#This has been in drafts since jan 17 and i Do NOT like keeping art to myself fur THAT long.... q___q...... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

chivalin · 7 years ago

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March 18: Appreciating Other Content Creators Statistics

…I still refuse to believe that it’s April already. But since the calendar doesn’t lie, it’s time for AOCC statistics again! Don’t know what this is about? In short, I made a New Year’s resolution to show more appreciation towards other content creators out there and this is my way of keeping that promise.

To echo my words from last months’ posts, every show of appreciation has always included a comment (even if it has been a short one), a like and a reblog at least to my Art Appreciation Blog. Because nothing’s better than seeing how happy people get from my little comments :3.

AOCC stats: January - February - March

MARCH 18: Others’ Content

Overall Appreciation (in comment & other things): 209 // ~12% inc. from Feb / ~31% inc. from Jan

Week 9: 3 (~1%)

Week 10: 14 (~7%)

Week 11: 54 (~26%)

Week 12: 13 (~6%)

Week 13: 125 (~60%)

Art Appreciation: 138 (~66%) // ~5% inc. from Feb / ~13% inc. from Jan

Fic Appreciation: 23 (~11%) // ~-4% dec. from Feb / 15% inc. from Jan

Other Appreciation*: 20 (~10%) // ~150% inc. from Feb / ~233% inc. from Jan

Asks/OC Questions: 28 (~13%) // ~17% inc. from Feb / ~133% inc. from Jan

*Includes overall appreciation of someone’s whole content, and other ways of positively interacting with people that don’t fit into any other category.

MARCH 18: My Content

Fics Written: 5

Fics Word Count: 5794

Weekly Count (fics - words):

Week 9: 0

Week 10: 2 (40%) - 1131 (~20%)

Week 11: 0

Week 12: 3 (60%) - 4663 (~80%)

Week 13: 0

Art Done: 3

Week 10: 3

Well fuck. I would have liked to always increase these numbers even by a little but it seems I fucked up lol. I usually keep the last month’s stats close by, so I can make sure there’s some progress happening. But when I was putting this together, I realized I had put January’s stats under February xP. Oh well.

Other than that little mishap, I’ve done rather well otherwise. I’m definitely still struggling with trying to even out my comments, so there would be no close to zero days. But tbh, I’m by nature someone who has a hard time forming habits as my go to method is just doing big chunks here and there with plenty of downtime in between. However, since I’ve managed to make writing a habit (it took several years though lol), I’m sure I’ll be able to make this one too. It might just take a while.

There’s not much else to say, other than that I figured out a good way to increase the asks/oc questions count that fits with my “big chunks” approach. Instead of waiting around for people to reblog ask memes/similar things by themselves, it’s far easier to just send them extempore questions about their ocs whenever I have time to do so. People also seemed quite happy when receiving these asks, so I’ll probably continue doing this in the future too.

Lastly, here’s a few key points that I have found to be exceedingly helpful when it comes to this AOCC business:

Keep Setting Time Aside for commenting to form it as a habit.

Draft Posts For Later Commenting because it’s highly useful when I don’t have enough time (or energy) to comment on everything at the moment but want to do so later on.

Have Last Month’s Stats In View since they tend to give that extra push and help improve even by a little.

Extempore OC Questions are great for every occasion. Just make a list of people who have OCs and search up “oc ask memes” and then just start typing away!

I’ll see yall in May with April’s statistics!

#chivaocc #chivaocc stats #long post #if the math looks wonky #i probably fucked up lol #there's also a read more here #but it might not work on mobile since tumblr is shit lol #AND if you're on browser and see fucked up letters here #it's tumblr fault too #once you click read more/ go to my blog they're not there anymore #...tumblr is so great you guys lol

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soysaucevictim · 5 years ago

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Week 4 + SNOWFIGHT 2019 shenanigans, in this one.

Dec. 14

Again, I woke up a bit before 1PM. :P

Did a bit of the former usual (I had been participating in the YouTube Walkout, the past few days), before getting in some exercise.

First, today’s DD. 20 superman stretches with EC. Wasn't sure about my clothing choices while doing it, but this wasn't an issue. This was pretty doable, all around.

Second, Day 14 of the ‘19AC. 30″ alt arm/leg raise hold. It was a bit sloppy and I took at least one false start before doing “good enough“, to do it in one go.

Third, Day 7 of the FCP. Endurance, Level 3. I wasn’t sure if this workout meant to specify any rest times in between exercises, so I decided to spend the allotted 12′ keeping the arms lifted. That was certainly tough, but I felt I was capable of doing it!

(After moving in the new recliner, which may or may not be counted as “planned exercise”, and laundry and cleaning... part of which was because bro was clearly unhappy about some stuff and I kind of wanted to take some slack for him. I got this all done rather late.)

Fourth, and intermittently, as mentioned - SNOWFIGHT 2019. This time, it’s squats, not burpees, so I think I may be able to properly stick this one out (if I can manage my time well). This day, I had 8 snowballs thrown at me, and I dodged all of them (before midnight rolled around).

Fifth, Day 18 of the KMC. 160 side kicks, switch legs halfway. My right hip has been acting up the past few days (possibly aggravated by ill-fitting PJs), so I think this was reasonably helpful. Was a bit challenging to get in in one go - but still very doable.

Sixth, Day 18 of the DHC. 1′ dead hang. Hit failure at about 50" again. Did make up the time, very soon after. But I'll keep trying my best. If I can improve my first set times much before the challenge is done, I’ll be happy enough, at this point.

Last, Day 18 of the DGC. I’m grateful:

That Dad seems to be happy about the recliner.

That my plan for furniture placements worked out.

For these fun Fitstivities from DAREBEE.

One of the last things I did today was drafting this post and watching my bro game, before turning in too late again.

Dec. 15

I woke up closer to noon today.

I got started on exercise pretty early, today.

First, and intermittently, SF‘19. This day, I had 79 snowballs thrown at me, and I dodged 74 of them (before midnight rolled around). After the first 15, I also started to do the rest of the event’s squats with 3.5 lbs wrist weights for ech hand. That was a pretty enjoyable decision!

Second, today’s DD. 10 circle push-ups without EC. I just felt my form was too sloppy - a bit too sore and tired.

Third, Day 15 of the ‘19AC. 1′ O-pose. I still very much enjoy this exercise - it’s very meditative.

Fourth, Day 8 of the FCP. Cardio, Level 3. I rested a bit under 1′ in between sets to make it a bit more challenging. Did get a bit winded, but I think my feet didn’t appreciate the slight abrasion built up during it all. Still, it was quite fun!

