Rollerman MAIN

Roll With It

"... not your average blading session..."

Not much to say here, other than watch and be 'entertained' ... maybe even inspired.

...you have to love the way he handles the tighter bends!

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Categories Endeavour Tags Sport

By Juan on 17/6/10

Bruce MAIN

One Inch Ping Pong

"If not Bruce then who?"

"As long as I can remember I feel I have had this great creative and spiritual force within me, that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision.  It is all these combined.  My brain becomes magnetised with this dominating force which I hold in my hand."  Bruce Lee (...as we remember him)

"Take your paddle, let me choose my weapon ...

... and let's play."

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Categories Fun Tags Sport

By Juan on 11/2/10

Soccket MAIN

Can You Kick It?

"... yes you can!"

According to a recent report from the UN, over 1.5 billion people—one quarter of the world’s population - live in areas with no access to electricity.

Introducing sOccket, the soccer ball that turns energy from a kick into electricity. This the product of the imagination and creativity of a group of Harvard students who have found a way to harness energy from the world's favourite sport and pastime.

"This portable energy-harvesting device captures the impact energy normally dissipated when the ball is kicked, storing it to charge lights, cell phones and batteries. It works with inductive coil technology, similar to that found in flashlights that power up when shaken. For each 15 minutes of play, it can store enough energy to power a small LED light for three hours."

Simply brilliant!

Currently in its prototyping stages, sOccket has been successfully piloted in Durban, South Africa, and the development team has plans to market a commercial version of the sOccket in Western countries as a high-end tech toy, possibly using a "buy one-give one" model, to subsidize the cost of distributing sOccket in developing nations. If ever you needed an excuse for a lunchtime kick around this is it!

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Categories SUSO Tags Sport

By Juan on 6/2/10

Trick MAIN

The Martial 'art'

"... an aesthetic blend of flips, kicks, and twists."

Take the backflip from gymnastics, a 540 kick from Taekwondo, a butterfly twist from Wushu and  a double leg from Capoeira and you get close to the highly artistic world of tricking (or martial arts tricking as it is more formally known).

Tricking has only recently come into its own as a recognized activity although its origins are placed in the early 60s when martial artists working the competitive circuits began incorporating more advanced techniques into their forms. Unsurprisingly it was the emergence of the internet that launched Tricking to a wider audience and by the end of 2003, the online tricking community was well-developed, bringing 'trickers' (or tricksters) from across the globe together. 

Unlike many established sports, tricking has no formal rules or regulations, and there are no governing bodies that regulate the sport. Specialized coached training is practically non-existent leaving it almost entirely down to the imagination and creativity of the individual.  Mats, plyometric flooring, trampoline or jumping jamporees are the tools of a tricksters trade and it goes without saying that a special dedication and determination is required to first learn and then hone the required skills.  Strictly speaking, participants are free to perform any kind of dramatic maneuver and call it a 'trick' - though there are certain moves which are generally accepted as tricking moves. One thing is for certain this gentleman, Sean Ellis, aka Sesshoumaru, has one big bag of tricks...

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Categories Art Tags Sport culture

By Juan on 4/2/10

Finger MAIN2

Magic Fingers

"Flippin' heaven ..."

As we have recently been reminded, a fingerboard (or Finger-Skateboard) is a miniature version of a skateboard complete with moving wheels, graphics and trucks.  Measuring an average 96 millimeters long and 26 to 28mm wide, fingerboards can be employed by those gifted few to deliver the same breadth of board tricks that the better known skater pros deliver through their feet.  Only in this case the tricks are delivered through magic (highly determined) fingers...

And such nimble digits in (or should I say 'on') the hands of a talented cameraman makes for highly imaginative and creative cinema....

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Categories General Tags Sport Film Design

By Juan on 30/1/10

Spidey MAIN

What No Web?

"But Spidey capabilities nonetheless..."

Meet real-life Spiderman Jyothi Raj.  The 22 year old former construction worker from South India dicovered his superhero ability just over four years ago when facing the daily challenge of scaling the bamboo scaffolding widely used across his country.  Recognising his innate ability to place his hands and feet with the precision to deliver the most efficient and rapid of climbs he thereafter applied himself in an effort to turn his talent into an art.

In this part of the world there are no harnesses, there is no net so these rapid 300 ft climbs up the fort wall in Chitradurga represent art in its most creative and determined form.

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Categories Endeavour Tags Sport culture

By Juan on 25/1/10

Invictus MAIN

One Team, One Nation

"Sport's most iconic image and the story behind it..."

