TheSportsTrap
How vain it is to sit down to write when you haven't stood up to live?
Fantastic video on blue-chip Oregon Ducks signee Thomas Tyner, documenting Tyner’s game with ground-level highlights and 1v1 interviews. Very well done: soundtrack, photography, graphics, etc. Legit stuff. Enjoy!
S/O to Nick Taylor & Ball-n.com for putting this together. From the BallNnorthwest youtube channel
Good looks, Reggie—thanks for shooting this over.
My coach is better than your coach. Oregon Ducks’ head coach Chip Kelly ran with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Up next: skydiving from space.
Found via @AdamJude_RG
The Pac-12 Network preview video for the Oregon Ducks. Green & Yellow like you’ve never seen it before. #OutHere #GoDucks
Found via the @OregonBaseball twitter
USA Women’s Track & Field Olympics Sprint Team to be Decided by Coin Flip?
The Debate: How to decide the Felix-Tarmoh tiebreaker?
Never has there been such microscopic emphasis on a 3rd place finish in sports. Sure there have been battles for the bronze medal, but nothing quite like this. Think about it—what’s more heartbreaking, finishing 4th AT the Olympic Games, or finishing 4th at the Olympic Trials, just barely missing out on a shot to make the Olympic team? Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh crossed the finish line in the 100m at thee exact same time at this week’s Track & Field Olympic Trials in Track Town USA (Eugene, Oregon).
**Remember, the sprinter’s shoulder/torso/chest is the measurement of finishing the race so ignore both athletes’ flailing arms, forehead and other extremities**
What makes 3rd place so significant is the fact that 3rd place in this particular race clinches a berth to join Team USA on their way to the Olympic Games coming up in London. So how will the winner be decided? A run-off rematch would make the most sense, right? Well, there are also talks of the winner being decided by a basic coin flip. It’s looking more-and-more likely that this will be the scenario. Rock-paper-scissors—-no? Bad idea? What about a “flip-off” in a game of Flip (Cup)? Best two-out-of-three, of course.
On a serious note, let’s be real—both ladies deserve a fair chance to make it to London, and a 50-50 coin flip is nowhere near the answer. How will the “loser” be able to sleep at night knowing she didn’t even get a chance to kick her way there? What if she didn’t believe she brought her best performance to the table, especially in Eugene’s poor weather conditions? Didn’t we learn something from the Jerome Bettis coin flip disaster? Figure it out Olympics committee, there’s a simple solution—one that is far more exciting for both Tarmoh and Felix, and for the millions of thirsty T&F fans out there as well.
Follow my Track & Field Olympic Trials trap as this saga unfolds. Jubilation & heartbreak on both on their way, divvied out evenly.
updated: After some discourse on twitter, here are some other ideas brainstormed:
- Fight to the death? (wouldn’t bode well for Team USA, especially seeing how both ladies look to be an even match in the ring)
- Thumb war. Interesting, very interesting.
- Entire decathlon competition? That could get ugly.
- Half-court basketball shots? This is always my go-to for solving any issue, especially since I have mastered the art of the deep hoist myself.
- The most interesting: Spin the wheel of death. On the wheel—all decathlon events. Sure the run-off in the 100m would make the most sense, but spinning a wheel of randomness would be extremely exciting to watch. Imagine them attempting to sling a javelin terribly, or sprint nervously trying to figure out how to pole vault. There’d be some training undoubtedly…if they want to live out the dream, that is. <—-we have a winner.
-Geoff
World’s Greatest Athlete: Ashton Eaton
At the age of just 24 years old, the University of Oregon Duck, the native Oregonian from Bend just set the world record in the decathlon at the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Track Town USA. In the final event of the decathlon—the 1500—Eaton needed a personal best to break the overall world record. With the home crowd at his back, Eaton broke his personal best time at 4min, 14:48 seconds embracing his mom and fiancee after crossing the finish line. Eaton finished with 9,039 points, breaking the previous record by just 13 points. The full story here.
I’m a proud Duck today.
—-
last image found via cheyleedoodle
Geoff Ziemer
Life is a short hop. Charge it or get benched
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