Bubble Gum Bubble Blowing World Championship Declared a Tie

In the strange world of professional bubblegum bubble blowers, a tie has been declared for competitors in the first quarter of the 2009 World Championship of Bubblegum Bubble Blowers. A competitor dubbed “Stunis” of London, England, has tied with “BG” from New York, New York.

This contest was created by The BOMB Squad, that is “Blowers Of Mega Bubbles.” The commissioner of the organization is Bobby “Boom Boom” Bickerson.

The BOMB Squad consists of some of the most famous bubblegum bubble blowers on the planet: Susan “Chewsy Suzy” Montgomery, Joyce “The Bubblegum Blowing Granny” Samuels, Dr. Enaught “Co-Creator of the Blowing Unbelievable Bubbles League” Wiseham, and Earl “The Gum Bubble Coach” Hartwell.

Creators of this contest emphatically state that the contest is a “GUM-petition.” Citing prior bubble blowing contests were tainted by bubblegum companies who limited the bubble-blowers to their particular brand of gum, The BOMB Squad has opened their contest to bubble blowers of any brand.

According to the press release: “Big bubbles are the only things that count!”

The contest is also worldwide thanks to the internet. All you need to be able to do is upload a photo of your bubble, and you're in the running. Because the contest is quarterly, you only have to wait a few months to see how you fared.

The creation of the BOMB Squad was highly heralded in the world bubblegum community. The following statement was released at the inception of their group:

“Therefore, for the fun, excitement, action and good of millions of both children and adults worldwide who have ever loved, who now love, or who will ever love bubblegum and it's bubble blowing capabilities, these four bubblegum heroes (Mongomery, Samuels, Wiseham, and Hartwell), the greatest bubblegum blowers of all time, hereby announce they are coming together into one new group to form the Blowers of Mega Bubbles, which will be better known as The BOMB Squad.”

To give credibility to these claims: Chewsy Suzy holds the Guinness World Record for blowing the largest bubblegum bubble from the mouth, The Bubble Gum Blowin' Granny holds the Guinness World Record for blowing the largest bubblegum bubble from the nose. Hartwell is known to be Canada's “greatest bubble gum blower.”

Sadly, this bubble gum legend named Chewsy Suzy passed away October First 2008. If you would like to learn more about her life, visit http://www.myspace.com/chewsysuzy.

If you want a shot at the title, make sure you get a photo of your best bubble, then head to http://www.chewsysuzy.com/bubblegum/home1.html and follow the directions on how to post it on the information highway.

article from The Bleacher Report

To Exercise Or Not To Exercise...There Is No Question

America is losing the war against obesity. Healthy food is expensive; junk food is cheap. In a highly technological environment, sedentary lifestyles have become the norm. Busy-ness is at an all time high. An information-drenched society uses its mind so much that it is disconnected from the body that houses it. When fathers are trying to pay bills, get the kids to and from school, daycare, practices, and clubs, maintain their relationship with their partner, and advance in a highly competitive world, working out often finds itself bumped to the bottom of the priority list. With all of these challenges and responsibilities, why does physical fitness wind up festering in a foil burger wrapper on the floor of our backseats?

There are a number of attitudes which keep our cholesterol numbers in the red and add dread to our doctor visits.

Overwhelmed into apathy. Current American society is rapid-fire. Decency, empathy, and human connection are often trampled by a mutated version of “progress.” So much of our society is built upon the study, struggle, and effort of those who have gone before us. If we do not possess an awareness of our history, then we will have trouble understanding the basic foundations that comprise our daily life (political, sociological, religious, technological). As people are overstimulated into an inability to make healthy decisions, evaluate their own behavior, or live thoughtful lives, the concept of personal value is often out of reach. Basic life skills can, almost accidentally and without knowledge, be abandoned in view of a constant convenience.

