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Posts Tagged ‘History’

The history of hockey is similar to that of golf as it basically is rooted from any game that involved a stick and a ball or rock which have all been played for thousands of years. Very rough and crude forms of these games have been taking place for thousands of years throughout Europe, Egypt and South America that have formed hockey history.

Hockey began to form clearer roots throughout England in the sixteen and seventeen hundreds. These were treacherous games that often combined the entire village versus another village and teams could often have up to a hundred players and the players often played through major injuries and endured several days of these games.

The sport that we are more familiar with today began to form at Eton University in England when they actually began to formulate rules around 1860. Then the first Hockey Assoc. in the history of hockey was formed in 1875 which clarified more rules.

Further growth of the sport was spawning in North America as new settlers came to the continent. Montreal was credited with the first organized game in the history of hockey that was played in 1875 by college students. The students then formed more associations and leagues and created new rules at the same time.

The game continued to grow in popularity and became so popular that Montreal offered the first World Championship of Ice Hockey in 1883. European hockey continued to grow at the college level while a number of universities formed fierce rivalries.

Some dramatic rule changes were applied that helped progress the game to a field of eleven players while hockey equipment began to evolve as well. The use of safety equipment to include pads, helmets, mouth pieces and protective eye shields have dramatically improved from the early days of hockey history. It was not uncommon to not even wear head gear until the last few decades.

The international appeal of hockey grew tremendously due to the Olympic Games. It was first played at the Games in 1924 and only allowed male teams. Canada was a safe bet to win the gold medal as they won the first six out of seven golds. From the mid fifties to the eighties the Soviet Union dominated. Although the US won its first gold medal in hockey history in1960 it was the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” where our college amateur team went on to beat the heavily favored Russians that spurred a growth in Americas appetite for hockey.

The NHL as we know it today was formed in 1917 and consists of 30 teams 24 of which are from America and the remainder in Canada. The bulk of the players come from Canada, Europe and America. There is also an International Association called the International Hockey Federation which was formed in 1908 and continues today by hosting some of the largest international ice hockey tournaments. These two organizations have helped to form and govern hockey as we know it today. The sport has grown a lot from twigs and balls to a major international activity that produces billions in revenue each year and has some of the most amazing athletes on the planet, so goes the history of hockey.

Ice hockey is a sport that is favored in colder climates during winter and has fans all over the world. It is believed that hockey is tied to prehistoric times, although the word hockey has only been used since the 16th century to describe the game. In 1893, the first of the matches were held at both Yale University and John Hopkins University and in 1903. The first professional team formed was called the Portage Lakers in Michigan.
Since those times, indoor Ice hockey has become a popular sport. With the hard surface of the ice, pucks flying at over 100 miles per hour at times and the rough way that the game is played by teams opposing each other, Ice Hockey can be very hazardous for the people playing it.
Safety Gear
Safety gear has been introduced to the game to keep players from sustaining serious injury. Some of the main safety gear that is used by professional and amateur players alike is:
Helmets,
Shoulder pads,
Elbow pads,
Mouth guards,
Gloves,
Padded shorts,
Breezers,
Shin guards,
And, often, neck guards.
Goaltenders also need specialized equipment such as masks and extra padded equipment to keep them safe from flying pucks while defending the goals. All of this safety equipment is a must when playing the game and most of it is considered mandatory.
Ice Hockey Skates
Another bit of equipment that is used for playing ice hockey are ice hockey skates. These are made from a base of leather or nylon boots. Professionals prefer not to use nylon as they are said to make it harder to manoeuver in them. The thick leather or nylon in the boots helps players to protect themselves from being hit in the shins and ankles.
There is also a blade used at the bottom of the skates. This blade helps to make moving on the ice easy. Ice hockey skates are much the same style as figure skates, although ice hockey skates have a rounded blade on them to help avoid injury to other players.
Ice Hockey Sticks
Ice hockey sticks are one of the main tools used in the game and are generally made of wood. The hockey stick is around 200cm long and has a flat extension at the bottom of the stick known as the blade. Blades and sticks can vary in size depending on the player who is using them. Many professional players have their sticks customized to suit them.
The blade is curved in the same direction the ice skater moves, the stick has been designed that way to assist in lifting and keeping the puck off of the playing surface.
Ice Hockey Helmets
The ice hockey helmets need to be measured by the size or circumference of the player’s head just above the eyebrows to ensure a proper fit. An ideal ice hockey helmet will fit comfortably and not shift around the head. There should never be rotation or looseness in a helmet as this may cover the player’s field of vision.
The inside of a helmet is made of a material called Vinyl nitrate. Vinyl nitrate is especially useful for absorbing force or impact from direct hits to the head from pucks, hockey sticks or direct contact with the ice.
Helmets are often fitted with visors. This is mainly to protect a player’s eyes. With younger players and in some leagues, it is mandatory to use a visor while playing. Other mandatory equipment includes special masks, especially for young players or those who play ice hockey at a university. These players are required to use a mask made from metal or thick plastic attached to their helmets to protect their face from injury.

