Beth Sanden celebrates the completion of her journey. Photo courtesy of Beth Sanden By Josh Jacques When Beth Sanden, 60, traveled to Antarctica in February, she used her 43-pound handcycle to complete a marathon. More importantly, she finished her 13-year journey to accomplish the unthinkable -- to become the first athlete with a disability to finish a full [...]
By Eric Mergens Juan Acevedo, Cy Barger, Andy Cannizaro...Derek Jeter, Mickey Mantle, and finally, at last, Babe Ruth. Photo courtesy Richard Albero That’s how Richard Albero is counting the miles from home plate at George M. Steinbrenner Field (spring training home of the New York Yankees) in Tampa to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Each of the 1,200 [...]
Anthony presenting to Concord Jr. High and High School. Photo courtesy of Anthony Ianni By Kim Constantinesco Just because there might be a deficiency in communication doesn't mean there has to be a defect in human connection. Anthony Ianni, 26, is living proof. As the first person who falls on the autism spectrum to play division I [...]
Coaches are used to taking control in stressful situations. It's the nature of their job. However, what Scottsdale Saguaro High School offensive line coach Dustin King did last weekend deserves big time recognition. King performed CPR on a 6-year-old boy, who had nearly drowned in a pool. With roughly 20 people around, King was the only one who knew how [...]
Purpose2Play: Are there differences when coaching boys/men and girls/women? Dr. Cheri Toledo: Communication is key to understanding some of the differences that male coaches need to be aware of when coaching girls and women. Deborah Tannen wrote a book call, You Just Don’t Understand, which provides some important information for understanding the differences in how boys/men and girls/women communicate. She [...]
By Kim Constantinesco Eyes and cameras cast on Mike Schultz at the opening press conference during X Games 2015, athletes like Shaun White, Danny Davis, Jamie Anderson, and Kelly Clark listened with great intent. A bit apprehensive about his up-and-coming first boardercross race, where six snowboarders fly down the mountain careening around turns, and taking on jumps just to get [...]
We're well into spring training, but I'll take you to the uneven bars to show you the catch of the year. Actually, I'll show you two of them. At the L'International Gymnix competition in Montreal, Sara Berardinelli didn't clear the bar, and fell head first toward the ground. However, the Italian gymnast was caught by her coach just inches before [...]
After Sports Illustrated published a story on my comeback from injury, by Patti Putnicki, I've decided to recap my experience of participating in the Subaru Freeride Series -- North America's Premier big mountain challenge for skiers and snowboarders. You can read my first-hand account of competition No. 1 here. Competition No. 2 went as follows: Walking to the medical center, [...]
To be doubted is perhaps one of the biggest motivators for any athlete. But, for Meghan Klingenberg, it’s been her fuel since day one. The 5'2" U.S. Women's National team and Houston Dash defender, who jokingly claims she had been that height since 6th grade, is no stranger to being told she's "too small." "A lot of fans, commentators and people when [...]
February may be a short month, but it certainly wasn't void of some great stories. Our top stories for the month include features on Krystal Cantu, a CrossFit athlete who excelled in the sport after losing her arm in a car accident, as well as a group of Special Olympic snowboarders who got to pair up with pro riders and [...]