Tennis Information from Book

Title- TENNIS: ITS HISTORY, PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Author- Will Grimsley
Chapter#1 Introduction
- The game tennis started out slow, because not the best athletes played it
- Tennis players were only supposed to play with white clothing while they were playing for fun or in pro tournaments like Wimbledon and the Forest Hills
- The first tournament that alowed you to wear whatever you want was Davis Cup
- Davis Cup was a tournament were people from the certain countries competed against people from other countries.
- This attracted more fans to this sport includng this lady named Mary Ewing Outerbridge
- She was so into the game that her family began to create tennis courts in New York and her brother ended up being served as the executive committe on the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association
- When peope saw her playing, people began playing tennis and creating tennis courts all over different countries because of the joy she had playing the sport.

In this book, Will Grimsley tells us about how tennis clothing changed overtime and how people became more into the game overtime. One reason that supports my main idea is how during and after the tournament Davis Cup, people became more into the sport, because people enjoyed supporting their country compete. Another example that supports my main idea is how people were only supposed to wear white clothing while playing tennis, but now anyone can wear whatever they want playing tennis. These ideas are similar to how you absolutely hate someone when you are playing a sport against but when you meet him or her, he ends up being a really nice guy.

 (COULD BE A NEGATIVE AFFECT FROM SPORTS ONTO THE BRAIN/MIND)




 In this  book John J. Ratey claims that stress and anxiety are the two major factors that prevent people from reaching their full potential within the brain/mind


One reason/fact/example that supports this main idea is that when the body is suffering from stress, a lack of blood flow and availability of glucose occurs. When a lack of glucose occurs, the body can not produce enough ATP to energize its system. Glucose is also known to be substance that calms and sooth the muscles in your body. 


Another reason/fact/example that supports this main idea is _the fact that when an individual is stressed, he/she's muscles begin to tense up which therefore leads to a limited circulation of blood to the brain. In order for the brain to properly function, a continuous flow of blood is needed. If that supply is not met, an individual may be exposed to poor decision making skills, lack of direction, and overall unawareness of his/she surroundings.   




Finally, the author gives the reason/fact/example that can be seen through his experiments with fourty local Naperville Central Highschool students in 2008.  In these testings, Ratey collected records that measured stress before a substantial test in school. In this experiment he took an experimental group of two students and compared them with a control group of thirty eight students. The experimental group was asked to perform a series of exercises such as swimming activities before the test, while the control group displayed what any normal high schooler would do, stress and worry about how hard the test will be. After the test scores were compared between the two groups, Ratey concluded that exercising and being highly active results in the better distribution of blood throughout the body. By having more swiftly moving circulation throughout the body, your mind is able to open up a greater capability of acknowledging, memorizing, and applying certain information given to you. 



These ideas are similar a personal situation of mine from when I was playing baseball on a highly competitive travel baseball team last year. When I was playing for this team in the summer, I endured so much stress that eventually my muscles began to cramp up and I lost control of throwing a baseball. Fortunately, I solved the problem later that summer. Due to this book, I now have accumulated a better knowledge and understanding for how stress and anxiety affects your mind and body. 

Drive

In the book, Drive, by Daniel H. Pink, he claims that the best way to motivate people is to take the idea of money off the table. He has three main concepts: Internal and External Fairness, Pay More Than Average,  and If You Use Performance Metrics, Take them Wide-Ranging, Relevant,and Hard to Game. Internal and External Fairness talks about how the factor of money can be a de-motivator if two men working the same job, where one man gets payed more makes the other become de-motivated to work hard. Pay More Than Average talks about how Akerlof and Yellen found that if you pay just a little bit more than market demands then it attracts better talent. The final principle of using performance metrics, make them wide-ranging, relevant, and hard to game talks about how you should try to sell your product, serve your customers, help your teammates, and, well, do good work. Those are some of Pink's reasons to keep money off of the table of inspiration.

• Keep money off table in motivation
• Money may de-motivate people ( if one gets payed more than the other for the same job )
• The most important aspect of any compensation package is fairness
• More pay attracks better talent
• Higher wages could actually reduce a company's costs
• Pay-more-than-average approach can offer an elegant way to bypass "if-then" rewards
• Serve your customers well if you want  good pay
• What happened to the thought of people being more motivated when money was involved?

