Sports Fanatic

AFL player to be a wide receiver in American football

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Stefan Grun

There’s plenty of ex AFL players who have made the grade in the NFL. Ben Graham has been the most notable n recent years, leaving the Geelong captaincy to take up an NFL contract. Sav Rocca and Chris Bryan have also made it in recent times, all following in the footsteps of Darren Bennett who paved the way in the late 90′s playing for the San Diego Chargers and opening the door for Aussies to walk through.

Scott Harding will become the first 'skilled' NFL player from Australia. (Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)

Well now, according to reports from the ABC, former Port Adelaide and Brisbane AFL player Scott Harding is set to become the first Aussie to make it in American football at another position – wide receiver:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/27/3228562.htm

Having just won a scholarship to the University of Hawaii, Harding is set to join the ranks of Bennett, Graham, Rocca and Bryan in a much more competitive position. There’s at least 2 wide receivers on the field at any time the offense is playing, sometimes as may as 4-6. That means more opportunities but more competition.

Having seen Harding’s pace on the AFL field, he’ll certainly have the speed and agility to compete.

Fingers crossed he makes it from college to AFL. Guess we’re all going to be watching the Warriors intently.

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Rajesh Durbal – triple amputee amazes everyone at Hawaii Irnonman

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Stefan Grun

Life force

Next time you’re complaining about your stiff knee, think about the triathlon achievements of a man who would be too polite to laugh in your face, but would have every right to do just that.

Last October, 33 year old Rajesh Durbal crossed the finish line at Ironman Hawaii in 14:19:12. That’s not bad for a man who only completed his first sprint triathlon in 2009. It is truly astonishing for a triple amputee who swims without prosthetics and uses his core muscles to control his descents on the run.

Durbal was born with a congenital deformity in both legs and his left arm. When he was a year old both legs were amputated below the knee. He also had surgery to replace bones in his upper legs and partial right arm. He was in a full body cast for three months but the operations made it possible for prosthetics to be fitted. Not surprisingly, he had a tough time in school – he was relentlessly teased and bullied, but often fearful and depressed, he refused to the let the taunts or his physical limitations hold him back.

That is not to say he struggled; as a young man he wore loose clothing to hide his prosthetics and he found it difficult to fit in with his peers: “I had no friends at all through high school.: He has said he did not find any inner peace until he was 27. Durbal has developed a deep religious commitment from which he draws strength and inspiration, both or which are handy when you’re doing an Ironman.

“I trained my butt off, and got the right mix of people around me to help make it all happen,” he says. “I never gave up, and always focused on how to get myself where I needed to be. I didn’t listen to everyone’s voice telling me how and what I should be doing. I only listened to one voice, God.”

He says he took up triathlon because he was looking for a challenge, something that would test his abilities to the limit – triathlon fit the bill. He did that first sprint triathlon after training for three months. It was not easy: he crashed on the bike and suffered terrible lain on the run because the sockets on his walking legs rubbed the skin raw. He could barely stand for the next week but he was determined to do more. In June 2010 he completed the Florida 70.3, finishing in 6:31. Durbal felt he was ready for Hawaii. He decided he was going to be the first triple amputee to finish one of the toughest one-day endurance events in the world.

“I stayed attentive and constantly evaluated my surroundings, friends and attitude. I had to make hard decisions in order to move forward, holding myself accountable for any setbacks. In the end, it all came together, for the goodness of the larger purpose, to live free.”

Live Free has become a mantra for Durbal and it’s also the name of the foundation he has set up in 2010 to support physically challenged people, in fitness, IT job training, life coaching and prosthetic research and development. The words came to him while he was training for his first Olympic-distance triathlon; crying in pain as he ran in the rain and h prayed to be free from whatever chains were holding him back. Whatever you think about the source of his strength it has worked.