Media Immersion Can Lead to Self-consciousness. When everyone you see on the television or on the movies has a near perfect body, your image in the mirror can be a real slap in the face. If a majority of our interaction with other people is viewing them in magazines or television or film screens, then we get an erroneous idea about what is the norm. If these concepts make you feel that being physically fit is an impossibility, you may want to take another look at the everyday man or woman on the street. You will realize that we are all people with similar needs. If that doesn’t give you the self-acceptance to go to the gym, then start in your living room. Make sure you check with your primary care physician to get recommendations on what exercises are safe to start, then begin to make progress in private. As you see your body changing, you will soon find your confidence and sense of achievement growing.

Invest in Yourself. Your Kids Will Love You For It. You’re their hero. You’re their model. You’re dad. Your kids learn more about life from what happens in the home than anywhere else. If you incorporate exercise into you family routine, these habits will last beyond your lifetime. If you’re struggling to find motivation, find it in the inquisitive eyes of your children as they watch you mount up on your bike, get home from a jog, or pump iron in the garage. They just might hold you accountable to the routine when they come down the stairs in their sweatbands, headbands, and sweats ready to “work out” with you. Your greatest treasures might teach you how to treasure yourself.

Mind Over Matter; Character Building Over Body Building. If the mention of running, weight lifting, or stationary biking doesn’t instantly make you want to jump into a pair of shorts, don’t sweat it. It’s hard, that’s the point! The value of sacrifice has nearly been annihilated by a mentality of convenience. Doing things that are difficult are a direct challenge to our comfort. Pay attention to your feelings and reactions toward the whole process. Do a study on the value of sacrifice. Watch how your body responds when you apply some self-inflicted adversity. This small sacrifice causes increased energy, loss of fat, increased physical ability and endurance, and clarity of thought. If you need to, pick an activity you’ve never done before. Make your work out something that engages you. You may find yourself revising your priority list and making significant changes. An odyssey of activities you never dreamed you’d accomplish may have begun, right there in your garage, living room, or backyard.

Just Because We Have Technology Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Need Muscles. Everyone wants to work smarter, not harder. That doesn’t mean your Blackberry can’t get smashed, that satellites can’t get buck-shotted by space debris, or cell phone towers get struck by lightning. There are constant unknowns in life, and our increasingly violent and turbulent world is going to throw challenges at you that will require you to access your physical abilities. When you’re in public with your family, you want to be able to ensure your and their safety. When the worst-case scenario occurs, you don’t want to be left gasping and helpless. Deep within is a warrior, a protector. Your children and partner are your very soul. To strive for a disciplined physique is to take a first step toward physical security.

Don’t Worry, You Don’t Have to Become Chuck Norris. Try to avoid making exercise another addiction or compulsion. Physical fitness is a part of a whole. You have a mind, a heart, a spirit. Don’t give yourself ultimatums or a heart attack. This is about the marathon of your life, not a sprint toward losing 30 pounds then gaining it all back when you can’t maintain the pace over the long-term. Your goal is to gain a self-awareness and an ability to cope with the stresses of life while taking care of yourself and your own. If you think you aren’t valuable or worthy of acceptance unless you’re cut with muscle or unless you’re a size two, then the place to start is not in the gym, it’s in your mind.

Misconceptions About Physically Fit Individuals. Don’t allow yourself to demonize those who are physically fit. In any group of people there will always be people you don’t necessarily click with. There are negative stereotypes of “muscleheads” and “meatheads” that have their source in reality. But don’t allow your dislike of someone else’s personality to impede your health. With every drop of your sweat you are lengthening your life, adding sacred moments with your children and your partner to your storehouse of experience. Every rep, blast of breath, swimstroke, stride, or jumpshot is the arrival of another laugh with your son or daughter, another embrace of your spouse, another stroll down the lane, or evening on the porch watching the sun melt into the earth.

Although being physically fit doesn’t guarantee long life or happiness, it is a cornerstone of our reality, an origin of countless benefits, and a way to physically express how much you care for you and yours.

