It takes plenty of hard work and dedication to become a successful horse trainer. Apart from regular track work that begins at dawn, each trainer has an enormous responsibility to ensure that a horse reaches its full potential, making it a good investment for the owner. To accomplish this, trainers must possess perseverance, patience, and passion, which trainer James Scobie had plenty of.

Born at Ararat in Victoria on the 18th July 1960, James Scobie was the son of a stonemason, William Scobie. His passion for horses prompted Scobie to work as a horse boy and jockey in Victoria in his early years after a brief education. His first taste of success came as a stable rider for Robert Howie of Ballarat in a metropolitan jumping race. Between 1882 and 1893 Scobie trained several winners in principal jumping races in Oakbank, South Australia and in Melbourne.

Scobie’s career as a trainer got off to a fantastic beginnning since he bought racing stables from Robert Howie at Miners Rest not far from Ballarat. As a trainer for Norman Wilson, Scobie brought home winners in the Hobart Cup and Australian Cup in 1885. Apart from his passion for training horses, he was a strong cross-country rider and a member of the Melbourne Gun Club as well.

Scobie was an shrewd opportunist who sought rich patrons. His long association with Sir Rupert Clarke and his brother, Ernest, brought much success to his stables. Scobie was known for his expertise in conditioning stayers, where his horses were rarely beaten. His first Melbourne Cup winner was Clean Sweep, after which he became one of only nine trainers to win more than two Melbourne Cups, with 4 wins to his credit. His first Australian Jockey Club and Victoria Racing Club Derbys came through Maltster, in 1900. In 1906, Scobie became non-resident manager for Ernest Clarke’s stud in Melton.

Taking the advice from the chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, R. G. Casey, Scobie shifted to Pytchley Lodge in Flemington in the year 1911. This was where he did his prep work for other Melbourne Cup victors that included King Ingoda winning in 1922, followed by Bitalli in 1923, and Trivalve in 1927. Stand By, one of his favorite horses, failed to make it to the post in 1924. However, the racing fraternity greatly acknowledged his skills in training Bitalli, a delicate horse that had to be brought to full fitness, by backing it to 4/1 favorite in the Melbourne Cup.

Hua, brought Scobie his eighth Victoria Derby in 1937 while Lusson gave him his fifth South Australian Jockey Club Derby in 1939. A broken leg did not stop Scobie from his duties as a trainer, which he continued almost until his death.

Neither was he a man to take all the credit, sharing it with his long-time jockey of forty years, Bob Lewis. Scobie was cremated in Melbourne on 5 October 1940 leaving behind an estate valued at £57,962. He is survived by his son Norman. In 2001 Scobie was inducted into the Hall of Fame.By K Cummings

Trampolines have become one of the most fun toys in America today. They are great for both kids and adults allowing the same tummy tickle to be had as was when a child. This is a way for families to connect and for kids to help their parents to be kids again. When the trampoline parts give out, which they will eventually, there are several places to find replacement items. Items such as springs can be found at most hardware stores. Others, like the frame and the net are only found from the retailer from whom the trampoline was purchased. It is as simple as either calling or emailing the company, specifying the trampoline parts needed and having them shipped directly to your door.

Trampoline parts are specially made for the model that you purchased. No other parts, except the springs, are interchangeable. (Many trampolines do use special springs though so check with the manufacturer before buying replacement springs.) The aluminum frame, whether round or rectangle, are made from particular molds that will only fit that model of trampoline. When replacing the trampoline parts it is very important to get the exact part noted on the order form. This ensures that they will come in one shipment instead of having to be returned more than once because of an inappropriate order number.

Another way to find trampoline parts is to put an ad in the paper or on a website such as Craigslist requesting that others who may have one that they do not use anymore contact you in reference to this problem. In some cases trampoline parts themselves are given away or sold in yard sales or on sites such as the one referred to above. Because trampolines are so fun and lots of kids enjoy them, when a family no longer has use of theirs, it can earn them a little money with the sale of it. If all the trampoline parts are not there, they will usually let a buyer know this. Most people will even have saved the information to order them in the event they sell it.

