Items tagged with 'sports'
In Your Face Wrestling
He probably knew this was coming. But still... ouch.
While at The Track Saturday, baking in the August sun waiting for the Travers to begin, I was talking with some guys and said that this was my first time photographing horses. They asked what I normally shoot.
"Roller derby," I replied.
"Seriously, or are you just messing with us?"
My answer was the "I <3 Rollerderby" button that I keep on my camera bag.
We talked about the local teams for a bit and then they told me about a wrestling event -- In Your Face Wrestling -- scheduled for that night in Ballston Spa, and that I should go take some shots.
By a nose
Stretch!
Check out the photo finish image from the Travers this past weekend: Afleet Express defeated Fly Down by just a nose. Here's video of the race.
Attendance and handle (the amount bet) were way up for this year's Travers, compared to last year. NYRA reports that 45,764 were at The Track on Saturday, up more than 33 percent from last year. A little more than $8.2 million was bet onsite that day (up almost 20 percent). Of course, last year's Travers Day was rainy -- and this year the weather was gorgeous.
Rachel, Rachel, Rachel Superstar horse Rachel Alexandra ran at the Track on Sunday in the Personal Ensign -- and lost. A horse called Persistently passed RA down the stretch. Persistently was 21-1 and paid $45.00 on a $2 bet to win.
By the way: in the crowd this past weekend at The Track -- a three-month-old (human) named Rachel Alexandra. After the horse. [Saratogian]
photo: NYRA
Windham World Cup Mountain Bike Finals
Dirty, yes. Dangerous-- sure. But kinda cool.
Italy, France, Belgium, Windham N.Y.
The final leg of the Tour De France of Mountain Biking-- The World Cup Mountain Bike Finals -- gets rolling this week about an hour from Albany. The best mountain bikers in the world are gathering on Windham Mountain this weekend to compete for the World Cup title.
This is the first time the World Cup final will be held in the U.S., and it's the first East Coast World Cup race ever.
After the jump, a few details about the weekend and some video of what you can expect to see.
The US Water Ski Show Team in Scotia
Hold on!
After seeing mention of the US Water Ski Show Team on AOA, Sebastien checked out one of their shows in Scotia. The result is a fun photoset -- both nice moments and "Look at that!"
And it sounds like Sebastien had a good time:
This is definitely a family oriented team, you can feel everybody is involved. Children, parents, grand-parents, there is a healthy energy going on. The announcers are a bit cheesy but it's all good, this fits the occasion and the location, in a nice way. Bring your iPod, you never know, maybe I was just super jolly that night. There are always looking for new volunteers by the way, you don't even have to know how to ski. I would try if I had one ounce of balance in me. Picture the enormous splashes.
The team has two more shows lined up in Scotia this summer: August 24 and August 31. The team performs on the Mohawk, right near Jumpin' Jack's (map).
photo: Sebastien B
Tyler White is a lumberjack
and he's OK
Three years ago Tyler White went to woodsman team practice with a friend at SUNY Cobleskill to see what it was all about. All that chopping and sawing and rolling on logs looked like fun, so he gave it a try.
Next week Tyler will compete against five of the nations top collegiate lumberjacks at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship in Oregon.
Quality opponents lined up fo Siena, UAlbany
The Siena and UAlbany men's basketball teams released their non-conference schedules this week. And both schools have lined up some quality, big name competition.
Both schedules are after the jump. A few of the at home highlights:
UAlbany November 12 vs. Cornell (Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament last season)
Siena November 23 vs. Butler (you know, the runner up in last season's national title game)
Siena December 22 vs. Georgia Tech (against old coach Paul Hewitt)
Also: The Siena-UAlbany game will be December 4 at the TU Center.
Free roller derby tickets!
Update: The drawing's closed. Thanks for entering! Congrats to Kamala, Dan and Dawn!
The Hellions of Troy are back in action this Saturday at the Rollarama against the Central Mass Roller Derby's Petticoat Punishers. We have three pairs of tickets and we're giving them away.
Here's how you could win a pair. Post a comment answering this question:
What's one thing in everyday life that you would whistle as a "foul"?
This could be anything -- from people taking too long in the drive-thru ATM (!) to people who hover at the pick-up counter in Five Guys 9 (!!) to co-workers who talk to too loud on the phone. Blow the whistle and tag 'em with a penalty!
