(Editors Note: Our own Melissa Becker swept the U.S. Mountainboarding Championships held in Snowmass last weekend - Congratulations Melissa! Here’s her account of the event).

July 31, 2008 - The 2008 U.S. Open Mountainboarding Championships were held in Snowmass Village, CO July 25-26th. The event consisted of a Mass Start Downhill race, Dirt Boardercross, and Slopestyle. We had 85 competitors this year and the fans were great as always!

The action started on Friday morning with the Mass Start Downhill. A Mass Start downhill race is just as it sounds. We all got on the ski lift at Snowmass Village and rode it to the top followed by our boards. We lined up in our categories and mad dashed down the ski run as fast as we could. When it was time for the girls to line up and rage down the mountain we were all ready and excited as can be.

The starter yelled ready, set, go and off we went, tearing through the grass, rocks and dirt down to the bottom across the finish line. I remember going so fast that I ended up falling, but the adrenaline got me back up and I kept going. Then there was a creek we had to jump over which was total chaos as well. I remember getting passed and then riding as fast as I could to get back ahead. I made the pass onto the road and crossed the finish line first. The energy was so high and as I tried to catch my breath I watched my other competitors cross the finish line.

My first ever U.S. Open medal won and it was gold. I was so overjoyed, and next up was the Dirt Boardercross. A Boardercross track consists of rollers, berms, quick turns and tons of speed. The women’s class really picked it up this season and all of the girls were racing faster than I’ve ever seen before.

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Filed under: Mountain Board by Pretty Tough
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 July 21, 2008 - The FIVB has released the preliminary round schedule for the Olympic Games Beach Volleyball Tournament beginning Aug. 9 in Beijing.The U.S team of Misty May-Treanor (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (Santa Clara, Calif.) will begin the defense of their 2004 Olympic title with a match against Mika Teru Saiki and Chiaki Kusuhara of Japan on Aug. 10 at 9 a.m. in Beijing.

May-Treanor and Walsh finished with the most Olympic qualifying points among the women’s beach teams, but are seeded second behind China’s Jia Tian and Jie Wang, who receive the top seed thanks to an FIVB rule that says a home-country team will receive the top seed if it is ranked in the top six. Tian Jia and Wang were second in points behind May-Treanor and Walsh.

The U.S. beach team of Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) and Elaine Youngs (El Toro, Calif.) will open play on Aug. 9 against Kadijk and Mooren of the Netherlands. 

The 12,000-seat Chaoyang Park in Beijing will be the venue for the fourth Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournament, with two “Lucky Loser” matches to be played on a court adjacent to Centre Court. The top two teams of each pool advance to the knockout round of 16, along with the two best third-placed teams. The remaining four third-placed teams play two playoff matches to determine the final two places (Lucky Losers) in the Round of 16.

To view the NBC schedule for volleyball, go to www.usavolleyball.org/national/08NBC_Oly_Sched.pdf.

Filed under: Beach Volleyball, Beijing Summer Games 2008 by jane
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July 30, 2008 - X Games 14 begins it’s annual four-day run today in Los Angeles. The Olympics of extreme sports returns with a number of new events,  including skateboard superpark,  a moto X “best whip” competition, and rally car racing.

Skateboarding is still the heart and soul of the event but sadly, surfing, perhaps the perfect action sport, is not part of the competition this year. As always, the X Games is primarily targeted to young, male viewers but there are a couple of events for those without a Y chromosome.

On the girl’s side, women’s motocross has been added to the sports line up and world-renowned competitors, such Jessica Patterson and 17-year-old WMA Pro National phenom Ashley Fiolek, will be on the course.

Women’s sketboarding will also be featured and confirmed street skaters include: Lacey Baker, Evie Bouilliart, Leticia Bufoni, Amy Caron, Marisa Del Santo, Lorena Lima, Lauren Perkins, Rachel Reinhard, Elissa Steamer and Vanessa Torres.

In the vert event, look for Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, Allysha Bergado, Cara-Beth Burnside, Karen Jones, Julie Kindstrand, Mimi Knoop, Gaby Ponce, and Annie Sullivan.

Coverage of X Games 14 will include 20 hours of live programming on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, July 31-August 3. But if you live in the area, slip into a pair of Vans, and head down to the Staples Center or Home Depot Center for all the action.

Check out the EXPN website for a full schedule and list competitors.

