games

WHEN SHOULD KIDS START SPORTS?

2009-12-06T00:39:00.000-08:00

It's not easy to determine how early to start children in organized sports. Children of the same age vary considerably in their physical and psychological maturation, and there is no practical method of measuring maturity. Assuming the child has shown interest, five or six is the generally accepted earliest starting age for organized team sports. At the early ages participation should be limited to sports that involve a lot of physical activity and encourage the development of major motor muscles.

Children in grades 1 - 4 can benefit most from games that are modified to meet their needs and abilities. Play and fun are more important to this age group than highly structured sports that emphasize the outcome rather than the process. Parents and coaches are usually the ones concerned about winning and losing. When helping your child select a sport, keep balance in mind. Encourage your children to try many sports and activities when young and not to think of specializing or playing competitively until they reach middle school. Make sure a balance also occurs between adult organized activities and free playtime. Children need time to just be kids and to play with other kids without a set of rules or adult involvement.

The most important decisions to make, are which youth sports organizations and which coaches are best for your child. Make sure that you take the time to find out about the league, its leaders and coaches. Better yet, get involved and volunteer to coach. Participating in sports is a healthy way, both physically and socially, for your children to channel their youthful energy in a positive direction. Make sure your children's first experience encourages them to begin a lifelong interest in physical activities and good health.

Bicycle Chainrings - Keeping the Ride Smooth With the Right Bicycle Chainring

2009-12-06T00:35:00.000-08:00

If you are a cycling enthusiast or an expert on bicycles then you probably know what a 20 tooth bicycle chainring is. If you’re not, then this probably sounds like the name of a gang of tough tugs. If your bike has been acting up lately and you found out that the problem may be lying on the chainring then this is the best time to familiarize yourself with this important bicyle part. A chainring is also known as a sprocket or a chainwheel. If you own a BMX, then your fellow BMX-owners would probably recognize the term sprocket more. Anyway, if you get into a position where you can check out the mechanics of your bike, you will notice a chain that passes power to your rear wheels. That is the bicyle chainring.

Size matters

The term 20 tooth bicycle chainring actually describes the chainring in question. This means that the chainring has 20 teeth. Chainrings can also have as much as 55 rings of even more. If you watch the bike carefully in motion, you will see that the teeth functions by hooking each link of the passing chain. The width of the chainring can be as narrow as 3/16″ and as wide as 5/64″. Old models and exercise bikes usually require litle width, while hybrid bikes and any bike with nine to ten speed cassette require bigger width.

Types of chainrings

When it comes to shopping for a 20 tooth bicycle chainring, it helps to know the different types of bicycle chainrings. Classic chainrings feature an empty middle. If you own a lightweight bike, this is the option for you. The other types are spoked chainrings and disc chainrings. Bicycle chainrings are also made from various materials like aluminum, titanium and steel.

Important information

Complete information on 20 tooth bicycle chainrings is available at PickyGuide, the authority in free consumer advice. Access top-ranked, best-reviewed, and most competitively priced bicycle chainrings in PickyGuide’s recommended products section

Ronaldo apologises after Jekyll and Hyde show at Bernabeu

2009-12-06T00:29:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo was repentant after spoiling a match-winning performance for Real Madrid with a red card in the 4-2 La Liga victory over Almeria on Saturday.

The Portugal forward, who had set up Sergio Ramos to head the opener for his side in the 31st minute, helped turn the game back in his side's favour after Almeria had fought back to 2-2 in the second half.

In the 81st minute, he won a disputed penalty after he tumbled over Almeria goalkeeper Diego Alves in the area.

Tajik soccer players win AFC President's Cup for the third time

2009-12-06T00:27:00.000-08:00

The Tajik soccer club Regar-TadAZ has won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President's Cup for the third time by defeating Kyrgyzstan's Dordoi-Dinamo on its home field, 2-0.

Regar-TadAZ took control in the first half, scoring in the sixth minute of the match. Coach Makhmajon Khabibulloev’s team scored again in the 55th minute. Team Capitain Khurshed Makhmudov distinguished himself and won the tournament's Most Valuable Player award, while the Fair Play prize went to Dordoi-Dinamo. The Best Shooter's award for the tournament as a whole went to So Min Oo from Myanmar's Kanbazy, with six well-placed goals.

Kazakh team wins multiple medals at Asian Games

2009-12-06T00:21:00.000-08:00

Kazakhstan finished third in the medals table at the third Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, which were held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 8. Uzbekistan finished tenth, while Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which took one silver and one bronze respectively, finished 31st and 32nd.

More than 2,500 athletes from 43 Asian countries competed in 27 different sports.

China topped the medals table with 48 gold, 25 silver and 19 bronze medals, while Vietnam came second (42-30-22). Kazakhstan finished third (21-16-21), just ahead of Thailand and Iran.

Kazakh athletes won more medals than their rivals in some sports. They were unequalled in track-and-field athletics and swimming, where they won 14 and 27 medals respectively.

Outstanding individual success was achieved by the Asian long jump record-holder, Olga Rypakova (two gold medals), former short course world champion swimmer Vladislav Polyakov (three gold), swimmer Stanislav Kuzmin (three gold) and swimmer Anastasiya Prilepa (two gold). Kazakh athletes won medals in ten of the 11 sports competed in, lacking only a medal in bowling.

Uzbekistan excelled in kurash, athletics, swimming, Thai boxing, pencak silat, chess, computer games and futsal. Its athletes won five gold, nine silver and ten bronze medals. Their combined haul of 24 medals put their country in tenth place in the medals table.

Tajikistan finished 31st thanks to a kurash silver won by Parviz Sobirov in the 90kg category. Kyrgyzstan shared 32nd place with Lebanon and Bangladesh. Its only medal, a bronze, was won by rumba dancers Aleksei Kibkalo and Viktoria Kachalko in dancing.

James Anderson's third knee injection gives England cause for concern

2009-12-06T00:20:00.000-08:00

England arrived yesterday in a city whose good fortune it is never to be confused with Shangri-la. They had a carefully modulated swagger, for they are a modest bunch. But they have a trophy in the bag, having become the second country, after Australia, to win a one-day series in South Africa. Team spirit is high, too, and they seem genuinely happy in each other's closeted company. There is only one fly in this paradisiacal ointment: there has been no cricket. Or, to be more precise, they will have played three days of the stuff in 22 when, on Wednesday, they face a South Africa Airways

India grabs top spot in ICC Test rankings

2009-12-06T00:14:00.000-08:00

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s boys created history when they thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs to not only clinch a comprehensive 2-0 series victory, but also annexed to the top rank on the ICC Test rankings from South Africa.

The clinical performance at Brabourne was an apt summarization of Indian team’s journey over past 24 months or so which included series victories in England and New Zealand after long gaps.

It was a perfect team effort revolving around mammoth efforts from few individuals. After Harbhajan Singh’s 4-wicket haul in the first innings helped India restrict Sri Lanka to 393 runs, Virender Sehwag exploded with a ferociousity of a nuclear bomb on the visitors, knocking the stuffing out of them with a whirlwind 293 on the second day.