To quote John Carlin, author of the book Playing With The Enemy, the basis for the film Invictus that breaks in UK cinemas this month;

"By far the most fabulous and memorable political event I've ever witnesses was the Rugby World Cup Final of 1995."

That Carlin would refer to a World Cup final thus, as a'political event', points to the the power sport genuinely exerts over politics.  And Nelson Mandela, as intelligent a politician as ever there has ever been, was the man to recognise this.  The man to recognise that sport can move people emotionally to such an extent that it could and did unite a once fundamentally fractured nation. The man to move against this opportunity and challenge.  For those familiar with the turmoil of post-apartheid South Africa, the scale of this achievement was and remains breathtaking.

Morgan Freeman has gone on record as saying he had wanted to play Nelson Mandela in a film for many years but it was always about waiting for the right story and formula.  Carlin's tale offered him the formula and angle he was looking for.  And early critique suggest Freeman delivers a masterful performance in the role he was perhaps born to play (so says Mandela's own daughter..).  And while Matt Damon's involvement in the production is an inevitable point of controversy the same critics suggest he delivers a solid performance (with a worthy accent) allowing the focus to reside where it should, on Mandela as portrayed by Freeman.

Ahead of the realease of the film, and in Morgan Freeman's words, here is the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the story behind the image.

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Categories Film Tags Sport Politics Endeavour suso Film General

By Juan on 23/1/10

PT MAIN1

You Can. You Will.

 "... give meaning to the pain, in training and in life."

Pledge Limited ... now here's a great little idea and company we've come across recently. Founded by Simon Feneche - triathlete, marathon runner and recent conqueror of  the Eagle Isle Ultra (75 miles carrying all food and supplies over 3 days) - Pledge Limited are the creators of the waterproof, sweatproof silicon wristband, available in a range of colours, and otherwise known as the Pledgetag®.

The role of the Pledgetag is simple - to help you stay focused on your most important objective in life and on track to achieve your goal. This by making sure a reminder of that goal is never further away than the length of your arm.

Standard Pledgetags come with pre-designed messages such as "BURN FAT – LOSE WEIGHT" (careful who you give this one to!), "TRI HARDER – GET STRONGER" (I like...) and "YOU CAN – YOU WILL" the classic Armstrong cry from the heart. 

But it's when you start considering the power of a personalised Pledgetag that this idea comes into it's own.  The power of the inspirational message, whether to oneself or to another, is never to be underestimated.   "YOU CAN DO IT DADDY" ... who wouldn't run for walls for that?

Additionally Pledgetags can carry ICE (in case of emergency) details such as a postcode or phone number.  Not to be underetimated for those who like to go training with minimum baggage! 

All things considered, we think the simplicity and power of this idea is as cool as they come.

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Categories Endeavour Tags Sport culture

By Juan on 21/1/10

DANNY MAS MAIN

2 Wheeled Artistry

"More from the maestro that is Danny MacAskill..."

In April 2009 rider Danny MacAskill and cameraman Dave Sowerby posted a video online that has since gone on to deliver just shy of 14 million viewings.  Filmed over a few months in and around Edinburgh,  this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill has been universally aclaimed as probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. The riding is literally huge with some of the of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. In terms of trials bike riding it set a whole new standard for the rest to follow.

Well the boy is back.  And while Danny maintains that his motivation to ride has always been about having fun, few would begrudge him the clear commercial success that his talent has carved out as the leading act in VW's latest campaign. 

Enjoy the next 45 seconds of 2 wheeled poetry.

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Categories Sport Tags Sport Endeavour

By Juan on 7/1/10

FM MAIN

Remember The Name

"Today's soundtrack to sporting endeavour and excellence from Mike Shinoda's LA ensemble"

It's a track that's been around for a while but Fort Minor's Remember The Name has clearly now achieved cult status as 'the' soundtrack to sit alongside stella sporting endeavour.  Across the internet legendary basketball players Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dwight Howard all have their best moments on court compiled by die hard fans to this ripping hip hop classic.  Cristiano Ronaldo has even got his own montage.  Only probably not for long...

Alas WMG have recently decided to get tough on unauthorised use of the track and insisting that audio be disabled across the web piste.  Once view count hits around 200 thousand even the best montages can come crashing down without the background riff ... shame.

So before it's too late check out the effort below - as the architect tells us ' a video dedicated to and inspired by regular people doing some pretty amazing things....'

And there's no doubt that the track's lyrics tell their own story of what it takes to achieve a bit more in life ... we just have to decide whether we're up for pushing ourselves. 

 "This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!"

Amen to that.

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Categories Music Tags Sport Endeavour

By Juan on 30/11/09

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