John Cortes: June 2011

Monday, June 20, 2011

Terrelle Pryor isn’t interested in the CFL. But is the NFL interested in Terrelle Pryor?

Terrelle Pryor took a couple thousand snaps at Ohio State over 35 career starts, and put up 783 passes. He hit more than 60 percent of those, for 6,170 yards and 57 touchdowns, putting him within easy reach of school records if he'd returned for his senior year. Since he won't be, though, the one play from his three-year stint as a Buckeye that may best define the rest of his career is this one, as a wide receiver for the first and only time in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl:

Pryor never lined up anywhere else except quarterback over the next two seasons, and if he was willing to take his tarnished act to Canada for the next year or two, the Saskatchewan Roughriders appeared to be more than willing to keep him there. But since he's now sworn off the CFL, too, Pryor is either banking on an immediate NFL future as a raw but promising receiver/tight end prospect or — according to virtually every scout in sight —�risking being shunned by the league altogether if he insists on playing a position no one in the NFL seems to believe he can play:

If Pryor is deemed eligible [for the NFL's supplemental draft] — which is not a guarantee, since he voluntarily left Ohio State and has not been declared ineligible — NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said he doesn't believe Pryor would be drafted before the fifth round.

"Based on what I've seen, he's not an NFL quarterback," Davis said, citing concerns about Pryor's accuracy and arm strength.

Teams that use a pick in the supplemental draft must give up a corresponding pick in the regular draft next year. If Pryor was eligible but not drafted, he could be signed as a free agent.

Columbus agent Jeff Chilcoat said of Pryor, "I've talked with a number of scouts, and nobody is in love with him. He has a lot of question marks."

Those question marks begin with the usual — footwork and mechanics, reading defenses, the foot injury that kept him out of spring practice —�and extend to the now-blindingly obvious issues that forced Pryor's early exit from Columbus, of which Davis told the Columbus Dispatch, "people are terrified": "They want to really examine the kid as a person, because the stories you hear on the grapevine are not stories that excite you," he said. "Mentally, he's been a trigger guy since he first picked up a football. … Now he's going to stick his nose in someone's chest play in and play out [as a tight end] and not touch the ball 90 percent of the game, and be thrilled by that? Really?"

If he has pretensions of playing in the NFL without a stopover in another league, yeah, really. Under the circumstances, Pryor's coveted size, speed (even it is a little exaggerated) and obvious athleticism aren't the golden tickets to opportunity they've been at every other stop in his life, or even that they would be if he hadn't left campus under a cloud of scandal at an awkward moment in the offseason.

As it stood six months ago, Pryor probably wasn't in line to go any higher than the third or fourth round as a developmental project, regardless of the position; that's why he decided to return to Ohio State, even after being put on ice for the first five games of the upcoming season by the NCAA. Now, even if he is eligible for the supplemental draft, and the league decides to actually hold a supplemental draft with the season still in flux over labor issues, the prospect of giving up a corresponding 2012 draft pick for a character risk who's barely played the position he's likely to play at the next level will drop him to a fifth or sixth-rounder at best. It may keep him from being selected altogether, in which case he'd have to catch on as a free agent — again, depending in large part on his willingness to switch positions and entirely on the league's willingness to resolve the lockout and actually stage a season.

All of which could have may have turned out very differently if Pryor had been back for his final season under center at Ohio State with a chance to convince the scouts he could be a viable quarterback. But once you decide to put your future up as collateral for a short-term payday, you have to play the cards you're dealt.

Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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You aren’t a dedicated North Carolina fan until you do this …

Sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall learned how crazed North Carolina fans can be last September when a man stopped him in the parking lot of the Dean Dome and had his 4-year-old daughter rattle off the names of each current Tar Heel player.

Impressive as that was, it may not top the boy pictured above with the full-color Tar Heel logo shaved into the back of his head.

Marshall tweeted that photo on Sunday from the first day of this year's Roy Williams Basketball Camp at the Dean Dome. The boy is at least 9 years old since that's the minimum age to participate in the camp, but that's all we know about his identity.

Well, aside from that he has a talented barber and he's probably not a Duke fan, of course.

Angela Marcello Paz Vega Rebecca Mader Eva Green Lauren Conrad

David Stowe: Globo Guerrilla

David Stowe placed ninth in the Reebok CrossFit Games Open and qualified for the Central East Regional. Unlike many other CrossFitters, Stowe does not train at a CrossFit box. Instead, he spends 80 percent of his time training at Global Fitness and the rest in his home.

When Stowe started CrossFitting at Global Fitness, he caused some problems with a few movements and maybe just a little broken drywall.

“I had a couple issues, been kicked out a couple times, had a couple people fired because of me getting kicked out,” he said. “The owner’s pretty much sided with me, and now I get to stay here and kick butt.”

At the Globo Gym, Stowe’s found a way to do wall-ball shots, handstand push-ups, pull-ups, sprints and Olympic lifts in what he calls “David’s corner.” After cracking the top 10 in the Open, Stowe will now get the chance to put his “guerrilla training” to the test as he competes against overall Open winner Dan Bailey in the Central East Regional June 10-12.

11min 44sec

Additional video: A CrossFit Affiliate in a Globo Gym by Allison Autrey, published March 19, 2011.

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CrossFit Radio Episode 168

On Episode 168 of CrossFit Radio, host Justin Judkins interviewed HQ staff trainer Miranda Oldroyd and Lance Breeden, owner of Ultimate CrossFit in Charlotte. This episode was webcast live at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.

