Wednesday, 2 October 2013

Get Into Rugby Campaign


Barry OberholzerThe International Rugby Board is taking their sport to a whole new place — literally.
An article posted on IRB.com tells readers that the Board’s “Get Into Rugby” campaign has found a very strong foothold among youth in Africa.
Jean-Luc Barthes, the IRB’s Regional Development Manager for Africa, told reporters that the goal of the program is two fold; first, to introduce Rugby to people and parts of the world who have never played before, and second, to support the building of infrastructures, so that areas can build a system for games, teams, and leagues.
“We want people to try and play rugby everywhere,” Barthes told IRB reporters, “so we began Get Into Rugby as a pilot project last year but now it will become our main project for 2014 because the number of schools involved and countries registering is just going up and up. It has already proved to be a huge success.”
Barthes went on to say that the program has registered 18 different countries, with that number expected to reach as many as 25 by 2014.
The article also states that the IRB will spend just shy of 2 million pounds (roughly $3.2 million) throughout Africa, with a funding cycle through 2016 that will allow nearly 8 million pounds (nearly $13 million) in the region over the next three years. This spending, the author writes, represents a nine percent increase from the previous four year cycle.
One of the programs most successful aspects has been its focus on developing and expanding participation in womens’ and girls’ rugby.
“Get Into Rugby is for both boys and girls,” Barthes told reporters, “although we have implemented specific programs for girls. At Under 11, Under 12 level they can play with the boys but from about 12 years old they need their own section so we are implementing special programs to fill that gap.”
According to the article, participating countries in the Get Into Rugby program thus far include Ivory Coast, Namibia, Senegal, Tunisia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
With this surge of success, the IRB and Get Into Rugby have proven that they’re here to stay.

Getting Physically and Mentally Prepared For a Triathlon


Barry OberholzerSome people visit Hawaii to lay on a beach and vacation. Others travel to the Pacific Islands to conquer the world… At least, that’s what it feels like to many competitors in the upcoming Ironman World Championships.
An article posted recently in the New York Daily News told the story of Jessica Marino, a 31-year old triathlon competitor from New York, who has dedicated more than a year of her life to training for the October race in Kona, Hawaii.
Marino, who according to the article works full time as a finance professional, told the Daily News she spends at least 25 hours a week training her body for the event.
“It’s tough because there are only so many hours in the day,” Marino admitted to reporters. “I don’t really have a social life. Every minute is taken up working, eating, working out or sleeping.”
Why such a rigorous routine? The race (arguably the most demanding in the world) consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and, as the cherry on top, a 26.2 mile marathon to finish. Despite the daunting figures, Marino has competed in three Ironman Triathlons. This, however, will be her first time racing at the World Championship, the author writes.
The Daily News writes that Marino’s craving for competition dates back to her days as a soccer player at the University of Richmond. When she arrived in New York City in 2005, she got her first glimpse of what the Ironman had to offer.
“I watched the New York City marathon the first year I lived here and I was like, ‘Whoa, I’m on the wrong side of the fence… So I signed up for the next year.”
Marino is one of 20 competitors from New York who qualified for the upcoming event, and, according to the article, she will be racing with roughly 2,000 athletes for the World Championship.