Today, alongside the trending topics in sports, we’re talking about some incredible women who you’ll undoubtedly be talking about at the water cooler this morning.
Strong is sexy,
The Last Night's Game Team
Five Things to Know About the Winter X Games
- The X Games were created in 1995 by ESPN (the sports network). They recognized that there was a huge segment of the population that were bored with traditional sports. There are two X Games a year – winter and summer. This year’s Winter Games will take place for the 15th year in a row at Snowmass Mountain in Aspen, CO. (January 26 – 29th).
- There are 18 different disciplines that take place on skis, snowboards or snowmobiles/bikes. There are new disciplines this year including the snow bike (a dirt bike with a ski for front tire and snowmobile track on the back) and women’s ski big air (skiers go down a hill and perform tricks after launching off very large jumps. It is an extreme version of what you see in the Olympics).
- Unlike the Olympics, the X Games are more of an individual competition, not a team sport.
- Ones to watch: Chloe Kim – a 16-year-old snowboarding prodigy who has won two consecutive half pipe gold medals. Shaun White – the “Flying Tomato” will return to compete in this year’s X Games in snowboarding. Colten Moore – who will attempt a double backflip on a snowmobile. Wait what? Hombre loco.
- What does the ‘X’ in X Games stand for? Well it stands for a few different things – X for extreme, for the unknown factor or for generation X, who were some of the first competitors.
Overtime
- Yesterday we heard stories of two extraordinary women – sports reporter Erin Andrews and Katie Levitre, wife of Atlanta Falcons left guard Andy Levitre.
Andrews revealed that last year she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She had surgery which eliminated the disease and she was back on the field two days later. Andrews embodied the toughness of her NHL (National Hockey League) player fiancée Jarret Stoll telling him, “You’d play through any injury, do whatever it takes to get back out there. That’s going to be me.”
Levitre received the game ball from the Atlanta Falcons (NFL) for portraying “ultimate toughness.” She went into labor during Sunday’s playoff game but waited it out until the end of the game. Luckily the Falcons won.
Sideline stat
- The all-star game for the NFL (National Football League), The Pro Bowl, is this Sunday. Only 57% of the players originally selected will be playing in the game. Most players don’t want to risk injury by playing and players on teams that are in the Super Bowl are not eligible. Don’t forget to tune in Thursday night to see your favorite NFL players participate in a skills competition that includes dodgeball. We wonder if Patches O’Houlihan will be coaching?
Coaches’ corner
- Recruiting is everything in college football and what better way to appeal to recruits than with a trip to Italy? University of Michigan football announced it will be holding three spring football practices in Rome. The NCAA (governing body for college sports) banned off-campus workouts but international travel is not covered in the ban. Kudos to Michigan for finding a loophole that involves pasta and red wine.