Jive SBS Syndication Feed

Nigel Sylvester Mission G Video

mvalenti — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:58:59 GMT

Take a look inside an action sports shoot with photographer Mark Losey and BMX rider Nigel Sylvester.

!http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bTxJmxPTEyNDU5NTA3NDEzMzQmcHQ9MTINTk1MDc3NzM2NiZwPTUxMDU1MSZkPU1pc3Npb25HLmNvbSZnPTImdDmbz*YmE2YzliNDgxYzgZWZmOThhYjJhYTY4ZTdmZGFlZCZvZjw.gif|style=visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;|src=http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bTxJmxPTEyNDU5NTA3NDEzMzQmcHQ9MTINTk1MDc3NzM2NiZwPTUxMDU1MSZkPU1pc3Npb25HLmNvbSZnPTImdDmbzYmE2YzliNDgxYzgZWZmOThhYjJhYTY4ZTdmZGFlZCZvZj*w.gif|border=0 width=0 height=0 /!

What Happens When You Let a Gardener Into Your Yard...

mvalenti — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:12:38 GMT

My boyfriend and I recently went on an extended vacation leaving his mom at our house to take care of the dogs. With 40 years of gardening experience~~personal and professional~~under her belt she set out to make some changes in our yard.

First she uncovered a few withering artichoke plants that now produce more artichokes than we can eat. (Tip: She hit up all the coffee shops in town to collect their coffee grounds for use as fertilizer).

Next she planted a few vegetables and herbs that we are super excited about including basil, parsley, arugula, thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic, mint, dill and several tomato plants.

Finally, she started a compost pile for us in the side yard. All she did was take a pile of weeds from the yard (of which there were plenty), mixed the yard scraps with some food waste from the kitchen, hosed the pile down and let it do its thing.

Here's how it works:

Take any once-living substance, throw it on the pile of yard scraps, cover it with more weeds and the whole mess turns into a pile of organic soil that can be used for gardening. The best part is that you can compost things you would never even think of like hair, dryer lint, coffee filters, fireplace ashes and eggshells. You can even compost cotton rags.

We have always been conscious of how much we throw away but I had no idea that so much of what we did toss out could be recycled in our own yard. I have to say it feels great to see our small stack of trash, next to the large pile of compost, and know that we are reducing our impact on the landfills.

For more information on how to start you own compost pile visit:

http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm

or check out

http://vegweb.com/composting/

Who Wants to Get Active Contest #2

mvalenti — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:14:34 GMT

Hey everyone,

Great job with the Who Wants to Get Active program blogging contest!

You all did so well that we decided to have another contest. It will

run from now through April 30. This time you can only win in one

category though--we didn't want Levi snatching them all up again .

Awards will be handed out for:

Most blogs from now through April 30
Most comments on other participants' blogs from now through April 30
Funniest blog post from now through April 30
Best true story and blog post about motivating another person to
     Get Active (For example: "i motivated my lazy dad to go running with me
     when he was visiting" or "I forced my kids to go hiking and they had so
     much fun they now beg me to take them!")

Prizes include:

$100 to your favorite restaurant
$100 to a sporting goods store of your choice
A one-hour massage
And another surprise!

Be sure to check out the other team blogs and comment on those too as

the contest includes all 16 participants from Team

First Marathon, Rookie Runners, First Triathlon and your own Bye Bye Baby Weight team.

Way to go in your training so far and keep up the great work!

Who Wants to Get Active Contest #2

mvalenti — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:09:52 GMT

Hey everyone,

Great job with the Who Wants to Get Active program blogging contest! You all did so well that we decided to have another contest. It will

run from now through April 30. This time you can only win in one category though--we didn't want Levi snatching them all up again .

Awards will be handed out for:

Most blogs from now through April 30
Most comments on other participants' blogs from now through April 30
Funniest blog post from now through April 30
Best true story and blog post about motivating another person to Get Active (For example: "i motivated my lazy dad to go running with me when he was visiting" or "I forced my kids to go hiking and they had so much fun they now beg me to take them!")

Prizes include:

$100 to your favorite restaurant
$100 to a sporting goods store of your choice
A one-hour massage
And another surprise!