In order to get the correct replacement parts you will need to know the make and model of your trampoline. If you can remember what it is or can not find the information on the trampoline itself, you can check your box or receipt, if you still have it. Other wise you can always go to the store where you purchased it and ask them for the information. Stores like Walmart and major toy stores or sports stores will maintain records in which will be their product information. They can look this up for the model of trampoline that was purchased by narrowing the input and still find what you are looking for.

So make sure your trampoline is ready for the summer fun by checking through all of your trampoline parts to make sure you are ready for the upcoming jumping season.

In earlier times, the motocross, also known as scrambles was just a loosely organized motorbike race. At that time, bikes used for races were heavy and rigid street machines. The riders would meekly modify their bikes for races. Since it was an informal affair, these MX events could attract limited crowds.

In the present times, mx events have gained strong popularity and attract many bike fans and enthusiasts. Today, the affair boast of a huge fan following. However, many dirt biking enthusiasts believe that the game lacks behind in development.

A large number of Fans believe that the authority needs to modernize the racing experience which would help them to gain a cutthroat edge in the field of action sports. Many organizing bodies have taken up the responsibility to re-ignite the excitement of sport by organizing more events for its amateur and professional racers.

The organizing bodies have allied up with various big brands and authorities to handle the organization and promotion of events all around the world. As a whole, authorities have paid attention on the waning interest amongst people and have started the mending work.

In the coming years, Racing fans and enthusiasts can look forward to some changes in the sport. The refurbishment of the sport has started at a very fast pace. The event revolution has hit the floor and organizers have decided on the broad coverage of the sport, hence giving it an instant facelift for the next season.

Organizers have decided to hold the events on weekends to help attract more crowds and fan access. The racing classes and structure have also been customized with the committee to modernize the event to a great extent.

Significant steps have been taken up by the committee to increase the exposure of mx events all across the world. They have initiated into a partnership to provide supreme opportunities in sponsorship sales, marketing and promotion, online coverage, television programming and content sharing of global media.

The organizing bodies are focusing to develop a stronger association with the youth by increasing the coverage of racing events. In addition, they are also determined to preserve the tradition and heritage of game.

They have planed to hold live telecast of racing events to reach out more audiences internationally. The extensive media coverage will provide easy access to the sport fans. Thus, the future of mx events look bright the organizers are also confident of making their fans happy with the modification brought in the event.

In the past decade, Airsoft has gained significant ground. It has been gaining ground on paintball, as more people are trying to find cheaper alternatives to the extremely expensive sport of paintball. Airsoft can be just as fun and challenging as sports like paintball, but for a fraction of the cost.

As Airsoft has grown, so has the amount of guns used for it. There are a lot more Airsoft pistols available than ever before. You can find both fictional and realistic-based models available for sale. Having a pistol of your own is good for a number of reasons, of which you can find below (3 reasons to be exact).

Good as a Backup – when your primary Airsoft gun fails, you’ll want some sort of backup, especially when you want to keep playing. A pistol is cheap, transportable, and effective backup. You can easily tote it around with you because of it’s small size, and yet still hit enemies that pose a threat. Bottom line is, if you want a backup, look no further than a trusty Airsoft pistol.

Good For Close Quarters – nothing beats the size of the Airsoft pistol. It is small in design, and tiny enough to wield easily in close quarters. If you are inside a building, you can tuck a pistol much closer to your body than an Airsoft shotgun or rifle, giving you an advantage when the only cover you can hide behind is that tiny sink in the basement.

A Blast to Use – most of us dream of dual wielding semi-automatic pistols and busting matrix-style moves. When the time calls for it, there’s nothing cooler than busting out from behind your cover and unloading on unsuspecting opponents. However, as awesome as having 2 pistols would be, most of us are fine with one. Just wielding one is enough to make you feel like cop or whatnot. Needless to say they just feel awesome.

