CROSS COUNTRY SNOWBOARDING YOUTUBE
Friday, December 24th, 2010
Bret Dudl,Bret G Dudl
Ever since the first modern Olympic games were held in 1896, athletes have worked hard to ‘go for the gold.’ Baron Pierre de Coubertin brought the ancient Greek Olympiad back to life to recreate the ideals of physical, mental and spiritual excellence demonstrated by the competitors there. This year, the athletes at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver continue this tradition. They’re training long hours, maintaining a positive attitude, and overcoming their fears – all in an attempt to accomplish their personal best.
Although you may not be vying for any medals, you can learn about triumphing over worry from the stories of athletes around the world. Here are 8 obstacles to consider as you map out your own personal strategy for success.
Overcome fear of failure. For some, failure signifies humiliation and the loss of self-esteem. But when the goal is to perform to the best of your ability, you can feel good about yourself even when you don’t come in first place. As Coubertain stated in the Olympic creed, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” Stay focused on your growth and the steps you take, not the outcome. Canadian skier Alexandre Bilodeau personified this ideal. He envisioned his courageous brother as a role model and, in the process, won the gold medal in moguls.
Overcome fear of success. Does thinking about what might happen, after you actually achieve a victory, stop you in your tracks? Or do you worry that you won’t meet others’ high expectations of you once you win? Believing you must perform perfectly sometimes stands in the way of achieving your goal. U. S. figure skater Evan Lysacek had to deal with this stress at the Olympics, admitting, “I did have some extra pressure coming in as the reigning world champion.” He rose to the occasion and skated with passion and skill, winning the gold medal and savoring the experience.
Overcome fear of competition. Performance anxiety is a common and familiar phobia. Speed skater Apolo Ohno is no stranger to competition, having conquered his own fears and come away a champion, on both the short-track and the dance floor. Entering many races, he has already beaten the record for the most U.S. medals in the Winter Games. Ohno doesn’t always win, but he strives to perform to the best of his ability each time he competes. To overcome stage fright, there are many techniques you can employ: put the competition into perspective; do deep breathing and relaxation exercises; concentrate on your own actions, not those around you; practice, practice, practice.
Overcome fear of sacrifice. After 46 years of consistently taking the gold medal in pairs figure skating, Russia/U.S.S.R. was finally was shut out from the podium. How did China’s Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo manage such a feat? They endured considerable sacrifice along the way. The oldest skaters in Vancouver, they have been together for 18 years, married for the past three. After victories despite numerous injuries, they retired in 2007. But two years later, they put their marriage vows and personal life on hold in order to retrain, living in the athletes’ dorms as they worked to fulfill their dreams of Olympic gold. As you set important goals for yourself, recognize that you too may need to give up some pleasures along the way.
Overcome fear of risks. In order to succeed as Olympiads, athletes need to conquer their fear of the unknown and go for the gold anyway. According to Canadian hockey great Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” Snowboarder Shaun White understands taking measured risks and won the men’s halfpipe gold medal by hard work and his readiness to take chances. Although he had already won after his first run, he chose to attempt his difficult, signature moves in a second run. Exuberant after accomplishing his ‘Double McTwist 1260,’ he said, “I have fun, I have dreams, I have goals, and I’m just now trying to do them.” After your own preparation, outline the risks you’re comfortable taking and then follow through with gusto.
Overcome fear of change. With poor weather conditions in Vancouver, many events were postponed, throwing off schedules. Athletes had to mentally adjust to these shifts and still be ready to compete. One athlete who initiated her own change was figure skater Yuko Kawaguchi. She gave up her Japanese citizenship and moved to Russia to be trained by legendary coach, Tamara Moskvina. Although not medaling at the Games, she lived her dedication to her sport by her move. When you are forced to modify your own original strategy, don’t hesitate to put your Plan B into action. It just might be a winner.
Overcome fear of pain. Downhill skier Lindsey Vonn severely bruised her shin during training last month and feared it might prevent her from competing in the Olympics. But she tried anyway, saying before the race, “It’s tough…I know what I have to do. I know how to ski. It’s just fighting the pain.” And fight it she did, winning the gold medal in the women’s downhill. After, she commented on her efforts, “Nothing comes for free.” You may have your own pain – physical or emotional – to work through as you pursue your goals. Keep in mind the determination you need to succeed as you struggle to prevail.
Overcome fear of pleasure. Lindsey Jacobellis skid off course in the snowboard cross semi-finals, once more loosing a chance at a medal. After her initial frustration, she shared her thoughts with reporters, “I still can have fun in some way. I just felt like doing a nice, fun truck-driver grab, that’s the spirit that it is.” Other competitive snowboarders agreed with her attitude. Nate Holland commented, “It’s not always about winning. It’s about fun, style, showing your stuff.” And Nick Baumbartner explained, “It’s not about the finish…it’s all about the journey. It’s all about taking the wild ride.” So, even when you’re in the midst of a competition of your own, don’t forget to enjoy the process and have fun.
