Active Action Sports

Around the World in 13 Years

Trish18 — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:01:00 GMT

Jason Lewis set off from Greenwich, London, in July 1994 on a mission to circumnavigate the globe using only human power. Thirteen years later, he has completed his journey using bicycles, in-line skates, kayaks, swimming, rowing, walking and a unique pedal-powered boat to travel more than 45,000 miles across five continents, two oceans and one sea.

His historical adventure is known as Expedition 360 and followed a five-pointed mission:

* To circle the world by means of human power alone.
* To use the adventure as a classroom learning tool.
* To encourage world citizenship between cultures.
* To promote environmental responsibility.
* To live fully and enjoy the experience.

Sounds like a fun and rewarding journey-but it wasn't all enjoyable. The expedition was expected to last only 3.5 years. Lewis broke both legs, narrowly avoided an amputation, spent six weeks in hospital and nine months in recovery before continuing his record-setting skate across America. Another major setback occurred when he was arrested by Egyptian authorities who thought he was a spy. His trip was also interrupted for weeks at a time as Lewis and his team of supporters worked to raise money to continue. Odd jobs along the way included work on a cattle ranch in America and at a funeral home in Australia.

After Lewis takes some time to rest, he plans to start a career organizing "mini expeditions" for young people and giving talks about climate change. I'm not sure how much rest is needed after a 13-year, 45,000 mile trip-but he definitely deserves it.

No More Olympic Dreams for Skateboarding

Trish18 — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:31:00 GMT

Attempts to introduce skateboarding to the 2012 London Olympics have failed.

The International Olympic Committee wanted to debut the sport to increase the youth appeal of the 2012 Games.

Skateboarders have been divided over the idea of taking part in the Olympics. Some would have welcomed the exposure; others said it would lead to a conformity that doesn't lend itself to the sport that grew out of the Californian surf craze.

As the deadline for a completely new sport at London 2012 has long passed, the only chance skateboarding has to be included is if it is adopted by an existing Olympic sport as a discipline. The International Cycling Federation did not even consider adopting skateboarding as a "wheel-based" sport.

However, the federation remains in talks with the IOC about introducing an additional form of BMX for London. The cycling sport will make its debut at next year's Beijing games but, by 2012, a "freestyle" discipline could be added.

Do you think skateboarding and BMX should be included as Olympic sports?

10 Tips for an Active Lifestyle

Active Toby — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:42:00 GMT

Hey everyone, Trish and Toby here. We're firm believers that the active lifestyle involves more than just being physically active--it's about being intellectually and socially active too. We compiled a list of 10 tips for being active in all areas of life. Because no matter what stage of life you are in, you should always strive to be the best version of yourself.

1. Maintain a positive mental outlook. There's a clear connection between living well and having a cheerful outlook on life. Research has found that people who think positively about life live an average of seven and a half years longer than negative thinkers.

2. Avoid processed food. Eating processed, boxed, canned and frozen meals guarantee that you are eating unnecessary chemicals, sodium, sugar and fat. Eat fresh, natural food and eliminate trans fat from your diet.

3. Reduce stress. We're so focused on being go-getters that we often forget to de-stress. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like--walk on the beach or in a park, read a book, visit a friend, play with your dog, listen to soothing music or watch a funny movie. Don't forget to take some time to focus on clearing your thoughts and giving your mind, body and spirit a chance to rejuvenate.

4. Invest in a quality pair of shoes and socks. Visit a specialty store that understands that every foot and foot strike is unique. When your feet are happy, so are you. Comfortable, supportive and well-fitting shoes and synthetic socks are worth the investment of time and money.

5. Socialize. Having a social network is important to the body, mind and spirit. People who are socially active tend to be healthier, happier and less likely to become depressed. To stay socially active, make a point of getting out of the house. Make plans with your friends to go out to lunch or better yet, make plans to exercise regularly with a friend or group of friends. Exercising with others is usually more fun than exercising on your own--and it can help you stick with your exercise program. Try joining our online community today!

6. Exercise your brain. The key to keeping your memory sharp is continuing to challenge it. Having a book on hand and discussing what you've read with friends or a book club is one way to keep your brain in good shape. Crosswords, Sudoku and puzzles are also excellent ways to keep your brain agile. There is always more learning to do. Find out what works for you.