Consider the immense challenges of the race. When he swims he relies almost entirely on his left arm to generate momentum. At Kona his swim was 1:17:54, almost 20 minutes faster than his usual pace. For the bike leg, Durbal rode a Felt B2-R bike courtesy of Locomotion Bikes in Orlando, Florida (he lives in the city). The bike has been heavily modified to allow safer and more efficient riding. The front and rear brakes have been routed with a brake splitter to the left-side brake level and the bar-end shifters have been reversed so the left side controls the rear and the right controls the front derailleur. The right-side aero pad has also been modified to give him more space for his right arm and to allow him more space for his right arm and to allow him to get in a better aero position. Bear in mind that he has to take his left hand off the handlebars to grab drinks.

On the bike

It was not an easy ride. The wind on the Kona bike leg can be ferocious and Durbal says it was very difficult to control the bike. He almost came off a couple of times and staying upright took an immense toll on his upper body. He finished the bike in 7:07:39 and then put on his running legs.

Durbal’s run and bike legs are made by Procare Prosthetic: they feature Elevated Vacuum Technology and flexible outer sockets. These legs are held on with a high-vacuum pump that stabilises limb volume, promoting good bloody circulation. The legs have been designed to allow Durbal to ensure the Ironman distances and to limit potential problems such as skin breakdown and excessive sweat, which could be both painful and dangerous.

But technology cannot solve all the problems he faces. Because he does not have the muscles to control his stride Durbal must use his core muscles to control his descent. The same core muscles that take such a battering on the bike. He describes the sensation as “like doing the plank while running.” Try it.

His run time was 5:36:18 and while he was delighted to complete the event he plans to faster this year. “That was my first Ironman, so I paced myself conservatively. I plan to shave 30 minutes off my bike this year and run a four-hour marathon. I’ll train more efficiently and recruit different training programmes to simulate myself past plateaus.”

Durbal is planning to race the Ironman St George in Utah, in May; the St Anthony Triathlon, in Florida, in October; and to take part in the US Paratriathlon National Championship in New York, in August. And then there’s Kona, round two. Not bad for a man who just wanted a challenge.

For more information on Rajesh Durbal go to www.live-free.net.

This article was recently published in the May edition of UK’s Triathlete’s World Magazine. Here’s the final product:

Triathletes World page 1

Triathletes World page 2

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Is Charlie our next Mona or Deek?

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Stefan Grun

Charlie Maher

Steve Moneghetti has retired. Rob de Castella is long retired. So who’s going to be our next marathon champ?

A little while ago it looked like Lee Troop could be it. He doesn’t look likely at the moment, but don’t give up on him just yet…. marathons aren’t necessarily a young man’s game.

If you were to speal to Deek, he’s say perhaps our next champ is to come from our indigenous community. Deek’s program, the Marathon Project is funded by the Australian Institute of Sport, is looking to find an aboriginal marathon runner before the 2016 Olympics.

Considering we’ve been able to uncover a host of indigenous athletes in AFL, rugby league, sprinting and boxing, surely there’s some gold to be found. Deek thinks so and I’d like to see him proven correct.

The New York marathon is the next step and given Charlie Maher’s 3.22 there’s definitely potential.

With Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai setting a new fastest time in the world (not a world record) of 2.03.02 at this week’s Boston Marathon, interest in the marathon has peaked again.

Let’s hope Charlie or another member of Deek’s Project Marathon team get up with Mutai, Gebrselassie’s and the other Africans. And quickly.

Read more about the Marathon Project at: http://www.themarathonproject.com.au/

Read Ron Reed’s column from the Herald Sun: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/outback-to-olympics/story-e6frf9if-1226046505875

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NCAA officials – talk about a tough job

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Stefan Grun

Umpires and officials in every sport have a tough job.

We now live in an era where, thanks to technology and TV replays, scrutiny on an umpire’s or official’s decision is at an all time high.

For those Australian readers you will be familiar with the endless debates about whether an AFL umpire’s decision is correct, highlighted especially by the subjective nature of the game’s rules. Other than umpires and a few other select people I would ask you who really knows the holding the ball rule?

Anyone who has played or watched basketball at any level will understand the difficulty in refereeing what is supposed to be a non-contact sport. Anyone who’s tried to draw a charging foul in the lane knows this is a preposterous statement.

