G) and one Slalom.

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The Finale du Challenge des Moniteurs in Val Cenis is a unique alpine ski competition and perfect for end of season fun as French ski instructors race in a 2 run Slalom at the end of the season. Watch the live stream broadcast on Saturday, April 20, 3 – 9:30am EDT.

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.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2019 French National Alpine Ski Championships (March 23-25), there’s still time to watch video recordings of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the event posts located in the right top corner of the media player below ↓

The competition was fierce at the 2019 Winter Universiade alpine skiing competition. If you missed the live stream broadcasts, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the alpine skiing events. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media players below ↓

If you missed the 2019 Europa Cup Giant Slalom competition in Tignes, France, 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 players below ↓

If you missed the live streaming broadcast of Night Racing in Parallel Slalom Europa Cup competition, you can watch a video recording of the event. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts located on the media player below ↓

If you missed the men’s 2019 Europa Cup Giant Slalom, there’s till time to watch a video recording of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media player below ↓

If you missed the 2019 Europa Cup Men’s Slalom competition at Val Cenis, there’s still time to watch a video recording. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media player below ↓

Sun Valley, Idaho was the host to the 2018 US Alpine Championships March 21 – 26, and it was huge and fast with US Ski Team members, Olympians, collegiate and international skiers competing on Bald Mountain for men’s and women’s titles in the Alpine Combined, Super G, Slalom and Giant Slalom.

Kicking off the competition on March 21, Olympian Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT) won the alpine combined national title, and the young, talented A.J. Hurt (Carnelian Bay, CA) got the women’s alpine combined victory, her first national title.

You can watch video recordings of the men’s and women’s Giant Slalom racing at the 2018 US Alpine Championships. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts on the media player below ↓

Telemark skiing is a hardcore test of stamina, power, speed and grace in the mountains. WATCH FIS World Cup Telemark competition LIVE, and if you miss a race, video recordings are available for viewing.

Feature photo is courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels CC0

Telemark Skiing

March 19, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Telemark skiing (aka ‘teleskiing’), combines Alpine and Nordic skiing techniques, including cross-country, slalom and ski jumping, with special lightweight ski equipment for travelling both up and downhill. Introduced in the late 19th century by Norwegian farmer, Sondre Norheim, telemark skiing was primarily used as a mode of transportation through backcountry regions until a resurgence in the early 1970’s as an alternative backcountry skiing style. It’s now an international sport, officially recognized in 1995 by the Federation International de Ski (FIS) with competitions involving several race formats that combine elements of speed and rhythm with giant slalom gates, distance ski jumping, and skating from Nordic skiing.

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It’s the 2019 FIS Telemark World Ski Championships! Live streaming from Rjukan, Norway (March 20-24). If you missed the 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 top right corner of the media player below ↓

If you missed the live stream broadcast of 2018-19 Telemark World Cup Tour competition, you can watch video recordings of tour stops — just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media players below ↓

If you missed the live stream broadcasts of the 2018 FIS World Cup Telemark season, 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 ↓

Information/Resources:

FIS Telemark (event list and results)
United States Telemark Ski Association
British Telemark Ski Team
The Ups and Downs of Telemark Skiing (And 5 Reasons Why You Should Give it a Try) by Tim Jones, Appalachian Mountain Club website (December 21, 2015)

It’s FREE To WATCH 2019 Alpine Ski Racing

Watch adventure skiers travel the world discovering great beauty and dangers in the backcountry— A Skier’s Journey, a video series by Vancouver filmmaker Jordan Manley

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 ‘Mt Adams Descent’ by Flickr user, Bill Devlin, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Figure Skating

March 6, 2019 By Zola Zeester 2 Comments

Figure skaters compete at local, regional, national, and international competitions at different levels from beginner up to the Olympic (senior) level, and disciplines, including singles (men and women), pair skating and ice dancing. Skaters typically perform two programs in competition (short and long) that include elements such as spins, jumps, spirals and lifts.