The skiing sport requires the use of common device called skis. The skiing device helps the skier to slide on the snow with the help of ski bindings that are attached with the boots of the skier.

Skiing is completely different sport from snow shoeing. It is also different from ice skating in line skating and water skating that are played on the snow. Though the characteristics of the skiing sports are shared with the snow boarding they are generally formed from skate boarding and hence it is not treated as skiing.

The game of skiing can be classified under two categories. History of skiing says the oldest category is the Nordic skiing that has been evolved from Scandinavian skiing. Six bindings are attached to the boots of the skier in the Nordic style of skiing. The heels of the skier are not attached to any bindings. Alpine skiing has been practiced from Alps.

Both toes and heels are attached with the ski boots in Alpine bindings. The history of skiing and the binding style indicates that skiing sport is liked and enjoyed by most of the people in the world. Telemark skiing have similar elements from both the categories.

According to the history of skiing this activity was considered to be a practical way of reaching from one place to the other. Sondre Norheim has been named as the father of modern skiing. During the 19th century Norheim forcefully tried to improve the bindings that will enhance a better turn during skiing on the hill slopes.

The techniques of the skiing were re established in the year of 1970. Bindings were firm with the feet of the skier and they proved to be more effective. This paved the way for the development of Alpine and down hill skiing.

History of skiing shows that during the 20th century Hannes Schneider of Austria formulated the idea of body rotation with the help of skiing device. This Arlberg technique gained popularity throughout the world and led skiing to become a famous activity of recreation.

The oldest ski remains were found in Russia which was roughly about 8000 years old. There are mainly six ways that has paved way for the development of skiing sport. The oval wooden board called the pedal snow shoe was entirely covered with fur. The sledge runner was considered as the practical model for skiing.

According to history of skiing, moccasins and sandals were combined together and it was named as fur shoes. The marsh shoe was preferably taken to the regions that were colder. The regions in the northern areas used canoe or the coracle. There were also used as sledges and they were called proto skis.

History of skiing also shows that varieties of skis have emerged from different regions during the same time. The people of Sajan Altaic Mountains in Asia were considered to be the original inventors of the skis. There were three different types of skis in the Asia and North of Europe. Horizontal toe piece binding was commonly used in the southern regions. Vertical four holes binding with the thin board was found on the Eastern Siberia. Thus each of the types can be distinguished from each other

Pioneer Sondre Norheim, from Telemark, has often been called the father of modern skiing for inventing the equipment and techniques that led to modern skiing as we see it today. However, originally skis were used as a practical item, used primarily for travel in a climate that received an abundance of snow. 

The first hints to the existence of skis are on Cave and rock drawings discovered in 1933 in Norway which depict a man on skis holding a stick. During this time, however, skiing was not used as a sport but for survival. The oldest skis were found in Norway, where it’s believed that the first skiers tied bones of large animals to their boots with leather straps.  Short skis were found in Sweden, believed to be the oldest skis, which date back to 4500 years old.

As time progressed, people in the Telemark area in Norway began to develop skiing as a finer art.  In the early 1700’s, these people began to use skis to make downhill descents, and they were fond of making jumps.  This was the beginning of skiing as we know it today.  The jumps and downhill descents became known as the Nordic style.

 

The development of modern skiing as we know it was making strides in 1850 Sondre Norheim.  He created skis by typing twisted wet birch roots to his boots, and waited until the roots dried.  These bindings allowed for better control than the old leather straps, and now it was possible to make new turning motions.  Soon afterwards, in 1896, and Austrian named Mathias Zdarsky from Austria demonstrated the skill of pushing one ski at an angle to control speed.  Another Austrian, Hannes Schneider, continued to refine these skills in the early 1900s and started the first formal Method of Ski Instruction (frequently known as the Arlberg technique).  Because of the new developments, and the change in style, this new form of skiing became known as Alpine Skiing.