Filed under: Action, Motocross, Skateboard, X Games by jane
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July 30, 2008 - Defending series champion Jessica Patterson took her first win of the 2008 season in round four of the six-race AMA/WMA Women’s National Motocross Championship series. After finishing second in the weekend’s first moto, Patterson capitalized on a great start in moto two to take the moto win and overall victory in Washougal, Wash.

Series points leader Ashley Fiolek came up short in her bid for a fourth straight overall win, but finished second overall after taking the victory of moto one and the runner-up spot behind Patterson in moto two.

Both will be competing in the X Games taking place this week in Los Angeles.

Filed under: Action, Motocross by jane
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July 29, 2008 - The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics kicks off on August 8, 2008. Don’t miss a minute of the Olympic fastpitch action. Check out the live television schedule below. Keep in mind the times and channels are subject to change. 

Tuesday, August 12
USA vs. Venezuela - Midnight EST – CNBC 

Wednesday, August 13
USA vs. Australia – Midnight EST - CNBC 

Thursday, August 14
USA vs. Canada –  Midnight EST

Friday, August 15
USA vs. Japan – Midnight EST

Saturday, August 16
USA vs. Chinese Taipei – Midnight EST

Sunday, August 17
USA vs. Netherlands – 7:30 a.m. EST - CNBC

Monday, August 18
USA vs. China - Midnight EST

Wednesday, August 20 - Playoffs
GM1: Seed 1 vs. Seed 2 – 9:30 p.m. EST CNBC 
GM2: Seed 3 vs. Seed 4 – Midnight EST - CNBC 
GM3: Loser of GM1 vs. Winner of GM2 – 5 a.m. EST-  MSNBC 

Thursday, August 21
Grand Final Game –6:30 a.m. EST – USA 

Also, check out the official NBC Olympic softball coverage, including interviews with Jessica Mendoza, Cat Osterman, and more, here.  

Filed under: Beijing Summer Games 2008, Olympics, Softball, TV by keri mikulski
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USA’s most exciting Championship BMX race will soon take over Derby City BMX Track in Louisville, Kentucky from August 29 – 31. The 2008 NBL Grand National begins only 8 days after the sport makes its thrilling debut at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China and the NBL has planned several new events to celebrate the past, present and future of the sport. The fastest riders from around the world always attend the Grands and this year, the fastest riders from the past will be honored at the NBL Hall Of Fame Awards on Saturday evening.
 
The NBL Grand National is much more than just a race – it’s an ‘Experience’ and to celebrate the Olympic year, NBL will be inducting three past-champions into the NBL Hall Of Fame. Greg Esser, first NBL Men’s Pro - 1979, Kathy Schachel, first NBL Women’s Pro - 1985 and ‘Stompin’ Stu Thomsen, two-time NBL Pro – 1981 & 1982.

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Filed under: BMX, Cycling by Valerie
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July 28, 2008 - (via press release)  The H-Town Cyclones beat the West Michigan Mayhem 39-10 to win the 2008 World Championship of Women’s Football. This is the first time ever the South has won the crown. Congratulations to the Cyclones who put on a simple dazzling show.

2008 MVPS: Offensive MVP Raaisen McIntosh and Defensive MVP Renee Cosby.

More on the Women’s Football Championship.

Filed under: Football by jane
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by Becki Wheeler
July 27, 2008 - So, I know it’s been a while since I wrote in about my quad racing….between moving from TN to NY, work, practice riding and actual racing, I’ve been super busy this summer…

All excuses aside, I’ve had a pretty good season so far (knock on wood for me now!!). Round 8 of the 14 race series just passed and I’m currently sitting 2^nd in points. Not bad for my first year right??

To catch everyone up on me, I’m currently in my second year of riding, I started racing about 4 months after starting to ride. Way to dive right on in huh? Anywho, all last summer/winter I focused on racing the motocross/super cross tracks …I liked them better. People were able to see me, I was able to practice before the race, and I really liked the whole flying through the air off the jumps thing. That was in Tennessee.

Now we’ve moved to NY and my husband is an avid hare scramble racer. A hare scramble race, for those of you who don’t know, consists of usually a 6-12 mile course going through woods, field tracks, creeks, up hills, off camber sections and rock gardens. The racer does as many laps as they can in a certain amount of time. For the series I race, WNYOA Harescrambles, our length is an 1 ½ hours unless it’s a national event or GNCC.

