#still - looking forward to seeing him (and lots of other riders) at the World Championships in August!!

[oneminutefiftysixseconds]

from the official @JumboVismaRoad twitter

[42bakery]

I hope you all will allow me this post on Pedrenzo day. It won't be as well sourced as the previous ones, but I think we deserve a chronology.

Pre-World championship. They meet for the first time at the CEV (2000), but they have know about each other before that. They are both close to age (19 months) and both were pretty small. At this point, they use the other rider as a reference more than as a rival as they both are fighting against people older and more experience than them with the handicap of their age and height.

In 125cc (2002 and 2003) During this period of time, their rivalry started, but it was pretty tame. It's also important to note that it was mostly external factors that started it rather than the riders itself. Dani was racing for Telefonica/Movistar and Jorge for Caja Madrid/Fortuna), which made them two very young rider, with lots of talent and pretty promising, in Spanish teams. Their teams weren't friendly against each other, and their manager also used to be rivals. All of it, made the riders feel like they had to beat the other in the track at all cost. it got to the point on wanting to know the other's position to see if they have placed higher.

We also had their characters component, that is something that will follow them their whole life. Dani is quite and calm. He does things behind close doors and the talking on the track. Where Jorge is loud, very loud, and he uses the media and does the talking in the open. They also had 0 contact outside track between them, not even a 'hi' when meeting at the paddock.

In 250cc (2005) In here their 125cc rivalry is intensify. Dani was already 2 times World Champion and Jorge had still to prove himself. Dani was the dominant force to beat and Jorge wanted to be the one to do that. There was also the talking everyone did on the media, that fueled their rivalry. Everyone was accusing everyone of doing things. (mostly Puig, Amatriaín and Jorge).

In this year, the thing between them got much worse as they made contact on track several times. Germany is mentioned as the time that set everything into flames, but Catalunya was the turning point. Due to his excess of aggressiveness (and probably unconsciousness and stupidity), Jorge got a race ban (Malaysia 2005) after he made contact at the Japanese GP with De Angelis and Dani. Jorge used to blame Dani for that because instead of helping him, Dani took out all the receipts of the contact they made on track, which was the nail in Jorge's coffin according to Lorenzo. Older Jorge will admit he deserved it and that it was a turning point for him.

It's during this time when Dani refused to say Jorge's name or mention him (Germany 2005 forward), which pissed Jorge. And I think it still pisses him to some extend.

So by the time Dani moved to MotoGP, they were at each other's throats, specially with the media, and with Dani as a 3 times Word Champion and Jorge still needing to prove himself.

MotoGP When Jorge made it to MotoGP, media expected them pick their rivalry where they left it, and it kind of did with the Qatar incident. In that Grand Prix Dani didn't congratulate Jorge after a good result, and it pissed Jorge. Years later we learn it was due to an injury. However, it put them in the 'not speaking' terms and labelled as bitter rivals. The following Grand Prix, the ex-King of Spain (Juan Carlos I), who is a fan of racing, tried to show they get along and it was just a misunderstanding made them shake hands at the pre-podium.

Instead of cleaning the air in between them or cleaining their image it made it all worse. It looked like they couldn't be in the same room if they weren't forced to share the space.

On track they keep fighting hard against each other, more cleanly this time, and still with the same mentality as in 125cc and 250cc. If I can't win because there are other riders doing/having a better day than me, at least I have to beat Dani/Jorge.

Allegedly, 2008 was the worse point in their rivalry, but when asked them directly, they was the period of time between 2008-2010. Their rivalry got to that point it split the whole country. People were genuinely asking if you were Team Dani or Team Jorge. There are still videos of young Spanish riders having to choose (the Márquez used to be die hard Dani fans and Rins was team Jorge all the way).

Little by little, after fighting so much and for so long against each other, and sharing so many space and podiums together, their relationship moved from bitter rivals, to just rivals, to the rival I respect. Dani said that for him the big change was 2012, when their championship fight was the closes. Dani realized that he had been fighting his whole life with Jorge, therefore, they are as good as the other. Their rivalry had made them grown as riders because they had to outsmart and be better on track than the other, so it was a hats off moment.

In 2012 we also had the first physical approach between them. It was also in Qatar when they hugged for the first time, and it was a symbol of them finally burying the hatchet.

2012 also gave us the iconic marriage proposal (please watch the whole video, it explains Pedrenzo rivalry up to 2012).

From then on, their relationship improved a lot. It could also be that they both had change their managers by 2013, so part of what it set their rivalry wasn't in the equation anymore. They also had grown from kids to adults!

In 2015 Dani invited Jorge to Sete Gibernau's (ex-ride, and Dani's friend and coach) 'ranch'/track for a training weekend among other riders. Jorge ended up getting injured, and Dani went out of his way to check on him because Jorge was fighting for the championship. He got injured in the collarbone and Jorge himself admitted it was dumb because he just wanted to win against Dani when racing with smaller bikes. Apparently Pedrosa was miles faster than any other riders (Rins was there and I think the Espargarós too are mentiones

In 2018, when it was announced that Jorge was moving from Ducati to Honda and was going to replace Dani, Jorge tried to convince Pedrosa to stay in the championship by switching to the Petrona's team. It was pretty public with Jorge saying how a much smoother bike will suit Dani's riding style. Ultimately, Dani decided he didn't want to break anymore bones or suffer, so he retired.

Jorge and Dani exchanging helmets at the end of the 2018 season

After MotoGP Now they have a pretty good relationship. They can be in the same room and laugh and talk for hours about racing, including their 250cc races. Jorge will be the one pulling all the monts and remembering the weirdest stuff and Dani will look bamboozled because he doesn't remember that. In fact, among all DAZN's pundits, Jorge is the one that makes Dani smile and talk the most.

They're pretty quick to mention the other rider when possible (specially Jorge), and they are pretty open when asked about their battles in and out of the track. In fact Jorge will jump at any opportunity to mention and praise Dani. Dani will need a bit more of coaxing, but he will also talk and praise Jorge.

Now that the know parts are about, I want to share some thought I have about them.

I think this imatge basically summarizes their relationship. And creditto Jorge Lorenzo himself for putting it together.

First photo is pretty early in their relationship. You can see that they aren't interested in each other. It's basically a photo for the media. The middle one is Jerez 2008 and you can see how forced their handshake is. The king gets the wrong hand, and all of them are confused and wants to be done with it. And the last one, it's more than a handshake. They are truly happy and comfortable around the other. They want it.

Waru's thoughts I think young Jorge was really mad at Dani and wanted to win Dani no matter what due to the different way they got into the championship. All red tapes were broken for Dani. His ages was overlooked when he entered the Movistar Cup, when Jorge had to wait until he was 15 to make his debut. Dani had Puig who saw him and decided to bring him to the top, despite not meeting the criteria that was set, while Jorge had to fight and crawl all his way up. Yes Jorge got a manager and his dad, but he also had to prove himself over and over while Dani could flop and Puig would have still been at his side. It's also the relationship between Dani and his dad. Antonio was there to guide and support Dani, but at the end of the day it was Dani who took the decision, while Jorge didn't have a great relationship with his dad. Chicho acted more as a coach than a dad.

And then when Dani got the 125cc tittle, he got the ColaCao add, that made him look as the good boy that hasn't broken anything, while Jorge had the bad boy label. Dani had everything he wanted, DORNA's approval as he has come thought a DORNA's approved championship, a good relationship with his dad, a great mentor and a team behind. Basically it could be seen as DORNA had picked Dani to be the next Spanish winner at the big category (see why I translated Elegido para ganar as handpicked to win?) and instead, Jorge was the one who did it.

So yes, I think Jorge saw Dani having everything he had fighter for, and not having had to fight as hard as hi. So apart of all the things mentioned above, I think there was a bit of jealousy involved too. But well this is what I think, I might be wrong, but the way Jorge reacts when the ColaCao add is mentioned is prove that there was more there.

And here is all the chronology. If you think I forgot anything let me know! Also feel free to add things if you want.

[welllpthisishappening]

Heyooo could you do 6 and/or 9 for kiss prompts please? If you’re still doing them that is. :)

Alright, well, this got long. Let’s all act super surprised. And because you are an absolute delight of a human being, this is Will and Belle. Set in the Blue Verse, obvs. And also because I keep reading these hockey rom coms, so I am in a mood™. They were real fun to write. Particularly on their first date. This is their first date! At the Museum of Natural History! Prompts were: hand kisses and kisses in the snow.

————

This was a bad idea. 

Exceptionally bad. Stupid, really. Impetuous and instinctual and no, no, that second one wasn’t right at all. Agreeing to Ariel’s set-up wasn’t instinctual, was just—

Idiotic, maybe. 

Throwing her head back, Belle tried to find cracks in the ceiling. To match the obvious ones in her sanity. Only the Museum of Natural History did not boast any cracks. Couldn’t, she figured. Something about the structural integrity of the building and, she imagined, the ghost of Theodore Roosevelt. Who would very likely emerge from his statue out front if he realized there was any sort of looming threat to the dinosaur bones stored inside this museum. 

He���d get, like—those horse riders, probably. God, now she couldn’t remember the name for those horse riders, just a mess of facts about San Juan Hill and the Spanish-American War and she’d nearly paced her way onto several people’s shoes already. 

He was late. 

This hockey guy. Will, his name was Will. Scarlet, Will Scarlet. Played defense for the New York Rangers and every article she’d read in the last two days since agreeing to Ariel’s wholly ridiculous suggestion also suggested that Will Scarlet, professional hockey player, was very good at his job. Not quite championship-worthy yet, but it had been close that one season and he was—

Cute. 

Real cute. Had that slight curl to his lips in his headshot and if Belle spent a few minutes that afternoon meticulously examining his headshot then that was between her and her desk and her internet history. Which she should probably delete at some point. Tomorrow, she’d do it tomorrow. First thing, even. 

Would walk into the library and make sure to take care of any lingering evidence detailing all the proof that she was fairly certain there was a hint of something unnameable at the edge of Will Scarlet’s eyes and that was insane. 

She was on a roll, really.

He just—

Well, she thought he was cute. Didn’t have any looming warrants for his arrest. Hit people on the ice with a fair amount of frequency, per several other articles, but that was to be expected. She thought so, at least. Hockey was still a potential project for her. If this worked. 

She didn’t think it was going to work. 

Dating professional athletes was not her. Didn’t fit with her personality, or her possibly subconscious and entirely unfair prejudices, but this guy got paid to play a game and he likely had expectations and fans and a variety of people who fell under the umbrella of antiquated categories with vaguely offensive naming conventions, and there was also Belle’s consistent tendency to self-sabotage because romance had never really panned out all that great, but Ariel had promised. Was so sure. Belle didn’t have a choice. 

Agreeing to this was—

Instinct.

“God damn,” she mumbled, halfway through another lap around the lobby. Twisting between tourists, most of whom were trying to figure out how to store the bags they weren’t allowed to bring into the museum because it appeared most of them had been required to visit Bloomingdales at some point that day, she very nearly stepped on a few more toes and definitely on the back of one boot hell. 

Who immediately cursed. 

Not under his breath. Right out loud, drawing a few stares and one gasp from someone Belle figured had to be from Iowa, or something. 

That was an awful thing to think. 

Only she couldn’t bring herself to feel too badly when her stomach appeared intent on taking up residence in her throat, so as to avoid the acid and the wholly imaginary butterfly wings and he turned around. To stare at her. With that specific glint in his eyes. 

“Hey, can you—oh,” Will sighed, shoulders sagging and that was not great. Bad, even. Real bad. Blind date disaster sort of bad. Belle’s smile made her cheeks ache. “Are you planning on killing me? You look a little crazed. This is a very public place.” “Agreed to so you couldn’t kill me.” “Would hurt my minutes.” “I don’t know what that means,” Bell admitted. “Is your foot alright?”

His lips twisted. She was staring. Appraising, really. Tracing her eyes across a head that was at a slight angle now, and she was having an admittedly difficult time coping with his shoulders. Sloped and clearly muscled, even under the fabric of a well-fitted leather jacket that couldn’t be providing much warmth. 

“It’s cold out.”

Will’s smile stretched. “It is, in fact.” He stuck his hand out, fluttering fingers that weren’t showing any sign of frostbite when Belle didn’t do anything except keep staring. Like a complete psychopath. “If Ariel set me up with a murderer, I’m going to be really annoyed, fair warning.”

“That would be fair, yeah.” “And strangely not an objection.” “I’m really worried about your Achilles tendon.”

He laughed. Guffawed. Threw his head back and wrapped an arm around his waist, seemingly unaware of the glances and the few prolonged stares because he was a professional athlete and other people were probably more aware of that than Belle was. Another finger flutter. “Will Scarlet,” he said, “not a murderer, only a little concerned that you might be—”

“—You were late.” “And I apologize for that, but you can blame Cap. Who missed a wide-open breakaway three minutes before we were about to get off the ice and Arthur lost his mind.” “Sounds dramatic.” “You’ve got no idea. Are you going to shake my hand because my arm is getting kind of tired.” Belle lifted her eyebrows. Kept smiling. More like a normal person, she hoped. A semi-charmed person. Who almost forgot where they were standing and how long the line to pay whatever you want at the Museum of Natural History always was. His hand wasn’t nearly as cold as she expected it to be. 

That probably wasn’t important.

“Belle French,” she said, “shouldn’t you have better upper-body strength?”

His smile was a bit softer, that time. Not quite resigned, but she was struggling to come up with appropriate syntax and neither one of them had tried to pull their hand away. “I’ve got incredible upper-body strength,” Will promised, leaning forward and he smelled a bit like soap, “you should what I can do on skates, though.” Flushing was ridiculous. Blushing, too. Any synonym. 

Still holding hands. 

“Do you think this is working for you?” “I’m trying very hard.” “Yeah, I can tell.” “Oh wow,” he chuckled, finally disentangling their fingers, and that was fine. Totally fine. Belle didn’t notice the absence of warmth, at all. Not instantly, or anything. “That’s kind of a knock to my self-confidence, honestly. Ariel didn’t mention you were mean.” “I’m not mean. What else did Ariel mention?” To suggest that his eyes actually had the gall to sparkle would be crazy. They didn’t sparkle. Were biologically incapable of doing that. 

But Belle swore something else happened, and it might have just been in the general region of her heart. Stuttering and restarting, at double time. As if it were intent on impersonating a hummingbird. 

“You’re very smart.” “That’s true,” Belle agreed. 

“Modest, too.” “Obviously, yeah, yeah.”

She wanted to keep making him laugh. Wanted him to keep smiling at her and leaning forward, even if his hair wasn’t quite long enough to artfully fall across his forehead. She wondered if his shoulders looked as good when he wasn’t wearing the leather jacket. 

So, insanity was fun to experience, then. 

“This is the part where you tell me what Ariel said about me, babe.”

Belle’s eyebrows jumped. Soared. Flew off her forehead. “You really do thinking this working, huh?” “My self-confidence is a sham, Ariel thinks I’m lonely, my teammates are dumb, and I’m willing to pay full price for this museum so we can also see the 3D movie about the giant monster shark.” “Megalodon is a real thing that was part of a mass marine extinction, potentially caused by a supernova that really messed up the rest of Earth.” “Telling me that is not going to stop me from calling it monster shark,” Will promised. Belle thought it was a promise. Sounded like one. 

She was admittedly a little hung up on the lonely thing. 

“I can work with monster shark.”

Will beamed. Did something passably ridiculous with his eyebrows and the slight shake of his head, and neither one of them mentioned the hand thing. How they reached for the other on what already felt like habit, twisting between bags and tourists and it took less time to get in when they paid full price. Plus twenty-nine ninety-nine for the monster shark movie. Per ticket. 

And they walked. Wandered. Took their time through exhibits, conversation that wasn’t exactly ground-breaking, but was just as easy, tilting their heads back in tandem to stare at massive fossils and partially-finished dinosaur structures. 

“So,” Will drawled, not taking his eyes off the Tyrannosaurs Rex, “tell me something.”

“About?” “You’re a librarian, right?” Belle nodded. “Not like—well, there’s not a lot of story-times. More research and entitled doctoral students who think the world revolves around them.”

“Bet you think athletes are super great then, huh?” “Ariel didn’t force me here against my will,” Belle pointed out, getting another laugh for her pitiful comedic efforts. Pulling his gaze away from the exhibit, Will didn’t quite smile, but he wasn’t glaring and her stomach hadn’t returned to its correct spot yet. “Why’d you pick Museum of Natural History?” “I’m more than just a pretty face.”

She rolled her eyes. Continued to be very charmed. “I did work in a small town once, but it didn’t end great, lots of drama, lots of dead mom, overprotective dad, bad relationships.” “How bad is bad?” “Thinking of dropping gloves with my ex-boyfriend?” Twinkling eyes were impossible too, she was sure. Will’s appeared determined to prove her wrong. “You looked up terminology.” “Sounds suspiciously like an accusation.” “Nah,” he shook his head, “a cautiously optimistic assumption.” “For the life of me, I cannot figure out what icing is.”

He ran his hand over the back of his head. That wasn’t the first time, either. Belle might have been doing research. Keeping track, more like. “Not many people can at the start,” Will said, “have you gotten to offsides yet? My national championship?” “You won a national championship?” Narrowing his eyes wasn’t an explicit challenge. Felt like one, all the same. One Belle wasn’t just willing to reach for. Wanted to reach. And that was—strange, actually. She hadn’t felt like that in a very long time, had been sitting at the same desk for the better part of the last ten months, waiting for something worthy of researching and figuring out and she wasn’t lying about icing. Sometimes it didn’t happen? And that frustrated people? 

On the ice, and in the stands. Based on the videos she’d watched. 

That sounded psychopathic too. 