Around this time, skiing was changing into a competitive sport. The first known civilian ski race took place in Tromso, Norway in 1843. Also in 1888, the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen made the first crossing of Greenland, travelling from East to West on skis. The report on his expedition, was published in 1890 in both Norwegian and English, and later in German. It aroused great interest in skiing in Europe and the United States, as well as creating a Norwegian national hero. From then on skiing was regularly in the news, and was soon adopted as a pastime and a sport by the wealthier classes of Europe,

In 1921, the first slalom race was held in Switzerland, and Alpine Skiing events were added to the Winter Olympics in 1936.  During this time, skiing was becoming a popular pastime activity in Europe.  Around this time, a ski lift was invented, which contributed to the popularity.  Ski resorts were opened after World War II in Austria and Switzerland.

Skiing has continued to grow in popularity and is very much a popular activity for kids with skiwear brands developing ranges of children’s ski clothing to meet demand.  In less than one hundred years, there are choices of popular ski resorts world-wide.  Different schools of thought about different methods exist, but meanwhile ski manufacturers are refining their products for the ever-evolving sport, making it faster, safer, and more navigable to race down the hills.  You can find a wealth of information on skiing, and it has turned into such a popular sport that you can watch it on TV for the competitions from people around the world. Skiing should continue to grow in popularity as travel becomes more possible for the masses, and it is fast becoming a more accessible sport for the middle class.

Original article by http://www.thekidswindow.com

Sometime between 1867 and 1873, an American professor, Horace Williams, at what is now Tokyo University, is credited with introducing baseball to the country of Japan. Williams came to Japan to teach English and American History, but his sports interest is what has impacted Japan the most. Fellow American Albert Bates, teaching at Kaitaku University, organized the first baseball game in Japan.

The first Japanese baseball club, the Shinbashi Athletic Club Athletics, was organized in 1878 by a former U.S. student who was a fan of the Boston Red Sox. By 1896, the skill of the still amateur players was demonstrated during the first international baseball game played between Ichiko team from Tokyo’s First High School and an American team organized at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club. The Japanese had challenged the Americans to the game and were not taken seriously. The American spectators jeered and booed the Japanese at the thought that they could beat Americans at their ‘national pastime.’ The Japanese team soundly defeated the Americans.

During the years between 1903 and 1934, amateur baseball in Japan was wildly popular. University teams were vying with each other in the Sokeisen, between Waseda University and Keio University; and at the Summer Koshien or National High School Baseball Championship as well. The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament or Spring Koshien began in 1924. Many senior high schools in Japan participate in the National High School Baseball Championship and or the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament. The tournament is named after Koshien Stadium which was built in 1922 and is the oldest of the Japanese stadiums. The stadium seats 55,000 people and still has grass, unlike most other stadiums in the country which have astro-turf.

Professional baseball in Japan can be traced back to 1920, although the first professional league was not organized until 1936, consisting of six teams. The first professional team was created by Shouriki Matsutarou and is now known as the Yomiuri Giants. The current highest Japanese professional competition is Nippon Professional Baseball, created in 1949 consists of four leagues. The year 2005 marked the foundation of the Shikoku Island League. Japan fielded a franchise known as the Tokyo Dragons as part of the now defunct Global League in 1969. An effective minor league in Japan is formed by corporate sponsorship of employee teams that play in local leagues and for a national championship.

There was a professional women’s baseball league as well. Beginning in 1952, the women’s teams took part in semiprofessional leagues until early in the 1970s. The Japan Women’s National Team took silver medals at the Women’s Baseball World Cup in both appearances.

Japanese youngsters in the Little League World Series have won five of the championships and have placed second three times. As of 2007, the Japanese championship team will not be required to win an Asian regional competition, but will proceed directly to the Little League World Series.

The Big Six University League was the organizational structure for baseball in Japan from the 1900′s through the 1930s. Now, at the university level, the All-Japan University Championship is an annual competition for school teams.

In the search for stronger competition, a Japanese team from Waseda University traveled to the United States in 1905. Three years later, the baseball team from the University of Washington returned the visit and played in several games that became the pattern of international interest in the sport of baseball. 21 American college teams made the trip to Japan and several Japanese teams made the return journey to the United States. Professional players from the United States, including Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, also toured and played exhibition games in Japan.