Fifth, Day 19 of the KMC.120 turning kicks + 120 turning kicks. Did it in one go on 60/60 + 60/60. Pretty doable work.

Sixth, Day 19 of the DHC. 2x10″ dead hangs. I didn’t do a separate warmup this time, since those jacks did p good to accomplish that. This was pretty manageable - as expected.

Last, Day 19 of the DGC. I’m grateful:

That the Impossible Whopper is so good? I know it’s got a lot of salt in it, but as long as BK offers it, my enthusiasm for that restaurant would remain relatively warm. (Other offerings are p underwhelming.)

That Grandma will be able to get me to my appointment tomorrow.

For how useful applications like Excel are (it makes tracking stuff like SF’19 manageable.)

(I realize a lot of these items have been food-related... but they’re pretty easy to think of. :P )

After showering, more SF’19, and YouTube - I went to bed. In the red zone, which was not the best decision - since I had to be up early.

Dec. 16

Because I had appointments, I got up around 8AM. And it definitely could’ve been a far smoother experience. My alarm either didn’t go off or I didn’t hear it or whatever - but I woke up to some honking outside.

I didn’t expect the county transport to come get me to the facility - having arranged to get picked up by Grandma. So I opted not to get into the van and started scrambling to get ready. I then buzzed her phone a few times, getting increasingly distressed about if she forgot or was held up.

Thankfully, she did get me to the facility on time, and I regret frustrating and waking up my brother from all my pacing and loudness. I had to spend a few hours getting an assessment and service plan done with the therapist - which was pretty productive work.

Got home, I noted feeling unsettled at some point when home. I think it was because of feeling some sympathy for my brother and what’s going on with him. Other than that, YouTube, and Twitter, I did my exercise.

First, and intermittently, SF‘19. This day, I had 164 snowballs thrown at me, and I dodged 149 of them (before midnight rolled around).

Second, today’s DD. 10 jump squats with EC. This, plus some dodged snowballs, helped some of my frayed nerves, today. :P

Third, Day 16 of the ‘19AC. 2′ side splits. This was a pretty fun challenge.

Fourth, Day 9 of the FCP. Challenge, 100 climbers. Done in 1 set. This was also doable.

Fifth, Day 20 of the KMC. “12 balance kicks side & turning both each leg, no putting your foot down.“ I just remembered that I was able to meet this requirement.

Last, Day 20 of the DHC. 1′10″ dead hang. I managed it in ~55"+15". My first failure time is definitely improving - so I know I'm making progress! :D

Despite needing to get up early again tomorrow, hit the red zone again. orz

Dec. 17

I woke up a bit after 8AM, today.

First, and intermittently the last day of the SNOWFIGHT ‘19. This day, I had 149 snowballs thrown at me, and I dodged 169 of them (including some catch-up from older posts).

I dodged all 400 snowballs thrown at me, for this event (if it were burpees, I might’ve dropped out earlier!) I let a lot of my stock melt by the end... but, I managed to spend more than half of the ammunition I had on other Bees (434/802)! Yay for spreadsheets, my dudes.

Second, today’s DD. 1′ plank punches with EC. I counted 44 punches thrown in the time given and enjoyed that punching part the most. I definitely could've used some more sleep, though! :,D

Third, Day 17 of the ‘19AC. 1′ knee balance hold (back arch balance hold). Not much to say other than I love this exercise!

Fourth, Day 10 of the FCP. Abs & Core, Level 3. I think “keep the plank throughout” was a typo, since there was only one plank in the whole sequence. But overall, it was pretty fun.

Fifth, Day 21 of the KMC. 100 double side kicks. Did it in 50/50, in one go... more or less, a computer alarm did go off and interrupt it for a few seconds. But that was largely a consequence of doing it way too damn late.

Last, Day 21 of the DHC. 2x10″ dead hangs. Pretty manageable work. Even though I don’t like disrupting my schedule so badly - this was merciful given my energy levels.

I was so exhausted by the end of it, that I didn’t get around to DGC but did get to bed in the yellow zone again.

Dec. 18

I woke up proper about 1PM, today. :P

Mostly wound up on the unusual business... and getting back on Steam. So I wound up not getting around to making dinner and exercising very late. Maybe it’s from some jet lag from having to run on too little sleep 2 days in a row. T_T

First, today’s DD. 15 diamond push-ups with EC. Still think my form for this variation is consistently better than standard grip. Have no idea why, but I'm not complaining! :P

Second, Day 18 of the ‘19AC. 1′ one arm plank, 30″/30″ in one go. Tough, but largely because I chose not to put the timer on the floor. :/

Third, Day 11 of the FCP. Tendon Strength. This was pretty challenging too, but that’s tendon strength work for you. Did feel pretty nice afterwards, though.

Fourth, Day 22 of the KMC. 140 turning kicks + 140 turning kicks. Split the kick types into 2 sets, with a pretty short rest (probably about ~20″.)

Fifth, Day 22 of the DHC. 1′20″ dead hang. I'm at a point where I know I can't expect to keep one-shotting things. But I am noticing progress. My first set was a full 1'! Those last seconds were pretty tense - as my left hand was failing before my right - I managed to beat my PB!

Last, Day 20 of the DGC. I’m grateful:

That Grandma got me to that appointment in time, earlier this week.

That my therapist managed to take a bit of time to check-in before we went into the assessment and service plan work.

[Retroactively, from Jan. 1 - ] for how good peppermint is in coffee.

After jotting most of this down, I went to bed, a bit late.

Dec. 19

I woke up around 8AM, today.

Got to the facility, socialized and worked on some more art before going to WRAP and Grounding Grps. Also while there, I did today’s DD. 50 squat hold side bends with EC. Did this one wile I was out at the facility, today. I had fun with it!

Got home, did a lot of the usual for some hours until getting the rest of my exercise taken care of.

Second, Day 19 of the ‘19AC. 2′ side leg raise hold. This took some doing, but I’m just glad I got through it.

Third, Day 12 of the Fit Christmas Program. Challenge, 200 high knees. I split this into 2 sets of 100, after a warm-up of a few march steps. Manageable, if a bit winding.

I’m pretty happy with my foray with this short and sweet program. It was nice to be able to Level 3 (for the relevant days), one-going the Tendon Strength, and doing most of the Challenge Days in no more than 2 sets (jumping jacks and high knees).

Fourth, Day 23 of the KMC. 3x 20 slow side kicks + 20 fast side kicks. Also doable work - takes a bit more focus to deliberately do slow kicks.

Last, Day 23 of the DHC. 2x10″ dead hangs. Given lack of sleep, I liked the timing for an easier day. Not much else to really say other than that.