One of my favorite memories of the single life is camping. Without children to pack for, I could be out the door 30 minutes after making the decision to go. What a feeling of freedom!

Have you seen the families go camping with large luxury trailers and generators for power? Wow, we have come a long way since the days of camping around a fire with no electricity. But for some, having a trailer for the kids to sleep in is just easier.

I still like to camp the old fashioned way, and while it is not as easy with kids, I try to teach them about necessities. I have them identify which items they would like to take versus which items they truly need to take.

After the necessities have been packed, let your kids select a few of the other items. Ask them which items will make the trip more fun and which items will easily fit into their bag.

Food is the next thing to plan. How are you going to cook your food? What utensils will you need? Make sure you plan ahead so you don’t spend all day and night cooking or realize you have all canned food and no can opener.

So what are you going to do during your camping trip? Don’t get too wrapped up in answering this. Just try to relax and enjoy your surroundings. Chances are, once you get away from all of the distractions of modern technology, you’ll find plenty to do.

Instead of preaching to children that simple things can be entertaining, be an example of this. Start having fun out in nature yourself and your kids will join in.

Now that I have children, camping will never again be as easy to plan for as it once was. But it is more rewarding than I ever dreamed possible.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Fields

I can still remember as a child when my mother’s friends would come to the house once a month to play bridge. One of the rare occasions when Mom would allow potato chips and other salty and sweet snacks within our reach, bridge night remains etched in my mind mainly for the camaraderie my mother’s friends shared during these marathon matches. It seemed nice for them to put worries of the workaday world behind them and catch up on friendly gossip and family news. Years later, she still gathers with the same core group to play. Bridge is definitely a game that forges a bridge to good times.

Why Form a Bridge Group?

You might ask yourself: why choose an activity that requires long periods of sitting? Shouldn’t something fun involve getting up and going outside…why not just stay home and watch TV?

In truth, bridge is indeed an activity that requires a fair amount of stamina. As you play with a partner against two opponents, it’s important to keep your mind attentive to the game so you know when to trump a card and when to auction. Studies have shown, too, that seniors who play bridge on a regular basis enjoy healthier lives, with sharper brain power.

That said, bear in mind that bridge isn’t just a game for old folks! College students, young married couples, and people of all adult ages and races can enjoy a few rounds of cards among friends. As you play, you’ll find age isn’t really a factor.

Getting it Together

Once you’ve decided to become an active bridge player, you’ll want to find friends or acquaintances also interested. If you have not played before, or feel the need to refresh yourself on the game, invest in a simple manual that outlines the rules and procedures. Because bridge requires four to play, you may want to approach seven other friends so two games can run at once, allowing you to switch opponents during the night. Choose a day once or twice a month where everybody is able to meet, and make arrangements at one house or take turns. Before you know it, you have bridge night!

A regular card game is a great way to stay in touch with friends, make new ones, and keep your analytical mind energized. Look into bridge today and create memories and friendships to last for years.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Lively

If you play any kind of sport out there, then you know how important it is to jump high. This is especially true in basketball, if you can jump higher than the person next to you then you have an automatic advantage. But what if you cannot jump very high at all? Are you doomed to be ground bound for the rest of your life? No! In this article you are going to learn how to increase your jumping ability easily.

1- Know your weakness

The very first thing I want you to do is figure out your weakness. This is very simple to do, the first thing I want you to do is go to a squat rack, and after a good warm up, I want you to max out in squats. If you noticed that you can squat more than 1.5 times your body weight, then your weakness is probably reactive strength. If you cannot squat more than 1.5 times your body weight, then your weakness is relative strength.

2- Training Reactive Strength

When we say reactive strength, we are talking about how fast your muscle move when you jump. Your legs might be strong but if you can’t move your muscles fast then the strength isn’t doing much. To train your reactive strength all you need to do is things such as depth jumps and bounding two to three times per week.