The Eighty Dollar Champion

To find out more information on my topic, I read an amazing book:
The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts

This book was about the famous jumper, Snowman, and the "Cinderella Story" behind him and his owner and rider, Harry DeLeyer. There was quite a bit of information given about the sport of Show Jumping in the 1950s and history of the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden.

I read pages 1-253 and I intend on finishing the book over Spring Break.

Some new-found information:

• Snowman, the horse who this book was about, was an old plow horse who was bought for $80 from a slaughter auction. In a few years, this big grey gelding went on to win Champion at the National Horse show and many other competitions. He was a very famous horse and a household name for horsepeople of the time.
• In the '50s, ShowJumping was heavily a "upper class" sport. Rich men purchased expensive, fancy horses, hired grooms to care for them completely, and headed into the arena to compete and then hand them back off to grooms. 
• Foxhunting was imported from the English and was another luxury for the rich. Men on horseback along with hunting hounds rode through fields hunting a fox.
• Foxhunting was popular on Long Island, even US president Teddy Roosevelt agreed in an article written in 1886. But by the '50s, people feared that foxhunting would soon become and obsolete tradition.
• The Quakers, who opposed foxhunting, imposed a change on many fox hunts and creating a "drag hunt," where hounds hunted a scent instead of killing a real fox. 
• Eleonora Sears was a world-famous athlete who was also an equestrian and one of the first women to ride in normal position as opposed to side saddle. Once she became to old to compete, she bought very fancy, expensive horses and hired very talented riders to train them for her. This is something many wealthy people of this time did. 
• The National Horse Show began in the late 1800s as a way for upper-class people to display and compete with their carriage horses. 
• At top shows, the riders handed their horses to grooms, who were usually African-American, to clean and care for them for hours while the riders prepared themselves for competition. 

My Summary: In this book, The Eighty Dollar Champion, Elizabeth Letts tells the story of Snowman, the miracle horse who was rescued from slaughter and was turned from a plow horse into a National Show Jumping title winner. This idea was focused on throughout the novel by elaborating on Snowman's story from his rescue to his retirement. Another thing the author talks about is Snowman's owner, Harry DeLeyer, and how hard he worked to support his family and his horses. It showed the struggle of an immigrant in the 1950s, which turned the odds more against Harry and his "Cinderella Horse." Finally, through the background information given to us during the show chapters, the reader is given a lot of insight into the equestrian world at that time. This book is relatable to my topic because it tells a lot about what this sport was like at that time and informs us about one of the most successful and most loved horse and rider pairs in American history. 

High- Preformance Soccer

High-Preformance Soccer by Paul Caligiuri Chapter 1

 In this book  Paul Caligiuri explains that the only way to get to the world cup is play, play, play. Also he talks about how you have to let the game teach you.  One fact that supports this main idea is that the best players are the ones who aren't able to afford a real ball and the ones who play "street soccer".  Another reason that supports this main idea is Paul says he doesn't hold himself to only having two practices a week.  He'd play every open chance. Finally, the author gives the example that only a couple of hours before the match he would be out in the parking lot kicking around a ball.  And after the game he'd rush home to try a new move he'd seen earlier that day. 

• Marcelo Balboa was the first American to reach 100 caps
• Franz Beckenbauer is one of the greatest soccer heroes of all time
• Cruyff played against west Germany and said it ws one of the most effective games to how he played

Blog post #5

The History of basketball By: Diana Star Helmer, Tom Owens - chapter 1


- In the first ever basketball game the score was 5-1.
-First Olympic game was held out in the rain.
-The dunk was at one time outlawed.
-in the beginning there where 9 players on the court 
-Could not dribble the ball
-Had to pass the ball in order to score.
-First basket scored by William Chase.


