Competition Corner The Newsletter of the Sports & Recreation Division
Congratulations to Ron Burzese of Austin, Texas. Ron came up with the new
Sports and Recreation Division newsletter name. Thank you to all who
submitted ideas. They were all fantastic.
And now onto our update.
National convention is rapidly approaching and so is everything the Sports
and Recreation Division has planned for convention attendees. This year we
will have a goalball tournament, a rowing competition, self-defense classes,
and coolest of cools, an arm wrestling contest. That's right. You read it
correctly the first time. On Sunday July 1, 2007, all divisions of the NFB
will be displaying their talents in an exhibit hall just for NFB divisions.
There will be lawyers, teachers, merchants, students, and everyone's
beloved, Sports and Recreation Division. Please find the S&R Division and
join in the arm wrestling. Challenge Board Member Bo Mullens (a wrestler) to
a match, or if you'd like, try your arm on President Lisamaria Martinez (a
judo champion). If you are interested in helping out please email Lisamaria
at lmartinez217@gmail.com.
Self-defense class? Yes, this year, thanks to folks from Ohio, we are hoping
to have several self-defense classes especially geared to the blind.
Registration is only $30 which is a well spent $30 for your safety out on
the tough streets of San Francisco, Chicago, Louisville, Philadelphia,
Denver, Ruston, Dallas or wherever you hail from. If you are interested, or
if you know anyone who would be, please contact Lisamaria with a head count
of interested individuals. We are trying to ensure a minimum of 150
participants. So, round up your friends, count them up, and email Lisamaria
with a number. She will then respond with the appropriate information for
registration.
Thanks for reading our newsletter and stay tuned for further information and
updates from the S&R Division. The S&R Board is excited and enthusiastic
about making sports and recreational activities a part of everyone's
life-including yours.
TUESDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING
By Ron Burzese
Note. Ron Burzese is a Federationist who lives in Austin, Texas. Tandem bike
riding and racing is his passion. This is what Ron has to say: I have
nothing to prove, but just wanted to share with you a little bit of my world
as an athlete in my chosen sport of bicycle racing. Hopefully, I will say
something to encourage you in the pursuit of your fitness goals. Better
still, it would be great to have other blind tandems to race against on
Tuesday nights! Here is my story.
We raced our second Tuesday Nighter this week. This race has been
happening in Austin since 1969. Many pro racers, including Lance Armstrong,
have been known to show up to race with the locals. The nine-mile road
course has three hills as well as a few smaller hills referred to as bumps.
There are also a few areas where it seems flat but we are still gradually
going uphill; these are known as false flats. At a fast speed, they all
hurt! In fact everything about riding a bicycle is easy until you try to do
it fast. Three laps is equal to twenty-seven miles. It takes just over an
hour to complete the race. Our average speed is probably around twenty six
miles per hour. We probably peak at around forty miles per hour. We take
fast turns around thirty five miles per hour. At the beginning of every
season, it takes me a while to get use to the feel of the bike leaning over
so much in a group of other racers.
This race is not controlled by any official governing body of cycling. There
are no entry fees or officials. The good part about this is that I can
legally race my tandem in a pack of single bike racers from all of the local
teams. It happens every week, so there are a lot of opportunities for
high-speed practice.
Val is the guy on the front seat of the tandem bike for me on Tuesday nights. He is fifty-five years old, gray haired, and has been racing for thirty years. He says that at his age, he would not be able to challenge these sixteen to forty-something-year-olds, but with the tandem he can. Without his willingness, experience and superb bike-handling skills I would not even be there. We are a real team; each dependent on the other. Together we can compete against some of the strongest road racers Austin has to offer.
I wish I could share the communication between us as we race. I can tell
a lot of what is going on by listening and feeling what the bike is doing
through the handlebars, the pedals and the saddle. I get clues anywhere I
can find them--including from the bikes around me. Val is excellent about
telling me distances so that I can gage my efforts. Even though I am blind
and on the back of a tandem, I am as much a bike racer as anyone out there.
Going into a high speed corner, I can steer that bike as much as Val. The
trust between us is mutual.
Val and I rode one lap for a warm-up. We rode strong for the first two
laps.On the final lap, Schref, one of Val's teammates, asked us for a
lead-out. A lead-out is where one rider rides behind another to conserve his
energy-then, at the closing meters of the race He is still fresh. He can
then come around us to take the win at the finish line. Val told him the
plan which was to drop the hammer after the hard right with three miles to
go. This was to thin out the pack for the sprint. If we burn off the less
experienced riders with some high speed, the sprint will usually be safer.
