Final Project about Snow Skiing

Name: Rashed Abdulla ALMuhannadi

ID: H00204924

Section: CIC

Instructor: Mr. Hedley

Final Project: Snow Skiing

Introduction

Skiing refers to a recreational and competitive sporting activity where the contestant links skis to shoes or boots and uses of them to move over snow. Other than competition and recreation, skiing is applied for utilitarian purposes like military expeditions and travelling in places with intense snowfall.  It was not until the mid 19^th century when skiing was adopted for exercise, competition, and recreation. Skiing is a popular winter sport and has even been adopted as an indoor activity in places that do not experience winter. The sport’s popularity is attributable to the fact that it offers an exciting leisure experience and acts as an excellent mode of exercise. This paper provides insight into skiing and its development over the years in terms of purpose, equipment, and places in which the sport is most popular.

History of Skiing

Skiing dates back to about eight to seven millennia ago as evidenced by the discovery of skis about 8000 and 7000 years ago. Skis about 4000 to 5000 years old were also unearthed by scientists in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Additional proof of the prehistoric nature of skiing was also discovered in Norway in form of a rock carving depicting a skier dating back to about the same period. Initially, skiers had the arduous task of climbing a slope before skiing down. For this reason, skiing was limited to utilitarian functions (Fis, 2013). However, with the advent of devices such as rope tows, chair lifts and gondola lifts that eliminated the laborious uphill climb, skiing increasingly became a leisure activity. This led to growth in popularity for the sport initially in Europe and then in North America. Skiing was later embraced in Australia, Japan, Argentina, New Zealand, and Chile. In the mid 20^th century, skiing started being covered live on television, thus raising the sport’s recognition worldwide. Further, the introduction of snowmaking machines around the same time spurred additional interest in the sport even in places that do not have winters (Fis, 2013).

Skiing Equipment

Just like in mainstream sports and hobbies, selection of skiing equipment is a crucial decision. Generally, skiing requires one to have skis attached to boots by use of sufficiently strong bindings and two poles for one to maintain balance. During the early days of the sport, skis were made of a single piece of wood, usually hickory. However, in the early 1930s, laminated skis started becoming popular. By the 1950s, the skis were designed with plastic bottoms for higher speed and toughness. The sophistication of skis grew increasingly over time and in the 1990s, they were created with foam and wood interiors. The core was then bound with a combination of Kevlar, fiber glass, titanium, carbon or aluminum in order to increase their strength. Skis usually adopt a parabolic shape, which allows skiers to negotiate sharp turns with more ease. Skiing is a nondiscriminatory sporting activity since it attracts participation from all people in society, irrespective of their social status, religious affiliation, and age among other factors that distinguish people. For instance, competitive and recreational skiing is increasingly attracting individuals with physical disabilities, since there is specifically designed equipment for their use.

Skiing and Kids

Being an all inclusive sport, skiing attracts many children. This is especially because kids have the benefit of having higher flexibility and agility. Children are also fairly fearless since they are not constantly worrying about possible skiing hazards like adults. This means that with proper instruction, many children can be competent independent skiers within a short time (Rei, 2013).

Types of Skiing

Nordic is also known as classic skiing. It is comprised of diverse events and techniques that were originally evolved in Norway’s hilly terrain as well as in other places of Scandinavian nations. Presently, the most common Nordic events consist of cross and ski-jumping. Further, there is the Nordic combined event that is separate and consists special ski-jumping and a cross country of about fifteen kilometers. The points are finally awarded after the events are over and well supervised.

 

This a skiing style that started in the 20th century in the competitions to join the cross country and ski-jumping skiing contests. In addition, the style came up with the downhill races that were developed in Alps in central Europe.

Freestyle skiing is an event that mainly focuses on acrobatics. The event usually consists of aerials, acro and moguls. Acro style was invented in Europe in 1930s. It consists of gymnastics and skating and the routine is completed in ninety seconds where the participant is supposed to flip, jump, and spin. The performance is rated by judges based on artistic impression and technical difficulty. There is a huge difference between the equipment used in Acro and Alpine skiing. This is because the poles used are thicker and longer while skis are shorter.

Aerials were popularized in 1950 by Eriksen. The event consists of upright and inverted flips. The flips are usually done with the competitor’s feet higher than the head. Mogul skiing, on the other hand, utilizes large bumps called moguls. In this event, there are turn techniques and upright jumps. The main determinant is the speed of the participant.

 

Popular Skiing Places

Some of the most popular places where people visit for skiing are in different locations. For instance, Nordic skiing is most popular in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Finland is not mountainous. As such, it is one of the best places for cross country skiing and the perfect destination for families, especially the ones that have children (Lutz, 2001).

Canada is another place that offers the best places for skiing. This is because of the immense forest, which towers the mountains. This is the best place for Alpine skiing because of the slopes. This should be visited by people that are well equipped and professionals in the sport (OwnersDirect, 2013).

For children, the best place would be the areas that are less mountainous. This would give them a chance to learn and become better in the sport after a short while. For instance, Andorra has the best skiing culture as well as incredible cuisine compared to Europe. It also offers the best areas for professional skiing. Austria is also another place with good skiing landscapes. This region is especially good for beginners and children because of its vast terrain (OwnersDirect, 2013).