The International Skating Union (ISU) regulates international figure skating judging and competitions, including the Winter Olympic Games and World Championships. The current ISU judging system requires a competitive program to have a set number of elements, and awards points separately for each skating element performed. The sum of these points is called the total element score (TES).

The score received for an element is based on the element base value and the grade of execution (GOE). A technical specialist determines base value of an element by verifying the specific movements and positions of the element. A panel of judges determines GOE marks based on the quality of the element and how well the skater executed the element. Then, things start to get a bit more complicated as the GOE value from the twelve judges is processed using a computerized random selection of nine judges, discarding the high and low value, and averaging the remaining seven. The average GOE value is then added to (or subtracted from) the element base value to determine the TES. OK, still with me?

The program components score (PCS) awards points for holistic aspects of a program or other nuances that are not rewarded in the TES judging, including skating skills, transitions, performance execution, choreography, and interpretation (exception: compulsory dance has no choreography or transition marks). Finally, the sum of the TES + PCS is the total score for a competition segment (TSS). A skater’s final placement is determined by the total of their scores in all segments of a competition. No ordinal ranking (i.e. judge’s preference ranking) is used to determine the final results. Got that? Me neither, and we haven’t even gotten to the jumping which can really make a viewer’s head spin. In fact, it’s probably the most confounding scoring in sports. Now, let’s get to the jumps — always exciting to watch.

There are many types of jumps in figure skating, and they are distinguished by the way the skater takes off and lands as well as by the number of rotations that are completed while the skater is in the air. However, there are only six jumps that count as jump elements in figure skating competition. All six are landed on one foot on the back outside edge of the skate blade, but there are different take-offs. The two categories of jumps are toe jumps and edge jumps. Toe jumps are launched by tapping the toe pick (large, jagged teeth on the front of the blade) of one skate into the ice, and include: Toe Loops, Flips and Lutzes. Edge jumps use no toe assist, and include: Salchows, Loops and Axels. A jump combination is a set of jumps, each jump taking off from the landing edge of the previous jump, and there are no steps, turns, or change of edge between jumps. Jump sequences are sets of jumps that may be linked by non-listed jumps or hops.

As with most competitive sports, there’s often some drama as a result of judging and scoring controversies. Ashley Wagner, three-time US national champion, 2016 world silver medalist, and Olympic team bronze medalist, did not make the 2018 US Winter Olympic Team, finishing 4th at the 2018 US Figure Skating Championships as her PCS scores (the highly subjective score awarded for interpretation aspects and the like) were surprisingly low. In fact, her PCS scores were lower in these US Championships than they had been with international judges at recent 2018 Grand Prix events. It’s unclear what exactly went wrong for Wagner because she did not fall or make a major mistake during her programs, and she’s been criticized for expressing her anger at the judge’s scoring. Regardless, she’s now learning to deal with the heartbreak, and deciding what to do next. (Ashley tells her story in the short video documentary, Showpony, below)

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The competition was intense and the figure skating — fantastic at the 2019 Winter Universiade, an international student and youth winter sport competition. If you missed the live stream broadcast, there’s still time to watch video recordings of the event. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button located on the media players below ↓

If you missed the live stream broadcast of the 2017 Cup of Tyrol-Innsbruck international figure skating event, there’s still time to watch a video recording of the competition. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or the posts on the video player below ↓ Next live stream broadcasts of figure skating competition are scheduled November 12, 2018 and February 25, 2019.

Feature photo “Queen Yuna” is courtesy of Flickr user, Song Joo Chea, CC BY-ND 2.0

LIVE from Orchestra Hall

March 3, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

On December 19, 1887, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performed the first concert of its first subscription season, and it became the first symphonic orchestra heard on radio broadcast in 1922. This tradition of “firsts”, innovation and creativity continues today.

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Check out the live stream programming for the 2019 DSO Spring season. There’s something for everybody!

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

Get your jazz fix with live stream broadcasts
of Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts

Feature photo courtesy of Unsplash CC0

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