Be sure to check out the other team blogs and comment on those too as the contest includes all 16 participants on Bye Bye Baby Weight, Team First Marathon, Rookie Runners and Your own First Triathlon team.

Way to go in your training so far and keep up the great work!

Motivation for the First Tri Team

mvalenti — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:41:31 GMT

I couldn't resist. When Jesse sent me a link to this video I thought of you guys! Kirsten, you said you were looking for motivation a while back. If this doesn't help you, I don't know what will. So here it is...The Triathlon Song.

27th Annual Burton US Open

mvalenti — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:31:46 GMT

In 1982 a small group of snurfers and snowboarders held the first National Snowboard Championships at a mountain called Suicide Six in Vermont. Jake Burton was at the first event and now he brings the US Open to Stratton Mountain in Vermont on March 16 to 22 for its 27th year of competition and celebration.

The US Open is the final stop on the Burton Open Global Series and the final stop on the TTR World Snowboard Tour so all the best snowboarders in the world will be there.

All events are free to the public but after watching the tricks that the world's top riders pull off, you're gonna want to buy a lift ticket and hit the slopes yourself.

For more information go to opensnowboarding.com/

And to help get you pumped, check out these clips from last year:

Jet Blue Refunds

mvalenti — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:20:36 GMT

Wondering if you should buy that plane ticket with the economy in such turmoil? If you plan to fly Jet Blue, go for it. If you buy a ticket on their airline between Febraury 1 and June 1 but loose your job (on or after February 17) they will waive the $100 fee and refund your ticket.

For full details go to http://www.jetblue.com/promiseprogram

Who Wants to Get Active Contest

mvalenti — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:43:08 GMT

Hey everyone, We are going to spice up the Who Wants to Get Active program with a blogging contest. Starting today we will be monitoring the blogs for volume, inspiration and creativity. The contest runs through March 15 and awards will be handed out for:

Most creative blog from Feb 18 to march 15
Most inspirational blog from Feb 18 to march 15
Most comments on other participants' blogs from Feb 18 to march 15
Most blog posts (from start of program to March 15)

Prizes include:

A one-hour massage at a place near you
$100 to a sporting goods store of their choice
A Flip Video Camera
And the last one is a surprise!

Be sure to check out the other team blogs and comment on those too as the contest includes all 16 participants from Rookie Runners, First Marathon, Bye Bye Baby Weight and First Tri.

Way to go in your training so far and Keep up the great work!

Who Wants to Get Active Contest

mvalenti — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:26:11 GMT

Most creative blog from Feb 18 to march 15
Most inspirational blog from Feb 18 to march 15
Most comments on other participants' blogs from Feb 18 to march 15
Most blog posts (from start of program to March 15)

Prizes include:

A one-hour massage at a place near you
$100 to a sporting goods store of their choice
A Flip Video Camera
And the last one is a surprise!

Be sure to check out the other team blogs and comment on those too as the contest includes all 16 participants from Rookie Runners, First Marathon, Bye Bye Baby Weight and First Tri.

Way to go in your training so far and Keep up the great work!

Roll Into the X Games

mvalenti — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:07:48 GMT

Totino's Pizza Rolls is giving away an all expense paid trip to the 2010 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. All you have to do is create a 60 second video that shows how you bring the energy of the X Games into your favorite sport. The Grand Prize winner gets to take three friends to Aspen in 2010, the first finalist will win $5,000 and the second finalists gets a year supply of Totino's Pizza Rolls.

Danny Cass shows you how to enter:

Submit your video.

BMX Olympic Debut Recap

mvalenti — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:34:33 GMT

BMX made its Olympic debut in Beijing with lots of crashes and plenty of action. Although gold eluded the U.S. team, they still walked away with three medals.

Mike Day, who won all of his qualifying races, crossed the line behind Maris Strombergs of Latvia in the final event on Sunday August 22 to win Silver, while Donny Robinson took Bronze.

Kyle Bennett dislocated his shoulder in a quarterfinal heat and went on to race in the semifinals but did not qualify for the finals.

On the woman's side, Jill Kintner hung on in her final heat, with riders going down left and right, to win silver.

