Telluride Welcomes U.S. Ski Cross Team

Colorado resort become proving ground:

Telluride is getting ready for a whole lot of worldwide attention in the next couple of weeks. The US ski cross and snowboardcross athletes arrive in Telluride over the next few days and will begin training leading up to the LG Snowboard FIS  World Cup Telluride the following week.

Not only are the  US World Cup SBX (snowboardcross) and PGS (parallel giant slalom) athletes coming to compete in qualifying events for the Winter Olympic Games, but the US ski cross athletes will be in town for Olympic training Dec. 5-10. Athletes, coaches, families and friends from all over the world will visit Telluride this Dec.!

Also confirmed today, the PGS World Cup scheduled to take place in Italy Dec. was recently cancelled and Telluride Ski Resort has picked up this event. An additional PGS World Cup Final will take place Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009.

US Ski team athletes attending include ski cross X Games gold medalists Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA) and Casey Puckett (Aspen, CO). On the snowboardcross side, Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME), Olympic silver medalist Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton, VT), five time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA), X Games silver medalist Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID), Olympic halfpipe gold medalist Ross Powers (Okemo, VT) and World Championship bronze medalist Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI).

Snowboardcross athletes include Jonathan Cheever (Saugus, MA), Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (Anchorage, AK), Jayson Hale (Sierraville, CA), Pat Holland (Squaw Valley, CA), Robert Minghini (South Lake Tahoe, CA), Shaun Palmer (South Lake Tahoe, CA), Brooke Shaw (Litchfield, CT), Jason Smith (Basalt, CO) and Marni Yamada (Seattle, WA).

 BCB

Tiger Woods To Miss Chevron World Challenge

Golf’s greatest to miss his event due to injuries suffered last week:

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Tiger Woods will not play in this week’s Chevron World Challenge, which he has hosted in Thousand Oaks, California, for the past nine years, because of injuries sustained in a car accident.

The American world number one, who has dominated news headlines since crashing his SUV outside his Florida home in the early hours of Friday morning, said he would not attend “due to injuries sustained” in the accident.

“I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week,” Woods, 33, said in a statement on his official website (web.tigerwoods.com).

“I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I’m very sorry that I can’t be there.”

The $5.75 million event, which has been won four times by Woods, starts on Thursday with a strong field featuring 12 of the world’s top 20 players.

Woods, whose California tournament raises money for his charitable foundation, added that he would not compete in any other tournaments this year and would return to action in 2010.

The greatest golfer of his generation and arguably the best of all time, Woods struck a fire hydrant and a tree outside his mansion in Windermere, Florida at about 2:25 a.m. EST (0725 GMT) on Friday.

He was subsequently released from hospital in good condition after being treated and said later he had some cuts and bruising and felt “pretty sore.”

On Sunday, he took responsibility for the accident and praised his wife Elin for acting courageously to help him, but he again canceled an interview with authorities investigating the incident.

Woods, a winner of 14 majors title and 82 tournaments worldwide, said he wanted to keep the crash details private.

However, a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) officer said charges were still pending.

BCB

Is The White House Gate Crasher An Athlete? The Salahi’s and India

Visitors to this blog know I’ve posted news about the America’s Polo Cup Land Rover team, captained by Tareq Salahi. This was long before the Salahi’s made international news last week by attending a White House state dinner uninvited. The following press release excerpt demonstrates the couple has significant ties to India. Given the circles they travel in, they probably could have gotten in legitimately.

You be the judge: 

UNITED STATES DEFEATS AUSTRALIA 4-2 IN 
2009 LAND ROVER AMERICA ’S POLO CUP 

INDIA ANNOUNCED AS OFFICIAL 2010 AMERICA ’S POLO CUP CHALLENGER 

Weekend Long Event featured Top ranked polo Players, 2010 Land Rover Displays, Live Performances by American Idol Star Michael Johns and MYA, Patriotic Fireworks Shows and Other Festivities 

WASHINGTON DC: (May 10, 2009) – The United States Land Rover Polo Team, Captained by Tareq Salahi, defeated Australia 4-2 in the 2009 Land Rover America’s Polo Cup on Saturday, May 9 at Capitol Polo Club in Poolesville, MD. Fans attended the annual polo world championships, and were treated to a thrilling match along with a weekend full fun activities and events. In addition, it was announced during the weekend event that India would be the official 2010 America ’s Polo Cup challenger, which is slated for May 7-8, 2010. 

