Sports Then and Now

Pat Farmer is running the equivelent of two marathons every day during his journey from pole to pole.

My family was nearly finished with our six hour journey this afternoon from Greer, South Carolina to Keysville, Virginia when we noticed an RV on the side of the road with the interesting words “Pole to Pole Run.com” plastered on the side. Soon after, we saw a solo figure wearing white and blue running along the side of the road. Not too far behind was another RV.

Intrigued, I quickly googled the web site (it’s okay, my wife was driving) and soon discovered the story of Pat Farmer and his amazing journey to raise money for the International Red Cross.

As it turns out, while our journey for the day ended just a few minutes later when we reached my parent’s home, Pat’s year-long journey is really just starting.

Imagine getting out of bed every day and your job was to run for eight straight hours. It is likely that most of us wouldn’t make it much longer than a few days before we were worn out and ready for a break.

In April, Pat Farmer, a 49-year-old former member of the Australian Parliament, started a year long journey to run from “Pole to Pole” starting at the North Pole and running all the way to the South Pole.

Already a world record holding endurance runner, Farmer decided to tackle his greatest challenge to support the great work that Red Cross does in times of crisis and to inspire others to realize that they can make a difference. Read the rest of this entry →

Tim Cahill will lead Australia in the World Cup.

Australia is one of the World Cup participants with the strongest links to English league teams. Many players from the Premier League, Championship and lower divisions are likely to feature for the Socceroos in South Africa, and whilst some are journeymen likely to have a limited impact, Tim Cahill is a top class international capable of making a big impression at the finals.

Cahill has a historic place in Australian football history, scoring his team’s first ever World Cup goal in Germany four years ago. His two goals against Japan also meant he was the first Aussie scorer of a World Cup brace and maiden World Cup man of the match. He will surely increase his tally this time around.

An international record of 19 goals from 37 matches is an excellent goal to games ratio, especially considering the Everton man’s deep-lying position. It is easy to see why he has a reputation for being a goalscoring midfielder, but as any Toffees fan will tell you, his game is about more than arriving late in the box and scoring headers.

These are fine attributes, but Cahill’s creative skill and tenacity are often overlooked. Top Premier League midfielders cannot rely on goals alone and Cahill’s passing and tackling mean he can play in a flat midfield as well as in a midfield diamond or withdrawn string role.

Australia performed well in Germany, losing unluckily in round two to Italy. Despite not being favorites to win 2010 FIFA world cup, another second round appearance is achievable and perhaps needed, as the Aussies will go to the next World Cup without Mark Schwarzer, Brett Emerton and perhaps Cahill. This is his chance to shine and it is a safe bet that the famous corner flag boxing celebration will be in use.