Thinking of Retiring in Costa Rica?
Bret Dudl Costa Rica As A Retiring Destination By Mitch Bowler
Costa Rica is a Spanish word which means “Rich Coast”. It is officially called the Republic of Costa Rica. The cost of travel is more expensive than any other countries in Central America but cheaper than United States and Europe. To enjoy your stay in here you have to learn their language which is Costa Rican Spanish. The cost of living in is not that expensive the average estimation is US$ 1,500 monthly if you prefer to live in a simple life style. Costa Rica is a tropical country. It has two major seasons dry and rainy. Rainy season starts from the month of May to December while dry season starts from January to May.
If you want to become a permanent resident retiree in Costa Rica you must have at least US$ 1,000 to US$ 2,000 monthly income however, if you plan to put up a business or invest here you must show a proof that you have US$ 200,000 minimum worth of investment.
Like Brazilians, Costa Ricans are also very friendly and hospitable. It counts as one of the most stable countries in Central America because they have high a standard of education and life style. While the pace of life is slower here, for anyone that is sick of being stuck on the freeway in traffic, you are going to love Costa Rica as there is almost no highway traffic here which means you can visit beautiful places such as beaches, volcanoes, rainforest and hills in just a short time.
For retirees who want to buy a house, you can save a lot of money because you can buy a house in Costa Rica for approximately 70% lower than what houses cost in the United States. Another great money saving benefit of living here is that as of the time of this writing social security here has definitely no tax.
The staple of Costa Rican food is quite simple and consists of rice and beans, but as the country grows in popularity with tourists many different worldly restaurants are springing up everywhere. If you are a fan of spicy food then you will likely want to spend your time on the Caribbean side of the country where there is more of a Jamaican influence. When it comes to drink the most famous drink in Costa Rica is the Horchata, it is a cornmeal drink with a cinnamon flavor.
Costa Rica is one of the safest countries in Central America since the rate of crime is very low and as mentioned earlier the people are friendly and honest, however like any city or country in the world you need to keep your wits about you wherever you are and be aware of your surroundings.
Bret Dudl Surf Workout By Damian Papworth.
Surfing is a sport that young and old alike. Imagine riding along the face of a breaking wave. Thrilling, right? Surfing’s a popular pastime for the young and adventurous. It may be easier to learn how to master the skills in surfing when you’re young and nimble, but even people pushing into their mid-30s or 40s with a sense of adventure can be terrific surfers.
The body may show signs of wear after 25, but eating the right foods and spending time conditioning for surfing will have you surfing better. Two things may help you if you plan to learn and later on get serious about surfing. These are to improve your swimming and learn to hold your breath underwater.
To be a good surfer, you also need to work on being elastic. Quit smoking, because its effects will get in the way of having strong lung power. Surfer-friends say all it takes is a single lesson to learn the basics, but tons of practice, determination and commitment. That means spending time conditioning for surfing and developing the skills involved.
When conditioning for surfing, take note that you will be twisting and bending in every imaginable way. Surfing is not for the faint-hearted, so if you’re queasy about the challenging water sport and will just get panicky about sea pests and changing conditions in the ocean, some other sport may be better for you. On the other hand, those who are deadset on learning are in for an adrenaline-pumping experience and great body conditioning.
Even a beginning surfer will know that exercises come close to what a seasoned surfer does in the water. Work from there. To boost surf fitness, enroll in an exercise program designed to help get you in shape for your specific sport. To develop good shoulders, arms, and strengthen other body parts, use simple exercise aids like a stability ball. Place your hands on the stability ball and perform push-ups. It’s also important to concentrate on increasing your cardiovascular conditioning. Your main focus should be on increasing core strength, endurance, and strengthening your heart and lungs.
You can also begin your conditioning for surfing by skipping rope. Jogging on soft sand at least once a week, targeting about eight to 10 kilometers a week, and swimming, first in a pool and then in the ocean will help improve your lung power. Joining an aerobic class will also be beneficial. You must also develop upper body strength because you will be paddling and taking on waves.