7. Volunteer. Donating your time at an aid station during a race or soup kitchen over the holidays, puts life into perspective. Be thankful for all you have and give to others who are less fortunate.

8. Omit high fructose corn syrup from your diet. Widespread use of this highly modified sweetener is making us and our children unhealthy. High fructose corn syrup bypasses the digestive process and goes straight to the liver, where it gets turned into fat. Combined with the typical American high-fat diet, the result is increased danger of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Try using honey as sweetener instead. As an added bonus, ingesting locally grown honey before allergy season helps your body acclimate to some pollen levels in advance.

9. Maintain close relationships. Make a point to strengthen ties with your family, friends and loved ones. Volunteer work, religious ties, even pets--anything that keeps you involved with others--reduces stress and enhances health. Having a strong network of family and friends and a broad range of activities will support your health.

10. Give yoga a try. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes when your body is limber and flexible. Plus, yoga reduces the chances of injury. Try a beginning yoga class to enjoy the wide range of benefits--your mind and body will both thank you.

Comments are encouraged--please share your tips for staying healthy and active with the rest of us.

Surfing 50 States

ActiveAdmin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:30:09 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/01/surf50_3.jpgWith Memorial Day weekend behind us and schools dismissing their classrooms, summer is (unofficially) here. The season for vacations and road trips is upon us, and I’ve got a few trips lined up that I’m looking forward to. However, none of my plans are nearly as cool as the trip two Australians, Jonathan Durrant and Stefan Hunt, just completed.

Durrant and Hunt traveled for seven months to complete their mission to surf in all 50 states. When told that they couldn’t possibly surf the inland states, they found "waves" in irrigation ditches, snow and even in a potato field. Raised in St. Louis, I was curious to see where they chose to surf in Missouri and was expecting to find they took on the Mississippi River. I think they did one better in checking off Missouri by surfing down the steps at the Arch.

Their rules were simple: to surf all 50 states, “surf” was defined as being on a surfboard with some sort of momentum, and to document and share the experience with as many people as possible.

To top it all off, they had an ice cream truck donated to them by a sponsor to help minimize their costs. However, during the 20,000 miles they traveled, it seems the truck ended up being more trouble than it was worth. It needed two engines, two alternators, one muffler, one repaired fuel tank, one battery, one ignition coil, two rewiring repairs and three tows.

Judging by their stories and pictures, it looks like it was worth it.

(Photo provided by Getty Images)

Speed Flying

ActiveAdmin — Fri, 18 May 2007 19:43:34 GMT

There is an up-and-coming sport that combines skiing, parachuting, snow kiting and parasailing that allows you to descend mountains at speeds up to 70 miles an hour. That is intense.

Here’s a unique view of the new sport known as speed flying or speed riding. The video lets you vicariously experience the alternating skiing and soaring effect:

This sport gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “extreme sport.”

Changing the way we see skateboarding

ActiveAdmin — Thu, 10 May 2007 19:18:29 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/05/10/skate.jpgAs an underground activity, skateboarding has always come along with stereotypes, many of them negative and misconstrued. But the rebellious, drug-taking-punk image of old is giving way to that of a skillful athlete with a daring edge. It's the skaters themselves making this change, and Richard Zuccarello is among those leading the way. His organization Skateboarders Against Drugs sends a positive message to the community while promoting the sport of skateboarding to kids.

The creation of Skateboarders Against Drugs was sparked in 2003 when an elementary school in Woodland Hills, Calif. asked professional skateboarder Zuccarello to help them with their anti-drug campaign.

Read more about Skateboarders Against Drugs.

How to Harness the Wind

ActiveAdmin — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:13:37 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/05/04/kiteboard.jpgCombining paragliding, wakeboarding and windsurfing, kiteboarding (also known as kitesurfing) is still a debutante in the athletic world -- yet to celebrate its tenth birthday. But the high-adrenaline sport, in which you can perform tricks more than 20 feet above the water and travel at speeds of more than 30 knots, is steadily gaining disciples.

