The Rock Almighty: Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, and Sunday Godspell. Rejoice! Rejoice! Tis' The Season

-Tania Penwell

The moment you gaze upon a Christmas Tree, you will instantly think about Christmas or the Yuletide season, festooned with glittering lights and beautiful decorations. Beneath the Christmas Tree are pretty gift-wrapped parcels, destined to be opened on Christmas Day itself.

Have you ever decorated a Christmas Tree and wondered how this tradition came about? Similarly, how creative can you be when it comes to making tree decorations?

Let’s take a look at ancient roots and modern-day offshoots:

Ancient Roots

The traditional decorating of the Christmas Tree has its roots in rituals of Autumn and Winter of old Northern Europe. For the Teutons, Celts and Gauls, trees like pine, fir and spruce symbolized eternal life. For the Teutons, they would hang pieces of cloth, fruit and other gifts on these evergreen trees during the Winter Solstice. The people would ask for renewal of life and fertility at the tree.

As Christianity became dominant, such pagan practices became subsumed under Christianized traditions. The Christians basically integrated existing beliefs into more acceptable norms of thinking. There is a German myth about St Winifred made a miraculous young fir tree appear with shining lights on its branches and the image of the baby Jesus above.

Evergreen Joy

The Christmas Tree is predominantly an evergreen. So, you get to see live Douglas firs, pines and spruces for sale in major supermarkets during the Christmas season. Some people would opt for the paper and plastic tree options. But having a live tree itself is a special occasion.

In North America, families would go to tree orchards and farms to chop their choice Christmas Tree. They would decorate their trees with shop-bought or home-made decorations, draping fairy lights on the branches. It is a time for families to get together and decorate the tree.

For live evergreens, always remember to give them water, because they would ultimately wilt away after the end of the season. If you are an advocate of eco-friendly practices, do think of ways how to recycle your Christmas Tree. You can make wreaths out of the branches or chop the wood down for firewood. It is sad to see many trees discarded after Christmas. So, recycling them would be a good idea.

Decorations From Home

There are some families who would make popcorn chains to decorate their Christmas Trees. More creative families would dry fruits and hang them on the branches, making their trees uniquely theirs.

If you are keen to make your Christmas Tree decorations, why not take a look around your backyard or garden. If you have seed-pod producing trees, you can collect the seed-pods (if they have fallen from the tree) and use them as decoration material. Make sure the seed-pods are not poisonous! Clean them with a slightly wet cloth. You can start coating them with gold or silver paint (whatever color you desire). After they have dried, you can tie strings on the seed-pods. There you go – your very own tree decorations.

If your taste leans towards the more edible, you can hang crystal-glazed grapes or berries. Get fine sugar and the berries of your choice. Coat the berries with egg white and dust the sugar gently on them. Tie durable string on the berries and tasty decorations are ready to be hung. Remember to take them quickly, because they are perishable!

Have Fun

So, remember to have fun with your Christmas Tree. May your Yuletide season be filled with festive joy!

Tania Penwell provides information on Christmas trees and Christmas decorations for Christmas Town - celebrate Christmas!

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US Sports Golf: I Could Play Golf Like Tiger Woods I Just Don't Want To and Highlights | Round 2 | The RSM Classic

Presented on US Sports by Golf Fun For Kids

-Pat Boardman

There have been many talented and disciplined people over the years that climbed to fame by performing consistently at the top levels of professional sports but Tiger Woods has succeeded in dominating his sport totally, joining the ranks of legends like Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretsky. This article attempts to study the motivations of the superstar as he chose golf as a profession and went on to rack up astronomical statistics.

Golf is a sport that should be started as young as possible so that a natural swing can develop and become a smooth body motion, and Eldrick Tont Woods, known as Tiger Woods, was playing since he could stand upright. He was born in California so there was year-round warm weather to make serious golfing possible. His family was well-off enough to join the golfing class. Golf courses aren't accessible to everyone so the children from the more affluent middle class have the advantage of being able to own golf equipment and maintain a club membership where dad takes his hacks at the golf balls and loses them in the rough regularly. There are special clothes to wear at the country club and a number of golf accessories to buy, such as golf shoes, jackets, golf bags, and carts to wheel the golf clubs from hole to hole. It's not an easy game to master; it's more associated with frustration, anger, and divot-digging missed shots where colorful language turns to a more vulgar type of cursing at the unfairness of life on the fairways and five-putt greens.

Duffers the world over use to cringe at the under-par scores of their heroes like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player back in the 1960s when golfers tossed their cigarettes on the green while they putted out. Overall health wasn't stressed in those days, in fact the cigarette companies were major sponsors and golf professionals could pick up some advertisement money by pitching a favorite brand of cancer stick that makes them play better. Tournament money was an attraction to lure some golfers into the gym to get the edge on the competition but there are still some top golfers who are out of shape and overweight. A good swing is a good swing and the rest is gravy.