:In addition to the numerous decisions one must undertake when planning a vacation in today’s eco-diverse travel sector, is the selection between making a reservation with a mainstream Costa Rican resort that initially appears safer, less expensive, and a more secure option than that of a private villa – that for the money is a better alternative – read on to learn more. Contrary to popular belief is the fact that making a reservation with a villa is frequently just as easy as with a resort, as many travel agents and online travel engines facilitate these villa reservations and are highly secure as is the case in Recreo Villas in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
The growing fashion toward the villa industry in Costa Rica revolves around the individual flexibility that these luxury properties are able to offer, additional perks (Over that of a resort), amenities and that they are much more private than that of resort. As if that were not enough to change your mind -in more cases than not – villas are significantly CHEAPER on a cost-per-night basis than their rival resorts and especially at Recreo in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. As hard as they may seem on the surface – statistics prove villas are on average 20% cheaper than resorts.
Incorrect Space
Another commonly experienced situation for those making reservations with a resort is the confusion at the resort upon the arrival to the resort and lack-of the correct amount of rooms that are inter-connected. Many new arrivals are stuck in the reception area, waiting, while the resort staff scurries around trying to figure out available accommodations, even when the travelers were assured before hand with advanced reservations by the resort. This is the result of poor communication between travel agents, resort staff and online reservations, even if you made advanced reservations they are not fully solidified until your arrival to the resort. Immediately those filled with excitement initially upon arrival to a resort, are typically left disillusioned by their misrepresented resort accommodations.
Villa or Resort
Naturally the choice is yours. Having total control of your reservations is just one of the primary advantages. You know and understand your schedule better than a travel agent and the type of accommodations you enjoy and are longing for in a spacious and luxurious Villa in Costa Rica. The freedom of choice, the multitude of selections of villas for a group of practically any size and all without the hassles of misinformed travel agents or resort staff are yours for the taking. It is no wonder that many are drawn to the ease of reserving their space online.
Social media marketing is defined as the conduct of marketing, sales, public relations and customer service through the use of one or a combination of social networks, online communities, blogs, wikis or any other online collaborative media. Some famous social media marketing tools are Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, Wikipedia, Orkut and YouTube.
Social media in an internet marketing sense pertains to a collective group of cyberspace or web properties whose content comes from publications or posts created by users, and not direct employees of the said property such as the vast majority of the videos on you tube and the bast majority of threads on forum sites as well as the most of the tweets on tweeter.
Three Major Elements of Social Media Marketing
1. The Buzz
Make posts to attract the attention of other members or users. Create a buzz or newsworthy events, videos, tweets, or blog entries. Make sure they are interesting and are likely to captivate people who stumble into them. Catchy posts are likely to spread over the network like a virus. Buzzing is the core of social media marketing. It differs from the traditional methods of commercials, print ads, and press releases in the sense that other users become the medium for your marketing campaign. Members tend to pass something of interest to other users.
2. Fan Pages
Create of facilitate means in which fans or patrons of your brand, your business or yourself can promote a message of their own on multiple online social media venues. Create fan pages where they can talk about whatever they are a fan of.
3. Be Active in Conversations
Conversations are the lifeblood of social media marketing. The marketing campaign is controlled not by the organization but by the consumers themselves. Consumers can start or participate in conversation about a brand they are interested in. Respect of all users as well as confidentiality of private information should always be maintained.
Bret Dudl Surf Workout By Damian Papworth.
Surfing is a sport that young and old alike. Imagine riding along the face of a breaking wave. Thrilling, right? Surfing’s a popular pastime for the young and adventurous. It may be easier to learn how to master the skills in surfing when you’re young and nimble, but even people pushing into their mid-30s or 40s with a sense of adventure can be terrific surfers.
The body may show signs of wear after 25, but eating the right foods and spending time conditioning for surfing will have you surfing better. Two things may help you if you plan to learn and later on get serious about surfing. These are to improve your swimming and learn to hold your breath underwater.
To be a good surfer, you also need to work on being elastic. Quit smoking, because its effects will get in the way of having strong lung power. Surfer-friends say all it takes is a single lesson to learn the basics, but tons of practice, determination and commitment. That means spending time conditioning for surfing and developing the skills involved.
Even a beginning surfer will know that exercises come close to what a seasoned surfer does in the water. Work from there. To boost surf fitness, enroll in an exercise program designed to help get you in shape for your specific sport. To develop good shoulders, arms, and strengthen other body parts, use simple exercise aids like a stability ball. Place your hands on the stability ball and perform push-ups. It’s also important to concentrate on increasing your cardiovascular conditioning. Your main focus should be on increasing core strength, endurance, and strengthening your heart and lungs.
You can also begin your conditioning for surfing by skipping rope. Jogging on soft sand at least once a week, targeting about eight to 10 kilometers a week, and swimming, first in a pool and then in the ocean will help improve your lung power. Joining an aerobic class will also be beneficial. You must also develop upper body strength because you will be paddling and taking on waves.
About the Author
Cross Country Snowboarding – 2010 Banf Mountain Film Festival
