September 2010 Archives
September 30, 2010 3:31 PM
Confessions of a chiroptophobic
- Posted by Julia Wilkinson
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As a girl who likes to get manicures, doesn't like to get dirty, and is
extremely chiroptophobic (that means I'm afraid of bats - really, if
there is a bat anywhere near me, I will hit the deck!) I feel like Delhi
may be one of my biggest challenges yet. But if I'm able to handle any
uncomfortable situations that I may experience next week, it will make
me not only a better athlete, but also a better person.
So bring it on, Delhi. I'm ready for some character development!
So bring it on, Delhi. I'm ready for some character development!
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September 30, 2010 10:17 AM
Bring on the pain
- Posted by Julia Wilkinson
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"Respect your pain, but don't let it govern you."
Those are the wise words of my dad, and I've learned to tell the difference between bad pain and good pain, and to push the limits of enduring the latter.
Every girl in the Commonwealth Games pool will be dealing with some kind of pain. Time to find out who can handle it the best.
Those are the wise words of my dad, and I've learned to tell the difference between bad pain and good pain, and to push the limits of enduring the latter.
Every girl in the Commonwealth Games pool will be dealing with some kind of pain. Time to find out who can handle it the best.
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September 29, 2010 2:40 PM
Just dive and bear it
- Posted by Eric Sehn
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Injuries to athletes are like the plague. No one wants to hear the news that they can't compete because of some injury.
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September 28, 2010 1:05 PM
So far, luck's been on my side
- Posted by Julia Wilkinson
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It's just over a week to go until the Commonwealth Games swim meet starts, and Delhi is still getting bad press.
In order to combat any negative thoughts that dare to sneak their way into my psyche, I am focusing on everything that, so far, has been going right for me.
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September 28, 2010 12:14 PM
A smoking gun to my (non) Indian-ness
- Posted by Anjali Nayar
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I loaded the rifle. It was smooth and cool to the touch, a combination of metal and carbon that felt solid in my hands.
I propped the butt of the gun in my armpit and focused on my target. Through the magnified viewfinder, the black dot ten meters away was still only a few millimeters wide. And with every heartbeat, my crosshairs did figure eights along the wall around it.
I propped the butt of the gun in my armpit and focused on my target. Through the magnified viewfinder, the black dot ten meters away was still only a few millimeters wide. And with every heartbeat, my crosshairs did figure eights along the wall around it.
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September 25, 2010 10:31 AM
The original Fight Club
- Posted by Anjali Nayar
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MUMBAI, INDIA - My last posting was about extremes, and this posting about finding Kalaripayattu, one of the world's oldest martial arts, in one of Mumbai's newest and most exclusive neighbourhoods, follows suit.
The glistening towers of Hiranandani Gardens, made famous by the Slumdog Millionaire movie, are surrounded by neatly trimmed parks and lofty palm trees. It seems hardly the place to take a dip into India's ancient past.
The glistening towers of Hiranandani Gardens, made famous by the Slumdog Millionaire movie, are surrounded by neatly trimmed parks and lofty palm trees. It seems hardly the place to take a dip into India's ancient past.
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September 25, 2010 8:36 AM
The show must go on ... I hope
- Posted by Angela Whyte
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Even though there has been so much discouraging news about the state of the impending Commonwealth Games there remains one fact. Too many athletes have worked too hard for far too long for these games.
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September 24, 2010 9:13 AM
Delhi: To go, or not to go? That is the question
- Posted by Anna Rice
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I have to admit I never thought it would come to this.
In my first blog entry in this series I lamented how India has always eluded me. Now, she seems to be trying her best to do it again: engineering failures, incomplete residences, flooded streets and an outbreak of dengue fever to name a few of her tactics.
In my first blog entry in this series I lamented how India has always eluded me. Now, she seems to be trying her best to do it again: engineering failures, incomplete residences, flooded streets and an outbreak of dengue fever to name a few of her tactics.
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September 23, 2010 11:52 AM
Don't judge India on Delhi debacle
- Posted by Anjali Nayar
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I see India in extremes. The food here can rival the best in the world
and also land you in a hospital bed. Rice paddies surround world-class
business complexes, the highways are shared by both BMWs and donkey
carts, and McDonalds restaurants pop up around the most revered old
shrines.