With the NCAA Tournament about to kick off in the US the refs are sure to come under the spotlight at some point. Pete Thamel from the NY Times highlights some of what is ahead for the referees in one of the most watched sporting tournaments in the United States:

———————————–

San Diego State Coach Steve Fisher nicknamed a Mountain West Conference referee Mr. Steps because the official frequently made traveling calls.

Fisher warns his players to expect to be called for three travels by Mr. Steps in the first five minutes of each game that he officiates. He even discourages his post players from dribbling near Mr. Steps.

“They laugh sometimes,” Fisher said, “when the first travel is called.”

Fisher’s anecdote illustrates the intimate relationship between college coaches and referees, especially during conference play. While referees are rarely discussed at length publicly, the habits and quirks of certain officials and horror stories about them are discussed endlessly in athletic departments across America.

One of the most overlooked aspects of N.C.A.A. tournament games is the awkward dance among referees, coaches and players.

“Those are hard games,” Brigham Young Coach Dave Rose said. “There’s no relationship at all, and you’re trying to get some kind of interaction. Some are good by nature. Others are like: ‘I’m in the tournament here. My call is the right call, so leave me alone.’ But those are real issues, and I don’t know how you address them.”

The 98 top officials selected for the N.C.A.A. tournament are randomly assigned, which often means an adjustment for coaches, players and the officials themselves.

There is a chance that a coach will not know all three officials and that the officials themselves have not worked together.

And with seasons, coaching careers and millions of dollars at stake, a delicate process must be played out under intense pressure on college basketball’s biggest stage.

“You have to quickly know what you can and can’t do and adjust,” Fisher said.

The N.C.A.A. coordinator of officiating, John Adams, who assigns referees for the tournament, lives by a simple mantra: “We don’t ever want to be the story.”

An officiating blunder darkened the Big East tournament when three referees missed two calls in the final seconds, including a St. John’s player stepping out of bounds with 1.7 seconds remaining, and hurried off the court into endless video loops of highlight infamy.

Adams disagrees with the notion that coaches often do not know the officials in N.C.A.A. games, pointing out that most veteran coaches and officials have crossed paths at some point. Adams says that when he assigns officials he would prefer either three officials working together for the first time, or if there is a game, say, between Michigan State and U.C.L.A., that there is an official who worked in the Big Ten and one who worked in the Pac-10, so neither coach feels slighted.

Adams also said there was a strong push by the N.C.A.A., through training and video study, to be sure that games are officiated the same way in the Big East as they are in the Big West, the A.C.C. and everywhere in between.

“We’re trying to make it more of a science and less of an art,” he said. “We’re constantly identifying reoccurring plays and saying, ‘This is the way we’re going to referee.’ We’re trying to make it more like calling balls and strikes.”

The retired official Curtis Shaw, who worked the last of his seven Final Fours last year, said that a more uniform approach to refereeing has helped. He used an example of a team like Wisconsin, which plays a lumbering, physical style, perhaps being penalized if it had an official from the Southeastern Conference who was more accustomed to a free-flowing game and did not call fouls the Badgers typically drew.

“Teams got hurt in the N.C.A.A. tournament,” Shaw said.

Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey said the dynamics of N.C.A.A. tournament officiating can be distracting to coaches and players. Coaches are given the names of officials an hour before a game. An assistant for Brey would find out where they are from, and sometimes Brey would ask his assistants during a game, “What’s his name again?”

Brey said he had coached N.C.A.A. tournament games in which his players would return to the huddle after an early timeout and say, “This is a little different.”

“It needs to be addressed mentally by the head coach and verbally by the head coach to his team,” Brey said. “You have to try and let it not be the distraction. I’ve fallen into the trap where it has been a distraction at times. It’s different.”

The Colonial Athletic Association commissioner, Tom Yeager, counters by saying that three officials unfamiliar to coaches and players is not a bad thing. He said high-profile coaches were always searching for an edge and did not like to leave their comfort zones.

“It’s like knowing the home plate umpire is going to give you the outside corner,” Yeager said.