I think because tired and distracted... didn’t do the DGC stuff. Again. And I STILL got to bed too damn late again. :I

Dec. 20

I got up about 2PM, today. Oops.

Did a bit of the usual as well as some errands, trying on a binder, and doing a bit of impromptu sewing, before exercising.

First, today’s DD. 1′ flutter kicks with EC. I'm pretty sure I managed to hit 100 reps by the time was up. I made the effort to keep lower back flush against floor - so that engaged my abs so much more and took some willpower by the end.

Second, Day 20 of the ‘19AC. 1′ get-up hold. Did the 30″/30″ in one go. Definitely a challenge, I did get to trembling and had to be mindful of how much tension occurred in my hamstrings. But I got through it, without leg cramps or anything.

Third, Day 24 of the KMC. “14 balance kicks side & turning both each leg, no putting your foot down.“ This took a bit of focus, but I’m still doing pretty well for these days of the challenge.

Fourth, Day 24 of the DHC. 1′30″ dead hang. I managed it in ~4 sets (55"+20"+10"+5"; give/take a couple seconds.) That was pretty intense! Though I didn't meet my PB, I'm just happy I was able to hold on for at least 50" in the first set. Left hand keeps failing a bit faster than the right and my forearms felt like jelly afterwards. Pffft!

Last, Day 21 of the DGC. I’m grateful:

For the recent days my bro has been doing the dishes for me - I have been more distractable lately.

For iced coffee drinks, like those from Dutch Bros.

For guacamole. Because that is the shit in burritos and sandwiches. :U

I’m going to go ahead and post this now, draft the next week’s post, and attempt to wind down. It’s almost 5AM. 8I

#adventures with fitness

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newstfionline · 8 years ago

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What Iceland Knows About Getting Teens Off Drugs

Emma Young, Mosaic, Jan 17 2017

It’s a little before three on a sunny Friday afternoon and Laugardalur Park, near central Reykjavik, Iceland, looks practically deserted. There’s an occasional adult with a pushchair, but the park’s surrounded by apartment blocks and houses, and school’s out--so where are all the kids?

Walking with me are Gudberg Jónsson, a local psychologist, and Harvey Milkman, an American psychology professor who teaches for part of the year at Reykjavik University. Twenty years ago, says Gudberg, Icelandic teens were among the heaviest-drinking youths in Europe. “You couldn’t walk the streets in downtown Reykjavik on a Friday night because it felt unsafe,” adds Milkman. “There were hordes of teenagers getting in-your-face drunk.”

We approach a large building. “And here we have the indoor skating,” says Gudberg.

A couple of minutes ago, we passed two halls dedicated to badminton and ping pong. Here in the park, there’s also an athletics track, a geothermally heated swimming pool and--at last--some kids, excitedly playing football on an artificial pitch.

Young people aren’t hanging out in the park right now, Gudberg explains, because they’re in after-school classes in these facilities, or in clubs for music, dance, or art. Or they might be on outings with their parents.

Today, Iceland tops the European table for the cleanest-living teens. The percentage of 15- and 16-year-olds who had been drunk in the previous month plummeted from 42 percent in 1998 to 5 percent in 2016. The percentage who have ever used cannabis is down from 17 percent to 7 percent. Those smoking cigarettes every day fell from 23 percent to just 3 percent.

The way the country has achieved this turnaround has been both radical and evidence-based, but it has relied a lot on what might be termed enforced common sense. “This is the most remarkably intense and profound study of stress in the lives of teenagers that I have ever seen,” says Milkman. “I’m just so impressed by how well it is working.”

If it was adopted in other countries, Milkman argues, the Icelandic model could benefit the general psychological and physical wellbeing of millions of kids, not to mention the coffers of healthcare agencies and broader society. It’s a big if.

“I was in the eye of the storm of the drug revolution,” Milkman explains over tea in his apartment in Reykjavik. In the early 1970s, when he was doing an internship at the Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in New York City, “LSD was already in, and a lot of people were smoking marijuana. And there was a lot of interest in why people took certain drugs.”

Milkman’s doctoral dissertation concluded that people would choose either heroin or amphetamines depending on how they liked to deal with stress. Heroin users wanted to numb themselves; amphetamine users wanted to actively confront it. After this work was published, he was among a group of researchers drafted by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse to answer questions such as: Why do people start using drugs? Why do they continue? When do they reach a threshold to abuse? When do they stop? And when do they relapse?

“Any college kid could say: Why do they start? Well, there’s availability, they’re risk-takers, alienation, maybe some depression,” he says. “But why do they continue? So I got to the question about the threshold for abuse and the lights went on--that’s when I had my version of the ‘aha’ experience: They could be on the threshold for abuse before they even took the drug, because it was their style of coping that they were abusing.”

At Metropolitan State College of Denver, Milkman was instrumental in developing the idea that people were getting addicted to changes in brain chemistry. Kids who were “active confronters” were after a rush--they’d get it by stealing hubcaps and radios and later cars, or through stimulant drugs. Alcohol also alters brain chemistry, of course. It’s a sedative but it sedates the brain’s control first, which can remove inhibitions and, in limited doses, reduce anxiety.

“People can get addicted to drinking, cars, money, sex, calories, cocaine--whatever,” says Milkman. “The idea of behavioral addiction became our trademark.”

This idea spawned another: “Why not orchestrate a social movement around natural highs, around people getting high on their own brain chemistry--because it seems obvious to me that people want to change their consciousness--without the deleterious effects of drugs?”

By 1992, his team in Denver had won a $1.2 million government grant to form Project Self-Discovery, which offered teenagers natural-high alternatives to drugs and crime. They got referrals from teachers, school nurses and counsellors, taking in kids from the age of 14 who didn’t see themselves as needing treatment but who had problems with drugs or petty crime.

“We didn’t say to them, you’re coming in for treatment. We said, we’ll teach you anything you want to learn: music, dance, hip hop, art, martial arts,” Milkman says. The idea was that these different classes could provide a variety of alterations in the kids’ brain chemistry, and give them what they needed to cope better with life. Some might crave an experience that could help reduce anxiety, others may be after a rush.

At the same time, the recruits got life-skills training, which focused on improving their thoughts about themselves and their lives, and the way they interacted with other people. “The main principle was that drug education doesn’t work because nobody pays attention to it. What is needed are the life skills to act on that information,” Milkman says. Kids were told it was a three-month program. Some stayed five years.