Despite its reputation as an extreme sport, kiteboarding is also about balance, technique and finesse. Perhaps that's why the ranks of women riders increase every year, along with female instructors and women-specific kiting camps.

Kiteboarding classes -- an absolute must to get started in the sport -- are available around the country. Follow these tips to help you soar across the water.

How extreme should I go? You Decide.

ActiveAdmin — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:05:00 GMT

Dear readers,

The weather is getting warmer and I'm looking for more reasons to get outside and enjoy being active.

My first love is team sports. However, I want to broaden my horizons and take up a new action sport. I want you to decide which one I pick up. I will post which sport got the most votes and updates on how I am progressing.

So, let's hear it. Should I be grinding at the skate park? Hitting the trail? patricia.oberhaus@active.com

Mountain Biking the North Pole

ActiveAdmin — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:30:05 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/11/mtnbikesnow.jpgA couple weeks ago Chicago had record high temperatures and I was overjoyed to be outside on my bike after a long winter of indoor training rides. Winter is back now in the Midwest and it is a rude awakening. It’s almost the middle of April and Major League baseball games have been canceled in both Cleveland and Chicago on account of snow. I’ll admit, it makes me not want to take my bike out anytime soon.

Until I read about the North Pole Bike Extreme, the first bike race at the North Pole. The race description on the site is as follows:

You will cycle a 26.2-mile marathon distance in extreme sub-zero temperatures on the high Arctic Ocean while negotiating small hillocks of ice and pressure ridges. You will struggle in this formidable challenge, constantly aware you are on territory where the polar bear is king. Forced to carry your bike in some sections, and with 6 to 12 feet of pack ice separating you from 12,000 feet of Arctic Ocean below, a steely nerve will be required to take part in North Pole Bike Extreme - the coolest bike race on the planet.

The Midwest weather doesn’t seem so bad anymore. Fewer excuses, more pedaling!

(Photo provided by Getty Images/Image Source)

Surf Year-Round

ActiveAdmin — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:56:31 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/10/wetsuit.jpgWhenever surfing comes up in conversation with non-surfing people, the matter of water temperature almost always surfaces. I've met several people who say, "I don't surf here (in Nor Cal) because the water is too cold!" Yes, the water temperature around Half Moon Bay, Calif. is typically in the 48 - 58 F range year-round, including in the dead of winter and summer. But, with new technology in wetsuits, this is no longer an excuse.

A wetsuit is a surfer's essential life-support system, especially for a starter who spends more time inside the water.

For more on new wetsuit technologies, accessories, and how to choose the right one for you - check out the full story here!

Miss Motocross

ActiveAdmin — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:28:56 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/30/ashley.jpg"Hello, my name is Ashley Fiolek. I'm 16 years old, I am profoundly deaf, and I race motocross."

These are the first words in the biography section of ashleyfiolek.com. The bio goes on to summarize the accomplishments of her amateur career. It's a record that would be impressive for any racer but one that is especially notable because Ashley Fiolek is both improbably young and unable to hear.

Motocross is a loud sport, and racers depend on sound for cues. The buzz of the engine tells them when to shift. Sound also warns that another rider is approaching, indicating when it would be best to move out of the way. Fiolek knows when to shift by sensing vibrations, feeling the bike as it groans and memorizing every bump of the course.

After two years of dominating amateur races on her 85cc, Fiolek made her 125cc debut against the best women in the world in November, winning the women's supercross title. She also qualified for a boys' race at Loretta Lynn's last summer. Out of 42 riders—41 male—she finished 11th. She'll turn pro in August, midway through the six-event Hitachi WMA National Championship series, the pinnacle of women's pro motocross.

First-Ever X Games Asia in China

ActiveAdmin — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 05:11:54 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/21/xgamechina.jpgThe city of Shanghai will host the KIA X Games Asia 2007 May 3-5 from KIC Jiang Wan Stadium, it was announced today by Rick Alessandri, senior vice president, general manager, ESPN Consumer Products and X Games Franchise Managing Director.

The event will mark the first time X Games Asia will be held in the People's Republic of China.