5:30 Miranda Oldroyd is a trainer for the Level 1 Seminars and came on the show to talk about her experience with the Reebok CrossFit Open so far. She talked about her current standing and how she’s had to work hard to come back after the first two WODs. Miranda has performed each WOD at a different affiliate and described what it’s like to compete with her busy traveling schedule. The Utah athlete also talked about her strategies for the last two WODs and gave valuable advice on performing muscle-ups.

25:10 Lance Breeden owns Ultimate CrossFit in Charlotte, N.C. Lance described the various programs offered at his box and explained how he added the different programs over time to provide a better experience for his athletes. Lance talked about the early days when he was the only member of his affiliate and how he has successfully built up the number of members. Ultimate CrossFit is participating in the Open, and Lance explained what that has done for his athletes, whether they’re competing or not.

52min 41sec

Paige Butcher Amanda Peet Xenia Seeberg The Avatars of Second Life Daniella Alonso

Why Arizona has been unable to retire Jason Terry’s jersey

Whether it's Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Mike Bibby or Jason Gardner, Arizona has already retired the jerseys of many of its outstanding guards from coach Lute Olson's tenure.

Jason Terry leading the Mavs to an NBA title this week has reignited talk as to why he isn't among them.

According to the Arizona Daily Star, it isn't likely to happen anytime soon as a result of an investigation from more than a decade ago that revealed Terry took $11,500 in cash and benefits from agents prior to the 1998-99 season.Terry has since repaid Arizona for the $45,362 it forfeited after vacating its 1999 NCAA tournament appearance.

While both the Daily Star and the Tucson Citizen report that Arizona is open to the idea of retiring Terry's jersey, the Pac-10 and the NCAA must approve for that to happen. The Pac-10 resoundingly rejected that idea in a 2009 vote of the league's presidents, a decision unlikely to be overturned at a time when high-profile cases at USC, Tennessee and Ohio State have made universities extra sensitive to NCAA rules violations.

There's little doubt Terry possesses the on-court credentials to warrant his jersey hanging from the rafters at the McKale Center. Terry averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals during a brilliant final season in Tucson, earning the Pac-10 player of the year award, first-team All-American honors and a handful of national player of the year trophies.

It's also not unprecedented for a program to honor a player who landed it in trouble with the NCAA. Just last year, UMass inducted Marcus Camby into its hall of fame even though he caused the Minutemen to have to vacate their lone Final Four appearance as a result of money he accepted from an agent.

Terry, for his part, certainly seems interested in having his jersey hanging at McKale Center alongside other past great Arizona guards.

"Hopefully one day my jersey will be up in the rafters," Terry told the Tucson Citizen last summer. "I don't know when. It would be a tremendous honor."

Selita Ebanks Michael Michele Marisa Tomei Shannyn Sossamon Rachael Leigh Cook

Super Bowl 2011 draws highest ever audience for US TV show

Climax of American football season watched by average of 111 million viewers on Fox

The Super Bowl broke US TV ratings records for the second year running on Sunday, with the climax of the American football season watched by an average of 111 million viewers on the Fox network.

Sunday's 45th Super Bowl, which saw the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25, beat last year's record audience by 4.5 million. The 2010 Super Bowl was broadcast on CBS.

It is the second year in a row that the Super Bowl has broken viewing records, pushing the 1983 finale of Korean war medical comedy M*A*S*H into third place with 106 million viewers.

The Super Bowl average audience numbers also fail to include viewers watching in venues such as bars.

In terms of reach ? viewers who tuned in to watch "some part" of this year's game ? Super Bowl XLV also set a new record at 162.9 million, up on the 153.4 million for the 2010 match and more than half the total US population. According to the 2010 census, the US population is 308 million.

Ratings for the Super Bowl half time show, which featured the Black Eyed Peas, also "improved slightly" compared with some previous half-time performers of recent years including Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. The all-time record is still held by Michael Jackson.

Advertisers paid a record $3m for a 30-second spot in this year's Super Bowl with revenue from commercials expected to top $210m.

Glee, which followed the Super Bowl on Fox, also recorded its best-ever figures, averaging 26.8 million viewers. However, this was down on last year's ratings for the post-Super Bowl slot when reality show Undercover Boss, made by UK independent producer Studio Lambert, attracted 38.6 million on CBS.

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Mark Sweney

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Arizona athletic director asks fans to help police the program

Since Arizona's four-person compliance staff can't possibly monitor every student-athlete on campus at all times, athletic director Greg Byrne is going to unusual lengths to make sure the Wildcats don't run afoul of NCAA rules.

In an email sent to fans Wednesday, Byrne says the NCAA investigation into extra benefits received by Ohio State football players provides a chance "to communicate with our fan base and internally on the absolute need to pay attention to the rules everyday." Byrne then encourages readers to check out the Sports Illustrated article detailing the allegations against the Buckeyes and challenges Arizona fans to police their own program.

"We are one bad decision by a coach, employee, student-athlete and/or community member/fan from facing significant challenges that can damage our university and athletic program for many years to come," Byrne writes.� "If you ever know of a situation where a student-athlete is receiving an extra benefit (something that the rest of the student body would not receive) please contact me ... or our compliance department."

It's admirable that Arizona is so proactive in order to avoid rules violations on its campus, but it's also difficult to imagine a fan coming forward to report that a Wildcats basketball or football player is receiving a sweetheart deal at a Tucson bar or car dealer.

Ohio State fans crucified the editor-and-chief of the university's student paper for running a story in which a former Buckeyes wide receiver admitted to selling Big Ten championship rings and assorted memorabilia in exchange for cash while he was a student. Imagine how much more vicious the Buckeyes faithful might have been had the person turning the program in been a regular fan rather than a journalist.

