Joomla! site syndication http://ix3sports.com 2010-09-07T02:11:19+01:00 http://ix3sports.com http://ix3sports.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2009-09-30T00:04:18+01:00 http://ix3sports.com http://ix3sports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44&Itemid=2 When Goo Goo Dolls (http://googoodolls.com) drummer Mike Malinin goes on tour, he sees the world through not just the eyes of a working musician but also an accomplished long-distance runner with a number of 100 mile ultra-marathon finishes to his credit. He has literally toured and run all over the world. [iX3]sports was fortunate to be able to connect with Mike and explore the connections between being a professional drummer and a passionate, devoted long-distance runner. text/html 2009-09-06T23:42:40+01:00 http://ix3sports.com http://ix3sports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=2 Mark Gangloff (http://markgangloffusa.wordpress.com/) is on the Fitter and Faster Tour (http://www.swimchampions.com/) which showcases swimming present and past stars in an envrionment which he describes is "much like a swimming fantasy camp." He is coming to Raleigh, NC where I coach, so [iX3]sports exchanged emails with Mark to get more detail on the tour, his involvement, and learn when he first dreamed his Olympic dream as a young swimmer. text/html 2009-03-30T23:11:28+01:00 http://ix3sports.com http://ix3sports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=2 Through [iX3]sports, I have been fortunate to have connected with a number of very inspirational, engaging people who have successfully integrated their minds, their bodies, and most importantly, their spirits in pursuit of their dreams. Ruben Gonzalez, "The Lugeman," is right at the top of that list. At 21 years old, Ruben decided that he was going to go to the Olympics. Not only did he decide he was going to the Olympics, he was going to represent the United States in the luge. At the time Ruben lived in Houston, Texas and had never seen a luge sled or track in person, in his life. But that was his dream. Four years later, Ruben competed in the Calgary Winter Games luge competition. He subsequently made two other Olympic teams, the most recent being the Salt Lake City Winter Games at 39 years old. Ruben is currently seeking to make his fourth United States Olympic luge team for the upcoming 2010 Games. Ruben took time away from his training and speaking engagements to talk about dreams and what is necessary to make dreams real. text/html 2009-01-04T09:41:26+01:00 http://ix3sports.com http://ix3sports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=2 The sport of competitive swimming had a remarkable year in 2008 - 70 records and 66 Olympic records (http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/11/swimsuit-controversy.html) in Beijing. This recent run of World Records and world best times has caused quite a stir and much of the conversation has focused on the new generation of swimsuits which take advantage of improvements in fabric and suit construction technology. The new suits, dubbed speedsuits, have created two opposing camps: those in favor of their use, and those who feel the new technology is literally destroying the sport. The speedsuit debate which is currently raging in the swimming community is quite interesting. Many athletes, coaches, swimming officials and journalists are often quoted, giving their, often, highly-charged and emotional opinions on the ethical nature of wearing the suit, some going so far as to equate them to performance-enhancing drugs. One of the voices that has remained largely unheard has been that of the manufacturers. One in particular that has come under heavy criticism from the "suit-burners," is blueseventy (http://www.blueseventy.com/). Just before Christmas, I contacted blueseventy to see if I could speak to someone regarding the speedsuit argument and the upcoming FINA meeting. Dean Jackson, the director of sales and marketing, replied and said that blueseventy would love to have their voice be heard. text/html 2008-12-21T23:02:20+01:00 http://ix3sports.com http://ix3sports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=2 Through the magic of the Internet, I have been able to reconnect with a good friend and former coaching colleague Carl Creasman. Carl's wife used to make these funky, extra long, unbelievably loud shorts that we wore on deck at swim meets. Hey, it was the 90's, and the kids got a kick out of them. Since that time Carl has been taking his passion for helping kids beyond a pool deck. Now known as the "College Success Guy," Carl has been impacting students for the past 20 years speaking at colleges across the country. One college president commented, "Carl has a gift for making complex ideas easily understood," reaching audiences "with a style and message that transcends the cultural challenges of postmodernism." Additionally, Carl is the founding Pastor at an innovative young church and a Professor of History at Valencia Community College in Orlando, FL. I was able to catch Carl in a brief break following the end of the Fall semester and Christmas to ask him some questions about valor, being an athlete in faith, and what it means to be "heroic" in a post-modern world.