The Pendleton Panther

No matter what FC Barcelona does, how well they play, how many goals they score, Real Madrid is not quitting in their race for the spanish championships. Yesterday, Sunday 2nd of May, Osasuna FC was a tough opponent for Manuel Pellegrini’s team. They scored first in minute 6 after a terrible mistake by the defender from Real Madrid, Raul Albiol and when Cristiano Ronaldo scored to tie the game they didn’t stop going for it and scored again to put the 2-1 on the scoreboard. But Real Madrid’s well-known fight and perseverance were a huge factor in the second half, and with goals of Marcelo and Ronaldo again (minute 88), they achieved their twenty-ninth victory of the season. Still one point behind Barcelona, but if they keep fighting like this they may put pressure on Guardiola’s team and make them make a mistake that will make Real Madrid champion.

Benzema fights for the control of the ball

From a pink tassel on a leotard to Shaun Wight ripping it up on the half pipe, the 2010 games has been eventful. The weather has been up and down for the skiers, the men ice skaters having the most ridiculous outfits, all has added up to the winter games in Canada. The U.S. having fourteen medals, five  being gold coming up in lead. Following behind the U.S. is Germany with ten medals. Some of those medals being in half pipe snowboarding. Shaun White already winning the gold in his first run and then going for his second run. Landing an one of a kind jump that no one has ever done, just seals his second gold medal. The saddest part of the games, is knowing how much those athletes have trained and devoted to the sport. Then seeing them fall or wipe out on the last stretch. On the other hand, to see someone’s devotion pay off with a gold is priceless.

On October 2^nd – 4^th the world’s fastest offshore powerboats will be in Clearwater, FL racing in the first annual Clearwater Super Boat National Championships. The boats will be hitting between 100mph – 200mph and are some of the fastest and most expensive in the world. The races will be broadcasted on the CBS Sports Spectacular Television Series beginning in the fall of 2009. Producer John Potts, of American Powerboat Television stated last week, “This is the kind of extreme action that elevates recognition of the sport of offshore racing and builds audience base. Covering the close battles between these two boats at 200+ mph will make for GREAT television.” There will be up to 60 boats racing in the event and 3 of them are 50 foot catamarans that are full race applications with twin 2000hp turbine engines that push the boats upwards of 200mph. The event organizers are expecting 30,000 spectators along Clearwater beach.

These days suspicion over drug use surrounds every sport and every successful athlete, and those competitors who  don’t take performance enhancing drugs see themselves as disadvantaged. Some respected sports figures think that “if it’s not dangerous, taking performance enhancing drugs, it just levels the playing fields.” For example those athletes born and living at sea level cannot possibly compete with athletes who train at high altitudes, unless they take supplements. Also some drugs can’t be tested for, and in any case, due to new medical and chemical advances, cheats will always be ahead of the testers. This is why many people think that if it were legal to take performance enhancing drugs, the uncertainty would be removed and every one can compete openly and fairly.

However, we all know drugs are bad for athletes. We know that use of drugs leads to serious health problems, including : steroid rage, development of male characteristics in female athletes, heart attacks and early deaths. Plus drugs are addictive, so they can’t possibly be legalised.

Lifting free weights and using weight machines are out of style and lifting your body weight is in. A group called Bartendaz is promoting an acrobatic strengthening program that the youth and celebrities are adopting. Many schools in New York are putting this acrobatic strengthening program into their physical education classes. Representatives from these schools say kids love it and are starting to come to school just for this class. This strengthening program is a good way of working out in these hard economic times because it requires no weights so there is no money needed to buy machines and weights. A session from the Bartendaz for up to 30 students cost from $400 to $600, but once you learn the exercises you don’t need a trainer, you can do them on your own. This idea of training has taken place in jails for many years, where there are just bars driven into the ground for the prisoners to do different types of pull ups on.

Last Monday a massive bomb was dropped which I didn’t find out til last Thursday. A picture surfaced with none other than American Olympic hero Michael Phelps in it. The picture depicts Phelps, 23, smoking what looks to be marijuana from a bong at a college party at University of South Carolina where he stopped off through his victory tour. It was announced by the US swimming that they would be banning Phelps for three months from any competitions which he said was fair for his bad judgment. To say the least it was of very poor judgment since he is thought of as the all American boy who is a role model to kids everywhere. Any story that puts him in an unflattering light to youth is going to jeopardize his multi-million dollar endorsements. Before the incident he endorsed major companies such as Kellogg’s cereal, Omega watches, Speedo, Visa, and Subway just to name a few. With only Kellogg’s dropping him after the picture scandal. Omega stated that it was his personal life and that they weren’t going to get involved. There are no excuses for his actions but I think celebrities are under so much scrutiny from the public and their actions are sometimes blown way out of proportion, more than if it happened to a regular person.

Eight time Olympic gold winner Micheal Phelps was caught in a photo smoking out of a bong. The photo was released in British newspapers on February 1st, and was taken in November when Phelps went to visit the University of South Carolina. Phelps has publicly announced his regret on his actions, and told the press that he promises this “will never happen again.” Phelps had gotten into trouble in 2004 as well, when he was arrested for a DUI only four months after winning at the Athens Games. This seems to be a trend for the swimming Olympiad, but hopefully he will realize that, although he is only 23, many people look up to him. His endorsers Speedo and Omega have not given up on him, and are behind him through this tough time. Other companies such as Visa, Subway, and Kellogg’s have not spoken on the subject, so the fate of their relationship with Phelps is still unknown.  Experts are saying that if Phelps has one more incident like this, that the situation will be twice as bad, his career could be at stake, and his endorsements will be gone for sure.

Once again more past rumors are coming out about the New York Yankees. The book is written by a co-author and the former general manger of the Yankees from 1996-2007. It is about all of the cocky superstars in their locker room trashing talking each other, no surprise their. Torre says in the book everything is revealed, all that happens behind the scenes in the locker room from all the years he has spent there. There is always so much drama with the New York Yankees, they are like the Dallas Cowboys of Major League baseball, always looking for attention and always reasons why they’re failures for not winning championships. Maybe if they had chemistry within the locker room none of these guys would be talking behind each other’s back. It’s a really long season for baseball, the guys have to love each other or keep their personal opinions to themselves instead of creating one uncomfortable atmosphere.

The Atlanta Braves think they need to add new powerful hitting right fielders, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann. The Braves feel that they don’t have anyone that can fill the spot unless they take a risk and slip in old Frenchy, also known as Jeff Francoeur. He was an excellent rookie but changed his approach to the game a few years too soon. When asked who will be hitting cleanup for the braves this year Chipper Jones was so confident in saying that Francoeur would be the fourth hitter. Jones was also asked if he had seen Francoeur hit at all lately he replied yes. He broke down the details saying that Fancoeur had worked hard and changed his mind set before his physical approach; he is hitting the ball harder and cleaner than ever. Francoeur already has one of the strongest arms in the majors in his position, the only thing is that he has to get into game situations with his new stance and show that in the heat of the game his new approach will succeed to put him back on the map.

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