Washington Kastles acquire 2008 World TeamTennis MVP Rennae Stubbs
Team Trades Angela Haynes and CoCo Vandeweghe to Sacramento for Stubbs and Olga Puchkova
The Washington Kastles have completed a blockbuster trade sending their second and third round picks, Angela Haynes and CoCo Vandeweghe, to the Sacramento Capitals for Rennae Stubbs, the reigning 2008 World TeamTennis Female MVP and 2008 Championship Finals MVP, and Olga Puchkova. With Stubbs’ six Grand Slam championships, the team now boasts 36 total Grand Slam titles among their five players and head coach.
Stubbs, ranked in the top ten in the world in doubles, is a former #1 ranked doubles player and has won 59 career Sony Ericsson WTA titles. She has also represented Australia four times in Olympic and Federation Cup competition. She won last year’s WTT and Championship Finals MVP titles as a member of the Kansas City Explorers and helped lead the Philadelphia Freedoms to WTT championships in 2001 and 2006, and the St. Louis Aces to a title in 1996.
“Our goal this year is to win the Championship when it is played in Washington on July 26th and this trade makes us a clear favorite to accomplish that. Rennae is one of the top doubles players in the world and is a fierce and experienced competitor,” said owner Mark Ein, who brokered the deal. “With this trade, we will be tough to beat in any set, much less a complete match.”
The Kastles also acquired Puchkova, who ranked #32 in the world in singles in 2007. Puchkova played three matches for the Capitals in 2008, compiling a 10-5 game record. She has local ties, having trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, where she has recently begun working again. She is also a professional model represented by Elite Management.
“Olga has the ability to be one of the best women in the league and, with her recent work at the JTCC, we know she is ready to play,” continued Ein. “Both Olga and Rennae bring a lot of personality to our squad on and off the court. Our fans will love this team.”
The two newest Kastles will join their teammates on Thursday, July 2 to kick off the 2009 season on the west coast against the Newport Beach Breakers. The Kastles open the home schedule in DC on July 7 against two-time defending Wimbledon Champion Venus Williams and the Philadelphia Freedoms.
Source: Washington Kastles
Kessler Top 10 important tips on water safety
Summer is here and along with days spent at the pool, lake or ocean comes the increased risk of water-related injuries. In fact, diving is among the leading causes of spinal cord and traumatic head injuries in the United States today.
“Diving is arguably the most dangerous thing a person can do in water,” says Steven Kirshblum, MD, Medical Director and Director of Spinal Cord Injury Services at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange, NJ. “Injuries to the head, neck and spinal column are serious and can result in paralysis, or even death.”
Each year thousands of people nationwide suffer spinal cord injuries and head trauma from diving into water that is too shallow. Diving accounts for more than half of all sports-related spinal cord injuries and statistics indicate that 90% of diving-related accidents occur in water that is eight feet deep or less, and a majority of these accidents take place at home in above- or below- ground pools.
Whether you are a pool owner or guest, go to the lake or beach, safety is a priority. Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, one of the nation’s leading rehabilitation hospitals and one of only 6 federally designated Model Systems for the treatment and research of both traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, offers these Top 10 Water Safety Tips:
- If you are a pool owner, be sure to have clearly marked depth indicators around the entire pool. Post “No Diving” signs – and enforce that rule!
- Watch your guests. More than 90% of injuries occur to visitors, rather than owners.
- Never dive into an above-ground pool and be careful around ladders and other equipment.
- Never drink and dive. “Drinking impairs an individual’s judgment and slows reactions,” explains Kirshblum. “Nearly half of all diving accidents resulting in a serious injury involve alcohol consumption.”
- Don’t swim alone. Ideally, a lifeguard or someone trained in water safety should always be present.
- Always check the depth of water before going in. Levels may be deceptive, especially where drought conditions existed. Be sure that there are no rocks or debris below the surface.
- Enter the water at lakes and ponds feet first to avoid injury.
- Never dive into the ocean. It’s difficult to see what’s under the surf, particularly sand bars. And tides constantly cause the ocean sands to shift.
- Even if areas are marked as being safe for diving, do not dive if your trajectory will place you in less than nine feet of water. When diving from a board, the water should be deeper than 12 feet.