In this book the authors talk about how the game has evolved over time.The one way this supports the main idea is by when it talks about how the game has changed over time and has come a far way since there where nine players and no dribbling.finally the authors inform the reader about how the style has come from no dunking or 3 point shooting to now having those two skills being the most jaw dropping of all moves.These Ideas are similar to my prior research because they both talked about how the style of play has changed 

Book: The Complete Book of the Car
Author: Alan Anderson
7-10 Facts That are Relevant:
--There were many different fuels before the alternative fuel of gas which was much more efficient
--The car was a hard idea to grasp in the U.S.
--Jeeps were used in the military as the best utilitarian car for the time
--The Citroen DS was the most revolutionary car in all of time, as it combined many 21st century features in the 1950s
--The 1960s were booming times for the Japanese car industry
--Japanese cars showed the world that someone can wake up, start the car, and have it actually work.
--The Japanese were supposidly copying many European designs
In the first section of this book, Alan Anderson runs us through the beginning history of the automobile.  One fact he explains is that there were several variations of the car before Iarl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler came together and made the first car with the internal combustion engine.  He supports this with the many machines that came before it, such as steam-powered cars, coal-powered cars, and even cars powered by wind.  These ideas are very similar to the innovations of cars today in their technology, emissions, fuel consumption, performance, safety, etc.  This relates because you start with something basic and make it better and better.

The Inner Game of Golf

The Inner Game Of Golf 
By: W. Timothy Gallwey
Chapter 1 Introduction

• The game of golf evokes many mental obstacles.
• Every player in the game of golf had self-doubt in his swing at some point.
• Many people believe golf is the only sport you can not beat, since you are competing against yourself.
• Thinking about your swing before you swing causes self-doubt.
• When you make a bad shot, your mind naturally tries to correct itself by thinking it through, which causes more bad than good.
• It is nearly impossible for a human to tell his muscles what he wants them to do on his golf swing
• The common element that makes a pro golfer better than an average golfer is being able to overcome your weaknesses, Gallwey said, not let the weakness overwhelm you 

 In this book (book/article, etc.), W. Timothy Gallwey (author)  argues (claims/argues/explains) that most of the game of golf is not identified by physical characteristics (identify author’s argument/purpose).

One reason/fact/example that supports this main idea is if you don't keep control of your mind while playing, your golf game will be all over the place, due to your emotions. Another reason/fact/example that supports this main idea is a golfer that doesn't play well almost always has self-doubt in his mind before hitting on every shot. Finally, the author gives the reason/fact/example  to support the main idea that after a bad shot in golf, your mind messes with your swing and naturally tries to correct itself, causing more mistakes. The only way you will hit a good shot is if you clear your mind about the shot before and try to swing with your body, not with your brain. 
These ideas are similar (connected/similar) to clutch moments in basketball that I have experienced (something you learned or experienced previously) In a basketball game, we were down 1 and I was sent to shoot two free throws. My mind messed with me so much, so I called time-out. I came back in the game with a cleared mind and sunk both free-throws(explanation of connection).

The 10,000-hour rule

Outliers by Malcolm Caldwell
Chapter two The 10,000-hour rule

• The ten thousand hour rule is the general rule to success
• Most good athletes begin playing at the same time
• The elite athletes and performers practice more as they get older in comparison to amateurs
• The athletes with natural talent to rise to the greatest tend to practice less than others and get picked over because of their practice schedule
• Practicing is what makes you good, ten thousand hours is the average amount of time that elite athletes practice
• Some of the success can come from the decade you were born in
• People in the same decade and country have a similar mind set which brings success

• Is there a prime age to begin sports at or can you start when ever?
• Does the origin of you determine what you succeed in?

Adidas Tango 12

Adidas

• The adidas Tango 12 features modern design including a coloured outline inspired by the flags of the two host nations Poland and Ukraine 
• The adidas Tango 12 ball is known around the world by many soccer loving fans
• The ball features a series of triangular panels that are thermally bonded together to ensure a true, stable flight path
• It has taken over two years to perfect the ball
•  The adidas Tango 12 is the eleventh Official Match Ball produced for the UEFA tournament and history in adidas soccer development which started in 1963
• The Tango 12 will be sold for $149.99

