Feb. 29, 2008 - And so today ends the oddest of months. Every four years, the shortest month of the Gregorian calendar gets a little shot of adrenaline with a big ending.
Due to the Earth’s rotation actually lasting 365 days and six hours, the extra day coming (nearly) every four years is used to correct the actual number of days.
Here are some things you may not know about Leap Day:
- According to legend, women are given a one-day pass every four years on Feb. 29, to ask a man for his hand in marriage.
- Your chance of being born on Leap Year Day is about 1 in 1461. Put another way, only 0.0684% of the world’s population are Leapers.
- Comic book super hero Superman is said to have been born on Feb. 29 on the planet Krypton.
One city has taken the leap year day as its own calling card. Anthony, Texas, and its border town partner, Anthony, N.M., have held a Worldwide Leap Year Festival every Feb. 29 since 1988. This year, the festival features a number of special events like a golf outing, 10-kilometer run and a parade including those celebrating their birthdays, along with those whose wedding anniversary falls on the day.
Elsewhere, zoos and aquariums across the country are celebrating the official start of “The Year of the Frog” with special activities on Leap Day.
Many restaurants and sporting events offer free dinners or admission to guests whose birthday falls on Feb. 29th.
What are you doing to celebrate?
Filed under: General by jane
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<<Hey everyone…sorry this has taken so long to post, I’ve been waiting on my video to get here, but decided to post it without it>>
This weekend was the last indoor series race of the season. I’ve raced three races so far and placed 3rd, 2nd, and 4th. I came into this weekend dying for my first win. It’s pretty hard going from winning every outdoor supercross race to not winning a single indoor supercross race.
The night started out well. Practice was good and as usual, I excelled in my heat race, taking 1st. Then came that dreaded main event, 6 laps of pure chaos in the Women’s Quad class. One of our regular riders broke her wrist last week in a wreck but was still racing this weekend to keep her point standing. The other two girls in the class are fairly new to the sport, but are just as hungry as I am to win. Sometimes, that gets us into trouble.
Sitting at the gate watching the card, I let off my brake and noticed I started to roll forward, so….instead of taking the chance of jumping the gate and getting caught in it, I decided to wait until I knew the gate was completely dropped, then take off. That right there began the Pretty Tough ride. I was last into the holeshot, again. I thought to myself, “Why does this feel so familiar?”….maybe that’s because that’s exactly how last weekend began.
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Filed under: Motocross, Motorsports, Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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PISCATAWAY, N.J. Feb. 28, 2008 - C. Vivian Stringer has joined one of college basketball’s most elite clubs.
The Hall of Famer became the third women’s basketball coach to win 800 games, joining Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt, with No. 4 Rutgers’ 60-46 victory over DePaul on Wednesday night.
Everyone at the game was given signs marking the 800th victory, but the Scarlet Knights couldn’t start celebrating until the final minute. With 30 seconds left, fans gave Stringer a standing ovation and chanted her initials CVS. When the clock reached zero, senior Essence Carson threw her coach the game ball.
The following day, U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a Senate Resolution to honor Stringer.
Filed under: College Athletics, College Basketball, Parent/Coach, Profiles by jane
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Feb. 28, 2008 - How cool is this? It’s a new kind of triathlon. The Ultimate Boarder™ is a one-week competition to find the first athlete who can conquer the art of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. Opening the field to both amateur and professional athletes, the Ultimate Boarder, held from April 13-19, 2008, gives unknown riders a chance to shine alongside the pros and compete for the first-ever Ultimate Boarder champion title and a first place prize of $30,000.
The snowboard competition will be held on April 13 at Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe, Calif.) followed by the surf competition on a date to be determined from April 16-18 at C Street (Ventura, Calif.) and will complete with the skateboard competition and awards ceremony on April 19 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds (Ventura, Calif.).
“This event is all about providing a venue were we can showcase and discover a unique and truly gifted athlete,” said Founder & CEO Tim Hoover. “An individual who possesses balance, skill, athleticism and endurance in three of the top board sports in the world.”
Do you have what it takes? For more info: ultimateboarder.com
Filed under: Action, Events, Skateboard, Snowboard, Surfing by jane
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ADVANCE
a movement forward
ASSAULT
friendly combat between two fencers
ATTACK
initial offensive action made by extending the sword arm and threatening the the opponent
BALESTRA
a forward hop or jump
BOUT
an assault at which the score is kept
BROADSWORD
any sword intended for cutting instead of thrusting; sabre
BUTTON
the safety tip on the end of practice and sporting swords
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Filed under: 101-Basics, Fencing, Lingo, Playbook by admin
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PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA Feb. 26, 2008 - The four umpires met at home plate before the game, took a quick group photo and bumped fists for good luck. Then they jogged to their positions, ponytails flapping all the way.
Four female umpires, working Tuesday’s New York Mets’ exhibition opener against the University of Michigan, may have contributed to the most obscure Major League Baseball history ever made.
The unique crew consisted of Perry Barber calling balls and strikes at home plate, Mona Osborne at first base, Theresa Fairlady at second base and Ila Valcarcel, a Girl Scout leader from Pine Island, at third base.
Fairlady reached the Double-A level in the late 1980s and Barber and Valcarcel went to the Harry Wendelstedt umpiring school in 2005 and work college games. Barber, who lives in New York and Clearwater and has helped find spring-training umpires for the Mets for 25 years. Osborne is a former college umpire.
Female umpires are rare, but not unheard of, since they legally won the right to participate in professional baseball in 1972. No woman has ever worked a regular-season major-league game, but last March, Ria Cortesio became the first woman in 18 years to umpire an exhibition game.
What’s it really like for the gals calling the game?
Full story
Filed under: Baseball by jane
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Feb. 26, 2008 - The iconic mascot of the Roxy Chicken Jam, the snowboarding chicken, has extended a superpipe challenge to all willing and spirited mascots at this year’s Fourth Annual Roxy Chicken Jam presented by Schick Quattro for Women. The Mascot Superpipe Competition will take place on Saturday, March 29 following the women’s superpipe final at Mammoth Mountain Resort.
You might not have the skills to battle it out next to Jamie Anderson, Gretchen Bleiler, Torah Bright and others but if you’re riding in a furry fancy dress, you can still compete and win some dough.
Open to guys and girls of all ages, dressed in full, head to toe, mascot costume, the winner of the Mascot Superpipe Contest will nab a $4000 cash prize. Best outfit of the day, judged on creativity and overall appeal by the judges (not necessarily the nicest store bought costume), will win another $1000.
And remember to check out the free concert with Silversun Pickups in the village after the event!
Filed under: Snowboard by jane
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Feb. 29, 2008 - And so today ends the oddest of months. Every four years, the shortest month of the Gregorian calendar gets a little shot of adrenaline with a big ending.
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