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article from The Father Life

Junior Marksman Compete For National Olympic Championship

Over 300 youth from across the nation gathered in Colorado Springs from Apr. 4-19 to compete in the 2009 Rifle and Pistol National Junior Olympic Shooting Championship. In order to win an invitation to the competition, these youth had to win their State Junior Olympic Championship or shoot above a set score.

Champions include the following in their respective categories:

Emily Quiner in the 10 meter women's rifle

Sandra Fong in the 50 meter women's three-position rifle

Ethan Settlemires in the 10 meter men's rifle

Samuel Muegge in the 50 meter men's prone rifle

Dempster Christenson in the 50 meter men's three-position rifle

Will Brown in the 10 meter men's pistol

Kylie Gagnon in the 10 meter women's pistol

Courtney Anthony in the 25 meter women's sport pistol

Will Brown in the 50 meter men's free pistol

The competition was held at the U.S. Olympic Shooting Center where full-time resident athletes live and train for the Olympic games. The Shooting Center is the largest indoor shooting facility in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest in the world. Outdoor ranges are also utilized at the nearby International Shooting Park.

The USA Shooting mission statement is to “Prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S., and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country.”

The organization was created in 1995 after the National Governing Body for Shooting established national teams and national development teams, a national coaching staff, year-round training staff, and a training site for Olympic shooting sports. Prior to this, athletes trained independently and met annually to try out for major events.

America's future Olympic athletes have taken a step forward into the crucible of competition. These athletes continue to forge the proud and highly decorated legacy of the American shooting community. They represent the 20 million Americans who participate in target shooting sports each year.

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article from The Bleacher Report

Racing Sausages in Milwaukee

Anyone who has been to a Milwaukee Brewers home game since the mid-1990's can tell you that one of the highlights of the trip to County Stadium or Miller Park was the Sausage Race.

Add another one to the list of mystifying Wisconsonite behaviors, which includes wearing hats of cheese.

The race began as a cartoon on the Jumbo-tron scoreboard in center field. One legendary gameday, Brewers owners cranked it up a notch. The scoreboard cartoon culminated in an explosion of 8'-tall sprinting sausages from a corner of left field, headed for home plate.

Fans loved it.

The year 2000 brought epic changes to the world of sausage racing. In honor of the new millenium, there would be no more cartoon on the scoreboard. The whole race was to take place on the field.

Bernie Brewer seems to approve. He cheers on the sausages as they run from his tower in left field.

The Lineup

The Bratwurst—According to his bio on the Brewer's Web site, the bratwurst “trains like a machine.” He is known to start fast, but loses wind at the end of the race. He has one win under his belt for the 2009 season.

The Polish Sausage—This sausage is notorious for his slow starts. Often viewed as an underdog, he has been known to sneak up on the other runners when they are winded. He has yet to win a race this season.

The Italian Sausage—Packing star power, the Italian Sausage “rarely breaks a sweat,” has a “spicy personality,” and has been “featured in low budget films called Sausages Are a Butcher's Best Friend andSausages, Sausages, and More Sausages

Running for this sausage “began as a leisure activity,” but has obviously blossomed into something more.

The Hot Dog—Called “weiner” or “frank” by his friends, this runner has taken four of the five races as of April 14. He obviously put in work during the offseason.

The Chorizo—This runner joined the line-up in 2006 at the first Cerveceros Day (Spanish for Brewers). Some say he is at a disadvantage because of the non-aerodynamic sombrero he wears, but he refuses to use that as an excuse.

People expect good things from him this year.

Keep in mind, you can book the sausages for your events by filling out the appropriate request on the Milwaukee Brewers Web site. Just make sure it isn't game day, those dates are booked solid.

article from The Bleacher Report

Is Mud Wrestling A Sport?

After conducting some cursory research, I am led to believe that mud wrestling is not an actual sport. It appears that mud wrestling is mostly limited to fraternity houses, bars, hillbilly backyards, outdoor rock concerts, and occasional fishing trips gone bad.