“What happened with the ex?” “He wanted to get married,” Belle said, forced casualness that didn’t do anything to the thin-type nature of Will’s eyes. “Dad wanted us to get married.” “And you didn’t?” She shook her head. “I’ve got things to do.” “Like read up on my national championship?” “Google black holes are real things.” “Oh, you’ll get no argument from me,” Will grinned, another chuckle and she was starting to pick up on the variety in his laughter. Genuine, now. “But searching your name only led to your Columbia faculty page, most of which I knew already from grilling Ariel because I was worried about getting stabbed in public, I’m real famous you know.” “Hockey is not as popular as you think it is.” His hand was too big, Belle thought. Could wrap all the way around her fingers, warm and somehow almost comforting, tugging her away from this massive dinosaur toward a slightly smaller dinosaur that didn’t eat other dinosaurs several million years ago. 

She didn’t pull away. “Anyway,” Will added pointedly, “your faculty page left a lot to be desired, but a slightly older article from the York County Coast Star informed me that you did Kennebunk High School proud once by winning Best Delegate at a Model United Nation’s Conference.” She’d have to stop blushing eventually. As it was, Belle’s face was blistering and her mouth had fallen open at some point. Likely right around the time that the ends of Will’s lips also started to quirk up. 

“Stalking is a serious crime.” “Curiosity, however, is not. Plus, A didn’t know about Model UN. What was your position?” “A lacks a bit of creativity on the nickname front, don’t you think?” Belle asked, not totally desperate to change the subject.

Will lifted a shoulder. “Usually we like to add an r to last names, or a y. Depends on the last syllable, more than anything.” “Who is this we exactly?” “Hockey players as a whole.” “Right, right, so that would make me—” “—Frenchy, yeah,” Will nodded. “Doesn’t seem to fit, though. Also possibly offensive?” Belle laughed. Giggled, a little. Kept blushing and ignoring the unstable state of her heart and she hadn’t been expecting him to be so—

Charming. Legitimately and entirely charming. Full of simple banter, like it didn’t require any extra effort on his part. She was glad for that. He kept rubbing the side of his hip, too. Probably took a check during practice. She’d really spent a long time researching terminology. 

“I served as a judge on the United Nation’s International Court of Justice.”

Letting out a low whistle, Will actually widened his eyes. With legitimate awe. She was going to combust before this was over. This date. This going very well date. “I’m sorry about the ex.” “You don’t have to punch him in the face.” “Good to know.”

She hummed. Looked back at the dinosaur in front of them so she wouldn’t be so tempted to ask about lonely and what that meant, and that lasted for all of twenty-six minutes. Give or take. 

Belle hadn’t taken her phone out of her pocket once.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He didn’t totally stiffen. They’d moved off the dinosaur floor, standing in an offshoot of the lobby and another long line with more kids than Belle expected. She should have. No one appreciated long-extinct monster sharks more than kids. 

So, Will didn’t totally stiffen. His lips all but disappeared, though. Became a thin line on a head that was back at an angle, with a tongue that poked noticeably against one of his cheeks. 

“College girlfriend,” he said, voice turning gruff, “dated the entire time I was there, wore my jersey to the title game. All that cliche bullshit. Graduated, New York had my rights, and suddenly the world was our oyster, right?” “Rhetoric?” He lifted the other shoulder. Than the one from before. Keeping track of that was crazy, crazy, easy. “A little,” Will admitted, “because New York had my rights, but not an immediate need for a defenseman, and the AHL is a grind. Shitty barns of arenas and not much glamor on multi-state bus trips. Game after game, trying to prove you deserve the call that’s gonna change everything, only it took too long for mine to come. Least for Ana. She wanted—well, fuck if I know what she wanted, really. But it wasn’t me, and it wasn’t waiting and there were plenty of other guys in the league who started at the top. Who also thought she had the prettiest smile of anyone in the room.”

Jealousy was not a normal reaction. And wasn’t really what was happening. Not entirely, at least. 

Belle would tell herself that at least forty-seven times in the next twenty-four minutes. Because her stomach was flipping, making it difficult to take a deep breath when she noticed the resigned look in Will’s suddenly dull eyes and he was supposed to be an idiot. Was supposed to be a stereotype, unable to find anything interesting about the Hall of North American Forests, but he made jokes about stuffed birds and was serious about seeing the monster shark and Ariel was going to be absolutely insufferable about all of this. 

“What’s the deal with your shirt?” Will’s head tilted even more. “Because it’s team-branded?” “Technical term?” “Now we’re going in circles, babe.” “Get more creative nicknames.”

The spark returned. Fluttered in the very center of eyes that met Belle’s without a hint of trepidation of concern regarding her potential murder tendencies. Not that she had any. He’d looked her up, too. “I’ll see what I can do,” Will muttered, “and it’s a real problem for me. Get free shirt, have to wear free shirt, see no reason to buy other shirts.” “Or proper sentence structure, it seems.” “This is working.” “Is it?” He nodded, following the line as it started to move into the theater. “I think so, yeah. You ready to learn about this giant fish?” “Sharks are fish, that’s true.” “See,” Will grinned, lacing his fingers through his, “totally working.”

Neither one pulled their hands away. Even as the theater lights dimmed, and she couldn’t remember the last time she wore 3D glasses, but the effects were at least fairly good because she jumped no less than three times, Will’s soft chuckle echoing between her ears each time. 

His thumb tapped. Found a rhythm against the side of her wrist that stayed even after the movie was over, and his excitement rivaled the loudest and most sugar-filled kids, an unspoken agreement to spend at least thirty-four minutes in the gift shop. 

He bought her a stuffed shark. 

“For intimidation purposes,” Will explained, thrusting an arm toward the sidewalk. Belle didn’t smile. She tried. Sort of. And the cab stopped almost immediately. “You’re impressed.” “Keep telling me how I’m feeling, please.” “This is New York, danger lurking on every corner and whatnot. Requirements of a gentleman mean I have to deposit the fair lady back at her door.” “Or you lose your membership card?”

“Matching jackets, God, keep up.”

She slid into the backseat next to him. And it wasn’t like she was expecting a kiss, honestly. Wouldn’t have said no, probably. But this was—

New and a little exciting, and Ariel was going to be so annoying. 

So, they sat. Kept talking, which was still somehow effortless. Even with the cloud of potential kissing and lives that weren’t remotely similar, and Belle still had a lot of hockey-based questions. About teammates and their opinions because Will had mentioned that too, but she wasn’t a total snoop or willing to be that level of stubborn quite yet. Maybe, like, second date stubborn. 

They were at her building, anyway. 

Stumbling out of the cab was not the picture of cool Belle had been hoping for. Snow landed on her shoulders and clung to the ends of her hair, a storm that started somewhere between Central Park West and East 29th Street, and she knew Will did not leave anywhere near here. He got out, anyway. 

Stood on the sidewalk before trailing her toward the door, her stuffed shark safe from the elements in the bag hanging from her shoulder. “So, that was—”

“I had a really good time with—”

Her shoulders sagged. Dropped in tandem with Belle’s sigh and the stretch of her smile, refusing to let her teeth dig into her lower lip. Will dragged his hand over the back of his head. “A’s going to be so annoying about this.” Tension disappeared. Melted faster than the snow was capable of, Belle’s teeth only appearing when she smiled that wide. “Because you think it worked, huh?”

“Working on that self-confidence, you see,” Will said, hovering on the bottom step and her lips were tingling. With anticipation and hope and the knowledge of how much a cab back uptown was going to cost him. 

He surprised her, of course. 

Flipping his wrist, Will’s fingers fluttered once. Silent invitation hung between them, and Belle didn’t think. Didn’t consider options or potential blow-ups, no sign of a pro and con list. It’d be weird to find one on her front step, anyway. 

She dropped her hand into his. 

Still warm, still capable of holding all of hers, the soft pull at the end of her arm didn’t stop until Will’s lips grazed her bent knuckles and stayed there. For the next eight seconds. She counted. Timed it up with the solid thud of her heart against her chest and the propensity of her knees to bend beneath her. In order to accommodate everything she was feeling. 

Too much. 

Not enough. 

“I had fun, ma moitié,” Will said, leaving her brain whirring for a translation. 

“This might be working.” He scrunched his nose when he nodded. “Smarter than I look, that’s why. Keep the shark guy nearby, he’ll make sure danger stays outside where it belongs.”

Belle wanted to say something. Wanted it to be cute and passably witty, enough that there would be a second date so she could be more stubborn, only her tongue wasn’t functioning and she was so close to falling over it was honestly embarrassing. 

Will’s eyebrows jumped again. 

Before he did. Off the steps and back to the waiting cab, taillights not much more than a reflection of snowflakes before Belle was scrambling for her phone. Her fingers shook a little. 

“Ma moitié, ma moitié, ma moitié,” she chanted. It turned into a gasp. As soon as Google returned with its translation. 

My half. 

Whatever sound tumbled out of her was neither cute nor entirely human, heart turning unstable again and the shark looked especially good sitting between the pillows of Belle’s bed. The same one she dropped onto with a laptop propped against her knees so she could figure out how the hell icing worked. 

[whereisthecd]

Magnolia Riders: SuperM/Saddle Club AU ✨

CHAPTER FIVE

masterlist

Key Terms this Chapter

Bridle: The equipment that goes on the horses face when riding. Contains the bit which goes in their mouth, and has the reins which are used to control the horse when riding.

Lead changes: A lead refers to the foot the horse is throwing forward when cantering. It is important to be able to quickly change the lead depending on the direction the rider is going. A lead change kind of looks like the horse is skipping. https://youtu.be/MTmc5SPzhiI

Transitions: This is the act of changing your horse’s gait. For example changing from walk to trot, canter to walk, trot to canter. It’s important to practice transitions so you can have a quicker response time when asking for something from the horse.

Ground poles: Poles laid on the ground equally spaced apart for the rider to trot or canter their horse over. It’s a good beginner or warm up exercise before jumping. 

Ten precariously pulled the bridle over Frida’s head, slipping the metal bit into her mouth. He fastened each buckle slowly, trying to prolong the minutes before he had to be in the outdoor arena. It was Wednesday, the first lesson where the entire team had to be present, meaning Baekhyun would be there. There was nothing Ten dreaded more than having to share space with his enemy, the boy that ruthlessly reminded Ten of all his insecurities. All of the other boys had already left for the arena, and Baekhyun always arrived at lessons insanely early. These last few moments with Frida were the only moments of peace he knew we would be getting for the rest of the afternoon.

After giving Frida a few pats on the neck, and stalling as long as he could, Ten slowly made his way out of the barn. He dragged his feet, nearly causing Frida to pull him along. As they approached the wooden gate to the arena, a knot formed in Ten’s throat. He tried not to make eye contact with anyone, and pretended Baekhyun didn’t exist. He threw his leg over Frida and pushed her on into the arena to begin warming up. Taemin sat on a mounting block in the middle of the arena, Moon patiently sitting next to him. Taemin shot Ten a soft smile, which only made him more nervous. He especially hated riding with Baekhyun because Ten only ever wanted to impress Taemin, but Baekhyun brought out the worst in him.

Meanwhile, Lucas, Mark, and Taeyong were walking their horses along the rail in a line, chatting over each other. Taeyong was solidifying himself within the group and brought a soft side to the team when they needed it most. Baekhyun on the other hand, was busy working Galina up into a hyper frenzy. It didn’t take long for all the boys to notice.

“Baekhyun just let her walk for a bit, there’s no need to get her worked up,” Taemin shouted from the middle of the arena. Without saying a word, Baekhyun slowed her down. There was no question that Baekhyun was a good rider, he was one of the best at Sunset Magnolia. The boys just wished he didn’t know that. Taeyong, now seeing Ten warming up, trotted Flower to match their pace.

“Hey, you okay?” Taeyong asked quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear. Ten stayed focused on the path ahead of him.

“As best as I can I guess, I just hate riding with him. Just watch and see, he’s so rude about everything,” Ten murmured. Taeyong shot him a reassuring look and moved forward.

After a few more minutes of warming up, Taemin ran his riders through several exercises: lead changes, transitions, even ground poles. With every task the boys put in their all, only to be overshadowed by Baekhyun and his drama. Nothing could be done without a snide comment or sarcasm. If Ten rolled his eyes any more he was sure they were going to fall right out of his head. Taeyong had never seen someone act so ridiculous in public. Even worse, he picked on the riders he knew were still tightening their form. Mark and Lucas were used to this beat down by their bully, but today was especially brutal.

By the time course practice was to start, everyone was feeling put off by the vibe of the lesson. Taemin could tell his riders weren’t enjoying each other, but he knew they needed to start somewhere. Taemin’s job was always about balance. Whether it was the barn budget, schedules, or managing the feelings of each student, Taemin felt like he was walking along a tightrope. To mask the discomfort in the arena, he put extra effort into coaching today. As Lucas went forward to jump the practice course first, he tried to pump his riders up.

“Alright we’re all gonna pay attention to Lucas and Gus right now, watch his eye contact on the course. He’s the example to follow here,” he yelled, shooting a smile to Lucas before he took off. Lucas needed the encouragement, it was already hard enough feeling like the circus act of the riding team. He and Gus rallied through the course, keeping a steady pace. Gus easily had the best stride of all the horses, he was long and bulky and desperately wanted to please. It was a nearly perfect ride, except for two consecutive poles down in the last line of the course. Lucas heard the poles sway in the hooks before clunking onto the ground. He let out a sigh as he slowed down to a walk.

“Hey you did great,” Mark encouraged him.

“Yeah, a couple poles is nothing!” Taeyong cheered.

“Too bad you could have avoided that if you just would have had better eye contact, such an avoidable mistake,” Baekhyun mentioned while Taemin was busy fixing the fallen poles. The words stung against Lucas’s ears.

“God you’re such a fucking asshole,” Ten murmured, rolling his eyes before turning back to the course.

“Excuse me?” Baekhyun whipped his head in Ten’s direction. Before Ten or Baekyun could say anything further, Taemin interjected.

“Hey, both of you. Knock it off,” he directed. Ten’s face went pale. He hated disappointing Taemin. He lightly nodded his head. Meanwhile Baekhyun soured his face but kept quiet.

“Mark, it’s your turn. I want to see you confident! Annabelle may know what she is doing but so do you. Relax your hands, guide her with your leg. Tell her where YOU want her to go,” Taemin said. Mark nodded, moving Annabelle forward. He knew his riding was only getting better, he just hoped he could impress at today’s lesson. As Annabelle popped over the first jump she began to gain speed. Mark tried to hide his nerves, relaxing his hands as best as he could but trying to hold on.

“Give Annabelle her head, Mark! Remember, use your leg to guide her!” Taemin yelled from the other side of the arena. Mark tried to follow direction, adding pressure from his leg as best as he could. He and Annabelle arrived at the last set of jumps, soaring over each one. Mark rode his wild white horse in small circles to slow her down at the end, relieved he cleared the course and didn’t fall off.

“Hey nice job, that was fast but I can see you putting in work,” Taemin walked up to Mark and patted his horse’s neck. Mark’s cheeks were red both from exhaustion and embarrassment. He didn’t need Baekhyun to say anything, but he could tell by the shaking of his shoulders that he was holding back laughter. Mark walked back into line, where Lucas gave him a reassuring fist bump. He just wanted it to be over.

Baekhyun was up next. He walked Galina forward, barely pausing to let Taemin give direction.

“Don’t rush her, Baekhyun. She works hard for you, remember to ease up on your leg and open the reins up when you go into the turns. It’s about teamwork, don’t forget that,” he said as Baekhyun cantered Galina down the rail. The two went off, hitting each jump with ease. Galina’s timing was impeccable, and together the two really did look like a championship team. As they came into the final line, Baekhyun pushed Galina through, finishing a clear round in the quickest time.

“Nice work, next time try to slow her down a bit, but great work through those corners,” Taemin said softly. Baekhyun threw the boys a condescending glare as he walked back into line. Taeyong couldn’t dismiss the abilities of Baekhyun and Galina in the ring, but even he was getting sick of the attitude. Ten was ready to go next, he stopped by Taemin before beginning. Taemin put his hand on Ten’s knee, hitting right at Taemin’s shoulder.

“This is a simple course for the two of you, push Frida through it. She loves a challenge and you have got to remind her even the easiest of courses can be rewarding,” Taemin said before nodding to Ten. He tried to hide his nerves, not wanting Taemin to be suspicious. He squeezed his leg on Frida’s side and began. Frida was a lot hotter under Ten than normal, she could feel his nerves radiating off him. He hated when he did this to her, it wasn’t her fault Baekhyun got to him so much. He tried his best to calm her down and move into the first jump, but he missed the stride and Frida’s back leg knocked down the top pole.

“It’s alright, good girl,” Ten said under his breath. He looked on to the next jumps, easing Frida back into the course. She cleared the next jumps, finding her flow again and calming Ten back into the confident rider he knew he was. When the two were on, they were such an easy pair to judge. Ten and Frida cleared the rest of the course, even removing a stride in the last line. Ten let out a soft smile at the end of his ride.

“That was a great recovery! And even removed a stride, nice job you two,” Taemin said. Ten felt on top of the world, he impressed his idol and made it through his part of the lesson. It almost seemed too good to be true. He got back in line at his spot between Baekhyun and Taeyong, but before he could turn to Taeyong, Baekhyun insisted on starting a fight.

“Hey nice job, number two,” Baekhyun sneered.

“Dude come on,” Mark said from the other side of Baekhyun. Ten tried to keep his words down, but Baekhyun kept pushing.

“What, I’m just reminding him of the work he needs to do,” Baekhyun sarcastically replied.

“No, you’re being a fucking asshole. Will you ever shut up, I mean my god,” Ten snapped. Baekhyun began to lean forward over the side of his saddle to get into Ten’s face.

“Oh, I’m sorry? Did I pick on you in front of your boyfriend?” Baekhyun pressed. Ten’s face went completely red.

“He’s not my fucking boyfriend why are you acting like this you piece of shit!” Ten began to yell, he couldn’t take this anymore. The rest of the boys wanted to interject but didn’t know how. They were watching a train fly off the rails.

“Hey, knock it off, now!” Taemin yelled, but it was no use.