We'll pick three winners at random from the posted comments.
The Hellions throw down at 7 pm on Saturday (doors at 6pm). Tickets are $12 at the door ($10 ahead of time) -- kids are $3. From what we heard, the last bout was a packed house.
Important: One entry per person. You must answer the question to be entered. You must submit your comment by 1 pm Friday August 13. You must include a working email address (that you check regularly) with your comments. The winners will be notified by 3 pm Friday and must respond by 6 pm.
AOA is a media sponsor of the Hellions.
Clifton Park's Claudia Braymer -- World Cup rugby player
She's 5'3" and can probably take you down.
Meet Claudia Braymer.
Claudia is a 5-foot-3, 28-year-old mom and attorney from Clifton Park.
She enjoys running, teamwork and tackling people much larger than herself.
And in two weeks, she's off to England to represent the US on the Women's World Cup Rugby Team.
Rachel Alexandra coming back to Saratoga
Superstar horse Rachel Alexandra is coming back to Saratoga. She'll be racing in the Personal Ensign Stakes August 29.
Rachel (we don't think she minds the informality) was the Horse of the Year in 2009. She won eight races last year, including the Preakness (one of the Triple Crown races) -- the first filly do so in 85 years. She also had a dramatic win in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga before a huge crowd (she's the only filly to ever win that race).
As you might expect, NYRA is stoked that RA is coming back. It's even set up a microsite for her.
photo: Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Where to train for the Warrior Dash?
Julie emails:
I had a momentary lapse of sanity and signed up for the Warrior Dash down at Windham Mountain in September.
Where in the Capital Region could I train for such an event? The obstacle I'm particularly worried about is the one where I have to climb over a wall. Other obstacles include jumping over fire and crawling under barbed wire.
Any help would be much appreciated!
The "jumping over fire and crawling under barbed wire" bit made us curious about what exactly Julie had gotten herself into. The Warrior Dash site bills the race as "the ultimate event for thrill-seeking athletes," where "where 13 obstacles from hell await this 3.23 mile course." Also: the race is "more about mental toughness than being in great shape." And it looks like people wear costumes.
The event has been held in other parts of country in years past -- this is the first time in the Northeast. It's September 18 and 19. Registration is $65 and closes on September 7.
So, anyone have suggestions for Julie? Please share!
Fun softball leagues?
Summer emails:
A friend of mine would really like to get involved with a softball league that's fun and not too competitive. He's not a bad player but he's afraid he's not good enough to be welcomed by some of the more competitive leagues out there. Also, he's gotten the impression that without an "in," he won't be able to find an opening.
Any ideas?
We fear that Summer's friend may have missed his chance for this season, but maybe there are some mid-summer leagues that are starting up. If anything, tips on good leagues will help out for next summer.
Got a suggestion? Please share!
Where to learn parkour or other unusual sports?
There was a fun article in the Saratogian today about a commercial being shot by Empire State College that features a parkour expert bounding through -- and above -- downtown Saratoga (check out the photos).
What's parkour? The Wikipedia entry describes it as an activity in which "participants jump, vault, and climb over obstacles in a fluid manner." The video embedded above shows a bunch of (crazy) examples. And here's more from a a How Stuff Works article.
This all prompted Steve to email:
[Are there] any parkour/freerunning gyms or groups in the area? It's something I've wanted to get involved in for years now, but I've never had much luck finding anything locally other than a few Facebook groups that don't seem that active. Plus, health care costs being what they are, I'd rather learn from someone that knows what they're doing and not someone that learned some basics on the Internet.
This seems like it could be a tough one. So, we'll widen it a bit to include groups or gyms that do training for any sort of odd or unusual sport.
Any ideas or suggestions? Please share.
Earlier on AOA: In 2008, Jess checked out a gym in Albany where people work out by doing stuff like flipping huge tires and dragging heavy chains
Free Albany All Stars roller derby tickets
Update: The drawing's closed. Thanks for entering!
AOA has a bunch of tickets for the Albany All Stars bout this Saturday (10 pairs, to be exact). And we'd like to give them to you.