Maybe Arizona fans are more rules-conscious than that, or perhaps they're more capable of understanding the bigger picture that reporting a small rules violation now can avoid a program-killing investigation in the future.� More likely, however, it's just human nature that it's difficult for fans of a team to also police it.

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Daily WOD

Squat Cluster

Complete 25 reps:

Squat @ 85-90% of 1 RM

*Perform as many reps as possible, usually done in 1-3 reps, rack the bar and rest no longer than 30 seconds between efforts. Keep going until you complete 25 total reps.

*If you rest longer than 30 seconds between efforts, count a penalty. Perform 5 burpees for every penalty. Penalties are assessed at end of the workout.

Post times, penalties and loads to comments.

Blocker Walsh - CrossFit Newcastle

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High-Performance Gear

What does Reebok have in the works for CrossFitters? Find out from Reebok apparel director Chris Gallo, as HQ’s Tony Budding visits Reebok World Headquarters in Canton, Mass. for some answers.

Reebok has an entirely new line of gear called Reebok Delta CrossFit, and it’s specifically for CrossFitters.

“It’ll be built for CrossFitters by CrossFitters, and it’s going to be the pinnacle of our training product for Reebok,” Gallo says.

According to Gallo, “It’s not just going to be moisture management; it’s going to be antimicrobial, it’s going to be the best branded yarns in the marketplace, and we’re working with our advanced-concepts group to develop new technologies.”

Gallo continues: “It’s going to be all about fit and comfort first.”

Reebok is equipping the CrossFit athlete with everything from boxers to outer layers—and everything in between. Gallo says Reebok is engineering clothing to manage temperature, odor and moisture, and to block UV radiation. With “cold black” technology, Reebok can even make heat-resistant dark-colored garments.

“Our philosophy’s always, ‘Whatever we put on the best athletes, we bring to the community,’” Gallo says.

7min 52sec

Additional reading: If the Shoe Fits … by Kevin Daigle, published Feb. 7, 2011.

Joanna Krupa Ashley Olsen Danneel Harris Veronika Vaeková Eve

R.J. Hunter spurns high-profile schools to play for his father

Georgia State rarely outduels the likes of Iowa, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest for a recruit, but new coach Ron Hunter had a slight advantage in the case of one promising class of 2012 guard.

R.J. Hunter is his son.

The younger Hunter spurned the higher-profile schools that were recruiting him earlier this week and told his father he'll play at Georgia State, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

What prompted Hunter to commit now after months of saying he wasn't certain he wanted to play for his dad? It was a conversation the 6-foot-5 senior-to-be had with newly hired Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew, who played for his father Homer in college and famously hit a buzzer beater to lead the Crusaders to a memorable first-round NCAA tournament victory in 1998.

"He said he loved playing for his dad at Valpo, and that right there was a turning point," Hunter told the Journal-Constitution. "He was being recruited by bigger schools; he said it was all about where you can go and play. He said he loved playing for his father and it was the best experience of his life."

Hunter's decision to pass up the chance to play in a major conference in order to be coached by his father is not unusual in college basketball. In 2010, top 75 recruits Trey Zeigler and Ray McCallum passed up offers from the likes of UCLA and Michigan among others to play for their fathers at Central Michigan and Detroit respectively.

It's too soon to project whether those decisions were the right ones, but both Zeigler and McCallum made an immediate impact at the mid-major level. Both guards led their teams in scoring as freshmen, though Detroit finished in the middle of the pack in the Horizon League and Central Michigan labored through a disappointing 10-21 season.

Hunter is not considered quite the impact recruit that Zeigler and McCallum were, but he possessed enough tools that schools from the ACC, Big Ten and Big East were interested. In particular, his tremendous range and deft ball handling skills are considered to be strengths.

When Ron Hunter left IUPUI this spring to take on the challenge of building Georgia State into a contender in the Colonial Athletic Association, he told the National Hoops Report that a primary reason was to find a school that would entice his son to play for him.

"I really want an opportunity to coach him, not that he wouldn't have gone to IUPUI," the elder Hunter said. "I wanted to make sure I gave him another opportunity if he did want to play for his dad to play in a conference where he could really thrive in and play well. With VCU, George Mason, Old Dominion and the other teams in our conference that have done well, (the Georgia State job) became attractive."

FSU Cowgirls Abbie Cornish Krista Allen Hayden Panettiere Jules Asner

sun, jan 30, 2011

Melissa Joan Hart Bianca Kajlich Giulianna Ramirez Ashley Greene April Scott

?I Am Not Breast Cancer?

“I am not breast cancer,” says Liz Anderson, co-owner of CrossFit Blaze in Naples, Fla. She has been battling breast cancer for two years, and CrossFit has helped her find the strength to fight.

Anderson says she has been through multiple treatments, chemotherapy, radiation and surgeries.

“I actually did CrossFit during chemotherapy,” she says. “The energy level goes way down when you’re going through something like that. So it helped me to keep my energy up and helped me to feel more positive about a situation that was obviously, you know, scary—very scary.”

She continues: “There is a parallel with CrossFit and going through breast-cancer treatment.”

Through her experience, she found the mental fortitude required to get through treatment and testing is similar to the mental fortitude CrossFit demands for that next pull-up or lift.

Although she is still on her road to recovery, Anderson is excited to pursue her CrossFit goals.

“I will be doing a pull-up,” Anderson says. “I’m determined.”

8min 58sec

Additional reading: Lifting to Save a Pair by Robert Wilson, published Sept. 27, 2010.

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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Daily WOD

Complete:

Max height box jump

then...

3 x max reps strict pull ups w/ 50 lbs

*rest as needed between efforts on jumps and pull ups.