“No, but you wish he was! I see the way you look at Taemin, we all know you’re just here to impress him -” before Baekhyun could get another word out, all hell broke loose. Ten swung his right arm at Baekhyun, hitting his shoulder and shoving him back in the saddle. In a rage, Baekhyun shoved Ten with all his force, releasing him from his saddle. Ten tumbled down the side of Frida, now tangled in between her and Flower’s legs on his way to the ground. Taeyong immediately hopped off Flower to provide space, the other boys jumping off their horses as well. Taemin tried to move forward, now visibly frustrated. Simultaneously, the thud of Ten hitting the ground spooked Frida, causing her to kick out. The edge of her hoof crashed into Baekhyun’s knee before sliding across Galina’s stomach, ripping open the skin. Taemin paused in horror at the chaos in his arena. Ten crawled forward trying to hold back tears before getting onto his feet. Baekhyun, in a screaming rage, got off his horse and limped towards Ten. Taemin then pushed his way in between the riders.

“That’s it, I am fucking DONE! Both of you are done today, this lesson is over. I am not tolerating this immaturity in my ring. Both of you get out, now!” Ten looked up at Taemin, the words cutting into him. Before anyone could respond, Ten turned and ran off to the barn. Baekhyun stood furiously in the ring.

“You too, Baekhyun. Get the hell out of here,” Taemin ordered. Baekhyun marched off, trying to avoid showing a limp.

“Fuck all of this, all of you!” Baekhyun yelled, completely forgetting Galina in the ring. He disappeared down the path to the far off pastures. Taemin took a deep breath and walked over to Galina, analysing the gash on the side of her stomach.

“Guess I’m cleaning this up,” Taemin said quietly. For a brief moment he forgot the three other boys were still in the arena. Lucas and Mark stood there, staring at the aftermath. It was then that Taemin realized Frida was still here too, and that all the boys had a mess to clean up.

“Shit, I’m so sorry guys. Ahh Taeyong you didn’t even get to jump -”

“It’s fine, I’m not upset. Please don’t feel bad,” Taeyong tried to reassure him. Taemin stood in between the two riderless horses, trying to game plan.

“I need to take Galina to the wash rack and clean this wound, Baekhyun’s a lost cause at this point in the day, but I need to get Frida back -”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take her,” Taeyong said as he pulled the reins from over Frida’s head and into his hand, “Mark and Lucas, will you guys clean up the arena? I’ll take care of Frida.”

The two boys nodded and tied their horses up to the arena fence before making their way to the other end. Taemin nodded in thanks towards Taeyong as he began to walk both Frida and Flower down to the barn. He knew Ten was in there, and he didn’t want him to be alone.

Inside the barn, Taeyong slowly walked both horses down the aisle, hoping to see Ten sitting somewhere. The trio moved down each stall, not seeing him in the aisle way. As he approached Frida’s stall, he noticed a thin figure perched in the doorway, facing away from them. Ten was covered in dust down his backside from the fall he took, his helmet now sitting on the floor next to him.

“Hey,” Taeyong said quietly, not wanting to startle Ten. He approached the stall with both horses, pausing outside the door. The two boys were now standing in between the horses. Ten turned to look up at Taeyong. He was only a couple inches taller than Ten, but at this moment he seemed towering. Taeyong put Frida’s reins in Ten’s hands and held on for a moment, squeezing his palm in sympathy. Before he could say anything further, Taeyong watched the tears well up in Ten’s eyes and overflow down his cheeks. Taeyong caught Ten in his arms as he collapsed forward, now sobbing uncontrollably.

“I’m so sorry, Ten. Love hurts…so much,” Taeyong said softly, holding nearly all of Ten’s weight in his arms.

“What am I supposed to do,” Ten cried in between intense bouts of weeping. Taeyong, reins still in hand and horses surrounding them, wrapped his arms even tighter around Ten, lightly rubbing his back.

“Just stay here for a moment, we can solve problems later,” Taeyong answered. Ten looked up, his eyes swollen and cheeks raw. Taeyong lightly wiped the tears off Ten’s cheeks before catching him in his arms again.

____

Kai pushed the wheelbarrow to the pasture across the path. He had been out all afternoon, doing his weekly routine of driving out to the back pastures. They were easily a half a mile from the closest pasture to the barn, and in the early spring heat, it was no easy task. Kai stopped the wheelbarrow to unlock the pasture gate, but noticed a figure walking vigorously towards him. Kai squinted his eyes to focus.

“Baek?” Kai said as he moved closer. Baekhyun approached Kai and grabbed his hands, a few tears had dried onto his cheeks. Kai squeezed his hands, trying to keep him still.

“What’s going on? Is everything okay -” Kai was interrupted by Baekhyun’s lips smashing into his. Kai, shocked but accepting, pulled a hand from Baek’s and placed it on his cheek, tasting the salt on his tongue from the tears that had soaked into Baekhyun’s lips. He pulled back and looked Baekhyun in the eye.

“Seriously, what is all this, what happened -”

“Just shut the fuck up and get in the backseat,” Baekhyun said, a bit angrily but calm. Kai knew there was more to the story but knew not to waste any time. He took a step sideways towards the back driver’s door of his pickup truck, fumbling for the handle as Baekhyun pulled up the ends of Kai's white t-shirt. His abs, covered in a light coat of sweat from the day’s work, only urged Baekhyun forward. As the door opened, Kai pushed himself farther into the backseat, pulling Baekhyun on top of him. He quickly helped Baekhyun pull the black polo from over his head, revealing his small yet built frame. Kai planted small, sloppy kisses along Baekyun’s neck and into the crook of his collarbone. Baekhyun let out a soft moan, only to push Kai down onto his back. He placed a hand on Kai’s chest before leaning forward and whispering in his ear.

“Take me away from here.”

[krishnaakhavan-blog]

Twenty years after their debut

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[feitclub]

In The Cards

It all started with James Bond, the arbiter of worldliness and all things cool when I was just a kid stuck in suburbia. The movies were frequently shown on TV and I made it a point to watch them all over and over again. One of my early favorites was Live and Let Die: the theme song kicked ass, it was Roger Moore's first film so he would never look more handsome, and the movie was full of straight-up magic. The bad guys have a fortune teller on their side, and she can seemingly see everything James Bond will do, even from a great distance. The key to her abilities, aside from her being a virgin (which Bond *ahem* takes care of) was her use of tarot cards. Drawing randomly from this special deck of cards, she could literally see the past, the present, and the future.

I had never heard of tarot cards before but I knew I wanted them. I could not have been older than 12.

When I got my hands on a deck, likely from a book store at the mall, there was an instant level of disappointment. The tarot cards in the Live and Let Die had a very specific look to them, and I had presumed that was just how all tarot cards would look. The deck which I bought (received? I don't remember if my parents were in on this) looked different. All the cards were there, but the art I had expected was not. The biggest difference that stood out to me was the "Death" card: in Live and Let Die that card has a super badass drawing of Death-incarnate wearing a suit of armor while riding a Pale Horse as all manner of human beings knelt or simply fell before him. In my deck, Death looked like a cartoon skeleton without clothes or a horse as he literally reaped the grass with a scythe. I am not here to judge aesthetics, but if you see something in a movie and you end up buying something else, especially as a kid, that's not going to sit right.

(I have tried to use modern search engine tools to discover what kind of deck I had: it was easy to figure out that Live and Let Die used a kind of Rider-Waite-Smith deck, but I think I might have ended up with a variant on a Marseilles deck - exactly which variant, I could not say)

Artistically it was a let down but the appeal of the tarot cards only increased as I learned more about them. First, I discovered that the deck was huge with 78 different cards: the big-picture cards that were featured in the film with names like "The Lovers" and "The Fool" were part of the Major Arcana, but there was also a full set of Minor Arcana which resembled playing cards: four suits, lots of numbers, and several face cards. Secondly, every card had two different "readings," depending on which direction the card faced when drawn.

78 cards, all with two different meanings, meant memorization. As a kid, I was all about memorization. In elementary school my friend Sasha and I tried to memorize the Periodic Table and I think we made it to the lanthanides. When I discovered the joy of watching professional sports, I made a point of memorizing all the teams - by division - in all four major sports leagues. Then I started memorizing the championship winners (and the runners-up) of each major sports league for the last ten years...then the last 20. These tarot cards were going to be my new thing, I could feel it.

I started carrying the cards with me wherever I went. As a kid in school this was easy since I always had a backpack on so the size of the cards meant nothing. Sasha and I (we had watched Live and Let Die together, so this became a team obsession) each had our own deck and we both would take turns drawing cards and looking them up in the little booklet that came in the box. I can remember taking them with us on a school trip to Boston and when we weren't in awe of the historical sights (do I need to tell you we were both nerds?) we kept up our tarot studies while walking around town. On one occasion, just as we drew a card and the booklet said it meant "danger," a car honked its horn at us. We were walking in the middle of the street! Clearly, the magic was real.

The tiny booklet also included a recommended layout when "reading" the cards. The lady in the movie just turned them over one at a time and everything made sense to her, but instead these instructions had us laying out ten different cards in a pattern where each card has a different relationship to the reader. Today I can tell you this pattern is called a "celtic cross" and it is only one of many, many shapes and patterns that can be used, but preteen me did not have that information. I had clear directions: to read the cards I had to flip over ten of them and explain them all.

Before I knew it, before either of us were really ready to be doing anything like this, I remember both of us became tarot card readers at our synagogue for a Purim festival. At the time I didn't think anything was weird, but in hindsight I am impressed that no one raised an objection to kids bringing such a thing into the synagogue so we could be fortune tellers. I should say that we were members of a Reform Temple and I cannot recall ever hearing words like "blasphemy" or "occult" used by our rabbi or anyone else in authority; it stood in contrast to all those self-described Christians I would see on TV who were mad about evolution being taught in schools, talking animals existing as characters in children's books, or anything else we might read in a Chick Tract (which come to think of it, we also discovered around this time while riding Metro-North trains into New York City).

My tarot reading habit did not last; Sasha and I had a falling out of sorts and other things just became more important than these strange cards. My deck sat on a shelf in my room for years until I moved out of my childhood home. I cannot say for certain but it more than likely did not leave with me. But my curiosity surrounding the tarot would linger in my mind and resurface soon enough just as my next big obsession would come along and reveal itself to be tarot-adjacent: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

When I discovered JoJo via a fan-subtitled bootleg VHS in the late 1990s, I had no idea the six episodes of anime I just saw covered only one small part of an ongoing (to this day!) manga. The story, as presented on the tape, started in the middle of the action. A lot of it did not make sense, but I latched onto one element right away: every character had superpowers which were embodied - literally - in a spiritual version of themselves on screen and all these alter-egos had tarot-related names: Star Platinum. Hierophant Green. THE WORLD. There wasn't much connection between the card names and the powers they possessed, but it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. If I had still owned a deck I might have started imagining other powers for the other cards not shown on screen (not knowing that they were all represented in some fashion in the original manga).

Leap forward another - gosh, twenty years? - and my tarot fascination never really went away. When I see a Kickstarter or an Etsy page for a new take on tarot cards, I often take a peek at what ideas are on display. A lot of them are just...porn-y. Some are cute. But I'm old(er) now, I don't have the raw enthusiasm I did when I was in 7th grade and the prospect of magic playing cards just made perfect sense. I see daily horoscopes on Japanese TV which I recognize aren't "real," how could I scoff at one kind of fortune telling and then pick up a deck of tarot cards?

Except...who cares if it's "real." What does it matter if these cards are, ultimately, a random assortment of quality art? It's been three entire decades since I first saw them and I'm still deeply intrigued. Part of being old(er) is coming to terms with your own tastes and biases; I no longer need to apologize or feel shame for liking old pop songs or macho action movies and if I've always had a feeling that tarot cards are cool, that feeling is correct.

There's also the feeling that I know so little about tarot cards that I cannot possibly pass judgement on people who use them. I recently started testing a Body Positivity mobile app that uses tarot cards as a means to spark self-reflection and, well, body positivity. The tarot cards in the app are not "real," they're not even physical. They're just drawings on a screen. But the drawings are nice, and if flipping a virtual card over can have a real impact on my own mind, who's to say what flipping real cards over could do?

Even though I felt a need to write all this down, I'm not actually seeking permission here. I already made up my mind and bought a brand-new deck of tarot cards. It's here, next to me. I’ve opened them. I try to draw a few cards whenever I have a chance, but I don't know where this reignited interest will take me. Will I start memorizing them all, again? Will I have another car-honking-its-horn-at-me moment? Maybe I'll just enjoy them aesthetically (they are very nice-looking if I may say so). I don't know what will come next any more than these cards do, but I know I like having them here and I want to know more. At the very least, tarot cards have already taught me an important lesson: I know better than to try and read them while walking in the middle of the road.

---- I shared this story with my Patreon supporters before posting it publicly. Want to help me write more things? Join today: patreon.com/feitclub Ko-fi works too: ko-fi.com/feitclub

[sportsintersections]

16 Awesome Queer Sports Books: Books with LGBTQIA+ Athlete Representation

Image: Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images.

In some ways, the last few years has been a golden time for LGBTQIA+ athletes. The 2019 Women’s World Cup was a record tournament for LGBTQ+ visibility, with at least five players on the U.S. women’s national soccer team being openly queer (Ali Krieger and her now-wife Ashlyn Harris, Megan Rapinoe, A.D. Franch, and Tierna Davidson), as well as coach Jill Ellis, and another player coming out in the moment captured in the photo above, kissing her girlfriend in celebration. Rapinoe’s girlfriend, Sue Bird, another out lesbian athlete who plays in the WNBA, wrote an open letter to the President of the United States. A blockbuster movie told the story of iconic out lesbian tennis star Billie Jean King. Jason Paul Collins came out in 2013 (but retired the following year). Michael Sam was the first openly gay man to be drafted into the NFL in 2014 (but he has since retired).

But, according to the Human Rights Campaign, 70% of LGBTQIA+ people don’t come out to their teammates while still playing a sport, and 82% of athletes have witnessed homophobic and/or transphobic language in their sport. It is still more common, especially for male athletes, to come out after they have already left their sport (TW for homophobic slurs/statements and suicidal ideation), and many athletes who are still playing face backlash (TW for misgendering & general transphobia).

These books, from memoirs by professional queer athletes to YA romances with LGBTQIA+ athlete protagonists, explore these issues and more. 

Books are YA fiction unless otherwise noted.

Spinning, by Tillie Walden (graphic memoir)

This beautiful graphic novel memoir captures Tillie’s experience with figure skating and why she eventually decided to give it up. Full review here.

Girl Crushed, by Katie Heaney

Quinn thought her senior year would be perfect: college scouts recruiting her to her dream school for D1 soccer and her best-friend-turned-girlfriend at her side. But then Jamie dumps her, a month before the school year begins, and it’s getting a little late to have heard back from schools, if she’s going to end up on one of the top teams. Over the course of the school year, Quinn learns that her binary black-and-white, gay-and-straight, success-and-failure ways of seeing her world could stand to be a little more complicated. This book is about identity, self-esteem, friendship, crushes, and soccer. There are also many fun USWNT references! TW for some (challenged) bisexual erasure.

The Reappearing Act: Coming Out on a College Basketball Team Led by Born-Again Christians, by Kate Fagan (adult memoir)

Kate was thrilled to be playing basketball for a nationally-ranked school and to have a close-knit group of teammates. Her best friends were part of Colorado’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and she tried to join them and learn about their church, but she started to realize that she might be one of those people whose “sinful lifestyles” they talked about. She had to figure out how to come out without losing her friends, and her team.

Check, Please! Volume 1, by Ngozi Ukazu (graphic novel)

This adorable graphic novel (which was originally published as a popular webcomic) follows Bitty, a former junior figure skating champion and enthusiastic baker, who somehow ended up on the Samwell University hockey team. He’s terrified of checking (what if he gets hurt??), trying to figure out if he can win over the guys with pies, and also feeling some kind of way about the hot but grumpy captain.

Keeper of the Dawn, by Dianna Gunn

Lai wants to become a priestess, like her mother and grandmother were before her, but first she must prove herself in the trials she’s been training for her whole life. Nothing goes according to plan, but she can still depend on herself and her skill as a fighter and a horseback rider and take matters into her own hands. This fantasy novel features an asexual protagonist and a f/f romance.

The Passing Playbook, by Isaac Fitzsimmons (2020/2021 release)

This book hasn’t been released yet, but there are so few (if any) own voices YA sports books with trans characters that I decided to include it anyway. A queer, biracial, trans soccer player is benched, and has to decide whether to fight the ruling, even though that would mean coming out to everyone…including the Christian teammate he’s falling for.

Running with Lions, by Julian Winters

This coming-of-age novel follows Sebastian, a bisexual rising senior who’s excited for his last summer at soccer camp, where his teammates are great and the coach doesn’t expect anyone to stay in the closet. But then Emir Shah, a Muslim British-Pakistani new recruit, shows up. He also happens to be Sebastian’s former best friend, and they left things on pretty bad terms. So why is he finding himself attracted to Emir all of the sudden?

None of the Above, by I.W. Gregorio

I am hesitant to recommend this non-ownvoices intersex representation, but it’s the only book I know of about an intersex teen athlete, and, while it is imperfect and seems geared towards a non-intersex audience, there are certainly some good things to be said about it. It is informative, well-researched, and moving. Kristin, a homecoming queen and champion hurdler with a cute boyfriend, seems to be having a great high school experience. But a doctor’s visit reveals that she’s intersex, and, while she’s still coming to terms with what that might mean for her and her identity, her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school. TW for transphobic/anti-intersex slurs and bullying.

Forward: My Story, Young Readers’ Edition, by Abby Wambach (memoir)

U.S. Women’s National Team soccer star Abby Wambach tells her story with honesty and vulnerability, sharing how she came to lead her team to a World Cup win in 2015. She is open about her sexuality and romantic life (including a named mention of a certain pink-haired teammate, who also happens to be her ex-girlfriend) and how it affected her career.