I have been unable to locate any form of regulated mud wrestling organizations, tournaments, or associations.

My research found that approximately 99 percent of all mud wrestling is basically performed by scantily clad females with male audiences.

On WikiAnswers.com someone asked where they could buy mud wrestling mud. One answer appeared to be somewhat credible. It included a statement that said “The average pit will take about 20 cubic feet [of mud].” It sounds like a bit of science has developed on the mud wrestling front.

I was quickly discouraged by the second entry which read: “Have you tried the mud wrestling store?”

The New York Times even ran an article about mud wrestling which, to my disgust, was about political mud slinging, not bent arm bars or cross-collar chokes in mudpits.

Unless anyone can provide me any valid and substantiated information, I am forced to assert that mud wrestling is NOT an actual sport.

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article from The Bleacher Report

100 Years of Horseshoes in Springfield, Illinois

The National Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America (NHPA) is preparing its first centennial celebration. The 100th Horseshoe Pitching World Championship is scheduled for July 27-August 8 in Springfield, Illinois.

According to the NHPA, over 15 million Americans pitch horseshoes. The World Championship is divided into a number of divisions including Junior Boys, Junior Girls, Mens, Womens, Elder, Senior Mens, and Senior Womens. Truly no age group is restricted in this multi-generational backyard game.

Alan Francis is the current Mens World Champ. He has held the title of World Champ since 2003 and is from Defiance, Ohio. The current Womens World Champ is Sue Snyder from Madisonville, Kentucky. In the last five years, the title has been frequently traded between Snyder and Joan Elmore from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.

There is also a horseshoe pitching Hall of Fame. It is divided into three categories: Player, Organizer, and Player-Organizer. Hall of Fame players have “brought prestige to the art of horseshoe pitching through distinguished outstanding performances in World Tournament Championship Play.”

A century of statistics are available on the NHPA website (www.horseshoepitching.com).

The NHPA alleges that the sport dates back to the Roman Empire, when soldiers pitched the discarded horseshoes of their chariot horses. If that is the case, then this age-old game might realistically be called timeless.

Although, your average traveler no longer uses a steed to get from Point A to Point B, they might enjoy the new horseshoe pitching game available for the iphone. Just make sure you have a signal when you get to Springfield this summer.

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article from The Bleacher Report

Whatever Happened To Lawn Darts?

A friend of mine bought a house recently in one of the “Best Places To Live In America” according to Money Magazine. It's in a coveted neighborhood, right next to a city park.

Although she makes less than 70K a year and is just out of nursing school, she paid cash for it.

How, you ask?

She didn't make any remarkable stock trade. She's not the CEO of a online company. A rich relative didn't pass away. She isn't a real estate master. Instead, she used the settlement she was awarded after getting hit by a lawn dart when she was an infant.

The only residual damage is an occasional numbness in the hand. Not a bad deal.

I can only recollect playing lawn darts once or twice. I remember seeing a family friend set the rings in the grass. Then the neighborhood kids and I started launching these things as high as we could in the air.

We laughed like idiots the whole time, but I distinctly remember thinking, "what if one of those things wacks me in the head!"

I also remember the scary heavy metal tip at the base of the plastic dart that swung from sky-side to kid-side at the peak of its ascent.

Not long after, I recall hearing that the company who made these awesome hazards got into some legal trouble. I can't say it was much of a surprise. Not with a title like Jarts: The Missile Game.

In a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Report dated May 15, 1997, this organization stated not only that lawn darts were “banned,” but it was also recommended that they “should be destroyed.”

It also stated that a 7-year-old became the victim of a brain injury when the lawn dart “pierced his skull.” Three other children actually died.

I guess it is best to toss out the old lawn dart kit you have in the garage.

But I couldn't help noticing three possibly drunk guys in Ohio looked like they had a good time when they won 400 bucks at an annual Jart tournament in 2008.