Post max height box jump and total reps of pull ups.

Southern Maryland CF

Chloë Sevigny Janet Jackson Georgianna Robertson Reese Witherspoon Jordana Brewster

New Penn State coach interested in reviving Pittsburgh rivalry

The dormant Penn State-Pittsburgh football rivalry likely won't resume anytime soon, but new Nittany Lions coach Pat Chambers is hoping to offer impatient fans a consolation prize.

He'd like to revive the series with Pittsburgh in basketball.

"I would like a rivalry," Chambers told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week. "I think [Pitt] would be great. I think Pennsylvania would come out and watch that game.

"Am I trying to schedule that game next year? Probably not. But in the future? Yes."

Pittsburgh and Penn State last played in basketball in 2005, a lopsided 91-54 Panthers victory that prompted former Nittany Lions coach Ed DeChellis to abruptly cancel the series. Penn State holds a 78-66 all-time edge, but it has lost five straight in the series overall since a victory over Pittsburgh in 2000.

For the series to even approach the level of Pennsylvania's other great non-conference rivalries like the Big Five or even Pittsburgh-Duquesne, Penn State needs to improve its program. The Nittany Lions reached the NCAA tournament last season and won the NIT in 2009, but DeChellis left Chambers with so little talent that Penn State may struggle to be competitive in the Big Ten next season.

That's why Chambers' plan to wait a couple years before approaching Pittsburgh about renewing the series makes sense.

Perhaps by then, Penn State will be on the rise again and a home-and-home between two of the state's most prominent programs will make sense for both parties.

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Terrelle Pryor isn’t interested in the CFL. But is the NFL interested in Terrelle Pryor?

If Pryor is deemed eligible [for the NFL's supplemental draft] — which is not a guarantee, since he voluntarily left Ohio State and has not been declared ineligible — NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said he doesn't believe Pryor would be drafted before the fifth round.

"Based on what I've seen, he's not an NFL quarterback," Davis said, citing concerns about Pryor's accuracy and arm strength.

Teams that use a pick in the supplemental draft must give up a corresponding pick in the regular draft next year. If Pryor was eligible but not drafted, he could be signed as a free agent.

Columbus agent Jeff Chilcoat said of Pryor, "I've talked with a number of scouts, and nobody is in love with him. He has a lot of question marks."

Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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CrossFit Radio Episode 172

On Episode 172 of CrossFit Radio, host Justin Judkins interviewed R.A.W. Training co-founder Molly Tuman; Tony Zana and Baker Leavitt, owners of 2Pood; and past CrossFit Games competitor Jasmine Dever. This episode was webcast live at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.

3:40 R.A.W. Training in Wildwood, Pa., is training athletes—and training them well. R.A.W. stands for “realize the athlete within,” and R.A.W. showed the efficacy of their training and programming when they placed third in the team division of the Reebok CrossFit Games Open. R.A.W. co-founder Molly Tuman, who placed 11th in the Mid-Atlantic Region, came on the show to talk about her team and their training. After a top 20 finish in last year’s Affiliate Cup, the team members rededicated themselves and have trained together for an entire year. Many athletes had to decide whether to compete as individuals or as part of a team, and Tuman described how her athletes made the decision.

18:00 Tony Zana and Baker Leavitt are CrossFitters first and creators of 2Pood second. 2Pood makes performance clothing and accessories for CrossFit athletes. The duo came on the show to talk about the creation of their apparel and how they test their designs. 2Pood sponsors a host of elite CrossFitters, as well as CrossFit events around the country. They explained how they determine which athletes they want to have on their team, as well as how they chose their company’s unique name.

36:30 Jasmine Dever’s CrossFit accomplishments are impressive. She competed in the 2010 CrossFit Games and is storming into this season by finishing first in the Southwest Region and 18th overall in the Reebok CrossFit Games Open. After a disappointing finish in last year’s Games, Dever was highly motivated as she entered this season. Jasmine talked about her training and what she will do between now and her regional competition.

59min 59sec

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Lane Kiffin’s not so bad, says Lane Kiffin’s dad

Many would describe Lane Kiffin as a villain.

At least many in Tennessee.

Kiffin coached the Vols for a year and left the school with some NCAA violations while he gallivanted off to USC. Fans were so upset with Kiffin that they started burning mattresses and Tennessee paraphernalia with Kiffin's face and name on it in the street. Tennessee fans even threatened Kiffin's children.

But Kiffin's not that bad, he's just misunderstood -- ask his dad.

Monte Kiffin, USC's defensive coordinator and the former DC under his son at Tennessee, told the Los Angeles Times that his son gets a bad rap and that most people would come to like him if they only got to know him.

Of course, even Monte Kiffin admits that he's standing up for his son, but he also says that if he didn't like working for his son, he would have gone back to the NFL after the Tennessee debacle.

Speaking of Tennessee, Monte Kiffin also wanted to clear the air on the way his son left his first collegiate head coaching job. Monte Kiffin claims he thought the Kiffin regime would be in Knoxville for awhile, but understood the draw of a place like USC.

"...I kid him. I bought a house over at Tennessee; I thought I'm probably going to be here awhile. And then he gets the call to coach Southern Cal. He goes, "Dad, what do you think about Southern Cal?" I kind of went, "Whoa, what is this, a one-and-done? I wish you had told me; I'd have rented." Contrary to what people may think at Tennessee, he was never going to leave. You don't go to Tennessee and (then) go somewhere else. This was a special deal. It was just a unique situation."

While this probably doesn't make Tennessee fans feel any better about Kiffin, this post is all about family sticking up for each other. And what's more important than that?

