Sports Then and Now

Whether your neighborhood team needs a new coach or you want to participate more with your own children’s soccer team, coaching a youth soccer league is something you shouldn’t take likely. Here are some tips to help you coach a youth soccer league, even if you’re not an expert soccer player. 

Set Ground Rules Before the Season Starts

Before the season, gather all of your player’s parents, your coaches and assistants together in a meeting. You can do this with or without the players present, depending on their age and level of participation. The goal of this meeting is to set ground rules before the season starts. Include things such as sideline behavior rules to discourage overenthusiastic parents from picking fights or causing problems, the responsibilities of your assistant coaches, how to contact players who might be tardy or absent and any other things you can think of that might apply to your league and its members. Get the parents involved, especially when coaching young players. You can always adjust these rules as the season progresses, depending on your needs. 

Are you an adventurer looking for a new action-packed hobby? Mountain biking is an excellent opportunity to have fun and explore new terrain. In fact, more than 8.69 million people tried the sport in 2018. If you’re ready to get started, it’s important to know your style. What type of mountain biking are you interested in?

Trail biking is the most common style, riding an accessible mixture of climbs and descents. You can have a lot of fun with little effort involved. Cross-country biking tends to focus on competitive pleasure, riding as fast as you can through towering terrains.

All-mountain biking, also referred to as enduro, is biking on steroids. If you want to push yourself to the brink, these leg-burning climbs and gravity-defying descents are for you. If you’re all about the downhill rather than uphill, consider visiting a park. During a ski resorts warmer months, you can typically ride the lift to the top of the mountain and maneuver your way to the bottom. Conquer jumps, take on berms and weave through rock gardens.

One type of mountain biking ideal for beginners is fat biking. These bikes come equipped with giant tires that can handle any terrain. They get great traction, even in snow and sand, making them perfect for all-season riding.

Don’t be afraid to try out new styles of riding and visit new destinations. In fact, 62% of mountain bikers travel to ride because they want to experience new trails. On average, the typical trip takes a mountain biker 566 miles from home.

Once you know what type of mountain biking you want to try out, it’s time to find the right bike.

Types of Mountain Bikes

Mountain bikes can vary based on suspension type and wheel size. A rigid suspension is suitable for beginners because it’s easy to control and maintain. Most fat bikes are equipped with rigid suspension, as the wide tires provide enough shock absorbance on their own.

Hardtail suspension, typically found on cross-country and all-wheel terrain, absorbs impact on the front wheel but not the back. These bikes require less maintenance due to fewer moving parts. Full suspension, on the other hand, has shock absorbance for both the front and rear tires. This suspension can increase traction and reduce impact, making for a more comfortable and enjoyable ride.

Mountain bikes typically come with 26-inch wheels, an ideal size for maneuverability. You can also find 27.5-inch and 29-inch styles. The largest size, 29 inches, provides better grip over trail obstacles.

Today, many mountain bikers are shifting away from traditional set-ups and opting for electronic mountain bikes.

The Rise of E-Bikes

Electronic e-bikes — motor-equipped bicycles that propel forward when pedaled — make long trail climbs quicker and easier. For the beginner, e-bikes make mountain biking a fun activity. Even seasoned bikers can use e-bikes to better maneuver steep, rocky and harsh terrain, climbs that would otherwise be impossible.

Traditional bikers might claim e-bikes are cheating. Instead, look at the tech for what it is — a new tool. Take your adventures to new heights by reaching places you could never access before. E-bikes with pedal assist can reach up to 28 mph, great for the cyclist that loves to speed.

E-bikes are light-weight — typically less than 50 pounds — making them easy to maneuver, even when the battery is dead. If you love night rides, look for a bike with built-in LEDs. There are even cost-effective options, such as e-bike kits, for those with a budget.

Mountain biking is a rewarding sport. Not only is it great for your health, but you get to have tons of fun, too. Don’t be intimidated by fancy lingo or new terrain — instead, learn all you need to know above about how to go mountain biking.

Perhaps no sport is more associated with fashion than the NBA. The competition among players to dress the best is fierce, and it’s become a big part of the news cycle surrounding the league.

Players receive a lot of chances to flaunt their fashion choices. The most notable is the pre-game walk through the tunnel. Traveling to and from games, press conferences and other events provide opportunities as well.

Over the last few decades though, the story of the NBA and fashion has moved beyond just pre-game and press conference outfits. Players such as Russell Westbrook and James Harden make regular appearances at world-famous fashion shows and on the covers of style magazines. Many players also have their own fashion lines and brand collaborations. Westbrook even wrote a book, titled Style Drivers, about his relationship with fashion.

In 2017, the NBA officially recognized the importance of fashion for the league by introducing the NBA Style Award, which the league gave out alongside awards for most valuable player and rookie of the year. Westbrook took home first place, followed by Cleveland’s Iman Shumpert and Chicago’s Dwyane Wade. Read the rest of this entry →

When most people think of racing, they usually picture NASCAR cars or horses running in circles, but there’s an entirely different breed of racing that has a rich and varied history. Let’s take a closer look at the history of truck racing.

Smokey and the Bandit II

We can thank the 1979 sequel to Smokey and the Bandit for the inception of truck racing. The first truck race was featured in the opening scenes of this movie, taking place on the Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 17, 1979. The sport started as the American Truck Racing Association and transitioned into the Great American Truck Racing Circut when N. Linn Henndershott purchased the competition in 1982.

Most of the truck used in these early races were work trucks with tandem rear axles that still had their street tires attached. Truck races took place on both dirt and paved oval tracks, and in spite of the lack of modification to the vehicles, these trucks were able to attain speeds of 150mph or more efficiently. Read the rest of this entry →

They say the families that play together, stay together but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to stay indoors and play board games or video games. Plenty of sports are perfect for the whole family. Let’s take a look at the best sports for families to get into to maximize their quality time.

Martial Arts

Who doesn’t want to be a karate superstar? Many martial arts dojos offer family classes so parents can learn alongside their children. These programs aren’t just good exercise — though most martial arts forms can be intense full-body workouts focusing on strength, flexibility and stamina. They also teach children and parents important concepts like discipline, self-control, teamwork and healthy conflict resolution. Look for a class that will let you participate alongside your children. You might be surprised how much fun you have while creating a unique family bonding experience. Read the rest of this entry →

If you own a truck, you may have thought about taking it racing once or twice. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just showing up at the track and paying the entry fee. What do you need to do to get started in truck racing?

Choose Your Race Type

Just like with cars, there are different types of races you can enter your truck in once it’s ready. The preparations you need to do will vary depending on the competition. There’s drag racing, where you will need to increase horsepower and torque to blast down a quarter-mile strip as quickly as possible. There’s off-road racing, where your suspension and tires will require a serious upgrade. There’s track racing, drifting, desert racing and even super truck racing, where drivers speed around the track in souped-up delivery trucks.

Your next steps for getting started in truck racing will depend on the type of race you choose. Read the rest of this entry →