Dick Cartmell will work his 20th N.C.A.A. tournament this year, and his decorated career includes five Final Fours and three national title games. The best compliment he can be paid may be that few people recall him refereeing those games. Cartmell officiates primarily in the Pac-10, but he said that since he had been around so long he has worked with most of the top East Coast officials. He said that when he was assigned to a game in which he did not know the coach, he made a point to introduce himself.

“Part of being a good official is good people skills,” he said.

Cartmell said the key to officials who had never worked together was adjusting to one another in a pregame meeting. In it, Cartmell emphasized that if an official has a “closed view” of a potential call not to blow the whistle, as another official most likely has a better view. He said the officials do not do background checks, but discuss issues like whether a team plays zone or a full-court press, to figure out positioning.

“You hope that everything goes well and the team that deserves to win, wins,” he said.

Shaw said many people do not realize how competitive the process is for a referee to officiate an N.C.A.A. tournament. Adams and a staff of four cross the country to scout officials at more than 400 games every year. They watch in person virtually the entire list of 350 officials under consideration for the tournament.

Along with prestige for the officials, there is financial reward. Adams said officials would make $1,000 a game in Rounds 1 through 3, $1,400 for the regionals and $2,000 each for the national semifinals and finals.

“The competition to move on with the referees is just as hard as the teams,” Shaw said.

Shaw and Cartmell agreed that the biggest recent change in officiating is the nationwide scrutiny through advanced technology and social networking.

“Scrutiny was there, but not nearly the magnitude of the last seven years with all the technology and bloggers and 400 different camera angles,” Shaw said.

“It’s a hard game to referee,” he added. “Kids are big and fast and young and athletic.”

Part of Adams’s job is having to call and apologize. He called Mike Rice last year after a flurry of bad calls cost Robert Morris its first-round game with Villanova. He explained to Rice, now the Rutgers coach, the reason behind the referee assignment. None of those three officials refereed another N.C.A.A. game that year.

“I felt that we could have done better for both teams,” Adams said.

When the ball is tipped across the country this week, an awkward dance will soon follow.

Read the full article on the NY Times website:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/sports/ncaabasketball/17officials.html?ref=sports

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When in doubt, sack the coach….

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Stefan Grun

When a sports team loses a match, especially a big match, questions seem to get asked of the coach. What went wrong? Why did your players play badly? What do you think of the ref’s crucial call?

Even one loss can start the questions flowing and spark speculation that a coach has lost the faith of his players, his message is no longer being heard, or is not even the right message any more.

In soccer this seems to be even more prevalent. On Saturday, Ernie Merrick was sacked as coach of the Melbourne Victory. Or should I say, he came to a mutual agreement with the club that it was time for him to leave.

The fact that this came shortly after a 5-1 loss to Gamba Osaka in the Asian Champion’s League can’t have had anything to do with it, surely. Perhaps this just gave an easy excuse to sack a coach who seemed to be universally liked and admired in the soccer community.

Rumours abound that he had lost the faith of his players. Upon reflection they seem pleased to have the former youth coach Mehmet Durakovic in charge – some even finding his younger age (45 as opposed to Merrick’s 58) an advantage. He certainly hasn’t wasted any time making some changes with a new formation adopted and several key players dropped.

Of course a new coach needs to bring a new approach or why would you bother with the turmoil.

It will be an interesting week for Mehmet and the Victory. As will be the next few weeks and months. He can expect plenty of people to be watching closely and if things don’t go to plan, you can expect the next wave of vultures to start circling quickly. Ange Postecoglou’s return to his home town of Melbourne has been widely touted by both Victory and Heart sources.

After all if the team isn’t winning, it’s much easier to sack one coach than a whole team of players.

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Alex meets his Essendon heros

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Stefan Grun

Alex with Mark Bomber Thompson

: Alex meets James Hird

Alex is deaf and blind. He was born deaf and lost his vision when he was 13.

Alex has obvious restrictions based on his hearing and vision impairments. He can hear some things such as conversations thanks to a Cochlear implant however his vision is restricted to being able to tell whether it’s day or night. That’s it.