Tiger Woods was ready to mop up all the gravy by being in tremendous shape; he can also play a better game asleep than most of us can while awake. A score for eighteen holes from Tiger is lower than the average person's score for nine holes. Not surprisingly, Woods had appeared on national TV before the age of three where he putted against Bob Hope on the Mike Douglas show. He was raised in Cypress California and scored a 48 over nine holes at the Cypress Navy golf course, also before the age of three. Adults would be happy to have such a low score; many of us can't break 100 over eighteen holes. At the age of fifteen in 1991, Tiger became the youngest ever junior champion and he was uniformly dynamic in his college and amateur career.

After his 1999 Memorial Tournament win on the pro tour he began the longest winning streak since 1974 and the following year he won three majors, nine PGA tour events, and he set or tied twenty-seven Tour records. He continued winning until Vijay Singh finally halted the streak and beat Tiger to become the number one ranked player in the world. The two traded the number one spot back and forth for a while but Woods prevailed over and over to become the highest money-winner in golfing history.

Tiger scored even better with the ladies; many of us envy the money and endorsements that come with super-stardom but it comes at a terrible cost to the essential bodily fluids when slinky cocktail waitresses keep seeking to sap your energy and pollute your purity of essence with their admiring lust. Being draped with beautiful women is just one of those sacrifices that a true professional like Tiger Woods takes onto himself; no doubt extra conditioning is needed to help him get through the exhausting nights that would slay the average man. However, life is tough getting out of the rough when word of his other record-setting activities gets back to the wife.

SEO consultant Pat Boardman presents this information in respect to Tiger Cub Junior Golf Clubs, manufacturers of junior golf equipment and suppliers of junior golf 

US Sports Hockey: Who is Brad Marchand? and Ottawa Senators vs. Anaheim Ducks NHL Highlights

Brad Marchand a 5'9'' left winger for the Boston Bruins. Brad from Halifax, NS, was drafted by the Moncton Wildcats, of the QMJHL. The 2004 2nd rounder would play 129 games for the Cats. Tallying, a total of 95 regular-season points. And 20 playoff points in 31 games.

Marchand was to be traded from the Wildcats to the Val d'Or Foreurs after the 05/06 season. Marchand spent the next two seasons with Val d'Or. In 90 regular games, he put up a total of 124 pts. In 20 playoff games, he put up an astonishing 40 points.

Marchand would play for a poor Val d'Or squad. He would soon be swapped to the Halifax Mooseheads for prospects. The 19-year-old captured 29 points during a 26 game stint in Halifax.

In the 08/09 season would see Marchand playing for the Providence Bruins. After being drafted 71st overall in the 2006 NHL entry draft. In his AHL rookie campaign, the prospect would add 59 points in 79 games.

The 09/10 season would be the first NHL experience for the youngster. He recorded one point in twenty games. Marchand would finish the year with 32 points in 34 AHL games.

In 2010-11 Marchand would prove to be a regular in the Bruins lineup. He would rack up 41 points in 77 games. On route to winning his first Stanley Cup. Marchand had 19 points in 25 playoff games.

2015 was a career year for Marchand. He had a total of 61 points in 77 games. He was selected to the World Championship and World Cup for Canada.

Marchand had a fantastic world cup tournament! Brad scored a short-handed game-winning goal to beat Team Europe in the finals. Brad and his fellow countrymen would take home gold. He finished the tourney with 8 points in 6 games.

The 18/19 campaign only got better! Marchand joined the 100 point club. He recorded 36 goals and 64 apples in 79 regular-season games. His Bruins would then make it to the cup final only to lost to the St.Louis Blues in game 7.

Marchand finished the 20/21 season with 69 points in a shortened NHL year (53 games). He was on pace for 106 points.

In conclusion, the stats show that the more experienced, the better Brad Marchand gets. In the future, we shouldn't be surprised if he brings any hardware home.

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US Sports Soccer: Mastering the Ball with Anson Dorrance and UCLA vs Michigan Big Ten Soccer Championship Final

 by America Scores

Description

How to DEVELOP and IMPROVE your soccer skills with or without a coach. Legendary Coach, Anson Dorrance, discusses key points that he has instilled with his women's soccer program at UNC. Progress your skills from beginner, intermediate, or advanced player to become an ELITE player. Book this course......

The Coach

America Scores

Anson Dorrance

Head women's soccer coach at The University of North Carolina and former US Women's National Team head coach. In 1979, five years after graduating from UNC, Coach Dorrance became head coach of the UNC Tar Heels Women's Soccer Team. This women's soccer program he built would eventually be deemed the 6th most successful sports dynasty of the 20th century.