3- Training Relative strength

If you could not squat at least 1.5 times your body weight, then you will increase your vertical jump by simply increasing your squat. All you need to do is squat three or so times per week and make sure it is going up week by week.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Willam_D._Baker

Often when we run our lacrosse drills and we are working on offense if they lose possession we just simply hand it back over to the offense to begin to play again. Or if they do not have a shot backed up, we still hand the offense the ball. Or possibly progressive coaches might even now turn this into a clearing and riding scenario, but regardless most of us then come back and hand the ball to the offense. In other words, there really is no penalty for the offensive turnover for the offensive players except to ride. Coach Cottle from Maryland also reinforces this unique accountability for the offense to take good care of the ball in his drills.

This is a half field drill although it could be run simultaneously on both halves of the field during practice if you have the coaches for it, but you then you will need three or four coaches. We put the players in lines or groups they will most likely play with, in the next game to help build familiarity. So we are going to play 6V6 with a few unique wrinkles. The offense has an opportunity to maintain the ball for two minutes, actually they must keep possession for two a full two minutes without stalling. But this is not a drill to hold the ball, or stall in any way. If the offense scores three times in two minutes, they get the ball back each time, if they miss the cage but have the shot backed up, they get the ball back. If they lose possession or throw it away or turn it over, but press on their ride and get the ball back before the defense clears over midfield, they keep the ball for a total of two minutes.

The defense plays much more aggressively than usual, pressuring the ball and covering with tight defense all the way out to the restraining line and the ‘box’ everywhere. This creates a unique pressure situation good for the offense and the defense. And of course upon a turnover or ground ball they recover they immediately are in a clearing situation. The key to the drill is the accountability factor. Should the offense lose possession at any time during the two minutes and the defense clear over the midfield line they (offensive six players) must leave the field, or go to the other end and they run sprints for two minutes while fresh offensive and defensive units take their place and immediately begin playing under the same set of rules for two minutes. After they run their sprints now they take the field for offense again, and so on.

Coach Cerino maintains after running sprints for two minutes and then immediately back on offense they take an increased care in insuring that they take care of the ball. Imagine that…By running two groups of 6V6 or twelve players in each set, we keep 24 players active every two minutes. The defensive players get to rest between sets to encourage them to press even harder with aggressive defense. The key here is to limit each set to two minutes to keep the kids engaged, and the drill fast paced and limited to 12-15 minutes.

Coach Mike

Mike Muetzel is the founder of http://www.laxcoachmike.com. Coach Mike has over 30 years of experience with Boys Lacrosse, the 2007 US Lacrosse Coach of the Year in Georgia and a member of the Lacrosse Industry Council. He shares his experiences from State Championship games through coaching U13 in a community of lacrosse coaches getting better at coaching. This unique site features nationally recognized College and HS Coaches sharing their secrets with podcasts, articles, DVDs (Coaching U15 Lacrosse with College Drills), ebooks and download tools to help all lacrosse coaches improve.

http://www.laxcoachmike.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Muetzel

Asia, the final frontier, it is the last of uncharted waters in what potentially remains the biggest market outside of the United States. It is no secret that big brand major sports have been trying to get their foot in the door of the potentially limitless Asian market. Yet, this cash cow has remained relatively untapped. Why is that?

There are 2 major reasons that make the Asian market extremely lucrative to major global corporations. Economy and population, and both are booming. It is actually quite an obvious and simple formula: 60% of the world’s population + fastest growing economy in the world = tremendous buying power. I’m no economist but that’s how it works, right? Create the demand and then supply it to those who can pony up the money. In the end everybody is happy.

However, stars aren’t just born; they also have to be made.

Recently, the world renowned British football club, Manchester United, denied signing South Korea’s Park Ji- Sung for his merchandising prowess. True, Park is a great player in his own right but the fact that the issue was even publicly addressed is evidence that star Asian athletes are on the forefront of international sports marketing campaigns. It would behoove me to point out European soccer is no exception. Nobody wants to be the guy who kills the goose that laid the golden eggs. A relationship between the brand and the market is being built, with the Asian player being the bridge. Like in any relationship, some things are better left unsaid as to not jeopardize the relationship with scorn and contempt. But the bottom line is, the success of Asian athletes has implications and value that goes beyond winning games or championships for their teams, they can provide a foothold into the Asian market and vastly benefit the entire sport.