Perils of Technology

Fuel economy

A very big thing in the world right now is gas milage. The car with the better gas milage is the car to get because of our bi polar gas prices. Help you save money on gas so you can go out to eat, keeps air clean, everyone wins. But what I always say is it's no the car that mattters, it's how you drive it. For example I sae this video from a tv show I watch often and it was proving just that to me. They had a Toyota Prius. The most popular, eco friendly car. The prius gets 51 miles city,and 48 miles highway per gallon and has just over 100 horsepower. And they compared it to a car called a BMW M3. The M3 gets 16 city, 23 highway. And has over 400 horsepower strapped to a big V8 "gas guzzler"... Seems like a knife and gun fighf yes? No. my show took these 2 cars around their test track. The Prius in front, and the bmw behind it. And the prius was driven as hard as possible and the beamer
 had to "try to keep up". At the end of the race the prius averaged 18 miles per gallon and the BMW averaged over 19. That just goes to show that its not the car, its how you drive it. Moral to the story? If you want fast, eco friendly fun. Get a BMW M3...

american cars

-they are big size cars                -the ford crown victoria and the mecury grand marquis are both the same same,but the mercury cost 655$ more than the ford. - in the test the ford has out best the mercury with it's handiling skills. -they increase luxury on the cars

• There are lots of education games on the internet.
• People who use kinect are more curious.
• There are very many role playing games.
• People like playing games where you make your character.

Lyn-z Adams Hawkins

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-09-16-teen-skateboarder_x.htm

• Lyn-z Adams Hawkins is currently 23 years old and skating is her life.
• She wants to take sports to a new level.
• She learned alot that she knows through snowboarding and wakeboarding trips.
• As soon as she started she already knew that she would be famous.
• At age 15 she recieved a gold medal in women's vert skating.

Picture

Lionel Messi

In this article it talks about how Lionel Messi and his name/number and how they are the same but different.

• Messi was the 2009 FIFA Footballer of the year
• He has been nick named "Messi Messiah" and " Messi mesmerizes"
• Only 25 years old and considered one of the world's most talented contemporary footballer
• Wears number 10 also worn by Maradona another great footballer
• The little lion with a big roar
• Lionel also means small lion

cars

The most profited car company in 2011 was Volkswagen with 119 billion dollars.
-Last year they sold 4,590,000 units. Now when you buy a car there is tax. 7% is the average right now. When you average out the prices of their cars with the taxes, the government profited $8,675,100,000. Now think about all of the other car companies. The average pric for a new car is $29,000 “ so a commerical told me”, 16,548,259 new vehicles were sold in america last year. so at 7%. the government profited $33,592,965,700 just from new car sales.

Frustration Doesn't Seem to Affect Athletes As Much As Others

Abuser Psychology from Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/snipergirl/2575258323/in/faves-75764682@N02/

Posted on June 14, 2008 by Snipergirl; Snipergirl did not cite this photo

Interesting Facts:

• Frustration leads passively to inadequate communication.
• Snap Agression could lead to rare violence.
• Unresolved issues starts this cycle.
• Insecure attachment style is caused by childhood abuse.
• Insecure attachment style will usually lead to some form of violence.
• Having dealt with this, athletes still perform at the level they do.
• They do this because their brain is functioned to always make them give their best effort.

Placebo Effect In Relation To The Mind

Link) http://find.galegroup.com/gic/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DateDescend&tabID=T002&prodId=GIC&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchId=R1&searchType=&currentPosition=1&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28KE%2CNone%2C14%29placebo+effect%24&userGroupName=hins30136&inPS=true&docId=A270730986&contentSet=IAC-Documents&docId=A270730986&docType=IAC

Title) Nothing helps: a placebo a day, Database: GBIC


Key Facts:

• 4 sets of asthma patients were tested.
• there were 4 different "treatments" given: albuterol inhalers, placebo inhalers, sham acupuncture, or nothing.
• albuterol inhalers were the actual treatment for patients with asthma
• The results showed that the actual treatment showed improvement unlike the other "treatments".
• 1/5 of the patients with nothing claimed they felt better
• 1/2 of the patients using all the other treatments claimed they felt better, as well
• The 4 groups all had some people, though, that claimed they felt better

Questions:

• What are doctors going to explore in their studies with this new discovery?
• Are doctors going to rely more heavily on tests instead of peoples feelings?
• Will doctors change anything in their medication?