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Filed under: Off-Road Racing by Becki Wheeler
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July, 26, 2008 - When we arrived at Huntington Beach for the women’s final event at the U.S. Open of Surfing, the place was packed. Not unusual for a Saturday in Surf City but something historic was taking place on the south side of the pier that made the day truly special.

Fourteen year old Malia Manuel defeated seventeen year old Coco Ho and the duo became the youngest finalists ever at the U.S. Open of Surfing.  In addition, both surfers hail from Hawaii, also a first for the final.

Manuel’s victory was surprising, even to her. She had never competed at the U.S. Open and never in a two-person heat. Manuel, who lives on the eastern side of Kauai, entered the event as a wild card because she had not competed in enough events this year to be seeded. She ended up as the youngest champion in ASP history.

When asked “What’s next?” after accepting her award, Manuel replied with excitment “10th grade!”

Manuel, who will turn 15 next month, claimed an early edge in the 30-minute final and made it stand up, winning with a best-two-wave score of 14.34 points. The wind kicked up in the finals and Ho struggled to find a groove in the deteriorating conditions finishing with a score of 7.90.

Ho’s father, Michael, and uncle, Derek, both legendary Hawaiian surfers, must have been proud. Even with her second-place finish, it was a day of accomplishments for the teenager, who also won the women’s junior championship making her the first competitor to be in both the women’s final and women’s junior final.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star event saw some incredible performances, but really none as impressive as the Hawaiian up and comers taking down some of the biggest names in professional surfing.

In an earlier quarterfinal, Manuel defeated defending U.S. Open Champion Sofia Mulanovich of Peru. Mulanovich, the 2004 world champion, had posted perfect tens in a prior heat. Ho then knocked off defending world champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia in a semifinal. In the other seminfinal, Manual posted a dominant heat win over current ASP WQS ratings leader Sally Fitzgibbons en route to becoming the youngest U.S. Open Winner ever. 

The youth movment is alive and well.

Results:Final:
1 – Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.342 – Coco Ho (HAW) 7.90
Semifinals Results (1st advances)
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.10 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.67 
Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW) 10.83 def Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 6.83
Quarterfinals (1st advances)
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.83 def. Sofia Mulanovich (USA) 13.10
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.00 def. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 1.60
Heat 3: Coco Ho (HAW) 12.00 def. Melanie Bartels (HAW) 8.23
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.67 def. Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 9.17 

Filed under: Surfing by jane
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Female athletes face some tough hair and beauty challenges, so read on for some revitalizing solutions.

Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard captured her first gold medal when she was just 14 years old, making U.S. swimming history as the second-youngest gold medalist ever. She competed in her second Olympics in 2004 in Athens and is heading to Beijing for the 2008 Games. At the height of her training, she’s in the pool four-plus hours a day. Find out how Shape Magazine helped get her hair back in peak condition.

You may not be in the water four or more hours a day - but if you’re a swimmer, you know the potential hair care problems.

The sun, coupled with chlorinated water, makes swimmers hair dry, brittle and in need of serious attention. For anyone who spends long hours in an outdoor pool, it’s critical to rehydrate the hair. It’s also a good idea to avoid overlayering too much to reduce exposure to lots of ends which eventually will split and look dull and frizzy.

In a quick search for great hair care advice, we came across some common hair-care myths. For example, do frequent trims make hair grow faster? No. Does switching shampoos make your hair healthier? No. Is brushing your hair 100 strokes each night good for your hair? No.

We also found out about some budget-friendly haircare products that can be purchased at the drugstore. These include Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream and Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask.

Redbook offers some surprising ways you might be taxing your tresses — along with easy fixes.  Outdoor elements (wind, cool temperatures) can be rough even for dry hair but when hair is wet, it’s actually more fragile and susceptible to breakage so beware.

Once you get your hair in great shape, you have to decide whether to wear it hair up or down. Marie Claire taps some beauty pros who share what’s absolutely essential to sport each look.

Pretty Tough Tip
Here’s our advice: If you’re a swimmer and chlorine tends to turn your hair green, try squirting lemon juice in your hair. Let it soak in for about two minutes then rinse out in the shower. No guarantees but it’s worked for us!

Filed under: Beauty, Fashion, Health, Swim by maddy
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