The Empire Skate Troopers are taking on the Queen City Roller Girls at the Washington Ave Armory in the AASRD's last bout of the season. It should be a fun time. Tickets are $10 ($12 at the door). The first whistle is at 7 pm.
Here's how you could go for free.
It's easy. Post a comment answering this question:
What's your favorite sports team?
This could be any team in any sport, at any level. It could be a major league baseball club, a college team or a World Cup side. Whatever. The team could even be fictional.
We'll pick 10 winners at random. The deadline to enter is 3 pm Friday!
Very, very important: One entry per person. You must answer the question to be eligible. You must post your comment by 3 pm on Friday June 17, 2010. You must include a working email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified by email by 4 pm that Friday -- and must respond by 6 pm that same day.
Yep, AOA is an AASRD media sponsor.
photo: Brian Kraus / AASRD
Ladies and gentlmen, your Albany Devils...
The NHL's New Jersey Devils officially announced today that they're moving their minor league affiliate in Lowell, Massachusetts to Albany and the TU Center. (The River Rats scurried off to North Carolina earlier this year.)
The new team name: the Albany Devils. That's the logo on the right.
We're now wondering what the mascot will be. Buzzy Beelezubub? Dev the Devil? Pitchfork Pete? The parent club's mascot is the creatively named...N.J. Devil.
This is the second time New Jersey's had a team based here -- the Rats had been their minor league team for 13 seasons, ending in 2006.
Earlier on AOA: Rowdy the Rat goes searching for a new home
Giants coming back to UAlbany
The New York Giants announced today that they'll be back at UAlbany for training camp again this summer. The agreement also includes an option for the team to train there in 2011 and 2012.
Camp runs from August 1-20.
While the practices aren't exactly what we would call exciting, if you're a football fan it is kind of cool see the team up close. Just watching on TV it's hard to get a sense of how remarkably big and fast these guys are.
The Giants have trained at UAlbany since 1996. Fan attendance at last year's camp was 46,960.
[via @AndrewCatalon]
photo via NY Giants
Freihofer's Run for Women results and photos
Kenyan Emily Chebet set a new course record in the Freihofer's Run for Women this past weekend in Albany with a time of 15:12 for the 5k (that's an average of a 4:53 mile). Chebet's time smashed the old record by six seconds. She won $10,000 for the top finish.
Race organizers report that 3,927 women participated in this year's race. There are more results after the jump.
Sebastien's posted a photo set from the race -- he captured a lot of great expressions on the faces of the runners.
photo: Sebastien B
"You love cheese, right?"
With the River Rats hockey team moving to North Carolina, Rowdy found himself out on the street with no place to go.
He eventually found his way to the Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society -- and scored a spot on WTEN's Pet Connection (video above).
Thankfully, there's a happy end to this story.
[via Brian, who has all four videos lined up on one page]
CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge 2010
Thursday rush hour traffic.
There were more than 8,000 participants in this year's CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge race, a record.
Sebastien's posted a photoset from Thursday's race. And Flickr user speedracer927 has a few shots from above of the big crowd of runners at the start.
Here are the results from the 3.5 mile race. A team from GE took the coed team title. A NYS Insurance Fund team won the women's title, and ARE Event Productions the men's title.
Chuck Terry from New Visions of Albany finished first (17:35) -- his third time doing so. Emily McCabe from the NYS Assembly Minority office finished first among women (20:49).
photo: Sebastien B
Albany Ultimate 2010
We get questions fairly often from people looking to join some sort of sports team or league. Here's one that might be fun.
Albany Ultimate (as in frisbee) is starting up again soon. From Peter, who's one of the organizers:
Similar to last year we have several different options for new players. We will be running a women's league so that ladies can come out and play and learn the sport in a positive setting with excellent coaches. We also have a Social League which is for new players to get out and learn the game and not be overwhelmed by newer players. And also a Competitive League which is for more experienced players. Both Social and Competitive leagues are coed.
Currently pickup Ultimate is occurring at Collins Circle at SUNY Albany Campus on Tuesday and Thursday starting at 5pm and is open to anyone.
Registration opens April 9. It's $35 to play in the social and competitive leagues and $20 for the elite league. Games start June 1.
photo via Peter A
Photo roundup from Tour of the Battenkill
The peloton coming up Joe Bean Hill for the second lap.