- Educate children. Safe water behaviors should be taught at an early age so children can make smart decisions when involved in water activities.
Chinas Universities open the door for baseball players
Chinese Baseball Association Hails Historic Announcement
Several of China’s Universities have agreed to add baseball to their list of sports that offer a passport to a tertiary education: a move that baseball insiders have greeted as instantly increasing the People’s Republic’s potential to produce stars in the future.
Shanghai International Studies University, North China University of Technology, and Nanjing University of Technology, East China University of Political Science and Law, Guangzhou Sport University and Tianjin University of Sport have all agreed that they will include baseball among the sports where young talent will be recruited at lower academic admission requirements or exempted them for immediate admission.
“The cooperation of these Universities with CBA is of epoch-making significance. Baseball will become a popular and favorable sport to the young generation now,” Madam SHEN Wei, Secretary-General of the Chinese Baseball Association (CBA) and an Executive Committee Member of International Baseball Federation, the worldwide governing body for the sport of baseball said.
“I’m not sure how easy it is for baseball fans anywhere else in the world to understand the significance of this. It’s a milestone for youth baseball development!” declared Chinese-born financier Kenny HUANG Jian Hua, the chairman of QSL Sports Limited, who earlier this month was unveiled as the CBA’s long-term partner chosen to China Youth Baseball League (“CYBL”).
“This is an enormous step in unlocking the potential of a country of 1.4 billion people. Now baseball is a potential path into the university system it will free hundreds of young players to continue to combine their studies with their sport, instead of being forced to drop baseball completely, and it will inspire thousands more, maybe even tens of thousands children, to give the sport a try! “
Huang’s excitement stems from the enormous importance Chinese parents place in their offspring’s education, a phenomenon that can be traced back to the country’s so-called “one-child policy”.
“For many families there is only one chance, so they plan their child’s education very carefully, almost from the day they are born,” explained Huang, who graduated from Chinese Zhong Shan University, one of the top 10 universities in China before furthering his studies in the United States. Huang has also been involved in a variety of sports deals involving the New York Yankees.
“Naturally, they are reluctant to let anything get in the way of their child’s future. Now, however, baseball can be part of that future. The fact is, overnight, playing baseball has turned into something that can improve the talented child’s chances of getting into a good university!”
Almost all Chinese universities reserve a proportion of places, with slightly lower academic requirements, for talented young athletes with basketball, soccer and volleyball among the most common sports. Earning one of these places is notoriously difficult.
One of the universities entering into the swing of baseball is particularly likely to attract the attention of parents with would-be sluggers or flame-throwing pitchers: The Shanghai International Studies University is one of China’s leading foreign language colleges and part of China’s prestigious “Project 211″ programme aimed at developing its universities into world-class academic establishments.
Meanwhile the CBA has also announced an acceleration in the growth of their sport. Mme SHEN revealed that, through a co-operation with the Ministry of Education, 1,000 schools now have baseball teams, of which 140 are in the tertiary educational institutions. Official statistics now suggest that over 100,000 Chinese are engaged in baseball activities.
Source: QSL Sports Limited
Night Train Swimmers attempt to break world record with relay swim
157-mile Swim Across Sea of Cortez to Benefit Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)
Night Train Swimmers will attempt to break the world record for the longest continuous relay swim. Departing from La Paz, on the Baja California Sur, the six member team will cross the Sea of Cortez to hit mainland Mexico approximately 157 miles away. The team is using this event as a fundraiser to benefit Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors.
The record-breaking relay swim will commence on June 27th at 8:00am from a beach near La Paz, Mexico, and is expected to take approximately 3-4 days and nights of continuous swimming. Live GPS tracking will be available at www.nighttrainswimmers.com where the team will also keep an updated blog and photo gallery.
Vito Bialla, himself a Wounded Vietnam Veteran, says, “I’m taking it upon myself to try to make the world just a little bit better. By completing this swim and raising money for Wounded Warrior Project, we can make a huge difference for our injured heroes when they return home. It’s a privilege to help our returning Veterans.”