To see the full results go to: http://www.nbcolympics.com/cycling/resultsandschedules/index.html

To read up on the athletes : http://www.nbcolympics.com/cycling/index.html

Catch the crashes with NBC's cycling videos here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/cycling/video/index.html

(AP photo: Christophe Ena)

America for Gold

mvalenti — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:38:28 GMT

It is all about the numbers. Just ask any athlete in Beijing. Whether it is the final score in a tennis match, the winning time in a triathlon or the perfect 10 on the balance beam the smallest units of measurement separate athletes from the joy of victory and the agony of defeat.

There are numbers in the world of international athletic competition, however, that few of us know about. These numbers reflect the financial costs associated with representing our nation abroad on the international field of play. America for Gold (AFG), which launched eight days before the start of the Beijing games, has set out to provide financial support to U.S. athletes. Along with its launch, AFG began "$8 per month starting 08-08-08."

AFG is committed to supporting athletes by taking the financial numbers game out of the equation and allowing athletes to focus on physically preparing to represent our nation in international competition.

"We are going to apply the same determined focus and energy you will see on the field of play this summer to helping athletes succeed," said Montford.

To support AFG, one-time or monthly contributions are accepted. Donations can be made online, by phone at (877) 477-4488 or by U.S. mail. To learn more about America for Gold or to make a donation, please visit www.AmericaForGold.org .

BMX Olympic Debut

mvalenti — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:06:23 GMT

BMX makes its Olympic debut this week in Beijing. Here are the four U.S. riders who hope to make history by winning the first BMX Olympic gold medal.

Mike Day Day earned his nomination to the Olympics at the Olympic Trials event in Chula Vista, California. He took first place in three out of the four events and second place in the remaining race.

Because he is so tall (6'3") Day uses a unique handlebar style with an upsweep on it. The handlebar, named after Day, is called The Fly Racing Mike Day BMX Handlbar.

Read more about Mike Day

Donny Robinson Currently ranked number one in world ranking points, Robinson “credits his drive and determination for his success on the dirt.”

Aside from dreaming about Olympic gold, Robinson is a singer/performer and hopes to one day star on Broadway.

Read more about Donny Robinson

Kyle Bennett Bennet was the first American to secure a spot on the Olympic BMX team. He has two second place finishes at the X Games and he won the 2007 world championship in Vancouver after recovering from ACL surgery and only having three and a half months to prepare. He is often referred to as “butter” because of his smooth riding style.

Read more about Kyle Bennett

Jill Kintner Kintner started her career in BMX at only 8 years old then jumped between successful runs in both BMX and mountain biking. She finally shifted her full attention to BMX when she decided to push for the Olympics.

In a journey that came down to the final race, Kintner out-biked friend, roommate and teammate Arielle Martin for the sole spot on the women’s U.S. BMX team. Martin returned home to Utah after loosing to Kintner only to return to the Chula Vista training center four days later on a decision to help Kintner get ready for the games.

Read more about Jill Kintner

The Track

The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Cycling built a replica of the Beijing course in Chula Vista, California at the Olympic Training center where the U.S. athletes have been riding for the last several months. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

The Event

Seeding starts on Wednesday August 20 with both men’s and women’s semifinals and finals taking place on Thursday August 21 in Beijing. Event coverage will be on NBC from 6 to 9 pm on Wednesday the 20th East Coast Time.

5 Minutes With Adam Jones

mvalenti — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:50:05 GMT

!http://www.active.com/Assets/Action+Sports/AdamJonesAP.jpg!

AP Photo/Robert E. Klein

How did you get into motocross?

I saw it on TV and I was like, 'man that looks fun, I wanna do that!' My parents have always been really supportive so they bought me a little piece of junk bike. I enjoyed it right off the bat and one thing led to another.

How did you break into the pro scene?

I did local pro class races for about 7 years and then when I was about 17 I got an opportunity to do a professional freestyle event. That's when I totally changed paths, started doing freestyle and turned pro.

What do you have against foam pits?

It's become everybody's easy way out. I agree that really knarly stuff like 360s have to be learned in foam pits but I've heard of people learning flip, one-handers and flip knack-knacks in those pits which are totally baby-step-able tricks. If you don't have the guts to put the time in and learn, then don't do it.

How do you train for flips without using a pit?