In 1934, during Ruth’s visit, 75,000 spectators jammed into the Koshien Stadium to see the MLB stars. Internationally, the Japan national team has won three Olympic medals, two Intercontinental Cups, and captured medals in six Baseball World Cups. The outstanding star quality of the Japanese baseball players has now made many Americans newly aware of the history of Japanese participation in the American national pastime. In particular, activities of Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, and other players from Japan who have been playing in the major leagues have heightened interest in the history of the sport in Japan.

Intense nationalism in Japan in the years previous to World War II saw some major changes in baseball in Japan, but following the War, the interest in baseball play resumed and has been an integral part of Japanese life ever since.

The first and the earliest written obviousness of the baseball in America are a written payment in 1791 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The document, discovered by Society for Spine of John of member of research of baseball in 2004, strong obviousness of offers that the baseball is a single American play, and it expresses doubts on held length belief that the baseball was derived from the baseball, a British play. It also to increase the question of origins of cricket, as one largely thought that the baseball followed the cricket, which was developed starting from a known folk play under the name of swell of saddles (1085 A.D). As of 2000 B.C. the plays type of ball and stick were played. The hiŽroglyphes depict the ancient Egyptians inside playing a game similar to the baseball 1500 B.C., although there exists some principal differences between its description and modern play. The payment 1791 of Massachusetts prohibited the play of the play to less than 80 yards of the house of meeting of city. The formal organization initially documented with the baseball of play in America was the jodhpurses of NY established above September 23, 1845. The first rules were written by Alexandre Cartwright, considered the father of the modern baseball. However, a long time before this the play of ball of time of a certain type was noted per many authors and inside many documents. At May 8, 1844 schedule city in New York City prohibits the ball of it the play of left. It was said that abner Doubleday has invented play of baseball inside 1839. although a posterior investigation proved this to be a role of CartwrightøS of myth inside the baseball was also called into question. The majority of the experts and historians are appropriate now that it was simply the first to note the rules which had existed for completely a certain hour. Moreover, there is obviously strong that the changes of rule were one of the Cartwright reasons wrote them. There much was written about the sport after the foundation Jodhpurses, such as articles relating to popularity and evolvement play rules of York of New in the principal current of the baseball. The original The jodhpurses reign the addressed stinking lines and supprimentes the plug outside, which implied striking the runner with the ball to gain an exit. They also traced the label-outside and the force-outside. Curiously, they it donÁøT provide a distance of pitching or a length of base line. The steps of Forty-two were the real distance written of at the house at the second base, and of initially with the third the Innings were also not mentioned. Instead of that, the first team with twenty and one were declared gaining it, given the two teams are allowed an equal number of with-beaters. Pitching the method was also described like underhand, perhaps similar to the ball of city, another play early with the English roots. The rules can be initially written by Cartwright, but there is a length and implied history of the plays earlier with the similar rules. Much American and the English complaints of opposition to invent the baseball tried to discuss theirs positions by presenting the obviousness to support their complaints. In spite of all this, the origin of the modern baseball remains always a mystery. After 1845, the history of the baseball in America starts to be rather clear. Rules were standardized in 1857. In 1858, the first league of baseball, the national Association of the low players of ball (NABBP), emerged. They were not professional players considered, because they did not receive any money for theirs participation. However, the plays were public and the admission was charged with be pilot plays. The first documented game of baseball of university was played in 1859 as Amherst A demolishes Williams 73-32 in 26 turns of beater in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In 1860, play of York of New generally indicated under the name of national of the pastime in much of written work. The baseball accelerated in popularity and draw aside slowly in all the country during the civil war. More than 100 clubs took place in existence when the finished war and 1869, the world first the professional team of baseball was established. Bottoms Of Red Of Cincinnati their first unconquered season finished. The NABBP crossed in two groups, for amateurs and that for the professionals. The leg of amateur of dissolved association after only a few years. The national league, which always exists, was established in 1875 afterwards NABBP proved ineffective on several levels. Power shifted with the club the organizations and the baseball entered an age completely of conflict, pointed out most of the time for the dreaded clause of reservation of player who oppressed players and was held they like slaves with their contracts. Nonwhite blacks and the Hispanic ones or all the other players on several occasions were forced out of, omitted, or sent to the minor leagues. It was a ashamed practice that endøof the didnÁt until 1947. The Western league of the players of baseball, a minor the league of the area of states of Great Lakes became the American league in 1899. A new era in the baseball started in 1901. It was known as era of ball of Dead , because of a reduction marked in offence produced in the two leagues. This era continued until the appearance of the Ruth baby in 1919.