After that turn, however, everyone seemed to go hard. We were being passed on both sides of our bike. Though I am blind, and my eyes are often closed anyway because of burning sweat, I can read what is going on. I heard one bike go by with a lot of force. (I can hear it in the pedal stroke as the tires respond to the pavement.) Val and I sat in--keeping pace. The bike rider was a big young sprinter and Val told Schref to keep an eye on the guy. Sure enough, with more than half a mile to go, the big guy attacked hard. Val and I responded with Schref on our wheel as planned. It became a caveman war of straining grunts as we were bar-to-bar. When I heard the growls, I went as hard as I could. I began to fade. Then, I heard more grunting from both guys. I found a little more energy in me when I realized we were not done just yet.
Right at the line, I exploded as Val threw the tandem forward. Val looked over to him and said, "Gotcha!" We just nipped him at the line by an inch. It was a great race! I slammed my helmet into Val's back with exhaustion and relief. I then sat up proud from my bars and threw my arms up in the air to proclaim our victory. Everyone jokes that I took third, since being the stoker, I placed behind the big guy--but I know who won that race.
Afterwards, Val and I celebrated with fajitas.
Do you have a story of your own? Write it down and send it to us! It might
just end up in a future issue of the Competition Corner! Send stories or
comments to: lmartinez217@gmail.com.
6 WAYS TO FIND THE TIME TO WORK OUT
By Monica Ciociola
Note. This article is from the Beachbody.com newsletter issue number 237
which was circulated on Wednesday January 10, 2007. The article can be found
at
www.beachbody.com .
The perceived lack of time is one of the main reasons people give for not
exercising regularly. Even those of you who have discovered the wonders of
in-home fitness still find it difficult to juggle work, family, and fitness.
We hear you asking for help, so here are six smart ways to find more time
for your workout. This way you can keep those New Year's resolutions all
year long.
1. Shop online. Now that you can basically order anything and everything
over the Internet and have it delivered, consider doing some of your errands
and shopping this way. Most major retailers have online stores, and provide
shipping options. So there's no need to go to the mall or the post office.
2. Farm out some chores. Try dropping off your laundry for fluff 'n'
fold-especially if you've already been spending money at the Laundromat.
You'll find that it doesn't cost that much more. Also, check out your local
maid service. For a little extra money, you can save a couple of hours
cleaning your home, not to mention the dozens of hours of procrastinating!
3. Wake up 30 minutes earlier. Work out before heading to the office. A
little trick for waking up faster is to touch your toes as soon as you open
your eyes, bringing blood to your head so you feel alert more quickly. After
your workout, you'll be more energized for the day ahead and hardly notice
the lost sleep. Working out in the morning as opposed to midday or at night
also saves you the double cost of showering, getting dressed, and making
yourself beautiful.
4. Prepare meals in advance. Try to get most of your meal preparation for
the week done over the weekend. That means washing all your lettuce,
veggies, herbs, fish, and poultry up front, and stocking complete
salads-in-a-bag to take to work. You can also prepare individual slices of
poultry and fish and a variety of veggies for dinner. Also make vats of
soup, pasta, and brown rice that you'll be able to microwave throughout the
week. Filling up on healthy meals and having low-fat, good-for-you snacks
readily available at work will reduce the temptation to sample the goodies
from the office vending machine.
5. Take your DVDs with you. If you're traveling, make sure you pack your favorite fitness DVDs along with your laptop so you can work out wherever you are, whether it's at your in-laws, your friend's house, or in a hotel room.
6. Pop in a 20-minute workout. Beachbody makes some super fast and
effective 10-to-20-minute workouts for when you're seriously short on time.
. It's only about 10 to 20 minutes, but the rewards stretch far beyond that
to stronger bones and muscles, a sharper mind, and a lower risk of cancer
and diabetes. And remember, working out reduces stress. You'll enjoy your
free time much more if you're healthy and energized. Don't forget to join
the Sports and Recreation Division. For questions about joining please
contact Lisamaria Martinez, president, for more details. Also, join our
listserv by going to www.nfbnet.org and clicking on the link "Join or Drop
NFBnet Mailing Lists."
Thanks for reading COMPETITION CORNER!