The CSP Soccer Recruitment App revolutionizes the way high school and elite soccer players approach college recruitment.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 22 National Championship Titles (21 NCAA, 1 AIAW)
• 1st coach in history to win over 20 National Championships in a single sport
• 22 ACC Conference Tournament Championship Wins
• 1,043+ NCAA Wins
• 90.5% Games Won

HALL OF FAME HONORS & AWARDS

• NC Soccer Hall of Fame (2002)
• North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (2005)
• National Soccer Hall of Fame (2008)
• United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame (2018)

ACCOLADES

"Named winner of the prestigious Werner Fricker Builder Award" - United States Soccer, 2016
 
"One of the best coaches of the Past Quarter Century" - ESPN, 2004
 
"Greatest college dynasty of all-time" - Sports Illustrated On Campus Magazine, 2003
 
"Named one of the 25 most influential people in the history of American soccer" - Soccer America, 1995
 
"Named one of the 20 most influential men in American soccer" - Soccer America, 1991

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US Sports Track and Field: Three Hurdle Drills All Track Coaches Should Know and You will not believe how close these finishes got 👀 Tokyo 25

 

• By Grant Young
 

---

The Paris 2024 Olympics have made track and field top of mind for not just American citizens watching the games on TV, but especially young athletes who find themselves intrigued by the record-breaking feats they’re witnessing. 

One of Team USA’s most famous athletes at the Olympics is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. She is a 25-year-old American hurdler and sprinter who competed in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2024 Olympics. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion with the Games record and the 2022 World champion. She currently holds a world record time of 50.65 seconds, which was set at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 30, 2024. But many are expecting her to set a new world record when she competes in Paris. 

While McLaughlin-Levrone is now the world’s fastest female hurdler, she got to this point by dedicating herself to her craft for years, even decades. She surely honed her hurdling skills by using many of the same drills that Chris Parno teaches his college athletes and Olympic hopefuls. 

Coach Parno is the Associate Head Track and Field Coach at Minnesota State University. Parno leads the men's and women's sprint/hurdle groups and serves as the recruiting coordinator. While being led by Parno, the maverick sprinters and hurdlers have experienced unprecedented success, re-wrote the record books, and established MSU as a sprints and hurdles powerhouse among Division II. This includes Coach Parno coaching 11 Individual/relay NCAA National Champions and 8 Individual/relay NCAA National Runner-ups in his 13 seasons at MSU. 

Coach Parno’s ‘Hurdle Drills’ course details all of the main drills he has used to turn Minnesota State into a national powerhouse. They will help track coaches cover all the bases when it comes to getting their athletes prepared for their next hurdle event—and could even help turn a select few of these athletes into Team USA’s next Olympics champion. 

Cut Step Drill

One of Coach Parno’s favorite drills for hurdlers is what he calls the Cut Step Drill. 

The cut step is the last, shortened step a runner makes before they make their jump. Therefore, working to perfect the cut step can be the difference between winning one’s race and coming up a few milliseconds short. 

The cut step drill will start by placing a hurdle against a wall or some other flat surface. The runner will position themselves a few steps away from the wall and then begin by taking a couple of steps toward the hurdle. Once they reach their cut step, the runner will get their drive foot down beneath their hips before projecting into the hurdle. 

This drill doesn’t require the runner to make any actual hurdles. Rather, their simulating the jump will end with their lead foot being placed against the wall just above the hurdle, and not having ever left the ground. 

“Cutting” that last step before the hurdle a bit short allows the runner to project into the hurdle. The runner wants to start feeling the hip projection as they lead into their hurdle, which will help propel them forward when making their jump without losing momentum. 

One Step Leads and Trails

One dynamic drill that Coach Parno recommends for any hurdle athlete is what he calls the One Step Leads and Trails drill. 

This drill is going to start with three hurdles being placed about 3-5 feet in between one another (although that can change depending on what level you’re coaching at/whatever your need is). 

The hurdler will then start with the runner approaching the side of the first hurdle (meaning they aren’t jumping over the entire hurdle) and getting their lead leg only over the hurdle.

Once they land, they’ll have to return right back into their hurdling position after a quick contact with the ground and get into their golden position take-off before sending their lead leg over the second hurdle. Then they’ll do the same thing with the third and final hurdle. 

The goal for this drill is to get the rhythm down of these golden position take-offs and get repeated attacks into each hurdle in order to build repetitions. Therefore, the hurdle doesn’t need to be at its full height. 

The second half of this drill is the trails portion, where the runner will be doing the same thing as before but with their trail foot going over the hurdle, rather than their lead foot. 

Another important part of this drill is that the coach makes sure the runner’s lead arm is coming down and around as they make their jump, as per the proper technique. 

6 Step Starts

A runner’s ability to get off the starting blocks can either spell success or despair for a runner during a race. And that’s why Coach Parno’s ‘6 Step Starts’ drill is a must for not just hurdle coaches, but coaches for all other track events as well. 

The drill starts with the coach putting a piece of tape on the track where the hurdler’s sixth step should land. Then the hurdle will head off the blocks and by their sixth step, they should have already launched into the first hurdle. 

This drill is particularly effective for getting runners to push off the blocks because if they haven’t reached that piece of tape by their sixth step it’s clear proof that they’re not excelling at the start of the race as efficiently as they could be. 

Without putting the tape marks down, it takes more guesswork from a coach to figure out how their runners are starting off the blocks. 

Fearless With Jason Whitlock. Shedduer Keepin' It Reel?

Fearless with Jason Whitlock

‘Tupac’ Shedeur Sanders OVERSHADOWS the Dallas Cowboys & The Entire NFL

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