I guess they didn't get the memo.

article from The Bleacher Report

A Backyard Game Taken Way Too Far

Fifty years ago, a father named David N. Mullaney created a game for his sons. Unable to play baseball in the backyard due to fly ball threats to siding, windows, and their mother hanging laundry, their father began to experiment with a plastic version of the baseball and bat. Soon after, he and his sons were smashing line drive home runs safely across the property and pitching some of the most wicked curve balls ever seen. As they swung and wiffed, they named the game Wiffle Ball. Their mother was also free to work in the yard again without fearing for her own safety from flying base or tennis balls.

Today, this iconic American game is a sport. Leagues and tournaments are gearing up for opening day of Wiffle season. Some of America's best are flocking to New York for some of the strongest competition and biggest tournament prizes. Tournament providers like Big League Wiffle Ball and Goldenstick Wiffle League provide the venue for some of the finest Wiffle action in the country. Players tap into Mullaney's genius and defy the laws of physics with their pitching. They relish their unique pocket of the American sports world with an unparalleled pleasure and ferocity.

The New York Regional Manager for the Goldenstick Wiffle League is Rob “Wiffman” Piervinanzi. This league's motto is “a backyard game taken way too far.” Complete with a 21 game season, each franchise has an owner who picks a team through a free agent system. Each player is rated on a point system which is equalized to provide solid competition.

Piervinanzi has been playing Wiffle since 2003. He found himself captivated by “the thrill of playing something so simple at such a high level of competition.” Lou Levesque, the President of Goldenstick Wiffle League, noticed Piervinanzi's enthusiasm for Wiffle and soon recruited him into the New York Regional Manager position.

Piervinanzi is notorious at the plate or on the pitcher's mound. His favorite pitch is the drop-curve, learned from his newest teammate named Matty Griffin. “I usually stick with my slider, riser, screwball, drop, change, and mix-in the drop-curve.” He has pitched 80% of every game he's played and averaged over 130 innings for 6 straight years. He noticed a decrease in the durability of his arm at age 24. To ensure top performance, he united with two of the top five pitchers in the country named Ryan O'Shea and Matty Griffin, as well as one of the top ten hitters in the nation named Troy Parks to create a team called Remember The Name. Officially sponsored by Riser, Piervinanzi's skills are money.

“Wiffman” travels nearly every weekend of the Wiffle Ball season which is generally May through September. Nick Benas and Jared Verrillo, co-creators of Big League Wiffle Ball, “love having Wiffman at our tournaments.” Benas calls him the Dennis Rodman of Wiffle. “I love his energy. He's always fired up, yelling chatter and propaganda. He has great command of hitting and pitching.” Piervinanzi enjoys the Big League Wiffle Ball format which requires the use of the iconic yellow bat and is open to all takers. “It's use of backyard rules and the yellow bat make it fun.”

For less than ten dollars, Buffalonians can find themselves handling their own yellow bat and attempting to master the white plastic ball with eight mysterious holes on one side. They can join teams like the Western and Central New York Heroes whose home field is “anywhere on any day with good weather” or Free Agents with nicknames like Mickey, Pops, The Irish Saint, Tay, Casillo, Jimbo, JS, Larman, and Rizzo. Teams like the Indians, Piwakawaka Kokakos, AC's Posse, and NWBL are already swatting wiffle balls into their neighbor's backyards in Rochester. Come tournament time, they just might find Wiffman winding up and attempting to slice drop curves into their strike zone. This American staple which was once just a child's game is officially going pro.

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article from Sports Leisure Magazine

An Athlete's Warrior Spirit Overcomes Age As Well As Opponents

Locker rooms, huddles, dugouts, courtsides, ringsides, and sidelines have heard endless attempts at inspirational speeches by players and coaches.

When the team or athlete is down, when the scoreboard feels like it is making a verdict instead of stating a conquerable situation, when a coach wants to heal wounds seething with a sense of failure, he calls to the warrior inside of his athletes.

