Athletic Sports and the Olympics

London 2012 Union Flag Backpack 1058 Pink

Since the official logo for the London 2012 was unveiled in 2007, it’s garnered a mixed response from both the media and the general public. Love it or hate it, it’s certainly unique, it has become instantly recognisable and as 2012 approaches it’s becoming more and more ubiquitous with each passing day. With less than a year to go the London Olympics logo can be found on numerous products which are sponsoring the games as well as on and ever growing number of souvenirs and collectibles. These range from the already popular range of London 2012 bags to bed linen, towels and tableware. Even jewellery and laptop bags are being emblazoned with the 2012 logo.

Alongside the famous logo are the two Olympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville; both being a one eyed monster of sorts, are already proving popular amongst youngsters. Wenlock (one eye, bald head and blobular body) is the mascot for the Olympic games and Mandeville (one eye, spiky head and blobular body) is the mascot for the Paralympic games. Both Wenlock and Mandeville can be found on a wide range of London 2012 merchandise including cuddly toys, key rings, t-shirts and tracksuits and of course on the children’s range of London 2012 bags.

If you’re not a fan of the official Olympic logo or are too old for the two mascots, yet still want to show your support, there is a range which feature traditional sporting pictograms or which simply state ‘London 2012′ such as the range of wallets and laptop bags. There’s also a range of Team GB merchandise along with their very own team mascot; a very British lion named Pride who sports a with a red white and blue mane. The Team GB merchandise includes bags, t-shirts, sweat shirts and sportswear along with a range of collectibles ranging from stationary to miniature models depicting each event, from athletics and aquatics to weightlifting and wrestling.

Merchandising for the London 2012 Olympic games is a huge part of promoting the games, as well as helping to raise revenue and help fund the event. Official merchandise can easily be distinguished from counterfeit goods by the official 2012 hologram which can be found on all products. Packaged products will have the hologram somewhere on the outer packaging whereas items such as clothing or London 2012 bags will sport the hologram on a swing tag. Whatever item you buy, be it one of the many Olympic bags, stationary, clothing or other collectibles, make sure you’re buying official Olympic merchandise by checking for the official hologram first.

Gymnastics – The Epitome of Sport

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Gymnastics is one of the most popular Olympic sports which encompasses the three disciplines of Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline. These three disciplines are broken down further so within the ‘artistic’ set is the vault, floor exercise, the horse, still rings, parallel bars, high bar, uneven bars and the balance beam. In the vault event, a small trampoline called a trampet is also used in order to give the gymnast more lift. Both men and women compete in the vault and floor exercise events, but only men compete in the horse, still rings, parallel bars and the high bars, and only the women compete in the uneven bars and balance beam events.

The rhythmic disciplines involve far less apparatus than the artistic gymnastics do. In rhythmic gymnastics the rope, club (or baton), hoop, ball and ribbon are the only apparatus used. There is also a ‘free’ or floor routine which involves no apparatus. Rhythmic gymnastics is traditionally a women’s only discipline, however recently more and more men are competing in this discipline.

The third and final discipline of gymnastics is done on trampolines. In this discipline the gymnasts perform aerobics whilst bouncing on a trampoline. There is the individual event where gymnasts compete on their own. The synchronised event where a pair of gymnasts perform on two trampolines whilst doing the same routine in sync with their partner. Tumbling involves a small trampet where the gymnasts will perform highly complex routines within a single jump from the trampet before landing on a mat. Seeing as trampolines in their modern form were only invented in the 1930′s, this is by far the most recent discipline in the sport of gymnastics, whereas the artistic and rhythmic disciplines hail from the original Olympics of ancient Greece.

Former events with the spectrum of gymnastics which are no longer part of the Olympics or Commonwealth Games are the rope climb, where the competitor had to climb a length of rope using only their arms and were judged on both speed and style. Another event which is no longer practised is the flying rings. Similar to the still rings so far as the routines and aerobics are concerned, however on the flying rings, the competitor must be swinging rather than stationary.

Gymnastics, regardless of the discipline or event in question is going to be one of the most highly attended events at the upcoming London 2012 Olympic games this summer. The sport’s popularity is not surprising as it is visually spectacular and the agility and strength of the participating athletes is nothing short of mind boggling. These athletes really are amongst the most dedicated and disciplined athletes in the whole spectrum of events.