Monica Bellucci Minki van der Westhuizen Katharine Towne Malia Jones Jennifer ODell

Clemson fails to see humor in star recruit’s Facebook prank

NCAA investigators have been visiting a few campuses in the past few months and Clemson is hoping it is not next on the list thanks to a prank by a signee.

Five-star running back Mike Bellamy posted several shots of himself and many -- many --$100 bills as an attempt at humor.

Of course, no one knew it was a joke until questions started to fly about Bellamy and his Benjamins. At that point, Clemson officials became aware of the situation and asked Bellamy to take the pictures down. A Clemson official told The Post and Courier that the photos were meant to be a joke.

Of course no one knows whether the money was real or whether Bellamy's photos were computer enhanced, but the overriding opinion is that it was a harmless prank by an 18-year-old kid -- a prank that will probably have him running stadium steps until he vomits.

Marika Dominczyk Dita Von Teese Rachel Nichols Dido Joss Stone

Lane Kiffin’s not so bad, says Lane Kiffin’s dad

Many would describe Lane Kiffin as a villain.

At least many in Tennessee.

But Kiffin's not that bad, he's just misunderstood -- ask his dad.

Of course, even Monte Kiffin admits that he's standing up for his son, but he also says that if he didn't like working for his son, he would have gone back to the NFL after the Tennessee debacle.

"...I kid him. I bought a house over at Tennessee; I thought I'm probably going to be here awhile. And then he gets the call to coach Southern Cal. He goes, "Dad, what do you think about Southern Cal?" I kind of went, "Whoa, what is this, a one-and-done? I wish you had told me; I'd have rented." Contrary to what people may think at Tennessee, he was never going to leave. You don't go to Tennessee and (then) go somewhere else. This was a special deal. It was just a unique situation."

While this probably doesn't make Tennessee fans feel any better about Kiffin, this post is all about family sticking up for each other. And what's more important than that?

Michelle Malkin Charlies Angels Rose Byrne Willa Ford Desiree Dymond

fri, jan 7, 2011

Lil Kim Kelly Ripa Yvonne Strzechowski Rhona Mitra Kelly Rowland

CrossFit Radio Episode 173

On Episode 173 of CrossFit Radio, host Justin Judkins interviewed regional qualifier Andrew Williams; Darwin Hunt, creator of the CrossFit Charity Calendar; and Cliff Lewis, Reebok CrossFit Games Open masters champion. This episode was webcast live at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, May 25, 2011.

5:50 Andrew Williams knows the elation of having hard work rewarded after he secured a spot to compete in the Northern California Regional. Unfortunately, he also knows the bitter disappointment of being sidelined after being hit by a car while biking. Andrew came on the show to give his thoughts on becoming a spectator after working so hard to achieve his goal of qualifying for the regional.

13:40 Darwin Hunt is currently traveling around the country visiting different affiliates and taking pictures of well-known CrossFitters. He isn’t a member of the paparazzi but rather the creator of a calendar aimed at capturing the lighter side of the CrossFit community. The best part about the project is that all profits will go to deserving charities. Darwin came on the show to talk about how the idea was conceived and put into motion. He spoke about the charities that will benefit and how and when CrossFitters will be able to get their hands on their own calendar.

31:20 Cliff Lewis is the owner of CrossFit Heath in Heath, Texas, but he’s better known for being the champion of the Reebok CrossFit Games Open masters division (45-49). Cliff came on the show to give his thoughts on the Open and his performance. He spoke candidly about entering the Games with a target on his back and described his strengths and weaknesses, as well as how he found CrossFit. According to Cliff, his life has transformed since starting the program a year and a half ago. Finally, the affiliate owner explained what his training and diet will look like with the Games looming on the horizon.

51min 52sec

Connie Nielsen Melissa George Cameron Richardson Chandra West Kasey Chambers

Saturday, June 18, 2011

sun, jan 30, 2011

Coco Lee Katy Perry Vinessa Shaw Rebecca Romijn Nadine Velazquez

Sherwood Chronicles: Community Part 7

In this series, HQ trainer Pat Sherwood is searching the CrossFit community for real people with real stories to share. In Part 7, Sherwood is in Toronto at CrossFit Colosseum. His first interviewee is Joey Wallace, the strength-and-conditioning coach and the acrobatics coach for Cirque du Soleil. According to Wallace, he is attending the Level 1 seminar to see if he can utilize CrossFit for training his acrobats.

Wallace says the Level 1’s emphasis on CrossFit as a general preparedness program is useful to his specific outlet of fitness.

“I believe that if you’re stronger generally, you’re going to be stronger individually in your specific area,” he says. “So I want to try and be able to infuse that together.”

Tyson M. is Sherwood’s second interviewee. He runs a private personal-training and strength-and-conditioning facility out of his home in Ontario. He says that his other credentials lack the education CrossFit provides to its community.

“I have access to education to improve my clients’ lives,” he says, “let alone it helped improve my life.”

He adds: “I’ve been a trainer since 1999, and I found something that challenged me and things I couldn’t do—and when I can’t do something, I like that.”

6min 23sec

Additional audio: CrossFit Radio Episode 22 by Neil Anderson, published Jan. 20, 2009.

Trista Rehn Moon Bloodgood Kristin Kreuk Molly Sims Monika Kramlik

What?s Up, Buttercup?

Spring is in full swing! Birds are singing, temperatures are warming and flowers are blooming everywhere. Bring some spring into the kitchen and have your kid’s breakfast blooming, too.

This simple egg creation looks like flowers sprouted right out of the plate!

Rachel Blanchard Sienna Guillory Tricia Vessey Aki Ross Ashley Tappin

thurs, jan 20, 2011

Audrina Patridge Simone Mütherthies Carrie Underwood Rosario Dawson Tricia Helfer

?You Die Slower If U Work Out?