For some people, this would force a life of isolation and depression. Not so for Alex. One of his main passions is the Essendon Football Club. To say Alex has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Essendon and its players would be like saying Bruce McAveny gets excited calling a Grand Final or Cathy Freeman Olympic Victory.

He knows almost every stat there is to know and if he doesn’t know it, it’s probably not worth knowing.

Last Wednesday Alex was lucky enough to get invited to visit the Bombers closed training session with his deafblind support organisation Able Australia (also where I work, just to disclose).

After listening to the training session unfold via the commentary from myself and other Able staff member Gary (also a mad Bombers fan) Alex was getting the hang of things. Then as various players finished their session in waves, Alex got to chat to a couple of his heroes. First there was Andrew Welsh who he follows on Twitter. Then there was David Hille fresh from the physio room. Both were impressed by both his knowledge but also his passion. The fact that he’s cheeky didn’t hurt either.

Then Mark “Bomber” Thompson stopped for a chat. And it wasn’t just a cursory hi how, how are you going? Bomber chatted for over 10 minutes and was happy to banter backwards and forwards, especially when the topic became Mark’s departure from Geelong. I think he appreciated some honesty from Alex and a genuine welcome back.

Alex meets Andrew Welsh

The highlight was still to come and when Senior Coaches James Hird and assistant Simon Goodwin came over, Alex said he thought he was going to have a heart attack, such was his excitement. That’s after James finally convinced him it was actually him and not some imposter.

The generosity of everyone at Essendon was outstanding. Alex was made to feel like he was part of the family and that’s exactly what he is.

On the day when Peter Costello had stated that AFL players were just doing community work because it was good for their club and personal brands, every player and coach from Essendon proved him wrong.

The real hero of this story however is Alex. His attitude and enthusiasm for life is infectious – as he said to me once everyone else had left, he had the “best 4 hours of his life” and I don’t think he will ever forget it.

Alex is an inspiration to me and a real life example of the attitude we should all have to life – taking on whatever life throws at you with a smile on your face!

To learn more about deafblindness, please visit the Able Australia website: www.ableaustralia.org.au

Posted in Disability, Mentors | 1 Comment

AFL umpires – how fit are they?

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Stefan Grun

AFL umpires pre season camp

Over the last weekend of January, the AFL umpires gathered in Geelong for their annual pre-season which brings the national panel of field, boundary and goal umpires together to ensure the group is all on the same page heading into the new season.

The weekend also provides a perfect forum to host the bench mark fitness tests. Basically if an umpire doesn’t meet the benchmark time, they won’t get to umpire a game. No exceptions.

After varying over the years from 4km, 10km, 6 x 1km and other distances, each discipline now runs a standard 5km time trial. The benchmark times are tough to beat, but you don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to pass. Not quite anyway.

The benchmark times are:

Field umpires – 18:45
Boundary umpires – 18.00
Goal umpires – 23:00

Whilst the majority of umpires pass the tests, thanks to demanding training programs and plenty of hard work, the top times make fascinating reading.

The top 5 boundary umpires were:

Darren Wilson 14:48
Nathan Doig 15:10
Jace Collingridge 15:30
Michael Marintelli 15:31
Shane Thiele 15:51

The top 5 field umpires were:

Matt Stevic 16:41
Hayden Kennedy 16:47
Ben Ryan 16:47
Jeff Dalgleish 17:00
Shaun Gleeson 17:01

The top 5 goal umpires were:

David Dixon 18:37
Steve Axon 19:46
Dale Edwick 19:52
Matthew Laycock 19:52
Brett Rogers 20:10

Darren Wilson who “won” the boundary umpires time trial in 14:48 regularly runs on the pro circuit and his time would place him in the top 20 in open competition on a national stage. Impressive stuff.

Almost half of the boundary umpires (17 of the 38) ran a time quicker than the fastest field umpire – Matt Stevic in 16.41.

Hayden Kennedy who ran second in the field umpire’s run, came in a super fast time of 16:47. Hayden in 45 years old.

The quickest goal umpire David Dixon ran a time which would be fast enough to pass the field umpire’s benchmark tests. Also an incredible achievement and a testament to his hard work and dedication.