You take it one step at a time and don't rush yourself. The main thing about learning on dirt is you progress as you get comfortable. You can usually tell if you will be able to do something after the first time you try it. Even if you're not anywhere close to it, you can tell if you'll get it eventually.

Do you feel more pressure to do well since you captured a gold medal at X Games last summer?

A little bit, but I don't think anybody expects me to get gold. I just think now more people are gonna be watching. I try not to think about it and I try not to put more pressure on myself but I don't wanna let these people down. I don't want people to see me and say, 'Oh man, I thought he was better than that.'

U.S. Open of Surfing Underway

mvalenti — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:15:28 GMT

Association of Surfing Professionals

Huntington Beach, California--The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America is gearing up for its biggest event of the year, the GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open presented by O'Neill. This ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star men's and women's event held at the famed Huntington Beach Pier will run from July 18 through 27, 2008.

The U.S. Open of Surfing draws some of the best surfers from around the globe to a festival that brings multiple surf tours to one location. It is event No. 5 on the 2008 ASP North America World Qualifying Series (Men), event No. 2 on the 2008 ASP North America World Qualifying Series (Women), event No. 6 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series (Men), event No. 2 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series (Women) and event No. 1 on the 2008 ASP North America Longboarding Tour (Men).

Accompanying the ASP WQS 6-Star events will be the ASP Grade-2 O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior, the ASP 2-Star O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding and the recently-added ASP Grade-2 S3 Supergirl Pro Junior.

This ASP WQS 6-Star event always draws a multitude of international competitors to Huntington's shore for their piece of the $195,000 available in prize money, and ever-valuable ratings points towards qualification for the ASP World Tour and ASP Women's World Tour.

After 15 years of consecutive competition, the U.S. Open has crowned a bevy of marquee surfing talents including eight-time ASP World Tour Champion and current ratings leader on the ASP World Tour, Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, FL), Andy Irons (Hanalei, Kauai), C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), Layne Beachley (Queenscliff, NSW), Lisa Andersen (Ormond Beach, FL) and Stephanie Gilmore (Tweed Heads, NSW)--all of whom are former U.S. Open as well as ASP World Champions, proving the pedigree of U.S. Open Champions to be among surfing's finest.

The GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open presented by O'Neill will open competition with Honda men's U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill ASP WQS Trials, followed by the O'Neill U.S. Open Junior Pro presented by Honda and the O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding. Colin McPhillips (San Clemente, CA), who is a two-time U.S. Open Longboard Champion, will be back to defend last year's title and is focused on a repeat victory at this year's O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding.

"Defending my title this year is top priority for me," McPhillips said. "Competing in what is the Super Bowl of surfing is an unreal thing to win and I will do my best to bring that title home another year."

With the O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding as McPhillips' main focus, the veteran longboarder has been spending as much time in the water as possible to prepare for the upcoming event.

"My training throughout my entire career is surfing as much as possible." McPhillips said. "The best thing for your surfing is surfing. The only thing different is I have been stand-up paddle surfing a bunch, and really enjoying it."

The defending 2007 U.S. Open Longboarding champ will look to pocket his third U.S. Open title, the event that kicked off his professional career 14 years ago, as the U.S. Open was his first professional victory.

"The U.S. Open is a special event for me because it was my first pro win back in 1994," McPhillps said. "It is also great, because since the event is at home I get to bring my wife and kids with me."

Also running the opening weekend of competition will be the O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior and the recently-added S3 Supergirl Pro Junior. The ASP Grade-2 O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior will be stop No. 6 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series, and will play a crucial role in the qualifying campaigns of the junior men for the prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

The ASP Grade-2 S3 Supergirl Pro Junior will be the second women's event of the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series; however, its late addition to this season's series will have the results count towards next year's qualification campaigns.

To GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill will begin competition of Friday, July 18, 2008 at 8am with the ASP WQS Men's trials Round of 96.

For all of the LIVE action at this year's GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill log onto www.usopenofsurfing.com. For information about the event, log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.

About ASP:

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing's undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP Men's World Tour, the ASP Women's World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America and South America. These regions manage all their respective domestic affairs under the guidance of ASP International, which is located on the Gold Coast of Australia. ASP International and ASP North America are committed to the progression of surfing and are dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with their surfers, event operators, sponsors and media. For more information log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.