Peter Jordan examines why kids at Saratoga High are embracing CrossFit. Whatever the reason, fitness is becoming more important for many students.

There are a number of stereotypes associated with Saratoga High School. One is the relative importance placed by the community on academics (very high) as opposed to athletics (not so high). Marching band falls somewhere in the middle, if not in reality, certainly in the mythology.

Our rival school, the other one in a district of just two schools, beat us in the big football game 28 years in a row. But our Academic Performance Index score is 932, and theirs is 873. As a nod to this—or maybe a playful dig—we don’t name our WODs after girls; we name them after institutions of higher learning.

“University of Wisconsin” was a particularly dreadful workout. In retrospect, had we anticipated how tough it would be, we probably would have agreed to scale it back a little to mollify the innocent, trusting, generally willing and agreeable mostly freshman boys and girls that comprise our physical-education classes.

Too late now. The clock had started: 50 wall-ball shots for time, with four burpees every minute on the minute. One of those workouts where there really isn’t a forgiving strategy. You just have to gut it out. Later, when asked to describe their “least favorite WOD,” many would recall this day. Ironically, several would rank this as “most favorite.”

Go figure.

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Sir Charles of CrossFit

You can call him Sir Charles, The Round Mound of Rebound, Olympic gold medalist, NBA MVP or hall of famer, and now you can call Charles Barkley a CrossFitter.

After a dominant pro career that spanned from 1984 to 2000, Barkley gained 100 lb. and struggled with injuries to his ankles, knees and shoulders. The legendary basketball star is now working out at CrossFit North Atlanta, and he’s hoping to reclaim his fitness.

“I don’t wanna die, so I want to get back into shape so I can enjoy my life,” Barkley says.

Working on movements with CrossFit North Atlanta staff and HQ flowmaster Chuck Carswell, Barkley talks about adjusting his diet to tackle the other half of the fitness equation. He’ll be looking to drop some weight over the next months, and then he’ll be working on his conditioning.

At that point, perhaps Barkley will start thinking about an NBA comeback … .

7min 18sec

Additional reading: The Marlins Go CrossFit by Paul Fournier, published March 1, 2010.

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One Kid at a Time

Steve Liberati and Lee Knight explain how you can use the Steve’s Club National Program to bring fitness to kids in your area.

I work less than a mile from Camden—often touted as the most dangerous city in the country.

Due to New Jersey’s budget cuts, Camden’s police department was recently slashed in half. Drug dealers are celebrating. Gang leaders are recruiting. There is blood in the streets.

Our 3,000-square-foot facility is a safe haven from these dangers and home to four sister companies that work together to offer elite fitness and nutrition to those seeking refuge, stress relief and a healthier way of life. CrossFit Tribe and Steve’s Original are how I make my living. Steve’s Club and the new Steve’s Club National Program are how I live my life.

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In a bizarre twist, Derrick Jasper reunites with Billy Gillispie

It takes some pretty strange circumstances for an ex-player accepting a graduate assistant job to be newsworthy, but Derrick Jasper taking such a role under new Texas Tech coach Billy Gillispie certainly qualifies.

Jasper played for Gillispie at Kentucky during the 2007-08 season before transferring to UNLV to finish his college career closer to his family in Paso Robles, Calif. A major reason for the willowy 6-foot-6 guard's decision to leave Kentucky at the time also appeared to be that Gillispie rushed him back too quickly from offseason microfracture knee surgery.

Whereas NBA players Amar'e Stoudemire and Greg Oden needed a full year to return from microfracture surgery and Chris Webber played through pain to come back in nine months, Jasper played just six months after undergoing the procedure. He played 19 of the final 20 games of the season to help Kentucky earn an NCAA tournament berth, averaging 4.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists even though the injury still caused him constant pain and robbed him of his former athleticism.

The reason for the rush to get Jasper back was Kentucky had started the season 5-6 and desperately needed the sophomore guard's steadying influence. Asked by the Louisville Courier-Journal if he considered redshirting the season, Jasper acknowledged his knee was nowhere near 100 percent but responded, "No, coach said he wasn't going to redshirt me. He wanted me on the floor."

Jasper's mother elaborated on the situation further in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun in Jan. 2009.

"The doctor kind of kept close contact with me, his trainers did, and they kept assuring me that they wouldn't put him out there until he was ready," Sue Jasper said. "I trusted them, and felt like they knew what they were doing. He told me like two days before (his first game back), and I was kind of shocked that he was going to go in."

It's impossible to know whether rushing back from injury at Kentucky made Jasper's knee problems worse, but it's safe to say he never regained the explosiveness he showed prior to getting hurt. Jasper was a productive role player his final two seasons at UNLV, alternating between the starting lineup and a sixth man role despite hobbling on his surgically repaired knee at times and playing exclusively below the rim.

Why would Jasper decide to work under Gillispie? Has Gillispie received too much blame for Jasper's injury woes? Is their relationship better than has previously been reported?

Those are the so far unanswered questions that make Jasper's graduate assistant gig at Texas Tech far more intriguing than most.

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New Penn State coach interested in reviving Pittsburgh rivalry

The dormant Penn State-Pittsburgh football rivalry likely won't resume anytime soon, but new Nittany Lions coach Pat Chambers is hoping to offer impatient fans a consolation prize.

He'd like to revive the series with Pittsburgh in basketball.

"I would like a rivalry," Chambers told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week. "I think [Pitt] would be great. I think Pennsylvania would come out and watch that game.

"Am I trying to schedule that game next year? Probably not. But in the future? Yes."

