Players place a rubber ring (the 'wheel') on its end and use a wooden mallet to whack it towards a goal the width of a railway track, which is staked at the other end of the 27.5-metre playing surface; the latter distance derives from the length of a Melbourne 'red rattler' train carriage.
"Are players really lifted by the roar of their fans or had we deluded ourselves for generations when insisting our primal screams had an influence on the spectacle that unfolded before us?"
I used to play badminton regularly when I lived in the UK for a year. It was a challenge to keep up the level of play there, superior to what I'd faced in high school gym classes. But it was amazing fun and fast-paced.
Jorge Lorenzo has retired after 18 seasons of Grand Prix racing, 5 world championships, and numerous injuries and setbacks. His final season was far from his best; he suffered a serious injury in a practice session at Assen, breaking several vertebrae, causing him to miss several races.
Which was rare for him. He was nicknamed The Spartan by his competitors for his rigorous training schedule and toughness—he broke his collarbone in 2013, flew home for surgery, and was back the next weekend racing.
He had several great rivalries, not least of which was with his Yamaha teammate, 9-time world champion Valentino Rossi. Since 2013 the man to beat has been Marc Marquez—who may be the best rider in history. Lorenzo is the only man to ever beat him for the premier class championship, which he did in 2015.
Unhappy with the team situation at Yamaha (where he won all three of his premier class championships) he went on to the struggling Ducati team and did miserably his first season. After a poor start to his second season he was dropped for the next season...but he went on to win three late season races for the team before becoming Marquez' teammate at Honda.
His rivals have been spectacular to watch but Lorenzo was...beautiful. His style was ultra-smooth and consistent. When he won it was generally by getting in front early in the race and just disappearing; when he had to dice for the lead he didn't fare as well.
This career highlight clip doesn't do his style justice. If you want to see him at his best I recommend watching the 2018 Mugello race. Interested in what he'll be up to next—he's only 32.
Back in South Korea, George and his teammates got an immediate sense that their lives had changed forever when Rick Patzke, the chief executive of U.S.A. Curling, handed them his cellphone as they were leaving the venue: It was Dave Grohl, the lead singer of the Foo Fighters, who had reached out through a mutual connection to offer his congratulations.
âI remember thinking, âReally? Is this how itâs going to be?â â Patzke said.
It's National Reconciliation Week and time for the Australian Rules Football indigenous round. I always enjoy seeing the indigenous design Guernseys they roll out. This year my club made an offer I couldn't refuse - an indigenous Guernsey, tickets to 3 home games, and some other merch for the price of the Guernsey alone.