We Ride Upon Sticks, by Quan Barry (adult fiction, with teen protagonists)

The 1989 Danvers high field hockey team finds themselves winning…a lot. Is it because they all wrote their names in a mysterious notebook with Emilio Estevez on the cover, and pledged themselves to dark forces so they could make the state championships? This darkly funny story explores friendship, sportsmanship, and what means to find power and sense of self as a teen girl.

Beautiful on the Outside, by Adam Rippon (adult non-fiction)

In his comedic memoir, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon shares his journey from poverty and uncertainty to success and becoming a self-professed American sweetheart. He opens up about anxiety attacks, coming to terms with his sexuality and coming out, and some enjoyable behind-the-scenes gossip. He also narrates the audiobook.

Ana on the Edge, by A.J. Sass (middle-grade, fall 2020 release)

Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie is the reigning U.S. Juvenile figure skating champion, but that doesn’t mean everything feels easy or figured out. When Ana meets Hayden, a transgender boy, at the rink, Hayden mistakes Ana for a boy…and Ana doesn’t bother to correct him. In fact, it feels good to be seen as a boy. Now Ana must decide which identity feels the most right, in time for a big competition coming up. This book isn’t out yet, but it’s due to be released in fall 2020, and it is written by a non-binary (and autistic) author, who is also a figure skater.

Heartstopper, Volume 1, by Alice Oseman (graphic novel)

Charlie is neurotic and openly gay (after he was outed last year and bullied for months), and hoping that Year 10 at the British all-boys grammar school will be better. He meets Nick, an upbeat, sweet rugby player, and they become friends. Soon he finds himself hoping that their friendship turns into something more.

Fearless: Portraits of LGBT Student Athletes, by Jeff Sheng (non-fiction)

This is a memoir of an American artist who uses his story as a closeted high school athlete in the 1990s as a jumping-off-point to depict hundreds of photos of other LGBTQ+ high school and college athletes in the U.S. and Canada between 2003 and 2015.

Amateur, by Thomas McBee (adult memoir/non-fiction)

In this memoir, Thomas McBee describes grappling with the meaning of masculinity, violence, and sports. As a trans man, he has noticed since his transition that the world treats him completely differently and expects different things from him. But what does he want, and how does he want to define masculinity and strength for himself? He decides to train for a charity boxing match at Madison Square Garden as a way to find out.

Dryland, by Sara Jaffe

Julie is a cynical teen in Portland at the height of the grunge movement, struggling to define herself and her sexuality. No one in her family is willing to talk about her older brother, who at one point seemed destined for the Olympics but then fell off the map. Julie has never considered swimming herself, but then the swim team captain convinces her to join. Is this what she’s been looking for -- a way to get closer to her brother and maybe herself?

[All book covers belong to their respective publishers].

[segwaytoursofseattle-blog]

How hard is it to ride a Segway?

Until last week, when a humble, trundling scooter took out the fastest man in the world. At the World Athletic Championships in Beijing, cameraman Song Tao interrupted Usain Bolt’s 200m victory lap, knocking the world’s greatest sprinter clean off his speedy feet with a misjudged lean against an unseen barrier. The Segway was everywhere, again, for the wrong reasons, again. It looked as if Tao’s battery-run vehicle had careered out of control. It looked painful. But how hard can it be to learn to ride the world’s most talked-about gyroscopic balancing machine? I went to Segway Unleashed to find out.

It’s hard to say Segway Unleashed without sounding like you’re doing the voiceover for a disaster movie trailer. On the way to one of its two centres – where we are promised “the most exciting Segway experience in the south east and Milton Keynes” – I asked my friend what she thought of when I said “Segway”. She thought about it for a minute, then said, with certainty: “fleece”. To Segway is to trundle, in a fleece. Clearly we have preconceptions.

The branch of Segway Unleashed that I visit is just off the M25, in the grounds of a beautiful farm near Godstone in Surrey. I stick my head into the workshop and say hello to Ben Morling, founder and MD of both branches, who got into the Segway business after some success with a sphering, or zorbing, company. (You’re strapped into a giant, inflatable ball and rolled down a hill. Ben shows me the shape of his broken fingers, all sphering-related injuries, and I can see why he got into Segway instead.) Ben is reassembling a Segway, which came back from the repair shop this weekend, with a £1,000 bill.

I thought they might cost around £1,000, which is twice as much as the car I arrived in, so I ask him exactly how much a Segway would set me back. Six thousand pounds, he tells me, immediately dashing my dreams of zipping around Guardian HQ using only my natural balancing skills and the scientific might of gyroscopic sensors. Can’t you get one cheaper? “That’s why a Ferrari is a Ferrari,” he tells me. “It’s not the cheap, plastic crap. I went to the Gadget Show and I tried them, and nah.” He shakes his head. There will be no cheap, plastic crap at Segway Unleashed. “We’ve never taken out an Olympic runner on one of these. We’ve taken each other out, but not a runner!”

Ben is pretty sure it wasn’t a Segway that took out Usain Bolt. Not an official one, anyway. He shows me a still from the incident on his phone, and zooms in for forensic analysis. The rubber footplates that distribute the rider’s weight were absent. He thinks the mudguards were too small. The charge port is the wrong colour. There is no red line on the battery. It just wouldn’t happen at Segway Unleashed.

The price tag is one of the reasons people think Segways haven’t really taken off – even though other companies have brought out cheaper versions costing a few hundred pounds. That, and the fact that in many places, you can’t just jump on one and use it to nip to the shops, or for your daily commute. In the UK, they are banned from pavements (though only one man has ever been prosecuted – Philip Coates, from South Yorkshire, who was fined £75 under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835). In Germany, they must be licensed. In Canada, they are banned from public roads and sidewalks. Legislatively, they are confusing, at best.

But here, on private land, seven of us are ready to learn exactly how far these two-wheeled mean machines will take us. We have signed to accept that there is some risk of a broken bone. I agree that I am not under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, and do not have any medical conditions that might impact my ability to control the unit. I am given a red motorcycle helmet that I decide makes me look like a Power Ranger, though when I say this to my friend, she has a look that suggests she is thinking, “Power Plonker, more like”.

We are ready. To be. Unleashed!

The Segways are in beginner’s “turtle mode” and will go at a maximum speed of 4.5mph.

Our group – me, my friend, a couple in their 20s, and a father and his two kids – begin the session in Zone One: a field in which we learn how to balance and lean. Our instructor, Kieran Richards, is on his third season at Segway Unleashed. He got into Segway after a couple of seasons of sphering, where he met Ben, who introduced him to the harder stuff. Confounding my notions of fleece, Kieran is a laidback skater who says he falls off the Segways all the time, but only because he’s trying to do tricks on them, which even he admits can be foolish. Leaning, he says to the group, is the key to everything. “Be consistent with your leaning,” he tells us. “Don’t be too aggressive with your leaning.” Usain Bolt has made his life a whole lot easier, because people didn’t really think you could fall off a Segway, and then suddenly, a video went around the world proving that you could, and how. Poor Song Tao, I think. Once a noble cameraman, now a “how not to” punchline in an off-road Segway experience on a farm in Surrey. Kieran says that people only fall off when they catch their wheels, like Tao did, or when they get too cocky.

I resolve not to get too cocky. 4.5mph sounds pretty slow, until you’re standing on a self-balancing scooter controlled by a gyroscope that relies solely on your ability to lean forwards and backwards with just enough oomph to make sure it moves.

It’s a bit like stepping onto solid ground if you’ve been on water for hours. It should be the easiest thing in the world to stand still and upright, but suddenly my legs are untrustworthy, and I rock back and forth. The trick is to relax, apparently. I am glad I don’t have a chest full of camera equipment to carry with me. Once balance is established, it’s fairly easy: forward to go, back to stop. Don’t be aggressive with your leaning. The seven of us zip around the training field, at 4.5mph. I avoid the bumps. After five minutes, I seek out the bumps. I wonder how hard it would be to do Segway tricks.

Zone Two: the woods. In the woods, we learn to use our knees as shock absorbers, and Joe Hammond, another skater-turned-instructor, starts “catching air” from a tree root that acts as a launching ramp. “You will not catch air,” he reassures us, though I start to think I would like to catch air. The woods are fun. They’re muddy and bumpy and even though the Segway is still going at 4.5mph (maximum), it no longer seems like a trundle. This is what extreme sports must feel like! If you’re doing them very slowly! I go over a root and feel my Segway lifting at least 2mm off the ground. I wonder if I could get sponsorship. Perhaps Nike would like to see their logo on my raincoat as I amble around a track in a wood. Maybe Vans would pay me to wear their trainers, as I lean forward into the unknown. An Adidas helmet. A Red Bull jumper. Perhaps, perhaps. I am ready for the final step. Zone Three: the time trials.

The time trials are the most dangerous part of the session. “This is where the psychology kicks in,” Ben tells me. Simply, he says, people are desperate to be the fastest, even though “there’s no prize or anything.” I am desperate to be the fastest. We get a practice run around the track, after a final lesson in leaning. Here, Kieran explains, you can actually put your weight on the sideplates, like a parallel turn if you’re skiiing, or like taking a corner on a motorbike. Joe does some leans that say: I mean business. None of us quite pull it off, but it’s getting serious.

Turtle mode is switched off. We are about to enter maximum Segway speed: 12.5mph. “I’ve come off at that before,” says Joe, like a man who has known trauma. We line up for the time trial. I lean forward as hard as I’ve ever leaned, except on the corners, which are muddy, and look as if they could be slippy. Then I lean some more. I whizz – no more trundling – across the finish line, and wait for our times to come in. I am not seventh! Applause. I am not sixth! More applause, this time for my friend, who fell off taking the corner a little bit too keenly, proving that I was right not to go feral. I am not … hold on. I am fifth. I am only marginally faster than someone who stacked it and had to get back on before she could continue the time trial. I get my applause. The sponsorship dream dies. We were all beaten by an 11-year-old, who managed the track “with a very quick time indeed, very fast”, according to an impressed-looking Kieran. Kids are fearless, we agree.

It does not look like Segways are going to take the UK by storm, but Joe thinks a version of them may become mainstream yet. The “new, smaller, cheaper things” he refers to have yet to adopt a common name, but are called swegways by some, hover boards by others. They are, essentially, Segways without handles, made more cheaply. Segway Unleashed has had people bringing their swegways to the farm, to see if they can be repaired. “I tell them, send it back to who made it,” says Ben. They are more of the “cheap, plastic crap” of which he does not approve. “You’re saying it’s a Segway like you’d say Hoover for a vacuum,” he says. His Segways are metal, not plastic. They are built to last.

Down and out: Segway’s other celebrity victims George Bush: Of course George Bush has had a Segway fail. The former president could no more stay away from a two-wheeled transporter than a Thanksgiving turkey could keep out of his trousers. In 2003, while visiting the family house in Maine, the then president stepped on to a Segway and went down instantly. Being Dubya, he got back up and proceeded to cruise up the driveway with his father, George Bush Sr, bringing up the rear on, yep, another Segway. One wonders if the company slogan – “simply moving” – was inspired by this very scene.

Piers Morgan: After Bush’s fall from grace, Piers Morgan’s Daily Mirror ran the gleeful headline: “You’d have to be an idiot to fall off, wouldn’t you Mr President,” adding that “if anyone can make a pig’s ear of riding a sophisticated, self-balancing machine like this, Dubya can.” However, Segways have their own way of redressing the gyroscopic balance of power and soon enough the another powerful white man was beckoned on to the bucking bronco. Four years later Morgan had an epic fall off a Segway while cruising along the promenade at Santa Monica beach, breaking three ribs. “Since only [Bush] and I appear to have ever fallen off one,” he later said, “I think the makers of the Segway can probably still justifiably claim the machines are ‘idiot-proof.’”

Joe Previtera: Aussie cameraman Joe Previtera provided a foreshadowing of Usain Bolt’s fate when he catapulted off his Segway during the 2011 Australia v India Test match in Melbourne. The culprit this time was a helmet on the ground, which Previtera drove over. The commentators burst into laughter and Previtera, who was helped to his feet by the wicketkeeper, confessed he had earlier bragged: “No way, I will never crash this thing ever.” Fact: sports cameramen cannot shoot and Segway at the same time. They would be safer, cooler (and possibly faster) gliding about the pitch in kids’ roller shoes.

Ellie Goulding: It’s not just world leaders and cameramen who are cocky enough to think they can tame the 12.5mph Segway. Pop star Ellie Goulding hopped on one on holiday in Miami, at first “taking off effortlessly along the pavement by the beach”, according to the tabloid who captured the tumble frame by mind-numbing frame. Disaster (OK, sand) struck, Goulding went flying, then got up and took a bow. In beachwear. You can see why this made the news.

Ellen DeGeneres: At the start of 2010 the US talkshow host did a monologue on the Segway X2 that Portia de Rossi had just bought her for Christmas. During the skit she rode the machine around the studio, then admitted: “I’ve already hurt myself on it twice.” The first time was on Christmas morning when, heading for a flowerbed, she threw herself off and split her shin open. The second was rehearsing the monologue and falling off while demonstrating her ability to go backwards. Cut to a clip of the fall and DeGeneres shouting: “Did we get it on tape because that’s the most important thing?” What a pro (or ego).

Jimi Heselden: The Segway falls into the tragic category of inventions that have killed its inventors or owners. In 2010, less than a year after taking over the company, millionaire businessman Jimi Heselden was driving his off-road Segway X2 when he fell off a cliff and into a river near his West Yorkshire estate and died. The coroner later said the 62-year-old reversed the machine to make way for a dog walker and died as a result of this ‘act of courtesy’. Less than 48 hours after Heselden’s death, research was published indicating that accidents involving Segways are on the rise. Chitra Ramaswamy

Find Original Post Here

[sbknews]

Herlings and Vialle Top the Podium at the Bitci MXGP of Turkey

The racing has finished and with it concluded the Bitci MXGP of Turkey, the first of two Grand Prix’s taking place in Afyonkarahisar. Both the MXGP and MX2 riders added to the Turkish heat, treating the local crowd to four nail biting races that concluded with overall victories from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle.

After posting the fastest lap time in Time Practice, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado started the first race with the Fox Holeshot, as he led Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were side by side on the opening lap and moments later both got around Jonass who dropped to sixth. Herlings then caught onto the back of Coldenhoff and passed his fellow Dutchman as Gajser set out to do the same. But the Slovenian struggled for 10 laps behind Coldenhoff always coming short of making a pass. Febvre remained all over Prado for the lead, as Gajser came under fire from Cairoli who got around the Honda rider to move into sixth. He then got around Coldenhoff too and was pushing to get closer to Jonass. Gajser then caught back up with the 259 of Coldenhoff and passed him on lap 11, as JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi got Brian Bogers of Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing for eighth to solidify a top 10 result. After spending the majority of the race in third, Herlings switched it up a gear and was on a charge to close in on Febvre and Prado. It did not take him long as he got Febvre on lap 13 and then just two laps later was in front of Prado. Jonass started to challenge Febvre too and with three laps from the end of the race was able to get the job done. Herlings was the race winner, with Prado finishing second and Jonass third. In the second heat it was once again Prado with the Fox Holeshot as he led the race once again while Febvre, Gajser, Jonass and Cairoli followed behind. Herlings struggled further down the field as he passed Kevin Strijbos of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing for seventh position. Herlings then continued to make progress as he got around Coldenhoff and set his sights on Cairoli, while Gajser charged past Febvre to move into second place. The gap was then 1.366 seconds between Prado and Gajser, as the Slovenian was clear with his intentions of going for the win. Jonass then had a big crash as he went off the track while battling with Cairoli for fourth, with the Latvian not finishing the race. Cairoli inherited his position as Herlings started to close in too. Gajser then made another attempt to pass Prado and was able to secure the position and take over the lead on lap nine. Cairoli then caught onto the back wheel of Febvre as the pair traded positions a couple of times before the Italian was able to make it stick and take away third from the Kawasaki rider, as Herlings did the same. Gajser then led by 2.877 seconds, as Prado was starting to feel the force of Cairoli and Herlings who were catching up fast. Cairoli and Prado had a couple of close calls before making contact, but both remained on the bikes. Eventually Cairoli crashed after, which allowed Herlings through. With one lap to go, Herlings got his head down and got to work as he was able to pass Prado and secure the top step of the podium. Gajser was the race winner, with Herlings second and Prado third. With a 1-2 result, Jeffrey Herlings was back on the top step, while Jorge Prado was forced to settle for second and Tim Gajser joining the pair in third. In terms of the championship standings, Gajser leads Prado by 13 points, while Febvre remains third a further four points behind. Jeffrey Herlings: “Definitely the first race was much easier because I was around fourth of fifth in the start and only had to pass a few guys. Both starts were off today and with the high altitude here we changed some things with the bike, but I think maybe we should go in a different direction. The start was pretty bad in the first race but then I managed to pass Glenn, Romain and Jorge and then it went pretty easy. Second race I was around tenth or twelfth, it was harder to get around the other guys, the last few laps were sketchy between Jorge and Tony as they were fighting for second position. Then Tony crashed right in front of me and then I managed to sneak past Jorge, but Tim was too far away for me to do anything about it. A 1-2 is good, we have some good racing and I look forward to it, I like the track but will definitely work on the starts and try some things. The arm is fine now, in Lommel it was very painful but in Latvia it was already much better, I still had a bit of pain but nothing crazy. I don’t know if you can ever be 100% but I am trying to be the best as I can because the competition is strong. If you look at the championship, the top five guys are really close”. Jorge Prado: “I think it was a great day. I got two good starts which makes things a lot easier. I led the most laps today so this gives me a confidence boost for Wednesday, the only thing is I was riding the same lines but when Jeffrey passed me in race one and Tim in the second one, I could see where I could improve. Physically I am feeling ok and I am getting better, the bike is working good. It was a pity on the last lap to be passed by Jeffrey, but hopefully on Wednesday we get some good results. There is still a lot of racing left, I need to take it race by race and stay within the top three, that is my goal, and get some race wins if I can. You don’t always get such a good field of riders because of injuries and other reasons but now everybody is ready to go racing so it is nice to race when everybody is fit”. Tim Gajser: “I had two completely different races. The first race I had a solid start, but I got stuck behind Glenn and couldn’t pass him for ten laps so I kind of lost the rhythm, got arm pump and finished sixth and I was definitely not happy with it. In the second one, I had a good start and was third and then made quick passes in the middle of the race, made a small gap and controlled the race. Definitely happy with the second race. I will try to improve the starts for Wednesday and be more consistent and just have fun because that’s the most important things”. MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:42.407; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:05.534; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GASGAS), +0:06.236; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:09.174; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:31.970; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:35.999; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.191; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:54.267; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, Honda), +0:56.317; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:57.016; MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:39.849; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:04.654; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:08.824; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.683; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:34.198; 6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), +0:39.772; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:41.305; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:42.717; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Yamaha), +0:45.092; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.408; MXGP - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 40 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 36 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 28 p.; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 23 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 20 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, GAS), 19 p.; MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 310 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 297 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 293 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 284 p.; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 274 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 234 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 200 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 197 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 157 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 133 p.; MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 376 points; 2. Honda, 311 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 298 p.; 4. Yamaha, 265 p.; 5. GASGAS, 230 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 145 p.;