That's why Chambers' plan to wait a couple years before approaching Pittsburgh about renewing the series makes sense.

Perhaps by then, Penn State will be on the rise again and a home-and-home between two of the state's most prominent programs will make sense for both parties.

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Friday, June 17, 2011

Kentucky coach John Calipari nominated for a regional Emmy

John Calipari may win his first Emmy before his first national championship.

Hoops for Haiti, a telethon that raised more than $1.3 million for earthquake relief in Haiti, was nominated Wednesday for a regional Emmy in the category of special achievement in community service. Since Calipari conceptualized, organized and hosted the event while his Kentucky players helped man the phones, the Wildcats coach was one of the 12 people Lexington CBS affiliate WKYT submitted as part of its entry.

The most amazing part about the Hoops for Haiti telethon was that it was just a matter of two days between the time Calipari conceived it and the time that it aired, a testament to the power of Kentucky basketball. In between preparing for a road game at Auburn the day before the telethon, Calipari had to round up donors, auction items, gifts and anything else that would help create a 90-minute fundraiser in less than 48 hours.

"It may not have been fair to the fans of Kentucky," Calipari told Yahoo! Sports last year. "During the Auburn game, it was on my mind. It didn't affect how I coached or how we played or the comeback that Auburn made to make it close. It wasn't that. But when they made their run in the second half, I thought, 'We might have to do this after a loss and that's going to be tough.'"

Kentucky held on to defeat Auburn, but the telethon was the real victory of the weekend. It was an act of great vision and generosity from a man who may soon become college basketball's first Emmy-winning coach.

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CrossFit Four Corners

Alison Patenaude shares a simple, fun game that will keep CrossFit Kids moving.

Training Kids is about getting fit while having fun, so workout games are great for keeping young athletes engaged and moving.

Four Corners is fun fitness game that’s a little like musical chairs—without the chairs, of course. We want the kids moving, not sitting!

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Idaho coach uses flawed math to create the ‘Mountain WAC’

Idaho coach Robb Akey has never been called shy.

His candor and enthusiasm has made him one of the most entertaining and intriguing coaches in the FBS even if he does coach at Idaho.

That's probably why Akey wasn't shy to express his feelings about the upcoming WAC expansion vote and how he and other WAC football coaches weren't asked for their opinions on the matter. But that didn't stop Akey from telling the Idaho Press-Tribune exactly how he thought expansion should shake out after the board of directors meeting on June 14.

"I would like to see some strong football schools come into it. It needs to happen. We need to strengthen our conference, and we need to do it with football schools, because we're obviously losing a couple more at the end of this season. I wish they would let me have an opinion about this. Football coaches, we don't get to do this. ... What I think would be awesome would be if the survivors of the WAC Conference and the Mountain West would come together, I think that would be a 14-team deal in between the Mountain WAC, or whatever you would call those deals, you would have the best football on this side of the country."

Maybe no one asked Akey's opinion because of his math skills, which are way off when talking about combining the leagues.

If you drop Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii, who are all going to the Mountain West either this year or next, the WAC is left with five schools -- Idaho, Utah State, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State and New Mexico State. Add those five to the 10 football schools in the MWC -- after the WAC schools move over there -- and it would be 15 football schools. But wait, the WAC actually added Texas-San Antonio and Texas State as football members, so that would be 17. The WAC's only non-football school is Denver.

So actually, coach Akey, creating a "Mountain WAC" would result in a 17-team football league and the abandonment of new member Denver, which could probably go back to the Sun Belt. I'd like to see Akey come up with the scheduling for his new league, especially if he decides to leave three teams out of the mix altogether.

Akey, of course, isn't the first person to bring up the idea of combining the two leagues, but they did that before, it was called the (old) WAC. Once the Mountain West adds Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii at the end of the 2011-12 school year, it has absolutely nothing to gain by adding the rest of the WAC. It's already the stronger of the two leagues and adding those five or seven schools would do nothing but water down the product.

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Fittest of the Sierras

South Tahoe CrossFit recently hosted the Fittest of the Sierras Challenge at its box in California. The second annual event has grown to include 120 competitors from the surrounding areas and its organizers hope it will become the premier CrossFit competition on the West Coast.

Because this year’s competition was held during the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games Open, the organizers incorporated workout 11.4 into their programming as the first WOD.

“What better way to do the workout than to do it in, you know, a competitive atmosphere?” says Matt Johnson, owner of South Tahoe CrossFit.

After the AMRAP of bar-facing burpees, overhead squats and muscle-ups came a max snatch, and then another AMRAP of deadlifts/wall-balls after a 1000-meter row.

The athletes rave about their experience. Says one trainer, “I told my athletes, I said, ‘If you do one competition this year, this is the one you have to do.”

“Everyone’s helping each other do better, so it’s an awesome feeling and it’s an awesome event,” says another CrossFitter.

8min 43sec

Additional reading/video: Week 4 Workout.

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Headlinin’: Kelly still ‘optimistic,’ noncommittal on Floyd’s return

Making the morning rounds.

? In other words, he's still on track for the opener. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday he's "very optimistic" about star receiver Michael Floyd's progress toward fulfilling the criteria for returning from a DUI-related suspension in time for the season opener against South Florida. "He makes one mistake, in terms of how he handles himself, he doesn't play here ever," Kelly said before a "Football 101" event to raise money for breast cancer awareness and prevention. "There is no suspension, there is no sit for one game. He's got to live his life the right way. If he does that ? and all the signs point toward he's moving in that direction ? then I expect him to play every game."