In 1991, Milkman was invited to Iceland to talk about this work, his findings, and ideas. He became a consultant to the first residential drug treatment center for adolescents in Iceland, in a town called Tindar. “It was designed around the idea of giving kids better things to do,” he explains. It was here that he met Gudberg, who was then a psychology undergraduate and a volunteer at Tindar. They have been close friends ever since.

Milkman started coming regularly to Iceland and giving talks. These talks, and Tindar, attracted the attention of a young researcher at the University of Iceland named Inga Dóra Sigfúsdóttir. She wondered: What if you could use healthy alternatives to drugs and alcohol as part of a program not to treat kids with problems, but to stop kids from drinking or taking drugs in the first place?

Have you ever tried alcohol? If so, when did you last have a drink? Have you ever been drunk? Have you tried cigarettes? If so, how often do you smoke? How much time to you spend with your parents? Do you have a close relationship with your parents? What kind of activities do you take part in?

In 1992, 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds in every school in Iceland filled in a questionnaire with these kinds of questions. This process was then repeated in 1995 and 1997.

The results of these surveys were alarming. Nationally, almost 25 percent were smoking every day, more than 40 percent had been drunk in the past month. But when the team drilled right down into the data, they could identify precisely which schools had the worst problems and which had the least. Their analysis revealed clear differences between the lives of kids who took up drinking, smoking, and other drugs, and those who didn’t. A few factors emerged as strongly protective: participation in organized activities--especially sport--three or four times a week, total time spent with parents during the week, feeling cared about at school, and not being outdoors in the late evenings.

“At that time, there had been all kinds of substance prevention efforts and programs,” says Sigfúsdóttir, who was a research assistant on the surveys. “Mostly they were built on education.” Kids were being warned about the dangers of drink and drugs, but as Milkman had observed in the US, these programs were not working. “We wanted to come up with a different approach.”

The mayor of Reykjavik, too, was interested in trying something new, and many parents felt the same, adds Jón Sigfússon, Sigfúsdóttir’s colleague and brother. Jón had young daughters at the time and joined her new Icelandic Center for Social Research and Analysis when it was set up in 1999. “The situation was bad,” he says. “It was obvious something had to be done.”

Using the survey data and insights from research including Milkman’s, a new national plan was gradually introduced. It was called Youth in Iceland.

Laws were changed. It became illegal to buy tobacco under the age of 18 and alcohol under the age of 20, and tobacco and alcohol advertising was banned. Links between parents and school were strengthened through parental organizations which by law had to be established in every school, along with school councils with parent representatives. Parents were encouraged to attend talks on the importance of spending a quantity of time with their children rather than occasional “quality time,” on talking to their kids about their lives, on knowing who their kids were friends with, and on keeping their children home in the evenings.

A law was also passed prohibiting children between the ages of 13 and 16 from being outside after 10 pm in winter and midnight in summer. It’s still in effect today.

Home and School, the national umbrella body for parental organizations, introduced agreements for parents to sign. The content varies depending on the age group, and individual organizations can decide what they want to include. For kids aged 13 and up, parents can pledge to follow all the recommendations, and also, for example, not to allow their kids to have unsupervised parties, not to buy alcohol for minors, and to keep an eye on the well-being of other children.

These agreements educate parents but also help to strengthen their authority in the home, argues Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir, director of Home and School. “Then it becomes harder to use the oldest excuse in the book: ‘But everybody else can!’”

State funding was increased for organized sport, music, art, dance, and other clubs, to give kids alternative ways to feel part of a group, and to feel good, rather than through using alcohol and drugs, and kids from low-income families received help to take part. In Reykjavik, for instance, where more than a third of the country’s population lives, a Leisure Card gives families 35,000 krona (roughly $4,000) per year per child to pay for recreational activities.

Crucially, the surveys have continued. Each year, almost every child in Iceland completes one. This means up-to-date, reliable data is always available.

Between 1997 and 2012, the percentage of kids aged 15 and 16 who reported often or almost always spending time with their parents on weekdays doubled--from 23 percent to 46 percent--and the percentage who participated in organized sports at least four times a week increased from 24 percent to 42 percent. Meanwhile, cigarette smoking, drinking and cannabis use in this age group plummeted.

“Although this cannot be shown in the form of a causal relationship--which is a good example of why primary prevention methods are sometimes hard to sell to scientists--the trend is very clear,” notes Álfgeir Kristjánsson, who worked on the data and is now at the West Virginia University School of Public Health in the US. “Protective factors have gone up, risk factors down, and substance use has gone down--and more consistently in Iceland than in any other European country.”

No other country has made changes on the scale seen in Iceland. When asked if anyone has copied the laws to keep children indoors in the evening, Sigfússon smiles. “Even Sweden laughs and calls it the child curfew!”

After our walk through Laugardalur Park, Gudberg Jónsson invites us back to his home. Outside, in the garden, his two elder sons, Jón Konrád, who’s 21, and Birgir Ísar, who’s 15, talk to me about drinking and smoking. Jón does drink alcohol, but Birgir says he doesn’t know anyone at his school who smokes or drinks. We also talk about football training: Birgir trains five or six times a week; Jón, who is in his first year of a business degree at the University of Iceland, trains five times a week. They both started regular after-school training when they were six years old.

“We have all these instruments at home,” their father told me earlier. “We tried to get them into music. We used to have a horse. My wife is really into horse riding. But it didn’t happen. In the end, soccer was their selection.”

Did it ever feel like too much? Was there pressure to train when they’d rather have been doing something else? “No, we just had fun playing football,” says Birgir. Jón adds, “We tried it and got used to it, and so we kept on doing it.”

It’s not all they do. While Jónsson and his wife Thórunn don’t consciously plan for a certain number of hours each week with their three sons, they do try to take them regularly to the movies, the theatre, restaurants, hiking, fishing and, when Iceland’s sheep are brought down from the highlands each September, even on family sheep-herding outings.

In Iceland, the relationship between people and the state has allowed an effective national program to cut the rates of teenagers smoking and drinking to excess--and, in the process, brought families closer and helped kids to become healthier in all kinds of ways. Will no other country decide that these benefits are worth the costs?

#Iceland #teen drug use #teen drinking #Icelandic teens

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Ramblings: McDavid Injured, Poehling Hattie In Debut, Autopicking Ain’t That Bad (Apr 7)

With this being the last day of the regular season, this may not be a typical Ramblings in terms of running through all the boxscores. Sure, there were some noteworthy highlights that will be mentioned. However, I’ll also note various end-of-season happenings as well as some notes heading into the playoffs.

Connor McDavid left his game on Saturday with what was originally feared to be a broken leg, but x-rays on his leg turned out to be negative. He’ll be scheduled for an MRI back in Edmonton.

