Back-To-School: How to Prevent Sports Related Eye Injuries
It’s back to school time! Kids are feeling excited and maybe a little nervous. New teachers, new friends and new sports seasons. Parents are scrambling to buy back-to-school clothes and equip their children with all the sports gear they need, like helmets, pads, braces and mouth guards. Parents are taking that extra step to prevent broken bones, bruises and chipped teeth, but what are they doing to prevent possible permanent vision loss, a scratched cornea, or fractured eye sockets?
A serious eye injury can leave your child on the side lines or bench longer than they would like. The Pennsylvania Association for the Blind encourages you to take the following steps to ensure your child can enjoy their favorite sports this season safely.
– Wear proper eye guards (lensed polycarbonate protectors) for racquet sports, basket ball, tennis or volleyball;
– Use batting helmets with polycarbonate face shields for baseball and softball;
– Use helmets and face shields approved by the U.S. Amateur Hockey Association when playing hockey.
Regular reading glasses or sunglasses or even safety glasses don’t provide the necessary eye protection for many sports. Purchase eye guards at sports stores or your local optical store. Ask someone familiar with your child’s eyesight to fit them properly and make sure the eye guard contains cushioning along the eyebrow and the edge of the nose to help prevent athletes from cutting or damaging his or her face.
Almost all sports related eye injuries can be prevented. Whatever your sport or age, protect your eyes! Contact the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind or your local blind agency for more information.
First Ever 3D Broadcasts of US Open Spearheaded by Panasonic and CBS Sports
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS GIANT BECOMES OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF US OPEN IN NEW THREE-YEAR SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT
The USTA announced that consumer electronics giant Panasonic has become an official sponsor of the US Open in a new three-year agreement.
Working with CBS Sports, the USTA and Panasonic will spearhead the first-ever 3D broadcasts of the tournament. CBS Sports will produce 3D versions of all the Arthur Ashe Stadium matches that it broadcasts in High Definition on Labor Day Weekend and on Finals Weekend, September 10-12. These matches will be made available nationwide via DirecTV’s exclusive dedicated 3D entertainment channel, “n|3D Powered by Panasonic” (DirecTV channel 103).
On-site at the 2010 US Open, Panasonic will have three 3D viewing galleries–a 3D Panasonic Showcase located in the former International Tennis Hall of Fame Gallery on the floor level of Louis Armstrong Stadium, and another in SmashZone, the US Open’s interactive tennis experience for fans and families located in the state-of-the-art indoor facility and one more in the South Plaza area. Panasonic and DirecTV also will provide the US Open semifinal and final matches live in 3D to hundreds of TV retail outlets nationwide, including scores of Best Buy stores, as part of the September 10-12 “National 3D Demo Days” organized by the Consumer Electronics Association. Read more
Jarvis Gennari Earns First Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Victory
Win Marks Fifth Race Winner of 2010 Season
Series rookie, Jarvis Gennari, earned his first Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup victory yesterday at Road America after an exciting battle with Chris Wehrheim, the event’s polesitter and eventual second-place finisher. Gennari and Wehrheim swapped the lead all afternoon, but the Boca Raton, FL native was able to regain the lead on the white flag lap to take the win.
“It was a nerve wracking, but exciting day,” said Gennari. “Chris (Wehrheim) and I were racing really hard the entire afternoon. I’ve been competing against him for the past few years on the karting circuit and we’ve always raced closely and cleanly. We have a lot of mutual respect for one another; so not only was the race exciting, but the fact that I was racing with him made it that much better. Throughout the year, I’ve been working harder and harder to be competitive and now I’ve finished in the top-four at the past three events. At the beginning the season, I never would’ve thought I could run up front, let alone earn a victory. So it is a fantastic feeling to have won.”
Rookie, Kevin Gleason, finished the race in third, marking his second consecutive third-place finish. Wyatt Gooden, the Series points leader, brought his car home in fourth and Jake Thompson finished fifth. Read more
Cyclist Breaks Guinness World Record
29-Year-Old Athlete Breaks Cycling Record from the Northern to the Southern U.S. Border and From the Pacific to the Atlantic Coast in 44 Days; Effort Supports Several Charities
Twenty-nine-year-old athlete Paul Spencer broke the Guinness World Record for the “Fastest Cycle Across America: North to South, then West to East” today, Saturday, August 21st. He completed the 4,700 mile trip in 44 days, 400 days shorter than the previous Guinness World Record(TM) for the trip, achieved in 1999.
Spencer, of Roswell, Ga., and Avon, Colo., began the North to South leg of the trip with Dean Stanley (support crew) on July 8th at City Hall in Blaine, Wash., and completed it in 15 days when he arrived at San Ysidro, a community in San Diego, Calif., on July 22nd. On July 24th, he began the West to East leg of the trip at City Hall in Los Angeles.
“The first leg from the Canadian border in Blaine, Washington to the Mexican border in San Diego was a breeze compared to what we had to contend with across the central United States from Los Angeles to New York. Cycling across the Arizona desert in temperatures of 125 degrees, then burning across the Rockies in only two days, storm surfing in Colorado, followed by fighting the headwinds across the Kansas plains made the last 3,000 miles quite a struggle at times,” says Paul Spencer. “Amazingly, we stayed on schedule, averaging over 100 miles per day to break the record.”
As part of his Guinness World Record effort, Spencer raised money to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Lupus Foundation of America, and Disability Snowsport UK. Read more
Ford Racing Reveals Supercharger for 2011 5.0L TiVCT at Woodward Dream Cruise
Ford Racing has announced the availability of a new, 2.3L twin-screw supercharger for the 2011 Mustang. When mated to the all-new 5.0L 4V TiVCT V8 engine, this 50-state-legal powertrain, can produce 624 hp SAE @ 6900 rpm and 536 lb-ft SAE @ 4700 rpm. This is the first Twin-screw unit available to consumers.
The new supercharger is Ford Racing’s first power upgrade component for the new 5.0 engine. It was developed by Ford Racing engineers, in close collaboration with Ford Motor Company’s powertrain engineers, Team Mustang, and key partners in Roush and Whipple. The supercharger is being seen for the first time Saturday at the annual Woodward Dream Cruise in Ford’s Mustang Alley display.
“Superchargers are the ultimate in power upgrades for Mustang enthusiasts,” says George Goddu, Ford Racing Performance Group Manager. “Calibration for a modern V8 engine, especially one with twin-independent variable cam timing, is incredibly complex. Production calibration for the 5.0 engine took 19 months. Having that knowledge base to work from is a huge advantage.
“In fact we had the whole engineering background of the engine right from initial concept,” Goddu added. “With that knowledge base, and extensive collaboration across the team, we are able to offer a top-notch supercharger, induction kit and the optimum calibration. This results in great power, drivability and durability.”
“After more than 100 hours of accelerated durability testing, the entire Ford Racing package performed flawlessly,” reports Dev Saberwal, Ford Racing’s lead calibration engineer. “Ford Racing performance parts are subjected to extensive testing to ensure optimum performance across a broad range of conditions.” Read more