By Carl Liver and Barry Summers

Written on March 22nd, 2012 , Gymnastics

Sun Mountain Golf Bags – The Peak of Perfection

Sun Mountain are one of the most respected manufacturers of golfing accessories on the market today. This is largely due to their range of golf bags and trolleys which have become a favourite amongst the golfing fraternity. Sun Mountain bags have been in production since 1984 and right from their early days they’ve proved be a major innovator in golf bag design. By utilising hiking and mountaineering technology they developed lightweight golf bags which were both strong and sturdy. This innovation cemented Sun Mountain bags amongst the best available.

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Always aiming to push the boundaries, Sun Mountain also designed the first free standing golf bag with two retractable legs, a feature which is common place on almost all golf bags these days. The company are also credited with developing an early waterproof golf bag, the forerunner to their current H2no bag. Obviously once the waterproof hood has been removed it’s no longer ‘waterproof’, however by using high quality YKK zips and taped seams, it does boast waterproof pockets which can be relied on in even the heaviest downpour.

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With over 25 years manufacturing experience under their belt, Sun Mountain bags do not disappoint. They produce a variety of bags to suit a variety of needs, from the small light bags designed to carry a half set of golf clubs to the highly respected H2no bag; the number one waterproof golf bag designed to last a lifetime. When it comes to golf bags, you can’t go wrong with Sun Mountain.

ByBarry Summers & Carl Liver

Written on April 10th, 2012 , Golfing Tags: H2no Bag, Sun Mountain Bags, Waterproof Golf Bag

Cutting Edge Golf with the Callaway Razr

The Callaway Razr Fit series of golf clubs has taken the golf world by storm in recent years. This comprehensive range includes a variety of irons and fairway woods as well as a hybrid club and the Razr Fit driver. Although golf is largely a male dominated sport, Callaway have accommodated the ladies of the sport and have developed a ‘lady’ Razr Fit driver which is tailored to fit the female physique.

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The irons in the Razr range feature a low centre of gravity which offers a much more accessible ‘sweet spot’, especially at lower impact locations such as sleep inclines or areas of rough or semi-rough. The fairway woods boast a trademarked OptiFit hosel which allows one to set the face angle of this fairway wood to ‘open’, ‘square’ or ‘closed’. This enables golfers of all abilities to optimise the flight of the ball to suit their game. And for those tricky situations where a driver or fairway wood doesn’t quite cut the mustard, the Razr X Hybrid club will easily get both professional and amateur out of many a pickle.

Golf Course

Probably the most talked about golf club of 2012 from the Callaway Razr Fit range is the new Razr X driver in a gorgeous PVD black finish. The Razr X driver will turn heads like a little black dress, and that’s before you’ve teed off! Having so many years developing top class golf clubs, Callaway will always produce a driver which performs as good as it looks, and the Razor X driver is no exception. It offers unrivalled accuracy, impressive forgiveness at the moment of impact and much greater distance than its predecessors. The Callaway Razr Fit range will improve your game and your image, so what’s to think about? Order it. Buy it. Love it!

By Carl Liver & Barry Summers

Written on April 10th, 2012 , Golfing

Not All Sports Bras Are Created Equal

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For some women the idea of participating in some sports or certain exercises is a definite no-no simply due to their breasts. Jokingly they may claim they’d give themselves a black eye if they took up tennis or jogging, but in reality the reason some women avoid these sports is the fear of giving themselves a black eye as their mammalian protuberances bounce ‘all over the shop’. Of course they could be tamed with a sports bra, but some sports bras are not up to the task at hand and some breasts are seemingly uncontrollable.

Many lingerie designers have a range of sports bras, however brands such as Shock Absorber specialise in active underwear rather than it being a sideline to their main lingerie range. One error some women make when choosing a sports bra is they go for form over function. No serious sports women buy a sports bra because it looks nice, the buy the one which does the job it’s intended to do.

Shock Absorber sports bras do exactly what it say on the tin. They minimise bust movement through active exercise, whether you’re jogging, playing tennis or even on the trampoline.

When shopping for a sports bra, it’s best to visit a sports specialist rather than a lingerie specialist as the latter will likely have a selection which look like sports bras but lack the functionality. Whereas a sports shop will stock a selection which are designed to function well regardless of which sporting activity you’re participating in. Remember, not all sports bras are created equal.

By Barry Summer

Written on April 25th, 2012 , Sport Clothing Tags: Shock Absorber Sports Bras

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