House of Chua - Jeffrey Chua » Sports

Free with nike

simplesara — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:19:33 +0000

on Sunday, May 17, 2009

i walked 11km at upper pierce reservoir with my family this morning. sunday mornings are normally reserved for family runs/walks as long as nature permits. the benefit of training on this course is the vary degrees of slopes (from gradual to steep climb) which are perfect for power and endurance walks. as the route is situated on the former race course for automobiles, users of this route will have to keep a constant look out (cum hear-out) for on coming vehicles at the respective bends.

the morning walk was an easy one because i was feeling tired from yesterday’s drinking cum epl (man u vs arsenal) session with my army friends. i didn’t know that there is a mini old trafford at princep street. nevertheless man u won the title again!!! i shall start to watch epl from now on. *sing glory glory man utd*

after days of consideration, i headed down to the nike flagship store @ wisma to get the new nike free 5.0 yesterday.

nike was the brand that i used in my event debut. it is also the brand that gave me all my personal best times and school records for walks. i am not insinuating that other manufacturers are inferior but they do not give me the feel and luck that nike offers. the last time i used a pair of nike was during my ns days and that racer instilled a prefontaine in me – it kept me going. since i left the army 4 years ago, i couldn’t find a suitable pair of shoes from nike for walks. therefore, i had to seek alternatives from other makers but i got more disqualifications than anything else after wearing them.

the nike free 5.0 is engineered to the biomechanics of a human foot – where it follows the movement of the feet without any form of restriction. the lack of cushioning may turn many athletes off but it is a fantastic shoe for fast workouts, development of good running/walking form and to build feet strength and flexibility in the same way as athletes who train barefoot.

i tried the luna trainer/racer but it couldn’t give me the “rolling motion” (where the heel transits to the toe by rolling from heel land to the mid outer part of the feet before reaching the toe for push off) as the nike free. in my personal opinion, the luna trainer/racer is more suitable for long distance running than technical events.

after trying out the shoe this morning, i can say that nike has surprised me again. i could walk faster in a lighter and more fluid manner. landings are easier with the low heels and the weight of the shoe allows one to push off effortlessly. when you receive such qualities in a training equipment, it serves as a motivation to walk faster and further.

i have always been sceptical about the free since its debut in the market. after trying one myself, i found the free to be an excellent training tool.

like the journey that bowerman took to realise the spirit of prefontiane, time will tell the true intentions of everything.

Cited by Edmund Sim

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Birth of Curling

simplesara — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:29:11 +0000

Curling originated from Scotland in the early 16th century, where peasants throw stones on the frozen lake or ponds during the winter days. As the sports evolved, clubs were formed and the sports was developed formally, thus leading to the formation of the World Curling Federation in 1965. Curling has been an official sport in the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Olympics although Curling presences in the Olympics was much earlier.

The word ‘Curling’ has been devised by the Scots to describe the motion of the stone when traveling down the sheet of ice. Because of the sound effects of the ice friction against the ice sheet when the stone travel down the ice, the game is also known as the “roaring game”.

In Singapore, Curling started in January 1998, thus the Equatorial Curling Club was formed. A few local expatriates like Mary and Topper Waters (Americans), Julie Morrison (Scots) and Dennis Nagami (Japanese) with 2 Singaporeans, Theresa and Michael Foo, were responsible for making Curling possible in Singapore. It was a breakthrough to the history of Singapore’s sport activities. The game was played in Kallang Ice Skating Rink since then and was shifted to Jurong Ice Skating Rink in 2002.

At present, Jurong Ice Skating Rink was closed for a new and bigger rink. As published in the newspapers, we are looking forward to resume Curling activities in the very near future.

The winter olympic game – Curling

The winter olympic game – Curling

simplesara — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:13:03 +0000

What is Curling?

In brief, Curling is a popular ice-sport played all over the world. Unlike skating, shoes are worn and curlers walk on the ice. It can be played casually or competitively, where whole family from teenagers to grandparents can play. In Singapore, Curling is still relatively young in terms of awareness.

The sport is played among 2 teams on the ice sheet with a team of 4 people and stones are pushed from one end of the ice rink to the other. The far end of the ice sheet has a target in place in the ice. As the stone travels down the ice sheet, your team ‘sweep’ the ice to help your stone go further or nearer to the center of the target. Deciding which shot to play can be quite tactical and great fun. Many times, teams and bonding are built during the game.

Why do people do Curling?

It is a sport where one….

can play a “lifetime”
need not exert excessive physical strength
plays in a cool environment to avoid sweaty bodies
need not worry of their expertise level in Curling
could adopt an etiquette on and off the ice sheet
enjoy camaraderie with each other

Curling brings joy in several ways….

Thrill of knocking off the opponent stone
Landing the stone at the most precise position
Exhilaration of shouts – “Huurrry/ Sweeeppp!!!” to sweep the ice in order for the stone to travel further
Satisfaction of game played well with skilled opponent
Forming quick mental strategies, like having a game of “chess on ice”