In the first MX2 race of the day, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who grabbed the Fox Holeshot ahead of his fellow teammate Rene Hofer as well as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and Kay De Wolf, as well as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini. While Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2’s Maxime Renaux was further down the field in around eighth position. Hofer then took over the lead from Vialle, as Renaux managed to find a way through on De Wolf to move into fifth. Vialle then got to work as he caught back up with his teammate and by lap four was back in the driving seat and leading the race. Renaux then lost a spot to Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez for a brief moment before getting back around the Spaniard, while Hofer was starting to come under pressure from Beaton and Guadagnini. Though at the front of the field, Vialle continued to clock the fastest lap times of the race, as Thibault Benistant of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2 and F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mathys Boisrame battled for eighth. Guadagnini finally managed to get around Beaton on lap eight and then five or six laps later was able to get Hofer to get into second. Hofer then faded off as both Beaton and Renaux got around the Austrian, while Fernandez dived down the inside of De Wolf for sixth. In the end it was Vialle who won the race 5.988 seconds ahead of Guadagnini and Beaton who crossed the line in third. In race two it was Renaux with a flying start, as he took the second Fox Holeshot of the day and led the way with Beaton second and Vialle third. Guadagnini got another strong start and so did Gianluca Facchetti of Team Beddini Racing KTM on his first outing with the new team. Hofer then got around Fernandez for fifth as Vialle tried to get around Beaton, with the Australian quick to respond and claim back his second-place spot. As Renaux stretched out his lead to 2.490 seconds, Beaton came under fire from Vialle once again, with the KTM rider finally making a pass stick on lap five. Vialle then set the fastest lap of the race as he began to close in on the race leader, Renaux. But Renaux stepped it up a gear himself to set the fastest lap of the race himself, with the two Frenchman clock fast times lap after lap. While the battle for the win was well and truly on between Renaux and Vialle, Guadagnini was also not letting go of Beaton for third as he started to apply the pressure. With just a couple of laps from the finish, Vialle went down as he was focused on passing Renaux which handed the Yamaha rider a victory, while Vialle was able to get back on his bike quickly and hold on to second as Beaton was able to keep Guadagnini at bay and finish the day with another third-place finish. With a 1-2 result, Tom Vialle was on the top step of the podium while Maxime Renaux was forced to settle for second ahead of Jed Beaton in third, as he secured his second podium of 2021. Renaux continues to lead the MX2 championship, maintaining a healthy 37-point lead over Guadagnini who has gained a bit of breathing room to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2’s Jago Geerts who is a further 15 points adrift. Tom Vialle: “It’s really good to be back on top after the injury. The summer break was good because I could train and work on the bike also and now to be back is really good. I was happy in the morning to take pole position because it’s not a lot of times that I’ve taken the pole position which was pretty nice. I took two good starts and in the second race I pushed to come back but it was difficult to pass as there were not so many lines and Maxime was riding pretty good. I tried to give my best. For sure to win here is good and to stay here in Turkey is nice, I like the track and it will be a good race on Wednesday”. Maxime Renaux: “Was two completely different races today. I took two good stars, but in the first race I went too wide which allowed the other riders on the inside, so I had to fight my way through the pack and come back from eighth to fourth. I was riding a little bit stiff and was not happy with the riding. For the second race we changed some things on the bike, I was feeling much more comfortable and took the holeshot and then had the perfect race. For Wednesday I will look to improve on my lap times because it’s important to be on the inside here. I take it race by race, I want to win all the races if I can but it’s pretty hard and I need to think about the championship. I’m also trying to be more clever than before and avoid making stupid mistakes and keep control of the championship”. Jed Beaton: “It was a pretty good day for me. Never pulled the holeshot but in the first race I came close which was good, but then made a small mistake which allowed the KTM guys to pass and then Tom was going quite fast and I got a little bit of arm pump so I went back a little bit but then the last few laps of the race I felt like I was riding good again and try to take that into the second race. I got another good start but lost a bit of rhythm in the first few laps, the guys pulled away but I was just trying to manage my own race and then had Mattia on my back which added some pressure, but overall it was a good consistent day for me to put together two good races which has been a struggle for me for the last couple of races and it’s a good step in the right direction. It’s good to recharge the batteries as the last four rounds were pretty tough so it took a lot of energy out of us and the little break was nice for everyone”. MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 34:00.016; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), +0:05.988; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:07.359; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:16.158; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:27.478; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:31.297; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:34.174; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:35.151; 9. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:43.644; 10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.403; MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 35:20.827; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:01.638; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:11.439; 4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), +0:12.624; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:28.479; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:37.230; 7. Wilson Todd (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:45.210; 8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:54.046; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:56.764; 10. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:58.882; MX2 - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 43 p.; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 27 p.; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 26 p.; 8. Wilson Todd (AUS, KAW), 24 p.; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 24 p.; 10. Isak Gifting (SWE, GAS), 18 p.; MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 314 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 277 p.; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 262 p.; 4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 237 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 229 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 228 p.; 7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 216 p.; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 210 p.; 9. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 204 p.; 10. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 180 p.; MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 355 points; 2. KTM, 339 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 266 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 252 p.; 5. Honda, 237 p.; 6. GASGAS, 181 p.; BITCI MXGP OF TURKEY – QUICK FACTS Circuit length: 1725m Type of ground: Hard Pack Temperature: 28° Weather conditions: Sunny For more news checkout our dedicated MXGP/MX2 News page Or visit the official MXGP website mxgp.com Follow us on social media: Instagram: @superbikenews Twitter: @sbknews Facebook: @superbikenews SBN Directory - add your motorcycle related business here

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[deadinsidedressage]

Anonymous Barn Drama #30

Oh, I’m Sorry. I Didn’t Realize It’s ILLEGAL to Be a Person.

Also known as, “That Time I Did That Schooling Show That Really, Really Sucked Because My Trainer Was A Verbally Abusive Piece of Shit AND I Never Knew My Weird Friend Had Apparently Reached Nirvana”

My first schooling show was not a positive experience.  I was talked into showing a horse that I didn’t think was ready (oh the perks of being a working student) and we never actually made it all the way down the centerline. 

 So, when I got the opportunity to take another horse to a schooling show that could actually make it around the ring, I took it. A week or so before we left for the show, the horse’s owner decided she was going to sell him but knew that a 4 year old that had never been off the property might be a tough sell so decided to let me take him to the show anyway.

  I was relieved, I loved working with this horse and was actually really looking forward to the show as I didn’t have any show experience at the time and could use the exposure. 

Of course, my high anxiety trainer got all worked up about the fact that he was now for sale and suddenly my relaxing schooling show experience was now a “score as high as you can so we can sell this horse or else” experience. Fuck me, amirite?

We get to the show with two four year olds, one for each working student, and a school master and his rider who had also never been to a show before. yikes.tumblr.com

 Thankfully, the other working student had a lot of show experience and was able to help me figure everything out because my trainer was completely focused on the student as she “forgot” how little show experience I had… I caught on pretty quickly that she didn’t think she needed to spend any extra energy on me as she predominately helped the other baby horse who was being naughty and the student who didn’t have a whole lot of experience and probably wasn’t really ready to be at the show anyway. Basically, my trainer thought that putting the immense pressure of insisting if I didn’t make that horse get 8s on everything ever he wouldn’t sell and I would ruin his life was not only FINE but probably meant that I didn’t need any attention at all. I get that my baby was being a Good Boy in comparison and that I knew way more about showing in comparison.... but, um... please help me?

We all ended up in the same classes, so my trainer was predominately by the show ring and really wasn’t helping any of us in the warmup since she was watching whoever was doing their test. Which was fine, at first. Then, right as the other working student was about to go down centerline with her baby, I was run into by a pony in the warm up which sent my horse bolting and bucking through the entire warmup arena. Like straight up, this little kid ran her black and white spotted pony up my baby horse’s ASS at the canter. No heads up either. Just all of a sudden a 12.2hh pinto pony has it’s nose as close to this 17+hh baby horse’s butt. He could feel the hot breath of unruly pony on his rectum and he noped out hard.

Feeling the breath of a Smol Santa on his asshole, the horse I’m on just decides to become a bucking bronc with these HUGE bucks across the arena. I sit most of them, but one particularly big one unseated me and just screwed my ability to stay on. I ended up dumped in the corner and he was loose, running around the warmup. My trainer had her back to the ring as she was focused on the test being ridden and missed the entire thing except she heard on the speakers that there was a loose horse. Thankfully, one of my friends who wasn’t with my barn happened to be at this same schooling show. She was salting her wounds after some particularly horrible tests earlier in the day and was waiting to watch my ride, so she actually saw what happened and rushed over to help. 

So of course my trainer waits until the test is finished to look around and see what happened when she noticed that some randos were holding the horse I was supposed to be riding. Thankfully they walked him to me and not to her, I took him out of the ring to be met by my VERY angry trainer. Not only was she mad that some randos were walking him, she was pissed that I could be bothered to come off of him at a show in front of potential buyers and if I had just ridden him better I could have stayed on. In between berating me for DARING to come off him and “probably dropping his worth by $15,000″, she snatches the reins from me. I admit, I’m a bit of a wreck at this point thanks to the adrenaline of coming off being mixed with someone then being livid with me for being a human being. 

 I have about 15 minutes before I supposed to be going down centerline for my test and I’m not entirely sure I’m going to be ready in time when she turns to me and asks if I can get myself together in order to ride my test like I’m supposed to or if I’m planning on calling the owner to let her know that I’m scratching all the classes and letting all her money go to waste. I tell her I need a moment to compose myself. She looks like she’s about to ignore that and whip out her cellphone to explain to the owner that I’m the worst, etc. when my friend just grabs the reins back from her. I think it might have been because she was dead inside from how truly, truly horrific her tests were (she had a “different horse” in the ring than she did in warm-up and looked positively suicidal when she saluted at the end), but she was being the zenist motherfucker in the world.  The balls on this bitch.  Anyway, she grabs the horse and says something like “It’s okay, I’ve got this” in a weird ass Buddhist intonation and just takes over? I need to get back on the horse but I’m trying to be calm and not frazzled and the idea of going over to the mountain block is just not working. So this ancient Indian guru spirit channeling bitch finds cinder-blocks from God knows where and stacks them into a makeshit mounting block and gets me on. Gives me some eerily placid, tranquil pep talk about how I am capable and worthy and far more talented than I am giving myself credit for and sees me off into the warmup. She was so fucking oddly calm it was almost unnerving.  I’m able to trot the baby horse around and sort of settle us both, but I never got to warmup my canter so my departs were “expressive”. YET, the test went really well. 

 As I was walking out of the ring my trainer tells me that she was glad people got to see the test because he is such an easy horse and she just didn’t want their view of him tarnished by me coming off. Insert Waka Flocka “okay” gif here smh.  For the rest of the day she continues grumbling about how I ruined any chance of selling the horse and how she should have had the other working student just show both horses. Again, need I reiterate that she is just having so much fun dragging me through the dirt for falling off a horse that spooked massively in a situation that, while unfortunate, wasn’t fully in my control.

Then the scores come in, I won the class. With over a 70%. The other working student didn’t even break out of the mid 60′s on the other baby.

Ahem, suck my mother fucking dick.

Throughout the day, I am approached by riders and trainers asking if the horse was for sale and what his price was.  One lady basically offered to buy him on the spot except then suddenly my trainer ups his price by 20k based on all the interest without consulting the owner at all,  of course not missing a beat in telling me he could go for even more if I hadn’t been bucked off. 

We had a second test in the afternoon which I requested we scratch because he was pretty body sore and I didn’t think he’d perform well.  I was told that it was not an option to waste somebody else’s money and that I was doing it or she’d find someone else to do it.  So I made it work with as short a warmup as possible but he definitely didn’t have a strong second test.   Oh and somewhere in the middle of being in pain and having to do a second test, my creepy friend wisps in like a balmy breeze with a bottle of champagne and tries to get me drunk so I don’t “feel” how sore I am. I don’t know if she was drunk the whole day or even at all or if this is just... how she gets when she makes a 20% look like a possible score to get without being removed from the test?

Even so, my trainer was convinced the second test was better than the first and that I would regret wanting to scratch him. When the scores came in and he got a 65 and was middle of the class, she  decides goes on a tirade about how horrible the judging was and that we’d never go to a schooling show there again, blah, blah, blah, the world is unfair, please care about my white tears. Of course she never takes responsibility for the fact that she pushed a baby horse to show twice in one day when he was regularly only ridden 4 days a week.

 Some other shit goes down at the barn after the show, one of the trainers that expressed interest in him came out to try him and then suddenly ended up hired as an assistant trainer to work all the sales horses instead of purchasing him and I lost the ride on him.  She showed him all summer, consistently getting lower and lower scores throughout the season before finishing with some low 60% scores at Championships.  

All the while, my trainer is complaining how all of this is just making it harder and harder to sell the horse and how she has to drop his price more and more. 

Except, my trainer NEVER listed him for sale anywhere despite how vocal the owner was about him needing to be sold.  He could have sold at any point but because he wasn’t her horse she spent no effort marketing him like she did her own horses.  At this point, the owner is so desperate to sell him that she almost offered him to me for free at one point but instead took a stupidly low price from another student in the barn. Oh and, my friend? Yeah she’s still fucking weird.

[airoasis]

Motivation a type in final week of CFL Fantasy

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NHL

Toffoli leads Kings' early barrage in win over Leafs

Scheifele's hat trick leads Jets over Stars

Cullen sparks Wild in win over Price, Canadiens

Giordano, Smith help Flames beat Pens in OT

Stone, Anderson lead Sens past Wings

Hextall: Flyers won't acquire D amid injuries

Channelling Astros, Vegas gives Leafs best odds to be 2019 champs

The Quiz: What's the worst pick 6 this season?

Housley: 'We almost shot ourselves in the foot'

Community of Flin Flon shaped Bobby Clarke's life and career

Insider Trading: Shipachyov has returned to Russia

Avs' Varlamov makes 57 saves in win

Miller scores in OT, Rangers beat Lightning

Neuvirth stands tall as Flyers blank Blues

Kuraly's goal lifts Bruins past Golden Knights

Anderson scores a pair; Blue Jackets top Panthers

Eller scores twice, adds assist as Caps beat Isles

Ovechkin starting social movement for Putin

Kapanen gets big chance against Kings

Leafs Ice Chips: Kapanen's big chance to play with mentor Komarov

CFL

Finale for Stamps, Bombers a battle of backup QBs

Tiger-Cats ready to give their all against Als

LeFevour confident with West semifinal home field on the line

Stamps still focused on beating Bombers to get set for playoff run

Motivation a key in final week of CFL Fantasy

Reilly, Ray among team finalists for outstanding player award

Woods has long history with Lions star Rainey

Ruffles Crunch Time: From one great country and league to another

Nichols ruled out, LeFevour to start Friday vs. Stamps

Davis disappointed, feels he should be starting this week for Bombers

3 Downs: How concerning are injuries to Nichols, Harris for Bombers?

Huddle Up: Should Riders keep playing both Bridge and Glenn?

Hervey hoping for CFL return

Eskimos' Thompson out for the season

Shiltz to become 12th post-Calvillo starter for Alouettes

Coombs will start at running back in Argos' regular season finale

Banks, Masoli, Reilly named CFL top performers

CFL Fantasy: Rainey takes advantage of his opportunity

NFL

Forte rushes for two TDs, Jets run over Bills

Report: Texans' Watson tears ACL

Colts shut down Luck for season

Jones' numbers are down, but he's not sweating it

Schultz’s Week 9 picks: Take the Lions at Lambeau

49ers' Garcon on IR with neck injury

Browns WR Gordon could return this month

Game of Throws: Bills, Eagles are trade deadline winners

Statistically Speaking: Changes coming at running back

Cowboys look to Morris, others with Elliott suspended

Report: Osweiler to start at QB for Broncos

Irvin shakes his head at the latest screw up by the Browns

Ranking the best NFL trade deadline deals

Hoyer signs three-year deal with Pats

Flacco expected to start Sunday vs Titans

Vikings GM: Bridgewater's status still being determined

Lynch back with Raiders after suspension

After motion denied, PA seeks to block ruling so Elliott can play

Beyond the Scoreboard: How everybody can win from NFL protests

NBA

Lillard nails game winner as Blazers top Lakers

Warriors crush injury-riddled Spurs

Five thoughts on Murray, Okafor and more

Cavs forward Thompson out 3-4 weeks

NBA to hold lottery in Chicago next spring

Celtics' Hayward back in gym, but no timeline for return

Murray leads Nuggets' rout of Raptors

Cavs drop 4th straight as Pacers roll

Irving, Celtics beat Kings for sixth straight

Butler's late points lift T-Wolves over Pelicans

Simmons, Embiid dominate in 76ers' win over Hawks

Harden's 31 points lead Rockets past Knicks

Fournier, Gordon help Magic top Grizzlies

Warren's career night leads Suns past Wizards

Heat top Bulls to end three-game slide

Walker, Monk lead Hornets past Bucks

Rautins on efficiency of Raptors' second unit, Cavs early struggles

Spurs bring back Parker after rehab stint

Okafor asks Sixers for buyout

George, Thunder cruise to win over Bucks

MLB

A Blue Jays free agency primer

Darvish, Otani and Arrieta top MLB free-agent class

Future Watch: Arizona Fall League edition

Angels, Upton agree on five-year, $106M deal

Dodgers face decisions, luxury tax bill in off-season

Nats' Martinez: 'We're here to win the World Series'

A's exercise Lowrie's $6 million option

White Sox' Soto declines option, becomes free agent

Twins' Sano to undergo surgery for leg injury

Nats hire ex-Mets, ex-Yankees hitting coach Long

Mariners decline options on Iwakuma and Gallardo

Astros beat Dodgers for first World Series title

Roberts on Darvish: I can't explain the results

Puig's home burglarized during Game 7

Dodgers' title drought extended to 30 years

With five homers, Springer named MVP

Verlander on WS win: 'Everything I could ever imagine'

Phillips: Entire city of Houston was in this together

Perez discusses Astros' long road to first World Series title

Red Sox hire La Russa as special assistant

Soccer

Dempsey nets two as Sounders eliminate Whitecaps from playoffs

TFC complains to MLS over fan abuse in NYC

Milan held to tie; Atalanta, Kyiv advance in Europa

United's Young recalled to England

Evra charged with violent conduct for kicking fan

Tottenham stuns Real Madrid to reach knockout phase

Sinclair leads young Canada squad against U.S.