These are all amazing times and are a real reflection of the amazing skills, athleticism and hard work put in by all the umpires on the AFL national panel.

For another perspective on the camp, check out this article on the AFL’s website:

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/107091/default.aspx

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The Wisdom of Ironman

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Stefan Grun

by Shaun Ryan (January 2011)

For thousands of years great spiritual masters have taught that the universal truths required to obtain enlightenment lie within each and every one of us, and it is our task to find the way to our true essence and unlock the secrets so we may live in a constant state of happiness.

In the 30 years that athletes have ventured to Hawaii for the ‘the big dance’ the regular remark from athletes is that the race and the island take on a deeply spiritual element.

As the great Mark Allen so beautifully put it “..you just get reduced down to the most basic element of yourself. It happens to basically every single person out there and as that happens it feels like there is some kind of magic that is created through that.”

Could the ‘basic element’ Allen refers to be the true essence the ancient sages spoke of the last few thousand years? Could the Queen K highway quite literally be a path to enlightenment!?

Whatever the answer, what is abundantly clear is that some of the lessons learnt during that long day in the lava fields of Kona are closely aligned to the life lessons passed on through the ages by some of the great spiritual masters, and so they are lessons not just for Ironman but for the eternal pursuit of happiness.

Here is what i am talking about.

Staying in the present moment

It is said that much of our unhappiness is caused by constant identification with our mind which creates compulsive or non-stop thinking. The constant talking inside our heads stops us from finding inner stillness, quiet and peace.

We are taught from an early age to think, reason, judge, rationalise and learn. Unfortunately, no one shows us how to turn it off or give our mind a rest. Like our physical body, if we can’t rest the mind, it will eventually breakdown.

The result is often stress, anxiety or depression caused by thinking about things that have happened in the past or that may happen in the future or past.

The essence of Buddha’s teachings is to ‘control the mind, or it will control you.”

Modern spiritual authors such as Eckhart Tolle encourage us to stay in the moment. Think only of the now and disassociate yourself with the thoughts of past and future. After all, there is nothing stressful or anxious about this very moment.

It is mind projection which causes fear and anxiety. Physically we are always in the now, but more often than not our minds concern is the future.

Ironman provides a classic example of this. With between 8 and 17 hours of ‘think time’ there is ample opportunity to create your own fear and anxiety. Thoughts such as, ‘there is still so far to go’, ‘am i going to make it?’ ‘ He/she is catching me’, ‘I have to go sub 9,10,11 hours’ etc..

This universal truth has revealed itself to some of our great ironman champions. Six time winner Dave Scott commented “A lot of people really get hung up on i’ve got to finish this race, and i’ve got to do it in X time. I never paid attention to time at all. I just let that moment at that time devour me and consume me and not look ahead.”

Given the human brain is the storehouse of our life energy, the use of our brain to process thought and emotions during Ironman can only drain this resource. Scott tapped into this secret. Not surprisingly, so did the other King of Kona, Mark Allen. “…I try and set my mind at ease and just let it be calm. It’s almost like i’m doing the race and being aware of what i’m doing but stepping aside from it……….If you’re thinking about each mile it will feel like it’s taking forever ….but if you kind of let your mind float, almost like your spacing out, it goes by a lot quicker.”

Finding the flow and surrendering to it

More than 2500 years ago a Chinese prophet, Lao Tzu, set about creating an instruction manual to humanity on how to live life in order to obtain lasting happiness. The 81 verses which is known as the Tao Te Ching (“the Tao”) has become one of the most widely read and published texts of all time. He is the author of the oft used quote, (apt for Ironman), “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

One of the key messages of the Tao teachings is to surrender to the flow of life. Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life. It encourages you to abandon the idea that you have to attack life in a head on or forceful way. Instead, go with all that confronts you, find the rhythm of nature and life, and go with that.

In the 1995 Ironman the great Paula Newby-Fraser held a commanding lead on the marathon. She still led with less than 500m’s to go. Then her body shut down completely. In her words, she felt like she was going to die. She was later able to walk to the finish line in 4th spot. She was to describe the experience as one of the most embarrassing in her life.