The rich and the poor. The urban and the rural. The corrupt and the idealistic. You get modern and middle age within a kilometre, within a block, within a sentence. And fittingly, you either love India or you hate it.
The rich and the poor. The urban and the rural. The corrupt and the idealistic. You get modern and middle age within a kilometre, within a block, within a sentence. And fittingly, you either love India or you hate it.
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September 22, 2010 11:04 AM
Deep in the heat of Texas
- Posted by Julia Wilkinson
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There's nothing like a trip to Texas to get prepared for the Delhi heat.
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September 21, 2010 10:51 AM
Removing the obstacles
- Posted by Anjali Nayar
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"Lalbaug Ganpati jana hai." I directed the taxi driver, a chubby and jovial man with thick eyebrows and a thicker mustache, towards Mumbai's celebrated Ganesh idol.
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September 21, 2010 10:00 AM
Finding balance between my two passions
- Posted by Josh Cassidy
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I mentioned in my last entry that I had created some promotional artwork
for an upcoming race. Illustration is my other equal passion alongside
athletics.
Free time is hard to come by, but when I get some I like to spend it creating art. I have equally high ambitions in that field.
Free time is hard to come by, but when I get some I like to spend it creating art. I have equally high ambitions in that field.
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September 20, 2010 11:07 AM
Why athletes date athletes
- Posted by Eric Sehn
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I'm engaged. It happened a few weeks ago while I was in Russia visiting my fiancee. She's also an elite athlete - she won a silver medal in diving at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
I get asked all the time why athletes date other athletes. In my opinion, it all comes down to support.
I get asked all the time why athletes date other athletes. In my opinion, it all comes down to support.
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September 19, 2010 12:17 PM
Waiting for India
- Posted by Anjali Nayar
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"Wait," the visa personnel at the Indian High Commission in Nairobi told me, shooing me away with his gold and ruby-encrusted fingers.
But frankly I had waited (semi-) patiently for two days in the dilapidated office surrounded by lopsided 1980s tourist photographs, and I wasn't sure how much more "wait" I had in me. Getting a journalist visa to cover the Commonwealth Games was proving harder than I imagined.
But frankly I had waited (semi-) patiently for two days in the dilapidated office surrounded by lopsided 1980s tourist photographs, and I wasn't sure how much more "wait" I had in me. Getting a journalist visa to cover the Commonwealth Games was proving harder than I imagined.
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September 17, 2010 11:16 AM
Are the Delhi Games safe?
- Posted by Angela Whyte
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Security is always a concern at any major event. I know some
critics of this year's Commonwealth Games have harped on the issue of
security in their rants about Delhi.
But going to India to compete for Canada is an amazing opportunity. I don't want to miss out on that. We just need to be cautious and smart.
But going to India to compete for Canada is an amazing opportunity. I don't want to miss out on that. We just need to be cautious and smart.
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September 17, 2010 9:54 AM
Celebrate Sports Day in Canada with me
- Posted by Anna Rice
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A new Canadian tradition will begin on Saturday. It's a chance for
Canadians of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate together throught one
of the world's favourite pastimes: sports!
Sports Day in Canada is the brainchild of three organizations that have come together to support all levels of sport, from the grassroots beginner all the way up to the Olympic medallist. The CBC, TrueSport and ParticipACTION have joined forces to help communities recognize the power of sport and how it supports healthy lifestyles, builds social bonds and strengthens our national spirit.
Sports Day in Canada is the brainchild of three organizations that have come together to support all levels of sport, from the grassroots beginner all the way up to the Olympic medallist. The CBC, TrueSport and ParticipACTION have joined forces to help communities recognize the power of sport and how it supports healthy lifestyles, builds social bonds and strengthens our national spirit.
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September 14, 2010 5:43 PM
At home in front of thousands of people
- Posted by Josh Cassidy
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As a kid, I think I imagined competing in big events so many times that,
when I'm actually there, it doesn't feel as strange as it should.
Instead, I just feel a rush of adrenaline and a drive to succeed. I'm
right at home in a stadium filled with thousands of people.