The “Best Playing Pony” was awarded to ‘Juliet” a “Destination Polo”, horse owned by USA Team Player Doug Barnes, while the America ’s polo Cup DAUM best sportsmanship award was awarded to “John Gobin,” who played the #4 position for the US Land Rover Polo Team. The highest scoring player was Captain Tareq Salahi, who scored the first goal against the Australians with a remarkable off-side 60 degree angled tail shot. Crowds roared and cheered as the US Polo Team took the lead after the 3rd Chukker. Salahi ended the game with a hat trick play.

Poseur or A-Lister?

BCB

Sugar Ray Robinson: King of Harlem

Detroit is a wonderful sports town. It finished second in the running for the 1968 summer Olympics, and high in the ‘64 bidding. Fans of the Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and most important- the beloved Red Wings, are noted for their zeal and fealty. Motown was generous enough to give the world two great prizefighters, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson (as well as some guys named Hearns and Kenty that weren’t half-bad). At age 11, Robinson moved to Harlem, where championship status made him a king of sorts. Architecturally, much of that Harlem is visible to today’s tourists. A new book, Wil Haygood’s “Sweet Thunder”, chronicles the salad days when Sugar Ray’s bar was a Manhattan landmark:

http://www.baystatebanner.com/arts41-2009-10-08

BCB

Brazil (Goes) Nuts: Rio Awarded 2016 Summer Olympics

South America will host its first Olympic games:

All-time IOC city bidding results and votes:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/02/olympics.2016/index.html

http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html

BCB

Bigger and Better: Dallas Cowboys Stadium On “Today” Show Friday

Jerry Jones’ jewel of the southwest will be featured on Friday’s “Today” show. What’s different about Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium? What isn’t? If you’re in The Metroplex, fan or not, you have got to see the newest wonder of the world. It more than exceeds expectations, in every measure.

Events Scheduled:

*U2 on 10/12

*Super Bowl 45 in 2011

*NBA All Star Game in February 2010

*NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2014 and regionals the previous year

*OU/BYU Sept 5  for ESPN’s Kickoff Weekend

*Texas A&M vs Arkansas on 10/3; once a year for the next 10 years with options for up to another 20 *years;

*Big 12 Championship Game on December 5^th;

*Baylor vs Tech  Nov 28

*College Basketball:  Texas vs North Carolina, Dec 19, 2009

*Cotton Bowl Classic on January 2^nd; 10 year contract with options for up to another 25 years

*Notre Dame vs Arizona State, October 2012

*World Football Challenge:  Chelsea vs Club America, July 26, 2009

*CONCACAF Quarterfinals Soccer double-header, July 19, 2009

 

*upcoming bids for World Cup Soccer Tournaments in 2018 or 2022

FUN FACTS:

SIZE: Everything is bigger in Texas, no brand bigger than the Cowboys

*approx 3 million square feet (Texas Stadium was 950,000 square feet)

*largest NFL venue in terms of size of the building;  seating capacity is 80,000 seating capacity with expansion to 100,000 thanks to the open end zone plazas

*this is the longest roof-span structure in the world

*when the retractable roof is closed, this is the largest interior room in the world at 104 million cubic ft

*the roof dome is the largest in the world at 661,000 square ft

*the arches that span the stadium are twice the distance of the St Louis Gateway Arch; the building – from one end zone to the other – is as long as the Empire State Building;  and if you put her on the star at midfield, the Statue of Liberty could stand inside the stadium (just barely – 320 ft high from the field to the arch)

 

ARCH TRUSSES:

*each is 1,290ft in length making each a quarter of a mile long and the world’s longest roof span structure

*stand 320 feet above the playing surface at midfield

*weigh 3,255 tons each

*each boxed arch is 35 feet wide and 17 feet deep

*4 concrete abutments

*arches support the world’s largest video board which is center-hung and 60 yards wide; trusses also support the lighting, speakers, mechanical systems and catwalks for daily operations.