At one point during this weekend's Tour of the Battenkill pro cycling race in Washington County, eventual winner Caleb Fairly told Velo News he was thinking: "I hope someone is taking pictures."
And, of course, they were! A whole of bunch of photos from the race are up on Flickr.
Fairly finished first (he won some chocolate milk), followed by (momentary Tour de France winner) Floyd Landis and Jay Robert Thomson (full results). Danny Goodwin (grifwin) has a photo of the winners on the podium (and from the start). Fairly and Landis dueled toward the end before Fairly pulled away solo.
The Battenkill course was 25 percent dirt road -- muddy conditions captured by Daniel Sharp (d_sharp) and Flickr user ffron. And from this picture by Meghan Eddy, it looks like there was plenty of spatter.
Even more photos: Ian Creitz (IanC83) has posted a huge photo set from the race -- almost 700 photos.
And here's a set from Amy and Aaron Mengel (that's their pic at the top). A trio of video clips they shot are embedded after the jump.
The Yankees bandwagon is crowded
A Siena poll out this week reported that more New Yorkers root for the Yankees than any other team. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said the Yanks were their first or second favorite team.
The chart above shows the results for other teams. It's good to see Syracuse finishing ahead of the Knicks (the Orange do have more wins this season). We're a little surprised to see the Steelers make the chart.
A Marist poll from earlier this month reported that 58 percent of New Yorkers were Yankees fans and 28 percent root for the Mets. As people pointed out then, it'd be interesting to see if the Red Sox polled better in the Capital Region.
A few other interesting bits:
+ Only 21 percent of people say they've entered a NCAA basketball tournament pool at least once (Really? That's it?) -- yet 45 percent said they've placed a sports bet or entered some sort of pool. (Forty-eight percent said they've entered a Super Bowl pool.)
+ Seventy-seven percent said they'd rather watch a game on TV than go in person. Eighty-eight percent said they agree the cost of going to a game "has gotten out of control."
+ Eleven percent say they've played fantasy sports. That jumps to 24 percent for 18-34 year olds.
chart: Siena Research Institute
World record!
From 9 minutes before the finish...
The world record dodgeball match at the Washington Ave Armory finished up late this afternoon. The two teams -- Albany Dodgeball and Hometown Dodgeball -- smashed the record by playing for 31 hours, 11 minutes and 13 seconds.
Sebastien's posted a photoset from the finish. And Joe has a set from the 16-hour mark, including some stats (deodorant applications: 2).
photo: Sebastien B
It's a pin-striped state
A Marist Poll out this week reports that of New York State respondents who said they follow baseball, 58 percent were Yankees fans. Just 28 percent said they cheer for the Mets.
The poll reports that 61 percent of respondents said they follow baseball -- though only 28 percent said they followed it a "good" or "great" amount.
The Yankees play the Red Sox Sunday in the first game of the MLB season. The other teams get started on Monday.
Purdue 72 Siena 64
Siena made a good effort against Purdue, but the Boilermakers were just too tough.
The Saints led at halftime 32-29. Then the Boilermakers seriously clamped down on defense to start the second half, which helped them go on a 13-0 run. It looked like Siena was wilting, but the Saints pulled it together in the last five minutes to go on a 12-0 run.
It just wasn't enough. Purdue hit its foul shots down the stretch and Siena ran out of time.
Edwin Ubiles led Siena with 18. Ronald Moore had 14 (3 assists, 4 turnovers), Alex Franklin had 10 (all in the first half). Clarence Jackson, a game-time decision because of a bad ankle, did not play. Box score.
It was still a great season for Siena. The Saints were 27-7 overall and they dominated the MAAC with a 17-1 record.
Siena vs. Purdue fast break
Woof! Steam!
Siena takes on Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday afternoon (it's a 2:30 pm scheduled tip off).
Siena is a #13 seed and Purdue a #4, so it might seem that Boilermakers have this in hand. But the #1 and #2 seeds probably aside, no team in safe in the NCAA tournament. Example: #13 seed Murray State knocked off #4 seed Vanderbilt on Thursday in the West bracket.
So, what are the Saints' chances? Let's break it down...
... said Kaitlin about Viva Kaitlin!