Conclusion

Skiing can be used for both recreation and sports purposes. It offers one of the best feelings, especially when somebody is getting out of the immense slopes. Additionally, it gives a feeling of crispy winter and provides excitement of a lifetime. Despite the challenges faced by participants, it gives great joy to the participants.

References

Fis. (2013). Welcome to the History of Skiing. Retrieved from http://history.fis-ski.com/

Lutz, J. (2001). Skiing From Top To Bottom: The History Of Skiing In Canaan Valley. Retrieved from http://www.canaanvi.org/canaanvi_web/uploadedFiles/Events/Past_Events/lutz_paper.pdf

OwnersDirect. (2013). Top 10 Ski Holiday Destinations. Retrieved from http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/info/top-10-ski-destinations

Rei. (2013). Kids and Skiing: How to get started. Retrieved from http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/skiing-kids.html

The Sport in Belgium

         Sport is regarded as a highly important national and social undertaking in Belgium. Sports are not only valued for their unifying ability, but also for leisure and enjoyment. This explains why the country has a wide and mixed array of options of individuals interested on participating or following sporting activities. Belgium's citizens participate in sport as either professionals or amateurs seeking pleasure and relaxation. In addition, many Belgians revel in their nation’s activities in professional sports like Olympic events and football. The greatest percentage of the country’s population is also strong on following and encouraging amateur participation in a wide array of sporting activities, ranging from cycling to horseback riding. This paper examines some of Belgium’s sporting activities within the national, as well as, individual cities’ context.

 Football is Belgium’s favorite sport. The country’s football teams participate in a wide range of tournaments, including the Champions League, Jupiler Pro League, and the World Championship, among others. The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBGA), which is the official football regulatory body in the country, comprises of thousands clubs and teams. Belgian’s national football team is referred to as the Red Devils. However the team has not been performing excellently in the international context over the past few years.

Belgium’s second most favorite sport is cycling. This is obvious from the highly popular bike tour like the Tour de Flanders, which about a million Belgians or more watch. This bike tour attracts about 20,000 participants from all over the country and Europe at large. Cycling is a highly favored sport, since it gives participants an opportunity to explore Belgium’s distinctive landscape, characterized by historical sites, waterways, rolling hills and flat lands. The country also has bicycle paths stretching over thousands of kilometers, traversing  quaint towns, charming water canals, countryside castles and other interesting places. Cycling is also bolstered by the fact that it gives people a chance to explore hidden places, especially in Brussels. Additionally, it is possible to rent bicycles in a given train station and return them to other train stations.

The third place sport in Belgium in terms of popularity is tennis. However, most Belgians prefer watching their professional tennis players. Over the past decade, Belgium has had the honor of producing and showcasing globally renowned tennis players. Excellent examples include Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, who have won the grand-slam competition multiple times. These top players have also had the opportunity of being ranked number one worldwide in tennis.

 Athletics in Belgium is also a popular sport. There are several major events in athletics that have been hosted in the country including the world cross-country championship. A number of prominent annual competitions have been held in Belgium. For instance, there is the Memorial Van Damme, which is one of the most popular track and field competitions. Historically, Belgium has won 5 Gold medals, 10 silver medals and 7 bronze medals, in the European athletics championship.

Belgium is also known for its golfing activities. In Brussels, there are sixteen courses around and within making the sport quite popular. One of the most suitable golf courses is the Royal Amicable Anderlecht. It is situated near Brussels city centre, where many competitions are held as well as offering practice grounds for many of them.

There are a lot beautiful rivers in Belgium meandering via the lush countryside. This makes kayaking one of the ideal sports in the country, especially in regions with such good rivers like Brugge. This sport is organized for pleasure especially for people that need to see the beautiful landscapes in Belgium. Making this a sport has given the country a chance to have many tourists visiting the place to witness and participate in the sport.

Hoarse back riding is also another sport that has popularized Belgium all over the world. The country has a perfect setting for horseback riding. This is what makes the sport popular among the people in this region. There are stables in different locations thus enabling people to be entertained by this sport in diverse environments.

        Sports events in its history occurred in the Heysel Stadium disaster happened on May 29, 1985, when the wall distorted under pressure which in the Hesyel Stadium in Brussels; it was a match in the final of the European Cup 1985 between Liverpool and Juventus. 39 people died, 32 Juventus fans, and it injured 600 people.

          Sports in Belgium are not only a form of competition but also as a way of ensuring that people are united. Sports in this country are loved and appreciated by everybody especially the young people.

SPORTMAN OF THE MONTH

SPORTMAN OF THE MONTH

 

Walter Payton was born on July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. He was known by the nickname “Sweetness.” The position that he did play is running back, the team he played for is Chicago Bears in 1975. The additional groups he worked for helping with others, studying education with an emphasis on working with the deaf. He becomes a professional player, and he was known for his speed. The awards he got it valuable player, and he won the national football league. The name of the college team is black college. Payton explored business opportunities including real estate restaurants and race cars. He died on November 1 in year 1999 from cancer, he was 46 years old.