*there are no viewing obstructions – this is a column free building thanks to the arches

*the structural steel was imported from Luxembourg

 

ROOF

*the hole in the roof is an homage to Texas Stadium…..Why was there a hole in the roof at TX Stadium?

*the hole is rectangular; it’s 410 ft long and 256 ft wide which is 105,000 sq ft

*supposedly you could be 5 miles up in the air directly over the stadium and look down and see the field

*the roof panels open and close in 12 minutes; each panel weighs 2.1 million pounds

*the panels move thanks to a first-of-its kind rack & pinion drive system; quarter-mile of track; 480 horse power per panel

*the panels move on the steepest travel path in North America

 

RETRACTABLE END ZONE DOORS

*These are the largest retractable doors in the world; 120 ft high, 180 ft wide; clear glass door panels

*air circulation – keep them open when the weather is good to save money on heating and air conditioning

*Each end zone retractable door has 5 panels that are each 35 ft wide

 

END ZONE PLAZAS:

*each has lower level seats, then extended concourses at street level which will serve as a sort of party platform similar to the end zone in Tampa Bay with the big pirate ship; Glendale has something similar behind one of the end zones, but you can’t watch the game from there;  “standing room only”

 

Maryland Basketball, Raycom Style

From Gene Shue to Len Bias and Steve Francis, Maryland University basketball has a rich history. Many celebrated games were played outside Washington, D.C. in the campus’ Cole Field House. Lew Alcindor’s Power Memorial High School team had their 71-game winning streak stopped there in 1965 by DeMatha High. In 1966, Texas Western upset Kentucky in the NCAA championship at Cole, starting five Black players. And the 1970 NCAA Final Four (UCLA, Jacksonville, St. Bonaventure, New Mexico State) was played in College Park.

When college basketball season begins, I’ll be blogging about the Terps here:

http://maryland.raycomsports.com/blog/

BCB

Splitsville: Bowling in Arlington

It’s only fitting that Arlington, TX’s Highland lifestyle center is home to the fun and fabulous Splitsville Lanes- the newest thing in bowling experience. The International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum is moving from St. Louis to Arlington. Splitsville is equal parts Rat Pack era martini bar, corporate retreat, and pin party.

http://www.splitsvillelanes.com/

We have blogged here about Pin-Up Bowl in St. Louis’ The Loop district, and The Corner Alley in downtown Cleveland, but Splitsville has locations in Tampa’s Channelside Bay Plaza, the eight floor in Miami’s The Shops at Sunset Place, and is coming to San Antonio and Dallas. What other attraction offers great lunch or dining, the world’s only outdoor bowling lane (Arlington, complete with full bar, plenty of plush seating, flat screen t.v. outdoors, and live music out there on Thursdays), lanes separately placed so groups of 700 and 200 can bowl and not even know the other is there, and a wait staff that is at once attentive and attractive? You’ll love the touches, all conceived by the owners (UNC-Chapel Hill guys) themselves from the ’60’s-to-90’s music, the menus with a cover logo that reads “7/10″, and flooring from vintage 1950’s bowling lanes. In Arlington, the generous banquette style love seats swing out to create more space (for viewers that remember “The Newlywed Game”, think of how the couples’ seats used to swing out to make room for host Bob Eubanks).

Planning a reunion, bachelor or bachelorette party, retirement or conference breakout activity? You can’t go wrong in friendly, trendy Splitsville. The Cuban Reuben sandwich meets Tampa standards, and Spicy Edamame, sushi, and French Fries With Chive Dip are also worth a shot. Whether you’re a crack bowler, or haven’t been since your teens, it’s a real hoot. I wish these guys well in any future locales they branch into.

This really brands Arlington as a sports capital- major league baseball’s Texas Rangers play here, as well as the Dallas Cowboys, in their jewel-like $1.15 billion new digs. Six Flags theme park is also a city feature. No wonder  Men’s Health magazine named Arlington America’s #1 sports city!

BCB

Confessions of a Travel Writer: All Guts or All Glory?