Dortmund faces Champions League exit after draw with APOEL

Besitkas closer to knockout stage after draw with Monaco

Moor, Vazquez questionable for TFC vs. Red Bulls

Crew take advantage of short-handed NYCFC in first leg

United beats Benfica after more agony for keeper Svilar

PSG win big, advance in Champions League

Must See: Neymar belts a screamer vs. Anderlecht

Atletico held by 10-man Qarabag in Champions League

Giovinco's free kick lifts TFC over Red Bulls

Atletico Madrid returns to former stadium

FIFA exec says 24-team Club World Cup discussed

After ten matches, Madrid facing big deficit

EPL: Leicester City 2, Everton 0

NCAA

Duke is No. 1 in AP preseason poll for second straight year

Barrett to make NCAA decision on Nov. 10

Georgia ranked at top of first CFP rankings

Predictions for a huge CFB weekend

Oklahoma's win over Ohio State important to CFP committee

Must See: College football coach scares players

Kelly focused on Notre Dame maintaining success

The road to the CFP has been wild

Florida, HC McElwain mutually part ways

AP Top 25: Georgia rises to No. 2, Ohio State up to No. 3

No. 6 Ohio State rallies to beat No. 2 Penn State

No. 25 Iowa State upsets No. 4 TCU in low-scoring game

No. 7 Clemson rebound for victory over Georgia Tech

No. 3 Georgia thumps rival Florida

No. 8 Miami stays unbeaten, tops North Carolina

No. 5 Wisconsin holds off Illinois, stays unbeaten

Northwestern stuns No. 16 Michigan St. in OT

No. 9 Notre Dame wears down No. 14 NC State

Peters helps Michigan pull away and top Rutgers

Rudolph shines in rain, No. 11 Oklahoma St. beats No. 22 WVU

UFC

St-Pierre, Bisping trade barbs ahead of UFC 217

TSN Original: 'The Mind of GSP'

Things get heated at UFC 217 news conference

Does Namajunas have a chance against Jedrzejczyk?

Garbrandt trying to create tense environment ahead of Dillashaw fight

McGregor: I'd beat Mayweather in a rematch

Is Bisping really 'terrified' of St-Pierre's wrestling?

Duffy on training with St-Pierre during his fight camp

Thompson ready to adapt to any style Masvidal brings

Gall explains why he brings so much confidence to mixed martial arts

Brown on fighting for New York in the wake of a tragic incident

Vick frustrated UFC has been unable to secure him a Top 15 opponent

This Fight is Important: Garbrandt vs. Dillashaw

This Fight is Important: Jedrzejczyk vs. Namajunas

GSP can cement his place in UFC history with win in his return

UFC Notebook: Covington cements himself as a contender

St-Pierre holds open practice in Montreal

Lawler: MacDonald using steroid accusations as a coping mechanism

UFC Notebook: Till delivers upset over Cerrone

Tennis

Del Potro beats Haase in third round of Paris Masters

Nadal wins in Paris, will end year as No. 1

Vandeweghe, Barty, Sevastova advance to semifinals

Rybarikova upsets Mladenovic at WTA Elite Trophy

Shapovalov bounced in straight-sets at Paris Masters

Thiem grinds past Gojowczyk at Paris Masters

Vandeweghe opens WTA Elite Trophy with win

Federer wins hometown Swiss Indoors

Wozniacki claims trophy at WTA Finals

Wozniacki advances in WTA Finals

Federer moves on at Swiss Indoors

Shapovalov falls in second round to Mannarino

Garcia advances at WTA Finals

Federer, Del Potro, Cilic advance to Basel quarters

Venus Williams reaches semifinals at WTA Finals

Del Potro beats Sousa in quest for third Basel title

Wawrinka needs coach after Norman leaves

Federer beats Tiafoe in at hometown Basel event

Sock rallies to beat Pospisil at Swiss Indoors

Williams needs more than 3 hours to beat Ostapenko

Golf

Whee shoots 65 to take Las Vegas lead

Report: Olympic to get PGA, Ryder Cup

Hot putter leads to fast start for Taylor

Tiger's back, but there's a lot to be addressed

Rose keeps alive streak of winning every year since 2010

Silverman's top 10 an important finish

Woods to play in Hero World Challenge

Armour shoots 68, earns 1st career win at Sanderson Farms

Rose wins title at HSBC Champions

PGA: Sanderson Farms Championship - Rd. 4

Kerr wins in Malaysia with birdie on last hole

Johnson leads at HSBC Champions

Armour takes five-shot lead at Sanderson Farms

Woods pleads guilty to reckless driving

Johnson grabs lead with new putter at HSBC Champions

Armour takes one-shot lead at Sanderson Farms

Toms makes ace, shares lead at Sherwood

Feng shoots 65 to lead Sime Darby

Johnson would welcome a PGA shot clock

Landry, Spaun among leaders at Sanderson Farms

Hockey Canada

Spooner calls Olympic funding 'amazing'

Canada continues search for hockey talent ahead of Olympics

Canada unveils 2018 hockey jerseys

TeamSnap partners with Hockey Canada

Spooner scores twice as Canada beats U.S.

Scrivens, Lee on Canada's pre-Olympic roster

Labonte sees great development in Canadian goalies

Canada's women's team falls to U.S. in pre-Olympic matchup

Bonhomme: Coyne, Decker and Knight overpower Team Canada

Davidson discusses challenges of assembling Olympic roster

66 players chosen to represent Canada at 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge

Renney discusses Canada's Olympic expectations

Olympic gold medalist Watchorn announces retirement

IIHF release Olympic hockey schedule

Canadian women's forward Campbell retires from international play

Olympian Labonte retires from women's hockey

Hockey Canada contacts Doan and Iginla for Olympics

Regina hockey legend Tuer dies at 87

McBain leads Canada over Czechs to win Ivan Hlinka

Canada beats Sweden to advance to Ivan Hlinka final

Curling

Simmons finds right fit alongside three young guns ahead of Pre-Trials

Gushue, Jones capture Masters title in Lloydminster

Big names highlight field at men's Road to the Roar Pre-Trials

Anybody's game at women's Road to the Roar

WCT Recap: Edin defends at Champery, Roth surprises at Canad Inns

WCT Recap: Carruthers defends title at Canad Inns

Canada takes silver at mixed curling worlds

Brier to be held in Brandon in 2019

Mourning the passing of Ray Turnbull

WCT/CCT Recap: Gushue, Homan just keep on winning

WCT/CCT Recap: World champions Gushue, Homan victorious

Canada to face Brazil for men's worlds curling berth

WCT Recap: Gunnlaugson, Tippin, Englot pick up wins

WCT Recap: Jacobs, Sinclair take home Shorty Jenkins

What you need to know for the women's curling season

What you need to know for the men's curling season

Curling worlds to stay in Canada until 2020

Gushue downs Walstad to claim Tour Challenge

Team Gushue captures Everest Curling Challenge

[torentialtribute]

Cheltenham record-breaker Ruby Walsh has defiant message for critics

Ruby Walsh is in the lobby of a hotel in Dublin. A knowing grin spreads across his face as he listens to questions about 40th anniversaries and thoughts about retirement, falls in Thurles, Naas and Punchestown, age and gray hair and broken legs, and leaves Cheltenham in an ambulance.

Ordinary people have the habit of arousing their normal expectations and worries, ordinary parameters for ordinary life, to extraordinary athletes such as Walsh.

While he is talking, the hand of a stranger seems to be in the past year. as in a row from over my shoulder and from his shoulder. & # 39; Be safe in the coming weeks & # 39 ;, says the guy with a meaningful look, a dismal tone and a firm grip. Walsh thanks him for his concern.

He plays that person occasionally. He has a laconic way around him, certainly, but if you like dry humor and a man who is not carried away by his image that he is beyond a number of beautiful lines in self-contempt, you will like Walsh.

He does not want to boast or defend himself. He is satisfied and standing alone. He must be stimulated about his legacy. He is not filled with the same fear of leaving behind his sport that kept his friend AP McCoy in his grip.

& # 39; I do not think of legacy & # 39 ;, he says. & # 39; When you are gone, you are gone. This is sport. It's not about the past. It's about the future. When you retire, it is about who comes next. & # 39;

People mean well when they are worried about the way they come back more and more despite the broken bones. Walsh is a race deity, one of the greats of modern sport, not just National Hunt racing. He drove 58 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, more than any other jockey. More than McCoy and Richard Johnson combined.

But driving over jumps is not a forgiving chase and it has not stopped mistreating his body. Walsh is a smooth stylist in the saddle, favorite of the racing purists, but like many of his rivals he has levels of mental and physical resilience that arouse disbelief in normal people.

Between November 2017 and October In 2018 Walsh was injured only 39 days and free to drive. In that period he broke his wrist twice, his right leg, and sustained an injury to his vertebrae. Faugheen, in Leopardstown in December.

Throughout everything, Walsh does not let the demons come together. & # 39; I have no doubts about myself & # 39 ;, he says. & # 39; Maybe the more people start to doubt me, the more I feel. No doubt about yourself, it just proves wrong. What is that? Stubbornly? "

I look and wait for me to answer, I mumble an unclear reaction that does not change his opinion.

& # 39; Stubbornness & # 39 ;, says Walsh again. & # 39 It is always about the next ride: you learn from a very young age to look forward, the past can not be changed, it is the following and how can you get it.

& # 39; the harder it gets when you get older I do not think so I'm sure it does not matter because you start to slow down physically, but as a jockey it does not matter how slow we are, because we never move that fast. We are more like golfers: Is golf becoming harder? & # 39;

Injury is a constant companion of a jockey, but when you are 39, others start to worry about their influence on you. They begin to mention the fact that Walsh has four daughters, as if he is in some way irresponsible by driving on. He has a devastating grief for that. & # 39; It is not the first children of the jockey in the world & # 39 ;, Walsh told the Irish Times.

He also has an answer for those who talk about the dangers of sport. Yes, but it was dangerous when I was 19, & # 39; he says. & # 39; It is not more dangerous now that I am 39. I knew the dangers of this game long before I started. I knew everything that would come. The injuries, the falls, the highlights, the low points. I knew what could happen.

& # 39; My girls love racing and watching how I ride. I'm sure they hate me, just like my wife Gillian, but I can not change that. I am a jump jockey. There will be traps. Hopefully there are winners. There will certainly be losers. There are no guarantees that you will not fail. You hope not to get hurt, but you can not really control that. That's why I do it. I love it.

& # 39; People have asked me when I retired since I was thirty. It has happened more since my 35th. It is happening now more. It is the same for every sportsman.

& # 39; I feel that if you answer a question, you have answered it. Why do people keep asking for it again? I have already answered it. How often? What do they want you to say?

& # 39; If you do something and you want to do something, why do you stop? That is the question I ask myself. I still like competitions

& # 39; I returned to Cheltenham last year. I had six or seven stages and drove two winners. That is a good success rate for Cheltenham. The two I had driven that should have won. The rest of them ran to their best ability. So you think, "Why would I stop?"

& # 39; It is not easier to recover from injuries, but that has not changed. You just started it. You analyze why an injury has occurred? Well, I know why it happened: as it did, I ended up with my leg trapped under the neck and it rolled over it and half a ton will break your leg.

& # 39; Continue. Repair it. Let's go. So you know why it happened and then you do the rehab clinic and come back and see how it goes. You go back and drive a winner and you give a few horse rides and you think: "You know what, I have not lost it yet, and then you go."

Walsh laughs when I call him the king of Cheltenham. I am Irish & # 39 ;, he says. & # 39; We do not have a king. & # 39;

I have admitted that it is certainly not a bad record at the festival. & # 39; I was lucky, & # 39; he says. & # 39; I had great days there. & # 39;

I suggest that he could not even be lucky 58 times and he laughs again.

& # 39; Maybe not, & # 39; he says softly. I like it here. It is unbelievable. & # 39;

He won his first race in Cheltenham aboard Alexander Banquet 21 years ago, since 2004 he is 11 times the leading rider of the meeting, with four Champion Hurdles, three Champion Chases, five World Hurdles and two golden cups. His collaboration with trainer Willie Mullins is just as strong as ever and Walsh wants to add more to his count this week and in the coming years.

& # 39; I hope I can add it, & # 39; he says. I can add better. It is tighter this year than in other years. The only excellent ride I have is Benie Des Dieux.

& # 39; Sooner or later someone will drive more Cheltenham winners than me. If that can win and I can win another one, then it's a good return. But so what. These are all records. Someone will ever run faster than Usain Bolt. All you can do is set the best in your age.

& # 39; The only record that will not be broken is AP that wins the championship of the jockeys 20 years in the trot. That will be forever. & # 39;

There is a companion to the care for Walsh who accompanied him until his late 30s and it is one for which I reserve special contempt. Sometimes his waterfalls are greeted with cynicism and slander by a certain breed of racing fans on social media, fans who have accused Walsh of intentionally jumping horses.

It came to the point that Walsh, who is an ambassador for Paddy Power, made a spoof video with the bookmaker who drove the idea that he was driving around to the house of Twitter troll and confronted him on his doorstep.

Walsh and Paddy Power take the troll on the ride in the country and Walsh sits behind him in the trailer as he drives 40 miles per hour on the dirt road. I'm so easy, right? & # 39;

& # 39; Not so easy, right? & # 39; Walsh tells him before the truck stops and leaves him outside. Walsh throws a note of € 20 to him. & # 39; Come on, your hero, & # 39; he says softly to him. & # 39; Get a taxi. & # 39;

The story is staged but Walsh has put a lot of feeling into it. I wish we could have found a real troll & # 39 ;, he says. I am not sure that health and safety would allow you to use the real troll. In the world we live in, you can not knock on someone's door and drag them on the road.

& # 39; Everything with Paddy Power is a foreign language. That is why I love being an ambassador for them. It is "take-the-p ** s-out-of-whatever-you-can". There is a sense of humor somewhere. You can not kill your whole life. What I emphasized was the stupidity of what can happen on non-regulated platforms.

We talk for a while about James Cracknell, the Olympic rower and double gold medalist, who is trying to win a place in Cambridge's Boat Race at the age of 46. What drives men like him and Walsh? What is it that forces you to strive? What is it that opposes time?

& # 39; It's just those victories, however rare they become & # 39 ;, he says. Winning is what you hook in the first place and it's hard to give up. It is no fear of losing. I think you are afraid to lose your back. If you are afraid to lose, then you are also afraid to win.

& # 39; I do not think I ever was afraid to lose. I do not like to lose, but I knew that when I started losing, I would become a big part of my life as a jockey. Even if you are successful, Tony McCoy, you lose more than you win. You must be able to deal with the losses.

& # 39; What is it that keeps you moving? Are we just dreamers? Does every child who is athletic want to become an athlete and suddenly you start living that life and do you live the dream and do you never think you want it to end? That is also part of that. I do not know how you describe it. To win at Cheltenham and Aintree, those big meetings, it's just different. It lets the hair rise on the back of your neck. "

Walsh will fly Sunday from Ireland to Cheltenham He loves the way the excitement builds up." From my early years ", he says, & # 39; & # 39; I have learned how more people look at you, the shorter the price your horse tends to be and the more chance it has to win.

& # 39; I do not like it 100-1 shots because I have less chance of winning, the spotlight on me to play does not bother me.

& # 39; The first race is a second-class hurdle, so I'm at the start and if there 90,000 people watching or no one, I & # 39; I still ride on that horse in the starting hurdle, then leave.

The Festival , presented by Magners, runs from March 12 to Friday March 15 in Cheltenham, a Jockey Club racecourse Tickets are available at https://ift.tt/2Haxcmq Ruby Walsh is an ambassador for Racing TV (www.racingtv.com), the only record where all 28 races can be viewed live and in HD

DAILY CHELTENHAM GUIDE

Nicky Henderson-trained Buveur D & # 39; Air tries to be the sixth horse to win the Champion Hurdle three times, but faces a powerful challenge of the Irish seas Apple & # 39; s Jade and Laurina. Tasty side dish

Emotional scenes guaranteed as trainer Kayley Woollacott, who took over her Devon-stables after wife Richard committed suicide last year, the pursuit of the Arkle Trophy Novices wins with her talented gelding, Lalor

WEDNES

Grand National winner Tiger Roll will join an elite group of four-time Festival winners as he lands the

Cross Country Chase is a second time.