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We still don’t know the exact severity of his injury or the timeline for recovery, but we at least it sounds as if we don’t have to worry about him not being ready for next season. On the surface, it might not seem like a big deal because the Oilers won’t play games that matter again until October. However, significant injuries will interrupt previously scheduled offseason training plans. Consider Brock Boeser’s slow start this season as an example, after he recovered from a significant back injury and a lingering wrist issue.

McDavid may not have led the league in scoring (he finished second). However, he is the only player not to go two consecutive games without a point, which is remarkably reliable.

McDavid’s unsightly injury overshadowed Leon Draisaitl scoring his 50th goal earlier in the game. We can say he earned that 50 goals, and not just because he plays for the Oilers. Higher-than-normal shooting percentage (21.6%) aside, that 50-goal total is legit because none of Draisaitl’s 50 goals were empty-netters. Even with the shooting percentage that signals favorable luck, Draisaitl also took over 200 shots (231) for the first time in his career.

As for the Oilers themselves, it’s now just one time in the last 13 seasons that they’ve been to the playoffs. The fact that they employ two 100-point scorers and still miss the playoffs is telling of how rough a state this team is in.

Johnny Gaudreau was another player who was flirting with 100 points, yet with an assist on Saturday could only get to 99. Bill Peters tried everything in his power to push him up to 100, gifting him 27 minutes in icetime! Still, his speed and ability to put up points in bunches were a major reason that the Flames were able to take that next step as the Western Conference’s top team in the regular season.

Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan were scratches for the Flames, while Mark Giordano and Elias Lindholm returned to the lineup. I managed to get the latter two back into my lineup, though I wonder if it was worth it with the lack of sense of urgency from the Flames in this game.

In case you missed it, your playoff matchups are now set:

#StanleyCup Playoff Matchups#GoBolts v #CBJ #AllCaps v #TakeWarning #Isles v #LetsGoPens #NHLBruins v #LeafsForever #GoAvsGo v #Flames #GoStars v #Preds #VegasBorn v #SJSharks #STLBlues v #GoJetsGo Home Ice advantage TBD

— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) April 7, 2019

The Jets, by the way, secured home ice in their series with St. Louis with a 4-2 win over Arizona.

Look for our Experts Panel coming up soon, where our writers will pick the winners in each first-round series, the Stanley Cup finalists and winner, the Conn Smythe winner, and the top 5 in playoff scoring. Don’t ask me for my picks yet, because you’ll see them in there.

The interactive playoff draft list is ready for download now! Don’t wait until five minutes before your draft or deadline to purchase it. If you haven’t already preordered it, get yours today! If you have already purchased it, jump right in. It’s available in the Downloads section on the Dobber website (login required for the site, not the forum).

Once you purchase the draft list, please take a moment to get familiar with it before your draft. Read the Instructions tab before you begin using it. The Excel spreadsheet file is interactive (macro-enabled) and not just a “list.” The point total projections depend on which teams you set to advance, or you could go with Dobber’s picks if you’re really not sure. I’m not trying to make it sound super complicated or anything, but it’s better to be prepared. Hey, we just want you to win your league!

Also, please make sure you try logging in, so that our admin team has enough time to take care of any password resets before your draft!

Auston Matthews and Fabian Brunnstrom are two relatively recent players who posted hat tricks in their NHL debuts. We can add Ryan Poehling to that list, as he scored his three goals plus a shootout goal in the final game of the season, a 6-5 shootout win for the Canadiens. There isn’t much that we can do with that today, aside from remembering his name in keeper leagues for next season. Poehling is a center, which has been a thin position for the Habs in recent seasons, although it seems to be an area that they’re trying to address with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Nick Suzuki, and Poehling all in the system.

It will be interesting to see whether Poehling makes the Habs in 2019-20 or he further develops his skills in the AHL. The 2017 first-round pick just turned pro after finishing up with St. Cloud State, where he scored 31 points in 36 games in each of his last two seasons. I’ll take a wild guess and assume that he’ll end up with production somewhere between Matthews and Brunnstrom.

You can view Poehling’s Dobber Prospects profile here.

Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Lightning to a 6-3 win over Boston. Kucherov finishes the season with 128 points, which is the highest single-season total for a Russian-born player. Kucherov will also win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer and should be considered the fantasy MVP in pure points leagues as well as many multicategory formats. Expect him to be the top-ranked player in fantasy playoff drafts as the Lightning should be considered the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. Or to Don Cherry or Brian Burke (can’t remember which one), they’re the easy pick to win.

By the way, the Lightning tied the 1995-96 Red Wings for the most wins in a season (62). Their 128 points are the fourth-most in NHL history. There’s a lot of hockey left to be played, but this could be their year.

The noteworthy “healthy” scratches for this game included Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, and Brayden Point. Expect all three to be ready for the playoffs. However, these final-day scratches were a recurring theme throughout the day. I’m going to give this shutdown of the final week idea some more thought in one of my leagues this offseason.

With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Sidney Crosby has reached the 100-point mark for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Crosby had finished with between 80 and 90 points in each of those previous four seasons, so his scoring numbers have been fairly consistent if you factor in the scoring inflation that happened this season.

In the end, there were six 100-point scorers this season. Kucherov, McDavid, Patrick Kane, Draisaitl, Marchand, and Crosby. I mentioned Gaudreau just falling short, as did Nathan MacKinnon (99 points) and Steven Stamkos (98 points). Aleksander Barkov finished with a career high of 96 points, which rounds out the top 10. To compare, the lowest scorer in the top 10 finished with 89 points last season, and all the way down to 75 points and 77 points in the two seasons before that. Further proof that scoring is up.

Have we seen the last of Roberto Luongo? I was hoping that he would go out with a win on Saturday since we don’t know for sure yet, but it was not meant to be. Lu allowed four goals on 27 shots in the Panthers’ 4-3 overtime loss to New Jersey. It’s sounding more and more like the Panthers will go after an established starting goalie (Sergei Bobrovsky, maybe?) Assuming that the Panthers find a way to part with James Reimer, would Luongo accept a role as a backup in order to keep playing? I keep thinking that the inevitable result is for Luongo to go on LTIR before his contract ends in 2022, which would save both the Panthers and the Canucks (especially the Canucks) on significant cap space known as the cap recapture penalty.

Erik Karlsson returned for the Sharks on Saturday after missing the past 17 games with a groin injury. He was held without a point but was a plus-3 in 22 minutes. He should be available as normal for playoff pools.