How glamorous is the life of a travel writer? Is it really the dream job non-journalists tell me they believe it is? The Travel Channel aired a pilot for a series about what we do, and the press trips that facilitate it:

http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-interviews/interview-with-charles-runnette-confessions-of-a-travel-writer-20090810/

and my colleague Shannon Hurst Lane of The Traveling Mamas weighed in on the show:

http://www.shannonlane.com/confessions-of-a-travel-writer/

Shannon’s exactly right- there is no such thing as a “free lunch”.

BCB

CMH Heli-Skiing Announces Partnership

Popular adventure company adds new venture:

Two of the ski industry’s most innovative companies, CMH Heli-Skiing–the company that introduced heli-skiing to the world–and K2 Skis, known for its cutting-edge ski design, have announced an exciting new partnership for the 2009/2010 ski season.

For the first time ever, CMH Heli-Skiers will be able to ski the pristine powder of the Selkirks, Monashees and Cariboo ranges on the new K2 BackSide skis.  The BackSide series is an entirely new category for K2 in 2009-10, designed for those skiers who ski off piste–whether it be just off the side of the trail, a tour into the backcountry or if they’re lucky enough, a heli drop to the most remote spots.  This category of skis is designed to accommodate any type of binding setup–alpine, telemark or AT–depending on what the skier wants to do, from the most serious alpine touring to big mountain powder-ripping. These skis come in a variety of widths, weights and constructions designed to make the ski experience more fun and exhilarating than ever.

Also new for 2010 will be the first CMH Ski Demo Trips, which will allow guests to test-run and evaluate K2 prototype backcountry skis before they’re even released to the skiing world.  The seven-day backcountry CMH/K2 Ski Demo Trips will feature Heli-Skiing at the Monashee Lodge, March 13-20, 2010 and Helicopter-Assisted Ski Touring from the Adamants Lodge, April 10-17, 2010.  Aside from the “ordinary” thrill of backcountry skiing in some of the world’s most pristine powder, CMH Ski Demo guests will also get the rare opportunity to go “behind the scenes” and be a part of the testing and design of the next generation of K2 BackSide skis, to be released in fall of 2010.  K2 ski engineers will also be on-hand to gather real-time feedback from Heli-Skiers about the feel and performance of the skis, which will help fine-tune the prototype design.  At the end of the trips, each CMH Ski Demo guest will go home with a certificate for a brand-new pair of K2 skis of their choice.

“We are so excited to be a part of this first-of-its-kind partnership to offer CMH Heli-Skiing guests the unique opportunity to basically design their ideal skis on the mountain,” says Marty von Neudegg, Director of CMH Heli-Skiing.  “From its very beginning almost 45 years ago when our founder Hans Gmoser brought Heli-Skiing to Canada, CMH has been committed to innovation-and this partnership with K2 is just the latest example of that commitment.”

The seven-day ski touring trip to the Adamants, April 10-17, 2010, is priced at CAD$3,700 per person, based on double occupancy, while the seven-day Heli-Skiing trip in the Monashees, March 13-20, 2010, is priced at $10,440 per person, based on double occupancy (with a guarantee of 30,500 vertical meters, or more than 100,000 vertical feet!).

For more information and to book, please go to www.cmhski.com/k2 or call 1-800-661-0252.

ABOUT CMH HELI-SKIING
Offering Heli-Adventures since 1965, Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) is the oldest and largest Heli-Skiing and Heli-Hiking operator in the world.  CMH operates exceptional helicopter adventures from 12 different lodges located in the Bugaboo, Purcell, Selkirk, Kootenay, Monashee, and Cariboo ranges of British Columbia, Canada. Helicopter skiing takes place from December through April, and Heli-Hiking from July into early September.

ABOUT K2 SKIS
K2 has proudly supported the ski world for over 45 years.  Our products encourage consumers in more than 60 countries to stop working, stop worrying and head to the hills.  The K2 Ski Division is a part of the Seattle-based K2 Sports family, a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of like-minded winter and summer recreational products.  The K2 brand and businesses are world-renowned as leaders in design, production, marketing and sales.  For more information on K2’s latest ski products, dealers and team activities, please visit: www.K2skis.com.

BCB