I've been training hard to make the Commonwealth Games successful, and I'm aiming for nothing less than the top. I'll be extremely disappointed with anything less than a podium finish in Delhi.
I've been training hard to make the Commonwealth Games successful, and I'm aiming for nothing less than the top. I'll be extremely disappointed with anything less than a podium finish in Delhi.
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September 14, 2010 4:36 PM
Destinaton: Delhi
- Posted by Anjali Nayar
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When I think about India, the land of my forefathers, images of coloured
fabrics, roadside (overly spicy) foods, booming call centres and
whimsical Bollywood movies come to mind.
I don't generally associate India with raging athletic prowess. Besides the country's cricket team, a handful of wrestlers and a couple of wealthy shooters (with their own private shooting ranges), India rarely makes an impact on the international scene.
I don't generally associate India with raging athletic prowess. Besides the country's cricket team, a handful of wrestlers and a couple of wealthy shooters (with their own private shooting ranges), India rarely makes an impact on the international scene.
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September 7, 2010 1:29 PM
Will Delhi be ready?
- Posted by Anna Rice
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We're now less than a month away from the opening ceremony for the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and the question of whether or not the city will be ready is again in the headlines.
While in Paris last week for the badminton world championships, I took the opportunity to ask two of my friends from the Indian team what they thought.
While in Paris last week for the badminton world championships, I took the opportunity to ask two of my friends from the Indian team what they thought.
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September 7, 2010 11:53 AM
From Edmonton to Idaho to India
- Posted by Angela Whyte
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Hello, everybody. I suppose an introduction is in order. My name is
Angela Whyte. My game? Track and field. More specifically, I run the
100-metre hurdles.
I have the privilege to be on Canada's 2010 Commonwealth Games team. In case you don't know, the Commonwealth Games will be held in Delhi, India from Oct. 3 through Oct. 14. So I have less than a month to go.
I have the privilege to be on Canada's 2010 Commonwealth Games team. In case you don't know, the Commonwealth Games will be held in Delhi, India from Oct. 3 through Oct. 14. So I have less than a month to go.
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September 1, 2010 10:21 AM
It all started with a mistake
- Posted by Eric Sehn
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I'm 25 years old and have been diving for 16 years. This past May I graduated from Texas A&M University as the winningest athlete in school history with 11 Big 12 conference titles. I'm about to represent Canada at the Commonwealth Games.
Funny thing is, it all started with a mistake.
Funny thing is, it all started with a mistake.
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Medal Count
Headlines
- India government to investigate Commonwealth Games problems
- India's government has ordered an investigation into the construction delays and corruption allegations at the Commonwealth Games.
- Delhi Games close with extravagant ceremony
- The most controversial Commonwealth Games in history — marked by oppressive security and low spectator turnout — came to a close with an extravagant cultural show Thursday in Delhi.
- Nigerian's failed test boosts Canada to bronze
- Folashade Abugan tested positive for a steroid and waived her right to have a "B" sample tested Friday, the morning after closing ceremony of the New Delhi event.
- Russell: Why the Games came to India
- The XIX Commonwealth Games in New Delhi were in a hot, crowded place and they got off to an extremely slow start.
- Commonwealth Blog: Mud wrestling in India
- I learned quickly that the game actually has no rules or time limit. It's just one on one, heaving, grunting and grabbing until one wrestler ends up literally in the mud.
- Australia routs India on Games final day
- Competition at the XIX Commonwealth Games closed Thursday with Australia drubbing host country India 8-0 in what had been a highly anticipated gold-medal match in men's field hockey.
- Whitten Canada's closing ceremony flag bearer
- Cyclist Tara Whitten will be Canada's flag bearer at Thursday's closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.
- Team Canada: Top 10 stars
- From the earliest days of the Commonwealth Games, Canada's athletes and officials provided some of the most memorable moments in New Delhi.
- Commonwealth Blog: My last match for Canada
- I won't lie, when I woke up two days ago on the morning of what could be my last match I felt the emotions creeping in.
- Canada's Abel adds 3rd diving medal
- Canadian Jennifer Abel captured her third medal of the Commonwealth Games with a silver in the women's three-metre springboard on the final day of diving competition.
More Headlines »