He descends into core of the battle and opens the minds of his own in a fiery attempt at transforming hopelessness into faith, forfeiting weakness for power, and shedding defeat for dominance.

He accesses their appetite for victory and gives them insight to an opponent's weaknesses, unsheathes a tactic that neutralizes the opponent's strategy, provides a vision that makes their current aches and agonies fade in the pursuit of glory, adds a nugget of knowledge that opens their minds to victory, or thunders a disciplinary challenge that shakes them out of distraction and cements them into the present and imminent mission.

It takes a seasoned warrior to overcome. From Brett Favre playing the game of his life soon after his father's death to George Foreman taking the Heavyweight Championship at age 45, these legends entered the arena with ability, discipline, and a blazing fire of wisdom and experience that tramples all brash and respectless contenders as if they are mere debris along their route to glory.

Their actions split the sky of an expected fate and forge a more miraculous future. Their long training in tempests was about becoming better men and better athletes, not merely higher paid men who are athletes. Some of these amazing performances are listed below.

Brett Favre, Age 34, Plays Game of His Life in Honor of Recently Passed Father.

This legendary quarterback passed for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 41-7 execution of the Oakland Raiders on December 23, 2003.

Raw from the passing of his father the night before, Favre refused to leave his team in their play-off bid and played to an almost ethereal height. It was the first football game since fifth grade that Favre's father hadn't attended.

Jack Nicklaus, Age 58, Finishes Sixth at the 1998 Masters.

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus finished sixth in his fortieth (!) appearance at the Masters in April 1998. Tiger Woods commented on Nicklaus' performance:

“Him going into the final round one under par, for someone who's 58, people have no idea what an accomplishment that is.”

Nicklaus had read an article 12 years prior to that which stated that he was finished as a golfer.

Shaquille O'Neal Dominates the NBA at Age 36.

This famous center for the Phoenix Suns averages 18.1 points per game, has a field goal percentage of .612, grabs 8.6 rebounds per game, and blocks 1.45 shots a night. Audible gulps can be heard courtside when a player attempts to drive the lane against the Shaq.

George Foreman Wins the Heavyweight Title at Age 45.

Twenty years after losing the Heavyweight Championship to Muhammad Ali, George Foreman retook that title. On November 5, 1994, Michael Moorer was defeated in the tenth round by a right hand to the chin that put him away for a ten count.

Foreman was wearing the same red shorts he wore twenty years prior.

Kurt Warner, Age 37, Takes Cardinals to the Superbowl.

Completing 31 of 43 passes for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns against the top ranked defense of the NFL, Kurt Warner came within inches of victory in Superbowl 43. Although his team lost, he said at the end of the game: “It doesn't get any better than this.”

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The ultimate Spartan insult is recorded as “May you live forever.” Masters of combat, Spartans hungered to die a glorious death on the battlefield.

They hinged their lives upon the idea that it is better to give everything you've got fighting for what is right than to eek out a safe and comfortable existence free of sacrifice and struggle.

These Spartan athletes have reverently given gallons of sweat and blood to the cause of not wasting their gifts and talents. They find themselves free of the sentence of burying their talents and instead stand as inspiration to those who are wondering how deeply or fearlessly they should invest their lives in this world.

If their character is the fire that forges these feats, then their acts can't be accused as arrogance. In fact, these acts appear to be born of a humility that states “My talent will not be wasted no matter what the current convention dictates. It was given me for a reason. I am going to use it.”

They make us wonder what is possible should we share the same ethic of hard work, discipline, and an earned depth of understanding of their craft. They quietly shun those who scoff with unbelief, whose vision is obscured by immaturity.

With an awareness of their abilities and a greater awareness of their opponent's ability, they shove convention back another yard to make room for a new convention. They make us wonder if we too could carry fire in our hearts and hands in our field.

They do more than create records to be broken. They create legacies that will always be remembered by those who were there, who witnessed greatness.

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article from The Bleacher Report