Matthew Davie, another Night Train Swimmer, agreed, “We are very excited to swim the Sea of Cortez, but even more excited for the opportunity to raise awareness and funding for Wounded Warrior Project. It’s a good cause that deserves recognition and support, and it will keep us going when it’s 3am and we can’t see land in either direction.”
Night Train Swimmers has set a goal of raising $500,000 for Wounded Warrior Project with this swim, with donations made directly to WWP through www.nighttrainswimmers.com.
“Wounded Warrior Project is grateful for the recognition and support from the Night Train Swimmers,” said WWP CEO Steve Nardizzi. “We commend their strength and ability to take on such a strenuous endeavor.”
Night Train Swimmers is a group of swimmers dedicated to raising money for charity, having fun and swimming very long distances around the world. They are based in San Francisco and complete numerous ultra swims around the world each year to raise awareness and funds for selected charity partners. Founded in 2008, the team began as a group that swam in the San Francisco Bay every Wednesday evening, much to the delight of people returning home on the ferries. Last September, Night Train has the fastest 5-person crossing of the English Channel for all of 2008, winning the Montserrat Tresserras Shield and raising money for the Lifehouse Agency. In October, the team completed a 100-mile swim from Sacramento to Tiburon, raising money for the local Reed School District.
Baltimore Orioles Go 3-D – Virtual Birdland enables fans to virtually view Camden Yards and surrounding areas
Fans planning to visit the Baltimore Orioles’ famed Oriole Park at Camden Yards can now take a realistic virtual 3-D tour of the area – including the ballpark, surrounding attractions, traffic routes and parking options – from the comfort of their own homes. The Orioles are the first professional baseball team to employ this new virtual 3-D geospatial visualization technology to enhance their fans’ experience.
Harris Corporation , an international communications and information technology company, created multiple 3-D flyover videos of the Camden Yards vicinity, which are now available on the Orioles’ Virtual Birdland web site (www.orioles.com/virtualbirdland). The videos provide visitors with realistic views of the ballpark and surrounding areas, which are visited annually by millions of fans. The 3-D videos allow anyone with a computer and Internet connection to ‘virtually’ fly over the park, adjacent parking lots, entrance roadways, and the nearby Inner Harbor.
“Virtual Birdland provides Orioles fans with a clear view of what they will see prior to arriving at Oriole Park, and helps familiarize them with traffic patterns, ample parking options, and other area attractions surrounding the ballpark,” said Greg Bader, Orioles Director of Communications. “This is especially convenient for first-time visitors who are unfamiliar with the area and want to become more comfortable with where they are going, and how to get there. We are confident that Virtual Birdland will demonstrate the ease and convenience of attending a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and we’re very excited to offer this capability to our fans.”
Harris, which provides geospatial visualization technology and models to business, government and military customers, used its patented geospatial RealSite(R) solution to transform aerial data and ground-based imagery into an extremely accurate model and videos of the ballpark and neighboring downtown Baltimore area. Along with Camden Yards, Harris also recently produced 3-D virtual models and videos of Washington, DC, the Presidential Inauguration Parade route, the National Memorial Day Parade route, Arlington National Cemetery, and the U.S. Marine Corps Marathon route.
Built from ground, aerial and satellite imagery using technology developed for government customers, 3-D urban models like the one of Baltimore’s Camden Yards are geospatially accurate. Harris has developed nearly 500 global 3-D models during the past five years as a prime contractor for the U.S. government. These applications are used in a number of important areas:
- Mission Site Familiarization and Planning Regions that are difficult to access can be modeled and analyzed quickly and affordably, with minimal risk to personnel and resources.
- Facility and Event Security Planning and Monitoring Accurate, photo-realistic data provides the knowledge necessary for planning the location of security cameras, sensors, motorcade routes, and other vital security information.
- Disaster Mitigation Planning and Response Modeling and simulation can be used to forecast, simulate and prepare for events in advance. Complex situations can be evaluated using real- time data integration to promote a quick and comprehensive understanding of what is happening as events take place.
- Communications Network Planning and Monitoring Placement of satellite communications equipment can be preplanned, effectively lowering installation costs and reducing miscalculations.
Source: Harris Corporation