Evander Kane scored his 30th goal of the season, which is the first time since 2011-12 that he has reached that total. The Sharks are now the first team with four 30-goal scorers (Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, Kane) since the 2008-09 Red Wings and Flyers.

I competed all the way to the bitter end in my Experts Roto League representing the Dobber brand, but alas I fell just short. Congratulations to David Petrie of The Hockey Writers, who started the day in third place but pulled ahead of both Jan Levine of Rotowire and myself. Levine and I tied for second place. Look how close the results were (type CTRL+ to make your browser text bigger if it's hard to read):

As you can see, fellow Dobber expert Eric Daoust finished in fifth place.

Sometimes victory isn’t quite meant to be, but my biggest weakness turned out to be goals. Yet all I would have need to win was to move up 1.5 points, which with these standings turned out to be three stinking goals. I scored 353 goals all season, but I could have won had I scored just three more goals to get up to 356. In fact, I could have advanced 3 points had I scored just five more goals than I did. A long season can come down to the smallest margin of victory.

The other point that I wanted to make was that I autopicked this team. Yes, autopicked. A word that serious fantasy players want no part of. I wrote about this in a Ramblings in late September, describing how I had prepared for this draft that I would not be present for due to other commitments. I’ll let you read how I did it, but in the end I’ll give a ton of credit to Fantasy Hockey Geek for what turned out to be a successful season. Being able to enter all my stat categories into the Geek, then using Dobber’s projections (tweaked a little to my own likings) to spit out custom rankings for my league is invaluable. I was then able to move players up and down the Yahoo pre-rankings according to how the Geek ranked them. I absolutely recommend the Geek without reservation.

I probably could have used the waiver wire more (Petrie made 73 moves, while I made just 22). However, I kept my first 13 picks for the entire season, only dropping the 14th pick (Chris Kreider) late in the season when he was battling an injury and I needed to maximize my games played. The funny thing is that earlier in that Ramblings, I suggested that Elias Lindholm’s ownership needed to be higher (just 18 percent at the time) because he would be a more ideal linemate for Gaudreau and Sean Monahan than James Neal. Lindholm was my 15th pick and was just 18 percent owned in Yahoo leagues at the time. Now I’m deciding whether he should be one of my four keepers for next season. Funny how that worked out.

I’m not suggesting that I prefer autopicking over live drafting. Although there’s that feeling of control with picking your own players, autopicking might not turn out as bad as you might think. I’ll try to attend next season’s draft, since I may not want to pick my second goalie in the 15th round (I can keep four players before the draft, including one goalie). But at least I know that I might be fine if I can’t make it and moving the date/time is impossible.

This league can be viewed publicly, so you can take a closer look here.

Like many of you, Bob Cole has been calling hockey games longer than I’ve been watching them. That familiar voice will be missed. I used to hate seeing him get criticized on Twitter, knowing that calling play-by-play is not an easy job, so I sure hope this isn’t Sportsnet putting him out to pasture. Here’s another solid HNIC montage on some of his great calls. Mr. Cole is a Canadian treasure.

"The truth is you have to sell the song with your sincerity. That's Bob's magic. He sings the game." – @RonMacLeanHTH

Tonight the voice of Saturday night, Bob Cole, calls his last #HockeyNight in Canada. pic.twitter.com/F6TctTw2qn

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 6, 2019

Today, we remember the players, families, friends, and entire Humboldt Broncos community affected by the bus crash a year ago #HumboldtStrong pic.twitter.com/uXA6U0ZkTK

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 6, 2019

For more fantasy hockey information, or to reach out to me directly, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-mcdavid-injured-poehling-hattie-in-debut-autopicking-aint-that-bad-apr-7/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Weekend rankings: There's been an explosion of trades across the NHL. So what does it mean?

Something unusual is happening in the NHL these days. Teams are making trades.

That shouldn’t be unusual. After all, trading has been part of the NHL since the league’s earliest days. The art of the deal has evolved over time, but the basic concept has always been the same. If there’s a hole in your roster, you find a way to make a deal to address it. An NHL GM only has so many tools in his toolbox, and two of the key ones – drafting and free agency – aren’t available during the season, while player development is a longterm play that can’t really be rushed. But you can make a trade right now. If your team isn’t good enough, get out there and make it better.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. But in recent years, the in-season trade has been a dying art. GMs pull off their biggest deals around the draft and maybe work in a few more as the offseason drags on. But during the season, things stay quiet until a week or two before the trade deadline.

Why? We’re told it’s because the salary cap makes it too hard to swing a deal during the season, but I’ve never fully bought that idea. Instead, we seem to be living through an era of conservative GMs who know they probably won’t get a second chance at the job and are driven more by a cover-your-butt mentality mixed with a healthy dose of loss aversion than an all-consuming desire to make their teams better.

Or maybe, we were living through that era. Because lately, NHL GMs have been busy.

Last week, NHL teams made seven trades. In the two weeks before that, there were ten more. That adds up to seventeen deals since the holiday trade freeze was lifted.

In that same period last year – the holiday freeze through Jan. 21 – there were only three trades. Two more happened on Jan. 22, so bump it up to five if you’d like, but things went quiet again after that. In 2016-17, over the same period, there were five deals. The 2015-16 season was the outlier, with 11 trades, but 2014-15 only had four and 2013-14 had six.

That’s an average of about six trades per season during the post-freeze period. And yet this year, we’ve had 17. What does it mean?

One possible answer is that it doesn’t mean much of anything. After all, it’s not like any of these recent trades have been blockbusters. In fact, they’ve almost all been oddly similar: One-for-one swaps, perhaps with a middling draft pick or two tossed in, mostly involving depth pieces or minor leaguers that probably play the same position. Only two of the 17 trades have involved more than one player on either side of the equation (the two-for-two deal that sent Brandon Manning to Edmonton and the Anders Nilsson deal between the Canucks and Senators).

Other than that, GMs are keeping it simple. If you were a cynic, you might suggest that there’s an awful lot of deck-chair shuffling going on. There certainly hasn’t been anything approaching a blockbuster to be seen. If we’re being honest, some of these deals have been built around guys most of us have never heard of.

But still … 17 trades? Even if they’re underwhelming paint-by-numbers moves, that’s a ton of activity for the middle of a season.

One theory is that what we’re seeing is a function of the tight playoff races. Granted, the races are tight every year, but this season feels different, especially out West where the wildcard race has become a slow-moving traffic jam. Nine of the 17 deals involve some combination of the Ducks, Wild and Oilers, three teams that came into the season in win-now mode and are fighting over those final spots. Maybe we’re not actually seeing some sort of league-wide phenomenon so much as three desperate teams pulling everyone else’s average up. But even if you take those three teams out of the mix, we’ve still had more trades than normal, so that can’t be the whole story.