The race had, however, stripped her back to that basic element of herself and in doing so she was able to unlock some of the universal truths of life.

Before the 1996 Ironman she reflected on her ’95 experience and said she had learnt to be “…a little softer towards my sport, I don’t have to come at it in such a hard way…..(like) I’m here to go sub 9 hours, I’m here to break course records, I’m here to dominate……it’s ok to just do what you can do on that day.” Newby-Fraser won the 1996 Ironman by almost 5 minutes.

At the end of her career she reflected on the key ingredient to be successful in Hawaii. “The physical is doable if you do the training…but it’s the mental. If you can come in to the race and find the flow and give yourself up to it and take everything that is dealt to you at that moment and handle it, I think that is where the success and failures come, because if you don’t handle it the greatest training in the world is absolutely no good.”

It seems Allen too was able to unlock the wisdom of the Tao somewhere out in the lava fields. He reflected “….no matter how much you prepare you can never control the race, the race is just there and you have to respond to the dynamic of it and find those places in yourself that are dormant, that come alive under that sort of pressure. Somehow for me that’s just total freedom because it’s out of my hands, I just have to go and do it and there are very few other things in my life that are freedom like that.”

Humility and gratitude

It is often said that humility is the key to progress. John M Templeton in his book ‘Worldwide Laws of Life’ noted “humility opens the door to progress. It is difficult for a person to know anything more if he is certain he knows everything already.”

Humility is not c. It is knowing you were created with special talents and abilities, but that everyone else possesses special talents and abilities also.

Templeton notes “…the opposite of humility is arrogance. The belief that we are wiser or better than others.” Unfortunately, much of the modern western culture believe to succeed you need to abandon humility for more aggressive qualities such as pride, ego and arrogance. This is contrary to the ancient teachings. As St Francis noted, “Great heroes are humble.”

One of my favourite pieces of dialogue is Mark Allen and Dave Scott’s discussion on the epic battle in the 1989 Ironman. It has become known as the ‘Iron war.’ Mark Allen aptly described it ‘as a classic sporting duel.’

Scott had won six Ironman world titles prior to 1989. Allen had tried six times and been unsuccessful each time. For whatever reason Scott always had the ticket at Kona.

1989 was to be Allen’s year. He shadowed Scott in the swim, on the bike and during the marathon. With a mile to go he kicked to win by the smallest margin in Ironman history.

Scott would have been within his rights to point out that he had won six times previously, that he was getting older and eventually his reign had to come to an end.

Instead Scott’s reflection was this. “..The competitive element of that race couldn’t have been any better. It was the perfect race for competition. It was the perfect race to exploit our talents, and that day his talent was just a little bit better.”

Thanks for the lesson in humility Dave Scott.

Gratitude

“It is a law of life” Templeton says, “that if we develop an attitude of gratitude our happiness will increase.” Indeed, successful motivational speakers such as Tony Robbins base much of their programs on learning how to evoke the feeling of gratitude.

In his mind blowing book Power v’s Force Dr David Hawkins details how his 20 years of scientific research have established that positive emotions such as gratitude, love and peace will make muscles go strong, whilst negative or ego based emotions will make muscles go weak.

There is no better exponent of the art of gratitude than six time world champion Natascha Badmann. Always smiling during her races when Badmann is interviewed she is constantly expressing gratitude for her body, and for what it can do.

And thankfully she shares her feelings with us all. “When I started doing triathlon I became a very happy and a very satisfied person and this is something I want to share with everybody who wants to have a share of it. So here I am and I smile as long as I feel that it feels good.”

Cheerfulness and enthusiasm

Ironman hall of famer Scott Tinley gave us an insight into how he sustained such longevity in the sport of Ironman, “I try and retain that same wonder I had the first time I went and did the race, and the bottom line is I still enjoy it.”

In spiritual terms, this is a very profound statement.