More than 200 of the world's top action sports athletes from more than 20 countries and five continents will compete in the three-day event and feature multiple disciplines, including Aggressive In-Line Skate, Skateboard, BMX Freestyle, Sport Climbing as well as a Moto X demonstration.

(Photo provided by Getty Images/Streeter Lecka)

Stand up paddle surfing

ActiveAdmin — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 19:19:40 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/15/paddlesurf2.gifStand up paddle surfing is an aspect of surfing that has seen a recent resurgence. For those that are not familiar with the sport, it entails standing on a large longboard and propelling yourself with essentially a canoe paddle. Recently, it has been picked up as an alternative way to ride surf and as a means of staying in shape. The level of surfing on stand up paddle boards has sky rocketed in the last few years.

This type of surfing involves using a massive longboard — generally 12 feet long, 30 inches wide and 4-5 inches thick — with a canoe-style paddle that should be about six inches taller than you. You throw the board in the water, paddle out past the shorebreak with the paddle tucked under you, then pop to your feet with the paddle in your hand. With your feet parallel, you can then balance on the board and paddle around. Once you get the feel of it, the next goal is to propel yourself into waves.

Stand-up paddle surfers have found they can have fun even in small, mushy waves because the paddle and the massive boards add entirely new abilities and dimensions. It wouldn't be ideal for crowded conditions, because of the size of the board. But on a marginal day or during a swamped-out high tide, stand-up can make surfing possible and really fun.

Riding the Spine

ActiveAdmin — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 06:24:23 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/mtnbike.jpgThere are a group of guys riding their bikes the length of the Earth by following the backbone of the globe -- the world's longest continuous mountain range. The route takes them along the backroads and trails that traverse the Continental Divide. The off-road nature of this trip sounds like it would be an awesome ride and a unique opportunity to see the world and enjoy the great outdoors.

The Great Divide runs along the crest of the Rockies, from British Columbia, through the United States, and continues southward into Mexico and Central America. It divides the continent's principal drainage into that flowing eastward (to the Hudson Bay in Canada or to the Mississippi River) and that flowing westward (to the Pacific Ocean).

Unfortunately, they were busted by federal agents for biking through the Grand Canyon. They’re staying in Flagstaff for awhile to work construction and raise some cash to pay down their legal fees before moving on. The worst part is that they probably would have gotten away with it if they hadn’t posted pictures and stories about their illegal ride on their blog. After paying a $500 fine and being in jail for two days, they had to post something on their blog about why people shouldn’t bike through the Grand Canyon. Even worse, they are banned from National Parks for five years.

Another example of why one should be careful of what gets posted on the internet (and, of course, why to not ride your bike in the Grand Canyon). But these guys are on to something very cool in riding the longest off-pavement bike route in the world. They will be leaving Flagstaff and hitting the trail again in a couple weeks; if you want to keep an eye on them, their effort is called “*Riding the Spine*.”

(Photo provided by Getty Images/taken byKashi Leuchs)

Women Surfers Want Equal Pay Too

ActiveAdmin — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 00:24:49 GMT

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/femalesurf.jpgIn surfing, the participation and performance of women have been surging, boosting industry profits. But going on 50 years since Kathy Kohner Zuckerman (nicknamed Gidget), earned grudging respect from the guys — and two weeks after pledged to pay equal prize money to women — gender equity for the sport remains a point of contention.

The Association of Surfing Professionals men’s and women’s world tour seasons began last week on Australia’s Gold Coast, near Brisbane, with the men’s Quiksilver Pro and the women’s Roxy Pro. The contrast is stark.

On the men’s tour, 45 surfers compete in 10 events, with the Quiksilver Pro offering $300,000 in prize money. The women’s tour consists of 17 surfers in seven events. The Roxy Pro, which was won by Chelsea Hedges on Monday, paid a total of $80,000 in winnings. Layne Beachley, the seven-time and defending women’s world champion, said the surf industry needed to do more.

“There is always room for improvement, both at the elite level and at grass roots,” Beachley, 34, said in an e-mail message from Australia. “And considering the industry have made an enormous amount of money through its representation of this lifestyle, I feel that the disparity between the incomes of the men and women still have a long way to go to become ‘equal.’ ”