Main course

Tasty side dish

[bewerken] [voeg aanbieding toe] Eat

Bryony Frost could break ground with the first female jockey to land

Main course

Native River and champion jockey Richard Johnson are back to defend the Gold Cup but need the rising Clan Des Obeaux, partly in the hands of Sir Alex Ferguson, and Presenting Percy

Tasty side dish

Joseph O & # 39; Brien, son of top trainer Aidan, was a productive Flat jockey, won two Epsom Derbys and 2,000 Guineas. Now he looks at his first Festival victory as a trainer with Sir Erec in the Triumph Hurdle.

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[ubereyezconfessions-blog]

2/6/19-2/7/19 Riders

Potentially a eye opener for a ride. With age and experience I’m becoming more aware of what sides of the city offer. From lifestyles, people, and outlooks. As some call this city a stirring pot, our lives are mixing at a scary rate. Or at least mine is.

My outlook with the work this week is to reach a certain amount of rides to hit some bonuses from the company. Nothing major to me, but this comes with having 30 rides for the first tier bonus, and 60 for the second. This night I covered about 17-18 trips. So i was thoroughly throughout the city.

Revenge Of The Nerds

My first ride that sticks out in mind is in Venice Beach. Judging the event and the occupants, this was a tech meeting or a start up of some sorts. Approaching the car upon arrival are 4 guys. I’ll call this the “Revenge of the Nerds”. One Russian, one Asian, one Middle Eastern, or perhaps two of them were. But mentally this was a very weird trip. A vast majority of the trip felt like a lot of coded conversations that I was picking up without much trying. And I can explain how this was confirmed. So heading toward the freeway, these guys were discussing being at a meeting with Google. They really felt the need to stress this or with stating this it would make me want to join in and ask about what they all were doing. But as usual I stick to my driving and focusing on the road. So there getting into some conversation where they keep talking about Speech 0″. Mental image keeps thinking of a reddit meme where it takes some Fallout scene shot. But I couldnt help but think they were speaking in the idea that I was talking. Along the ride, a song was on. And for this night I decided to hide the display of what song was playing and who was the artisit. More so, so peopl would catch the song and not all that extra info. The car becomes quiet at a certain point and these lyrics go off.

“I was trained to be a soldier for God But as soon as I used my own thoughts I kinda got lost in this smog called reality Where hell is a fallacy And Heaven is a fantasy created by man, so don't believe in it You came in here with nothing then your leaving with Nothing so retreat from this world of deceitfulness But my people it's time to rise Realize there's a heaven whether you think it's inside or in the sky Reach for it before it's gone eternally And you stuck here below the heavens for eternity“

And it breaks into a hook and the Russian in the passenger seat says “Encrypted data. Private companies use encrypted data to protect themselves but let people have it”, something along those lines. “Basically youll get the message but wont know who gave it”. Mentally that was kinda spot on.

Then off the freeway we were cruising down Venice blvd. and Im assuming with the streetlights shining in the vehicle. This allowed a view of my Black Panther keychain. Cause a conversation about Marvel ensued. The spoke upon Stan Lee creating Spiderman or being the main thing he created, amongst The Incredible Hulk. Then they brought up Into The Spiderverse, the recent film and mentally I was hit with the line “Wow, Youre like me”. If youve seen the movie, you’d understand. But with all that, just funny timing because we reach La Cienaga were there is a Captain America mural. Or maybe a coincidence from the universe. But this is were the ride finishes up and not much else is exchanged and the ride ends.

Deceptive Intentions

Now in Hollywood I pick up a rider. Originally this was just supposed to be him although he was standing with a woman. Which when they got in they explained that they both ordered separate rides but since I arrived first, they both got in and the male basically let it be known that he didnt mind paying for the ride. Once again, Im assuming its a couple already so Im completely tuning out the conversation and that when I learn the chick is a mind reader. Along the way Im just in my own world and I come across this thought that I might just be kinda set up to be a music artist and immediately at that thought the woman says “I love musicians, I just cant help it. Even if they are emotionally unstable”. And the male replies, “Probably because you are too”. She laughs and i suppose signalling she agrees. We reach her drop off and she gets out with a hug to him and a “goodnight” to me. At this point the Guy jumps back in after letting her out and this is where he changes to a new person. “SHE NEEDS TO BREAK UP WITH HER BOYFRIEND” “DID YOU SEE HOW HOT SHE WAS?”, He stated pretty hyped up. Which as I tell you, I try to distance myself from the riders. I didnt even see the woman to have a frame of reference. But kinda revealed what his intentions were with the lady. Were headed over to Santa Monica so after a forced conversation that didnt go anywhere the music just played. At a point it reached a song by a artist out of the city and he was speaking on a woman that had died but he was deeply in love with. And it was a powerful record, I cant even deny. But I heard a sniffle in the back seat. I had a notion that it may have even made the rider shed a tear. Kinda made me think Im rather desensitized to emotion growing up the way I have. But another ride done and on to the next.

Eye Opener

Now this is the trip I speak of that felt like an eye opener on revisiting the trip mentally. This was a trip immediately after the previous story. From the Westwood area heading to Venice. Prior to pulling up I noticed 3 suits walking down the road and one just broke away from 2 others. Not much of a goodbye just approached the road and that was my rider. He gets in a bit jive. Almost trying to show he’s hip to urban culture. Which is explained shortly. He’s a talkative type and starts with the usual small talk. “How long you been driving?” and blah blah blah. I explain my 3 years and the usual responses but he reaches a question of “Where in the city do you like to drive”. Which I explain that I just drive. You cant really plan out were youre driving when any given trip you can be sent 10-1000 miies all pending the request. Not remember how it came up but we got into a dialogue of where we were from. Which i explained South Central and he asked if im still there. And upon saying yes, he said “its what you know”. Then he explained he was from Ventura county about a hour away and his family is from the Northeast and the South, after I told him my family was from Virginia. Explained that that side of the family had some different views and brought many conversations that made him look at that side different. So this is where he explains to me that he doesnt like hanging out on the Santa Monica/Venice side of the city. Amongst the techie side of it all, its what he grew up with out in Ventura. Which something told me he meant those with conservative beliefs. And that he preferred Downtown and Echo Park area due to the mix of culture and artsy ways. Felt like a nod to tell me that this side isnt as for change as I’d may think. Or over that way, I can relax.

Alpha/Beta

In this night was a trip with 2 dudes. Asian I assume, but no heavy looks at them besides pick up. But I did notice they guy had a Rams hat on. On my driver profile it states “The New Orleans Saints were robbed #NeverForget”. (NFL 18-19 NFC Championship). Something triggered that he wanted me to bring that up in conversation, but me being me, that aint happen. So in this drive, its a obvious Alpha/Beta partnership between the riders. Which the Beta pretty much is subject to having all his power at a zero and listening to whatever the other says to do with their business venture. In this conversation they do a lot of name dropping and trying to sell something or a idea. Perhaps to get me to listen. But im a “tune out” type as I explain. As im ever brought back into their conversation by how loud they become. Im considered how does someone live like that. The Beta is pretty much powerless and has to listen to every idea the Alpha had. Whenever he suggested something, it was slashed and replaced with a idea from the Alpha and it seemed like a odd partnership. But to each his own. Just along with my non-talk, came towards the end of the ride when I had this feeling that they were going to get negative in their conversation being I didnt bite on whatever they were pitching. A comment of “Its nice to have a quiet ride and catch up on business”. Just felt weird but was said along with somethings that didnt feel right in spirit.

Janky Producers

Last but not least. I had a ride in mid-city. Picked up a White guy, dressed with the look of a producer. I know this simply because being a music artist, you can spot the look a million miles away. So he jumped in with headphones on, but greeted so I assumed he was gonna be in his world, as I was in mine. Totally fine. Now im playing true hip hop. Lyricist infused stuff. Something about it, I just had a feeling he was listening because of that. Anyways, he was headed to a recording studio in Hollywood, but went from a drop off to a pick up of 2 others. So amongst this short extended trip. They were speaking about what was happening at the studio. He kept talking bout working with Tory. Im assuming Tory Lanez or just name dropping to catch my attention. But they came talks of his manager that was at the studio and this is when they starting talking about that guys music skills. Mainly he was off key and that led to a lot of laughter. They ended up getting dropped off at some food spot which seemed to be a flock of musician industry folk getting grub. As a artist, id probably fit in, but my out look on life probably keeps me away. But found it rather bizarre that people can talk and gossip about people they were around through out a night. I know money is the reason. But why be around people you just look forward to laughing at after?

[thrashermaxey]

Cage Match Tournament: Exceeding Expectations

Brayden Point. Kim Klement / USA Today Sports Images

  When December rolls around it’s time for gifts galore, including from DobberHockey in the form of the popular winter Cage Match Tournaments! This year I’m sticking again with the “new normal” concept to use your votes to identify players whose current scoring pace – for better or worse – is most likely to represent their new normal, namely what they’ll produce not just for the rest of this season but at least the next few seasons to come. This week and next are for players currently exceeding expectations (this week for those under age 25, next week for those 25+). For week three, it’s time for the lumps of coal in fantasy stockings –players falling below expectations.

  Players not included among voting choices, and why

Like last year I’ve limited the choices to skaters only, despite a lot of netminders arguably deserving of inclusion this season due to over or underachieving based on expectations. Still, this column only covers skaters, so I stuck with my bread and butter. I’ll try and rope in goalies at some point down the road, perhaps when I resume doing monthly Goldipucks entries in the coming months or in some sort of future tournament.

And just like last year, the players included as voting choices all had at least 50+ games worth of NHL experience prior to this season, so that means no Elias Pettersson or Brady Tkachuk. And for those exceeding expectations (i.e., this week and next), none can have previously tasted significant success. What that signifies, in terms of specifics, is I only included forwards who had never previously posted 75+ points or scored at a 75 point pace in a prior season (i.e., no Mikko Rantanen or Jack Eichel) and defensemen who’ve yet to tally 50+ points or previously score at a 50+ point pace in a season (i.e., no John Carlson or Morgan Rielly). But the “new normal” for all forwards this week and next is 60+ points and for all d-men, it’s 45+ points, so as to ensure the polls have the most relevance to the most leagues.

  How to base your vote(s)

For each player, there will two numbers listed: his previous career best 82 game scoring rate and his “new normal” rate on which you should base your vote. In some cases the player’s current scoring rate might be a bit below his listed “new normal” rate or instead a bit above it, but the “new normal” rate should be the basis for deciding your vote, whereby if you think a player will score at or above (for this week and next) or at or below (for week three) that “new normal” total/rate this season and in at least the next few seasons, then he should get your vote. For this week and next, if instead you think either he won’t at least achieve his “new normal” rate for 2018-19, or will achieve it this year but not again going forward, then don’t vote for him, while for week three if you think he’ll return to more of his old, higher scoring ways and this season is a mere blip in the radar, then he should not get your vote.

Of course, some of these players might change teams or lines during this season or in future seasons, so you should feel free to take those and other factors (age, contract status, Ice Time, depth charts on their teams, etc.) into account in deciding your votes. If you want to vote based solely on your own hunches that’s fine too; however, keep in mind that fellow voters/readers will look to the poll results for fantasy guidance, so best to be objective. And don’t decide your vote based whether these players are helping or hurting your fantasy team. Consider the totality of their present – and likely future – circumstances in order to hone in on the best choice(s).

  How Voting Will Work

The voting polls will allow for multiple selections, so for this week and next vote for any and all players you think will retain their designated “new normal” scoring pace for 2018-19 and beyond. There’s also a “none of the above” choice if you think none of the listed players will achieve/surpass his “new normal.” I’ll put a direct link to each week’s poll at the end of each column. But without further ado, here are the 19 choices (in alphabetical order) for the week one tournament – players under age 25 for whom you’re deciding if they’ve entered a “new normal” territory in terms of their present and future scoring.

  Sebastian Aho (Previous career high scoring rate = 68 points; New Normal = 80+ points)

After his scoring went from 49 points in 82 games to 65 in 79 contests, then he starred on the bright stage of the IIHF World Championships with 18 points in just 8 games, expectations were sky high for Aho entering 2018-19. And although an 80 point season still seems within reach, keep in mind he tallied only ten points in his next 16 games after at least one point in 12 straight games to start the season. It could be Aho has the talent to produce gaudy numbers but the team around him is not good enough for him to achieve point per game output, at least not yet.

  Thomas Chabot (Previous career high scoring rate = 32 points; New Normal = 60+ points)

Sure – Chabot was highly touted, and most saw him as the heir apparent to Erik Karlsson once he was traded to San Jose, but Chabot has been a huge force for a team many thought would be a doormat. Some might wonder why I set his new normal so low given his better than a point per game scoring thus far? Two reasons – he’s bound to hit some sort of a wall, plus his non-primary assists rate is very high, meaning he’s all but assured to lose points just in the normal course. When casting your vote, keep in mind you’re doing so based on his output for this season (when he’s all but assured to get 60+ due to banked points) but also seasons to come, when good luck might not smile so brightly upon him.

  Kyle Connor (Previous career high scoring rate = 61 points; New Normal = 75+ points)

Despite only having 20 prior career games under his belt, last season Connor landed one of the best gigs in the NHL, playing alongside Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler both at even strength and on the PP. This season the line didn’t click as well, and Connor is seeing more time on the second line at even strength, leading many poolies to fear his days of solid production would end. Yet lo and behold despite what was seemingly a demotion he’s found chemistry with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine, leading many to believe he’s a star in his own right, not just a coattail rider.

  Max Domi (Previous career high scoring rate = 52 points; New Normal = 80+ points)

As was the case with Ottawa, not much was expected from the Montreal offence, including Domi, who’d gone from top prospect to someone who’d barely bested the 50 point mark in any of his first three NHL seasons. Fast forward to now, and Domi is showing why he was a former 12th overall pick, staying at or above the point per game mark for virtually all of 2018-19 to date. Was a change of scenery indeed all he needed, or are we dealing with someone having an extended honeymoon phase with his new team? That’s your call to make with your votes.

  Jonathan Drouin (Previous career high scoring rate = 59 points; New Normal = 75+ points)

First, it was his checkered tenure with Tampa Bay, which included him not reporting to the AHL but then mending fences and posting 53 points in 2016-17. Still, it wasn’t surprising for Drouin to find himself on a new team for 2017-18; but on Montreal, his minutes went up yet his scoring rate dropped. That was last season though, and for 2018-19 he’s seemingly starting to show signs of the promise he held when drafted third overall, with both scoring and SOG rates that are way up from his part norms.

  Pierre-Luc Dubois (Previous career high scoring rate = 48 points; New Normal = 70+ points)

This is a case where a career-high is deceiving, as once Dubois was put on a line with Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson last season he thrived, to the tune of 17 points in his last 17 games. The big question, as was the case in my Cage Match featuring Cam Atkinson last week, is what happens to Dubois once what most feel is the inevitable happens, namely Panarin leaves town. Sure – Dubois was a former third overall pick, so he could succeed in his own right. Yet does he have what it takes to keep up this pace minus Panarin? Tough to say; but perhaps there’s enough doubt as to not earn him your votes here.

  Bo Horvat (Previous career high scoring rate = 52 points; New Normal = 70+ points)

Overshadowed by the splash being made by Elias Pettersson, Horvat is on pace to see his scoring rate increase for the fourth straight season. That goes a long way toward showing this indeed is his new normal, or perhaps him still just scratching the surface. Yet the concern is once the Canucks improve as a team he could catch a case of “Toews-itis,” where a talented player’s production drops because he’s tasked with too many duties and responsibilities. For now, though, it looks like Horvat might be able to be a solid real-world player yet still produce at or above his current rate for this season and beyond. Let’s see what your votes have to say.

  Dylan Larkin (Previous career high scoring rate = 63 points; New Normal = 75+ points)

After rebounding last season from a dreadful sophomore campaign, Larkin was thrust into a starring role with Detroit upon the retirement of Zetterberg. And how has Larkin responded? By taking his game up another notch, and being on pace to produce even better despite a supporting cast that offers little in the way of others as skilled as him. Still – perhaps Larkin is the kind of player talented enough to make magic happen on his own, in which case he should have no trouble maintaining at least his current level of scoring for the remainder of this season and beyond.

  Elias Lindholm (Previous career high scoring rate = 51 points; New Normal = 80+ points)

It used to be that Lindholm would start slow and then finish strong enough to give poolies hope that his breakthrough was set to occur the following season. Yet year after year it never happened. Apparently, all he needed was talent around him, as he was dropped onto the first line upon his arrival in Calgary and, despite the looming presence of veteran James Neal, has not only held a firm grip on that spot but thrived, including multi-point production in his last five games. Still only 23 years old, what we’re seeing from Lindholm now might just be him scratching his true surface.

  Mitch Marner (Previous career high scoring rate = 69 points; New Normal = 95+ points)

After barely upping his rookie scoring rate last season and playing under what was a conservative Mike Babcock system, not many poolies were predicting a scoring binge from Marner. Not that he lacked the talent – it’s just the thinking was the opportunity to excel wouldn’t be there, with low ice times and no stacked PP. Fast forward to now and Babcock has changed his approach, allowing players like Marner to thrive. With all the firepower the team has, it’s difficult to picture Marner slowing down this season or in the future, even with William Nylander now back in the fold.

  Timo Meier (Previous career high scoring rate = 36 points; New Normal = 75+ points)

After Meier potted 21 goals while firing a robust 210 SOG in his first full season, pundits and poolies alike seemed convinced he was primed to better those totals. Then Evander Kane surprised many by not testing the UFA market and deciding to stay with San Jose, which, on paper, would seem to have represented a major roadblock to Meier’s continued development. Yet here we are over two months into the season and Meier is the one putting up gaudy numbers, not Kane. And at more than three SOG per game and one goal per two contests, Meier looks every bit like a sniper who’s officially arrived as an NHL star.