On the legal side, Floyd is still seeking a plea agreement with the state by the end of the month to avoid possible jail time. [Chicago Tribune]

? We'll get back to you. A member of Ohio State's board of trustees said Tuesday the 18-member board will break its silence on the Buckeyes' ongoing football scandal sometime next week. "We're at the beginning of the beginning of what we're doing," said Robert Schotteinstein, a businessman and chairman of the board's audit committee. "If we could [release a fuller statement earlier] we would. It's not my style to be not forthcoming."

With coach Jim Tressel already out, the board's confidence remains critical to the futures of university president E. Gordon Gee and athletic director Gene Smith, whose initial description of Tressel's coverup of NCAA violations as "an isolated incident" that no one else in the department knew anything about means he was either a) Woefully out of touch with his most profitable program, or b) Lying. [Associated Press]

? Storm's a-comin' over Storm's a-goin'. The father of ex-Miami running back Storm Johnson described the restrictions placed on his son's transfer by the university as "modern-day slavery" motivated by an arbitrary grudge on the part of new coach Al Golden. "Any [Football Subdivision] school within six hours of his [Georgia] home has been blocked. UM should be ashamed for doing this to an 18-year-old," Wesley Johnson told the Miami Herald, noting that the university had barred Johnson from transferring to any of 26 specific schools in the ACC and SEC or appearing on future Miami schedules. "Storm and Al Golden didn't see eye-to-eye. Storm didn't approve of the military style he was being coached. He didn't hurt anybody. He did nothing but transfer."

Before his departure, Storm Johnson was one of a half-dozen 'Cane players reportedly suspended for at least the season opener for an undisclosed violation of team rules, though no suspension has been officially confirmed (or denied) by Miami. Golden's response to papa Johnson's rant: "[Storm] wasn't doing the things he needed to do. He can spin it any way he wants." [Miami Herald]

? Let's get it (back) on. After a decade-long hiatus, Penn State and Pittsburgh have agreed to renew their longstanding rivalry with a pair of home-and-home dates in 2016-17. The Nittany Lions and Panthers met on an annual basis throughout the 20th Century, with only two brief hiatuses (from 1932-34 and 1993-96) between 1900 and 2000, before Penn State decided an extra home game against Temple in even years was a better financial bet than a trip to Pittsburgh. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

? Rich get richer. On the recruiting trail, two prospects ranked among Rivals' top 100 overall for 2012 made in-state commitments Tuesday to SEC schools. In Alabama, 6-foot-2, 205-pound running back T.J. Yeldon, Rivals' fifth-ranked RB and No. 58 player overall, verbally committed to Auburn, giving the Tigers their third top 100 commitment to the '12 class. And in Florida, 5-11, 187-pound cornerback Brian Poole, Rivals' eighth-ranked corner and No. 75 overall player, became the second top 100 recruit to verbally commit to the Gators. [AuburnSports.com, InsidetheGators.com]

? Comings and goings. Maryland announced Tuesday that two likely backups, sophomore defensive tackle Zach Kerr and freshman receiver Nigel King, have been declared ineligible for the 2011 season, bringing the attrition since coach Randy Edsall took over in January to three transfers, two early departures by would-be fifth-year seniors and now two academic casualties. "It is what it is. I'm not one of those guys that is going to go around and say 'woe is me' or anything like that," Edsall said. "You put your plan in place and if something happens you have plans in case you have to move somebody or do those sort of things." [Baltimore Sun]

Quickly… Russell Wilson's decision on a new school could be coming today. … Like everything else, mock draft love is motivation for Matt Barkley. … A dissenting opinion on Phil Fulmer's bid for Tennessee athletic director. …A top Vol blogger quits his job. … And apparently Cody Hawkins is the best quarterback the United States has to offer to the rest of the world in the International Federation of American Football Senior World Championship.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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A DIALOGUE BETWEEN IMAGES IN DISCUSSING JAY PATERNO'S TWITTER

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Is transfer Ryan Harrow Kentucky’s next great point guard?

If Arizona earned the nickname "Point Guard U" in the 1990s for producing a string of elite players at the position, it may not be long before Kentucky usurps it.

Coach John Calipari landed another highly touted point guard late Wednesday night to go along with former Wildcats stars John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight and promising incoming freshman Marquis Teague.

NC State transfer Ryan Harrow, a former top 50 recruit, selected Kentucky over Georgia, Louisville and Texas, among others. The sophomore-to-be will have to sit out all of next season but will have three years of eligibility remaining starting in the 2012-13 season.

It's easy to see why Harrow would be enamored with a point guard-friendly system like Kentucky's after spending a year in Sidney Lowe's structured, methodical system. Harrow started just 10 of the 29 games he played as a freshman at NC State and averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 assists, eventually growing frustrated that he was unable to fully showcase his creativity, passing or quickness getting to the rim.

There are plenty of benefits for Kentucky too even if Harrow's slight frame and erratic jump shot make him less of a sure thing than some of his can't-miss NBA lottery-bound predecessors.

First of all, Harrow's presence will give Teague a worthy practice adversary next season, something Kentucky would have otherwise lacked. Secondly, he may be better than any point guard prospect the Wildcats could have attracted from a 2012 class that appears unusually weak at the position.

What will be most intriguing watching Harrow at Kentucky is seeing if he's willing to follow a very different path than previous Calipari point guards.

Will Harrow have the patience and self-awareness to be the rare Kentucky point guard willing to remain in Lexington a few years and grow under Calipari's tutelage? And will Calipari embrace Harrow as his potential starting point guard for two or three seasons or try to recruit over him if the opportunity presents itself?

The answers to those questions will probably determine whether Harrow and Kentucky turn out to be a good longterm fit.

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