There could be at least a bit of a domino effect in play, where each new trade shakes something loose somewhere else for another move. And it’s also possible that we’re seeing a little bit of peer pressure at play here. It’s one thing to tell your fans (and your owner) that making trades at this time of year is too hard. It’s another to do it when Bob Murray is out here finding a way to swing a new deal every second day. Nobody wants to be the GM who sits on his hands during the frenzy and then ends up missing the playoffs by a point in April.

Or maybe it’s just a one-off fluke. There’s always that.

Whatever it is, the next question is what it means for the five weeks between now and the trade deadline. It’s tempting to say that we’re in for a dud of a deadline since teams are getting all of their moves out of their system now. But that doesn’t seem right, because as I said, we’re talking about a bunch of relatively minor deals here. If anything, this feels like more of a warmup than anything. Maybe these smaller deals are the consolation prizes from bigger conversations that could still be revisited down the line. And if you’re the GM of a bubble team that hasn’t been wheeling and dealing lately, how much longer can you wait while everyone around you is already making moves?

However all of this plays out, here’s hoping that it’s the start of a new trend. NHL trades are fun and arguing over the ones that happened and the ones that still could happen used to be a big part of the league’s in-season entertainment value. That’s faded over time. It would be cool to get it back.

Road to the Cup

The five teams that look like they’re headed towards a summer of keg stands and fountain pool parties.

With the All-Star Game a week away, a reminder that we’re now into bye week season. Ten teams are off as of today, with everyone else off next week. That’s going to lead to some light nights on the schedule and maybe not much movement within our rankings over the next two weeks.

5. Vegas Golden Knights (29-17-4, +20 true goals differential*) – The good news is that they’ve won nine of eleven, including an impressive 7-3 trouncing of the Penguins on Saturday. The bad news is that they’re not really gaining any ground in the Pacific and if anything a first-round matchup with the Sharks seems more likely now than it did a week ago. We won’t go overboard on “if the playoffs started today” here and there’s still a chance the Knights can claim the top spot in the Pacific. But we’re reaching that time of year when having three teams from the same division in the top five just can’t hold and right now the Knights would be the easiest team to bump.

4. San Jose Sharks (28-15-7, +26) – You could cut-and-paste a lot of the Knights’ entry here, although some of the models out there still seem to love them. If they win the Pacific, I love their odds. But right now they’re not winning the Pacific.

from All About Sports http://www.downgoesbrown.com/2019/01/weekend-rankings-theres-been-explosion.html

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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What’s the latest on Ryan Shazier?

Shazier is making incredible progress after a terrifying spinal injury he suffered in December against the Bengals.

Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a spinal injury in December and has been making slow progress in a quest that stretches far beyond the gridiron.

Shazier has made numerous public appearances since his injury; arguably his most powerful came during the 2018 NFL Draft, when he walked onto the stage with some help from his fiancee, Michelle. Shazier will not play in 2018, and though he has said that his goal is to return to the football field, it’s possible he may never be able to play again.

A timeline of Ryan Shazier’s injury and recovery

Here’s everything that happened since Shazier was injured on Dec. 4, 2017.

Aug. 3

At the Steelers’ annual Friday Night Lights practice, Shazier showed fans that he is now walking on his own, unassisted and without a cane:

Today was a great day. The team had a wonderful practice. But I also got to enjoy the fans‼️ If you were able to make it to the stadium, here if a little bit of what happened‼️ I promise you the lord is not done working yet‼️ Keep Shalieving 5️⃣0️⃣ #shalieve pic.twitter.com/LHiRXHa5gN

— Ryan Shazier (@RyanShazier) August 4, 2018

June 6

Shazier spoke at a press conference — his first time speaking to media after his December injury.

“My dream is to come back and play football again,” Shazier said. “I’ve been working my tail off every day and I have that in the back of my mind every day I go to rehab.”

Shazier said he’s been surprising doctors with his progress throughout the rehab process. His goal for now is to be able to walk by himself without the support of a cane.

He also said that he’s not afraid of suffering another injury if he eventually returns to the field, but added that “he’ll have to play safer and keep his head up.”

May 3

The Steelers are giving Shazier his entire 2018 salary upfront:

The Steelers have converted $8.26M of LB Ryan Shazier’s 2018 base salary into a signing bonus, per source. Shazier, placed on PUP Wednesday, earns that money now. While there are no cap implications, it’s a great gesture by a first rate organization.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 3, 2018

May 2

The Steelers placed Shazier on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which means he won’t count against the team’s 90-man limit for the offseason roster.

April 26

He made a surprise appearance at the NFL Draft, when he walked for the first time in public since his injury. His fiancee, Michelle, walked with Shazier to help him to the podium. There, Shazier announced the Steelers’ first-round pick, safety Terrell Edmunds out of Virginia Tech:

We all #SHALIEVE. pic.twitter.com/cByTumbaHa

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 27, 2018

After, he thanked fans for their support:

I’m truly blessed and humbled from all the prayers, love, and support that I have received . This is what keeps me going. Just continue to #Shalieve pic.twitter.com/p1kAZfG8xT

— Ryan Shazier (@RyanShazier) April 27, 2018

A dramatic week got even more so the next day, when a tornado hit his parents’ home, but everyone is OK.

A tornado hit our home today. It damaged the roof, destroyed the backyard and took our patio furniture somewhere. But there is some good news. Were all alive!#Shalieve#Grace&Mercy

— Vernon J. Shazier (@VernonShazier) April 28, 2018

April 14

Shazier was an honorary captain at Ohio State’s spring game. He used a wheelchair to get to the Buckeyes locker room, where he stood up to address the team before the scrimmage. Shazier also stood up to wave to the crowd at Ohio Stadium:

#Shalieve || The presence of @RyanShazier was felt during this year��s spring game. His return was a testimony of love of #TheBrotherhood. #GoBucks #LongLiveTheBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/jNlIyAaBG7

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 17, 2018

April 11

Shazier attended a Pittsburgh Penguins playoff game and while standing, he led the fans in a “Let’s go Pens” cheer.

Playoffs... HERE WE GO.#BurghProud pic.twitter.com/Ro4JhsGVlw

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 11, 2018

Shazier attended an NCAA tournament game in Pittsburgh.

March 4

During the NFL Combine, Shazier hopped on the phone with NFL Network’s Mike Mayock and Rich Eisen.