The most famous case would be the success of Asian sports megastar Yao Ming in the NBA. The NBA and Nike (though Yao is now promoted by Reebok) have long been knocking on the doors of the Asian market. They couldn’t do that with just any ordinary player. A megastar was needed. Along came Yao and 7 years later there have been massive expansion by the NBA and Nike. NBA basketball is broadcasted all over China; youth programs and basketball courts have been popping up all of the nation, sponsored by the NBA, Nike, etc searching for the next Asian basketball superstar to promote in the Asian market. Yao Ming is doing for basketball in China what Babe Ruth did for baseball.

Of course, the feeling is mutual. Asia wants to be a major player in international athletic competitions. This sentiment was clearly on display during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Reports have documented costs for the lavished games to be upwards of $43 billion (USD) – by far most expensive ever held. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens volunteered to help behind the scenes so the events would run smoothly.

Globalization has transformed the way we do business. The present and future direction of international sports marketing strategy is quite clear, and all roads lead to Asia.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wilson_J_Lam

Collecting sports memorabilia is a popular hobby and can cover both antique collectibles of sports memorabilia and/or the accumulation of newer released sports memorabilia. How you go about collecting this memorabilia can depend on a few factors such as the amount of money you wish to pay out and the amount of space you have to store such things.

Sports memorabilia can cover a wide range of different sports from baseball to football, soccer to NASCAR. It is likely that you follow a sports team and that you’re fanatical following of the team has led to you wanting to collect memorabilia from them. This isn’t always the case though as others have wisely bought items that have later been worth twice their weight in gold! Some collectors are making a lot of money out of doing something they enjoy!

Collecting is just the beginning, as many gatherers of sports memorabilia will find joy in making special displays of what they have gained. Large glass cabinets are favorites to keep everything clean and in one piece – whilst making an attractive focal point of any room in the house. Then there is the use of a wall – a wall dedicated to banners, scarves, posters and the like. Most sporting memorabilia will fall into two categories; it will either be a direct connection to a sporting event or to a sports player/icon.

A committed collector has virtually a full time job if they want to acquire every relic of a given sport such as baseball. That is why many are pointing the arrow at just one team or one player. Examples are the LA Lakers basketball team or the golf player Tiger Woods. Some might narrow it down even further and just collect certain types of memorabilia such as bobble heads or posters.

Obtaining sports souvenirs took on a whole new level in the 1980s when avid fans were able to get hold of jerseys that had been worn during historical games – the NFL, NBA and the MLB all sold jerseys in stores back in the eighties and a handful of famous sportsmen would throw their jerseys into the crowds at the end of a game. A good example here would be the former basketball player Dennis Rodman. Of course there are players throughout history who have struck out as the finest in their game and some of the rare collectibles associated with them are like gold dust between collectors – Michael Jordan is a classic case. At present, one the well-sought memorabilia is of Shaquille O’Neal of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Nomar Gaciaparra of the Oakland Athletics (though gone into retirement just recently).

It gets better yet though – signed memorabilia are items that are held close and dear to their owner and there will be no exact copy anywhere else in the world. In terms of the MLB, collectors’ favorite item to be signed is the actual baseball – even better if it was one used in the game! A lucky few might have the opportunity to get their hands on a jersey that is signed by the entire baseball or football team.

How much a collectible item costs depends mostly on the demand and popularity of the item in question. Furthermore, if an item is rare it will have a higher price tag when compared to an item that is just one within millions of identical. Lastly, the condition that the item is in will determine how much money can be asked of. If it is damaged a collector can suggest that a few dollars are dropped from the sum.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Toby_H_Jensen