  Sean Monahan (Previous career high scoring rate = 71 points; New Normal = 90+ points)

Much like Lindholm, Monahan tended to save his best hockey for last, finishing strong but starting slowly enough as to not be able to clear the 58-63 point range for three straight seasons. For 2017-18 though, Monahan started superbly (58 points in 62 games) before an injury-shortened final quarter. Thus, his better than a point per game scoring might have already happened were it not for bad luck last season, making it all the more likely he can continue at his current pace for this season and beyond.

  Josh Morrissey (Previous career high scoring rate = 27 points; New Normal = 45+ points)

Always a multi-cat stud, Morrissey chipped in with 26 points in 81 games last season. But on a team with Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba and even Tyler Myers, few expected Morrissey to improve his offensive output. Yet don’t look now, but he’s on pace for 45 points; and although some of that came while Big Buff was injured, Morrissey has shown enough to garner more minutes, including on the PP. That, plus playing for an offensively potent team might be more than enough for Morrissey to become a perennial 45+ point threat.

  Brayden Point (Previous career high scoring rate = 66 points; New Normal = 90+ points)

Many poolies figured Point might have a difficult time surpassing his 66 point output from last season, what with the balanced ice time and breadth of talent in Tampa Bay. But Point has shown he’s a very special player and just perhaps the new second half of a one-two punch with Nikita Kucherov. Granted, Point’s team and individual shooting percentage both are too high to be sustainable; but his IPP and other metrics are reasonable enough to foresee him keeping up this blistering pace, especially on such an offensively potent squad.

  Sam Reinhart (Previous career high scoring rate = 50 points; New Normal = 75+ points)

Last season Reinhart’s 50 points were so backloaded that he nearly had a point per game second half. So imagine the concern when yet again he emerged slowly this season. This time though he’s connecting the scoring dots a lot earlier, going from six points in his first 13 games to 19 in his next 17 after being reunited with Jack Eichel. With the addition of Jeff Skinner to complete that line, they might end up finishing the season as one of the NHL’s best trios, putting Reinhart on a path to stardom along the way.

  Damon Severson (Previous career high scoring rate = 32 points; New Normal = 45+ points)

All the preseason fantasy focus on the New Jersey blueline was centred upon Will Butcher, who’d put up 44 points as a freshman in 2017-18, and Sami Vatanen, who earlier in his career had scored 75 points in 138 games for the Ducks and posted 23 points in his final 42 games last season. Yet once the spotlight no longer was shining on Severson, lo and behold he’s excelled and is taking the ice for more minutes than in any previous season. One concern is he’s still not on PP1; however, with neither Vatanen nor Butcher able to lock down that role Severson might get a chance to strut his stuff there, in which case he could really see his scoring explode.

  Matthew Tkachuk (Previous career high scoring rate = 59 points; New Normal =80+ points)

Once the Flames brought in both Elias Lindholm and James Neal this offseason, not only did it seem like Tkachuk’s chances at top line deployment went from slim to none, but his plum gig on PP1 could be in jeopardy. Thus far Tkachuk has only solidified his PP1 role, hitting double digits in PPPts after only 26 games and providing strong secondary scoring. But with his SOG rate down from last season and stuck spending most of his even-strength shifts with Michael Frolik and Mikael Backlund, one has to wonder if Tkachuk’s early season numbers are an unsustainable run of hot play, as opposed to something poolies can count on going forward.

  Alex Tuch (Previous career high scoring rate = 39 points; New Normal = 70+ points)

The former first rounder – who came to Vegas as part of a deal for the Knights to agree to select Erik Haula in the expansion draft – didn’t exactly pay dividends upon his arrival, failing to tally a point per every over game last season. Yet in 2018-19 he’s found a home within the top six and has stayed at or just below the point per game mark for most of this season. With other teams honing in on the Vegas top line, Tuch should continue to get favorable deployment, making 70+ points within reach.

  Tom Wilson (Previous career high scoring rate = 36 points; New Normal = 65+ points)

Yes, his on-ice antics make Brad Marchand seems like a Lady Byng finalist by comparison; but what we saw emerging in the 2017-18 playoffs, and what continued after he returned from his suspension and prior to his injury, has made it clear Wilson is also a very talented player who can mesh with some of the best in the game in order to fill the scoresheet. No one is pretending that his current scoring pace is sustainable; but based on his deployment and how he’s fared for – including the playoffs – nearly a half season’s worth of games, the reality seems to be that Wilson has become a player who’s as much of a threat to hit the scoresheet as he is taking a seat in the sin bin.

  Link to Cast Your Vote(s)

To vote in the Tournament, click here. Remember – you can vote for as many (or a few) players as you want. While you’re voting, be sure to post a comment in the poll thread on which player(s) you voted for a why, since my hope is this Tournament will be as useful for fantasy purposes as it is enjoyable. See you next week for the second tournament!

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/cage-match/cage-match-tournament-exceeding-expectations/

[fromtheringapron]

AWA WrestleRock ‘86

Date: April 20, 1986

Location: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

Attendance: 23,000

Commentary: Ron Trongard

Results:

1. Brad Rheingans defeated Boris Zhukov.

2. Little Mr. T and Cowboy Lang defeated Lord Little Brook and Little Tokyo. 

3. Colonel DeBeers defeated Wahoo McDaniel via count-out.

4. Buddy Rose and Doug Sommers defeated The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Janetty).

5. Tiger Mask defeated Buck Zumhofe. 

6. Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda defeated The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn & Stan Lane).  

7. Giant Baba defeated Bulldog Bob Brown.

8. Harley Race vs. Rick Martel ended in a double count-out.

9. Sherri Martel won a 10-woman battle royal by eliminating Candi Devine. Other participants included: Luna Vachon, Joyce Grable, Despina Montagas, Kat LeRoux, Taylor Thomas, Rose Divine, Misty Blue Simmes, and Debbie Combs.

10. AWA America’s Championship: Sgt. Slaughter (champion) defeated Kamala via disqualification. 

11. AWA Tag Team Championship: Scott Hall and Curt Hennig (champions) defeated The Long Riders (Scott Irwin and Bill Irwin).

12. Boxing Match: Scott LeDoux defeated Larry Zbyszko via disqualification. Larry Hennig was the special guest referee.

13. AWA World Heavyweight Championship: Nick Bockwinkel defeated Stan Hansen (champion) via disqualification. 

14. Steel Cage Match: Greg Gagne and Jimmy Snuka defeated Bruiser Brody and John Nord. Per stipulation, Verne Gagne got a steel cage match with Sheik Adnan El Kassey.

15. Steel Cage Match: Verne Gagne defeated Sheik Adnan El Kassey. 

16. Steel Cage Match: The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin). 

Analysis

My first AWA review! To be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever see the day. The AWA didn’t have an abundance of pay-per-view events, largely because they were already in the process of dying by the time pay-per-view was starting to take off. There isn’t much AWA footage in general currently on the WWE Network at the moment, thus making pickings even slimmer. In addition to all of that, I just haven’t been all that interested in watching AWA stuff, though I can’t quite put my finger on why. Like, I’m certainly not opposed to it or anything; there’s just not a lot there to reel me in compared to, say, WWF or NWA/WCW stuff from the same time period. And apparently a lot of people felt the same way, given how it fell to a distant third place by the end of the ’80s.

Yet here I am, watching WrestleRock ‘86, one of the more notable events in the promotion’s history. Its most enduring quality is its beyond fantastic rap video that absolutely commands attention. But the actual show? Welp, it didn’t do a lot for me. That’s not to say it’s bad; it just sorta exists. There are several moments of awkward hilarity throughout, as is the case for virtually any ‘80s wrestling show at the dawn of the pay-per-view era. And, yes, I’m aware WrestleRock isn’t actually a pay-per-view, but a long 16-match show held in a stadium certainly feels like one.

Again, don’t get me wrong. This is one heck of a production from the AWA, which was already on the decline at the time. It’s trying to do the show the WWF would do a year later in WrestleMania III, but having nowhere near the savvy to pull it off successfully. The card itself is absolutely loaded so there’s at least something for everyone, although it’s definitely all over the place. Stuffing a boxing match and three consecutive cage matches all into one night isn’t advisable for just about any wrestling card, but damn it do they try to make it work.

Working in the show’s favor is its magnificent roster. It’s jam-packed with bonafide legends in the sport. One of the things that sped up the AWA’s downfall was losing all of its top talent and that’s readily on display. Names like Harley Race, Rick Martel, The Rockers, Curt Hennig, Sherri Martel, and even lower card wrestlers like Boris Zhukov would all be working under Vince McMahon within the following two years. It’s bittersweet watching this knowing they’re going to lose mostly everyone and everything that made them such an elite promotion not too long after, but it’s at least a nice reminder that there was a point in time when there was a third major promotion in the United States for talent to grow and flourish.

Overall, though, this show failed to make a strong impression on me whatsoever. Another factor leading to the AWA’s demise was their inability to adapt with the times so while I can’t say I was completely bored watching it, it’s easy to feel like this is a promotion lacking in considerable edge. There’s honestly nothing here I feel I couldn’t have gotten from another promotion around the same time. I get the AWA’s whole aversion to the WWF’s cartoon style of wrestling, but the trade-off is a tone that’s got about as much color as a dulled Crayola Washable. Plus, the camera work and production values are so subpar that just watching this show can feel like a chore. It says a lot that Verne Gagne would still rather trust his then 60-year-old-self in a prominent spot on a super card than literally any of the exciting younger talents presented here. It’s sad, really. The potential for a bright future is staring at him right in the face and will all pass him by until the promotion withers into dust.

My Random Notes

I think there were a couple of minor celebrity appearances on this show but none of them are Susan St. James so I’m not gonna even fucking bother.

I wanted to be nice, but Little Mr. T seems like such barrel-scraping indy fed shit that I can’t not remark upon it. Like, they had to have known how second-rate that character was gonna look when the real Mr. T had been on WWF television, including two WrestleManias, for over the past year. You can’t convince me.

I need to talk to my therapist about my weird, inexplicable attraction to Ken Resnick. Seriously, what a babe. Don’t @ me.

If we’re talking strictly in kayfabe, Col. DeBeers is definitely up there as one of the biggest pieces of shit in the business. I mean, a pro-Apartheid white supremacist who “doesn’t have time for minorities” is pretty up there in terms of evil characters. Eat your heart out, Attitude Era Big Bossman.

And if we’re talking strictly in real life, Buck Zumhofe is definitely up there as one of the biggest pieces of shit in the business and I hopefully won’t have to mention him much around these parts going forward.

Massive fuck-up by Ron Trongard during the women’s battle royal by mistaking Candi Devine, the actual women’s champion of the fucking promotion, with Debbie Combs. It actually infuriated me and I shouted at the TV. Could you imagine how much heat someone on the Raw commentary team would get for doing that today?

I had zero patience for the boxing match on this show. I skipped through most of it. Fake boxing matches on fake wrestling shows are never ever good, but that hasn’t stopped literally every major promotion trying their hand at one.

Nothing quite says American patriotism like Sgt. Slaughter advocating for war crimes on Libya and forcing a group of children into saying the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Pretty surprising to hear them namedrop the WWF when talking about Windham & Rotunda. Again, still learning the ropes on this AWA stuff. What name dropping a competitor like that a common occurrence?

They really didn’t have a better time to give Scott Hall that trophy? They couldn’t have just done that at a TV taping?

There was apparently a Waylon Jennings concert at this show which is not on the WWE Network version, but it’s no worries on my end as I only would’ve cared if it were a Waylon Mercy concert.

[ultrasfcb-blog]

Kristina Vogel on crash that left her paralysed:

Kristina Vogel on crash that left her paralysed:

Kristina Vogel on crash that left her paralysed:

Kristina Vogel won 11 world titles, two Olympic gold medals and three European golds in her cycling career

“The big deal was learning that crying is OK. I never was a person who cried a lot. Especially not winning the Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. I never cried. Never cried.

“A lot of my friends and family had not seen me cry. But it’s OK to cry, and to feel how bad it is.

“It is bad. I can’t walk any more.

“Sometimes I call my friend and we cry for a few minutes. And then it’s fine, and I dry my tears and I go on.”

Kristina Vogel was a remarkable woman in her first life, as a superstar track cyclist, and she is turning out to be more remarkable still in her second.

On 26 June this year, during a regulation training session at the Cottbus velodrome in her native Germany, Vogel collided with a Dutch cyclist who was practising his standing starts. She was travelling at close to 40mph.

The impact severed her spinal cord at the seventh thoracic vertebrae. A straightforward, impersonal medical phrase for the most catastrophic of outcomes.

“It was a normal day. We had planned a few things in the afternoon for [fellow cyclist] Max Levy’s birthday. I was training with my team-mate Pauline Grabosch. She was in front, and then she passed… and then there’s nothing. Just black.

I knew in the first seconds that I was paralysed, that I would never walk in my life again. It sounds bad, but I liked knowing, because there was no struggling in my head

“I woke up on the track, lying. I said to myself: ‘Breathe, just breathe…’

“They took off my shoes, and I couldn’t feel it when they touched my feet. I saw a team-mate take the shoes away. And in that moment I thought: that’s it, I don’t feel my feet, I don’t feel my legs.

“There was no panic. I just said to Max Levy: ‘Hold my hand.’ I think I was pressing too hard. ‘Max, don’t leave me alone. Don’t let go of my hand.’

“I was more scared of being alone in that second than I was of not walking any more. I just wanted somebody to stay by my side. Stupid, huh?”

Vogel was always about speed. Eleven times a world champion, twice Olympic gold medallist, the German loved swooping off the steep banking, hammering along in the slipstream of a rival, popping out to overpower them.

When we talk she is tired, her morning spent at a news conference, her afternoon now with me, concentrating hard in her second language. She sits in a wheelchair, and she remembers.

“To be honest, I thought I might die. After the first operation, it was hard to select the right medication for me. The first two days after waking up from the coma, it was the hardest fight in my life I have ever had. Every breath I had so much pain.

“I have no idea how I got through it. There was one night when the cleaning woman came round. Normally when they clean the rooms in the hospital they know that there are people lying there in pain. So she asked me if everything is good.

“I said, ‘No, please call the doctor, please call the doctor.’ And she cried next to my bed. Just the cleaning assistant from the hospital. That’s how hard it was in the first week.”

Kristina Vogel won gold and bronze at the Rio Olympics

Vogel is 27 years old. Her partner Michael Seidenbecher, a former track rider himself, has barely left her side for the past two months. Their friends have been active on their behalf, setting up a fundraising campaign with the hashtag ‘staystrongkristina’.

“It is the second big accident I have had in my life [she was hit by a minibus in 2009 and placed in a medically induced coma], and it is the second time I’ve given him so much pain,” she says. “It was very hard for Michael, because his life changed in that moment as well.

“I’m so happy that I have him, because without him I wouldn’t be the person that I am. In the first week he slept on a chair next to my bed. Holding my hand all night.”

She laughs. “It’s crazy, isn’t it? Maybe it’s love, but it’s the second time I’ve put him in this bad, bad situation. I’m so thankful for him.

“It is stupid that you need these life-changing moments for you to realise how many people notice you and what you are doing. I cried when I saw that and I cried when I saw that Chris Hoy gave some jerseys to raise money for me.

“I don’t know how I can give it back to all the people, to say thank you. It’s impossible to say thank you in the same way that they have helped me.”

It’s a curiously selfish instinct that, faced with the tragedies of others, we can tend to start thinking of ourselves. How would I cope with this? Would I be able to be this candid, this rational, this strong?

You are an elite athlete. Your body has been your livelihood, your greatest pleasure. In one moment that has gone. How can you hide from the obvious reaction – why me?

“I never think that,” Vogel says firmly. “Never. It’s a question you can’t answer.

“It’s shit that it’s my accident and I can’t walk any more, but asking why helps nothing. I’m really proud that my mum gave me so much strength that I can handle this.

“I knew in the first seconds that I was paralysed, that I would never walk in my life again. It sounds bad, but I liked knowing, because there was no struggling in my head. You can accept it and you can straight away go forward.”

Was she not angry? At fate, at the poor guy she collided with, at the alternative future she had been working for so hard?

“I never was that angry person before. I was always happy, I always loved my life.

“I still love my life. So nothing changed, really. Just how I move. I’m going to do a lot of things in my wheelchair. It’s different, but it’s still my life, so why not be happy?

“Maybe I’ll feel it when the World Championships come round in March next year. That will be 10 years after my first elite Worlds, and it was my plan to collect a 12th gold medal. Now I can’t, but there is no place in my mind for that right now.

“Maybe there is another way to reach a gold medal in my life. And if not, I reached so many things in my life.”

Vogel’s fund has so far raised 120,000 euros (£107,000). She is looking forward to getting carbon wheels for her chair, an adapted car. She is looking forward, but all you can think is how much you would be looking back.

“I’m feeling free,” she says, with a smile. “Because I don’t have to do anything. It is the first time that my decisions in my life are just for me. There is no pressure from outside or from me because I want to show how good I am. I will find my way back, maybe to sport, maybe not.

“I am a world champion since 2012. From competition to competition, everyone just expects that I will win the gold and I will do good. Before the competition, you’re asked, how are your tactics, and how is your form? When I enter a track everyone looks to see if I am in a good condition or a bad condition. Then you see how the press is writing about you, and there’s a lot of pressure on myself. Every move I make in my life, everyone sees.

“Now it’s like I have stepped out of the circle. I can create something really new and really nice. It’s hard to explain how it feels, but my decisions are just for myself. I’m really happy, and I want to go forward to see something really great.”

When we say goodbye I ask if I can come out to visit in a few months’ time, see how she’s getting on at home, what she does next. Vogel is a woman in a hurry. She always was.

“My left collarbone was broken, so there were eight weeks when I couldn’t have any pressure on it. The doctors said I was faster with one arm than most people using two arms. I’m a freak!

“Maybe it’s because I’m still a fighter in my heart. That I still want to go fast. That when the doctors are standing by my bed saying, Kristina, you need time, I’m saying, ‘No! No! I will show you how fast I am!’

“The tiger is still in my heart. Once a fighter, always a fighter, huh?”

BBC Sport – Cycling ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/cycling/12308/

#Barcelona