All spiritual teachings point to the need to retain the wonder of all life and feel your connectedness with nature and all that is around you. In the modern world where stress and anxiety are at an all time high we could benefit much from this lesson. If you look at people walking down a busy CBD street make note of how many walk looking straight ahead, in a hurry, thinking of what they have to do and where they have to be. Then look at how few people walk with the sense of wonder that Tinley eludes to, enjoying the day and all the beautiful things that surround them.

Aussie Champion Greg Welch summed it up best when discussing his philosophy on Ironman, “…don’t be so tense, go out there and have fun. That’s what I’m going to do…..” He challenged us to not “..forget the things where you have fun, because if you do and you get too serious, i think you lose it.”

Authors such as Deepak Chopra have constantly referred to endurance sports such as marathons as containing an ability to strip away the layers of conditioning we have developed over our life time and to reveal some of the marvellous lessons. I am sure these lessons have been revealed to more than just the Ironman greats. What has become clear from their words, however, is that the ultimate endurance test that is Ironman doesn’t just build character, it reveals it.

Posted in Goal setting, Mental approach | 1 Comment

Compression gear – does it really work?

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Stefan Grun

Compression gear has become a boom industry in athletic circles in recent years. What started with Steve Waugh wearing Skins’ compression tights on a plane to recover from Deep Vein Thrombosis has grown into standard attire for any elite athlete looking for the tiniest advantage over their rivals.

The trend has even spread to amateur athletes. I challenge you to walk past a training ground and not see some amateur sportsman or athlete not wearing compression tights, socks or shirt.

So does it really improve performance?

A study out of Indiana University presented in June 2010 at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting caused quite a stir, bringing compression garments back into the limelight by questioning their usefulness for runners.

In short, the study shows that compression gear does nothing to improve an athlete’s performance in the actual event.

The companies which make compression garments claim they have the ability to assist in blood circulation, reduce blood lactate concentration during running and control the amount of muscle oscillation that results from pounding during running.

However the Indiana University study finds little scientific evidence to support these claims, even if there is some anecdotal evidence to support improved support, especially for endurance athletes.

So are compression garments the next Power Balance fad with no benefit to people who have spent lots of money on them?

Far from it. As a personal user of compression tights for many years, I have personally experienced the reduction in muscle soreness when putting my tights on. I certainly wouldn’t have survived the Kokoda Track without them.

Is this backed up by science? Thankfully yes. My dollars are safe.

There are several studies which support this. Dr Ajmol’s study shows the reduction in DOMS as a result of wearing compression socks. Dr Duffield’s study also shows the link between compression garments and reduced muscle soreness after sprinting and plyometrics.

I’m sure the debate will rage for a long time yet and more scientists will be paid to uncover the truth.

I’m comfortable in the fact that whilst I might not get much assistance in my on field performance, my compression tights will certainly help my recovery – and as one of my fitness coaches said, the quality really is in the recovery.

For more information, Running Times has an interesting account of the Indiana University’s study: (http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=21359)

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Posted in Training gear | Leave a comment

The power of sport, part 2 (Thanks Nike)

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Stefan Grun

In following on from my last post, I was recently forunate to see first hand the power of sport in our community. In my role with Able Australia (www.ableaustralia.org.au) we provide support services to people living with multiple disabilities.

The next group of Socceroos?

Through the AFL umpiring world and our strong networks I was fortunate to recently speak with ex AFL umpire and Nike Australia’s Sports Marketing Manager George Lawlor. When two boxes of Nike’s Socceroos jerseys arrived on my door, I knew our clients would love them.

On Friday I was lucky enough to help give these early Christmas presents to a number of our clients and I’ve got to say you have never seen a happier group of people. When today’s youth complain because they don’t have the newest PS3 game, it is refreshing to see the happiness a gift like this brings.

We then had a wonderful afternoon playing soccer in the sun. You can bet it won’t be the last time the jerseys are worn – I believe some haven’t been taken off since.

Thanks for your generosity George and Nike! You have made a number of people extremely happy (and a little bit fitter).

http://www.ableaustralia.org.au/december.asp

Goal!!!!

Proud as punch in Nike

Posted in Disability | 1 Comment