“My end goal is to allow the Lord to let me come back and play at the high level that I was before,” Shazier said. “Every day I try to get better. I strive for the Hall of Fame and I was doing that through this year, the whole time I was playing. And I still do that while I’m doing rehab. I know it’s still a possibility. I have the Lord and he has my back and I constantly feel I’m going to come back and play football.”

Feb. 28

At the NFL Combine, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert announced that Shazier wouldn’t be playing in the 2018 season:

Steelers GM says Ryan Shazier won’t play in 2018. “We know that, he knows that”

— Adam Stites (@AdamStites_) February 28, 2018

Feb. 20

Feb. 7

Team owner Art Rooney II confirmed that Shazier will still be heavily involved with the Steelers next season:

Art Rooney on Ryan Shazier's future: "I expect Ryan is going to be here one way or the other and have a roll on the team one way or other in 2018"

— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) February 7, 2018

Feb. 6

Shazier attended a Penguins game and stood up, with some help, while fans gave him a standing ovation:

A well-deserved STANDING ovation for this guy. Welcome to the game, @RyanShazier! pic.twitter.com/IhBscrsXTT

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 7, 2018

Feb. 4

ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared on Super Bowl Sunday that Shazier hasn’t just regained feeling in his legs, but he’s also regained movement and is “engaging in a regular walking routine.” But Michele Tafoya reported that Shazier wasn’t walking on his own, which Shazier then confirmed himself.

Feb. 1

Shazier posted the most encouraging sign of his recovery to that date with a picture that appeared to show him standing — albeit with support from teammate Ben Roethlisberger.

I’ve had a lot of 1st downs at UPMC, but you know being the defensive guy I am, my mind is on 3 and out. With that being said, I want everyone to know that I’m moving on to the next step of the process. Today’s a big day for me as I’m officially being released from the hospital. I want to take a moment to thank the people who have helped me the past two months. First and foremost, I want to thank God because at the end of the day I don’t think I’d be making progress without His vision and hands protecting me and my family. I will continue to trust in Him and thank Him, because it all starts with Him. To my family: you’ve been my rock. Words can’t express how thankful I am for you Michelle, RJ, Mom, Dad, and VJ for always being there for me. You’re my everything. To Jerome: my trainer and best friend. Thank you for being there from day 1 and every day after continuing to push me to be better every day. I’d like to thank Dr. Okonkwo, Dr. Harrington, Dr. Maroon, and Dr. Schroeder for their amazing work on my procedure and continuous care. I can’t appropriately express how grateful I am for how quickly you’ve helped me bounce back. I want to thank the medical staff at UPMC for their amazing care, support and therapy they have given me- especially Joe, Nikki, Karolina and Dani. I know the staff will continue to help me find a way to keep on pushing as we continue therapy. The support from my teammates has been truly amazing. From former players to current players and their families- they have helped me and my family day to day with visits and gifts. We can’t thank you enough. I want to thank Mr. Rooney, Coach T, Mr. Colbert, and the entire Steelers organization for the unwavering support they’ve given me. I knew they were an amazing organization, but more than ever they’re family to me. Lastly, I want to thank Jimmy, Candice, and the CAA Sports staff for being here when I need them most. I don’t know if I’d be where I’m at or making the progress I’m making without you guys. I want everyone to know that all of the support and prayers are absolutely being answered. I will continue to work hard and push and find a way back. #Shalieve #Steelers #prayfor50

A post shared by Ryan Shazier (@shazier) on Feb 1, 2018 at 10:57am PST

That same day, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center released a statement saying that Shazier was discharged from inpatient rehab and will transition into an outpatient program to continue his recovery.

Jan. 14

Shazier was on hand to cheer on the Steelers during their Divisional Round game against the Jaguars.

#SHALIEVE pic.twitter.com/Q48FqcCfwh

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 14, 2018

He spoke to his teammates in the locker room to encourage them, according to CBS’ broadcast.

Jan. 10

This was the first photo that confirmed Shazier was in a wheelchair. His family and the team have kept details about Shazier’s condition close to the vest to protect his privacy as he recovers.

I want to thank the Lord for the first downs that he has been allowing me to achieve. The touchdown is going to come in his timing, but today was a first down. I was finally able to make it to practice with my teammates. It’s great to be back for practices and meetings. Just to be able to feel a part of it means the world. So I’m working harder than I ever have to get back. Ive been making strides over the past month and continue to make progress. Taking it day-by-day, but I’m far from done. The Lord has not finished his work yet. I want to say thank you to the fans and Steelers Nation for the prayers. If it wasn’t for my family, friends and your prayers I wouldn’t be were I am now. They have lifted me and my family through this journey and I ask for you to continue praying for me, as I continue to work daily on improving my health. #Shalieve#Steelers#prayfor50

A post shared by Ryan Shazier (@shazier) on Jan 10, 2018 at 11:13am PST

He visited his teammates at practice for the first time before the Steelers’ divisional matchup against the Jaguars, bringing an emotional lift as the team prepared for the postseason. Cameron Heyward told NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala that Shazier said he has good days and bad days. But the days he’s able to spend around his teammates are always good days.

Jan. 4, 2018

Shazier’s father, Vernon, said that Ryan regained feeling in his legs.

“He’s much better,” the elder Shazier told Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV, “but we’ve agreed to keep his progress private until he’s ready to share where he’s at.”

Dec. 17, 2017

Shazier made his first public appearance since the injury at the Steelers’ Week 15 game against the Patriots,. He waved a Terrible Towel to pump up the crowd:

Dec. 12

The Steelers put Shazier on injured reserve, officially ending his season.

“Unfortunately Ryan will not be able to contribute on the field during the remainder of this season,” Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a statement. “However, even off the field Ryan will continue to be one of our team leaders. We know his spirit and positive outlook will help him to continue in his recovery, as well as serve as an inspiration to our team.”

Dec. 10

Shazier celebrated the Steelers’ Week 14 win over the Ravens with his teammates from his hospital bed via FaceTime.

#SHALIEVE : @RyanShazier pic.twitter.com/T3bN1DB8M5

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 11, 2017

It was their first game after Shazier’s injury.

“We didn’t play without him. He was out here with us, and we know it,” quarterback Ben Roethsliberger said after their 39-38 dramatic win. “Buddy, we love you so much. This one was for you, bud.”

Before the game, Antonio Brown and several other teammates wore customized cleats in honor of Shazier.

Dec. 7

Shazier underwent spinal stabilization surgery, according to an announcement from the team:

Statement from UPMC Neurosurgeons & #Steelers Team Physicians on Ryan Shazier pic.twitter.com/nE7xgsx7Tx

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 7, 2017

“I’m not worried about him playing for us again, I’m more worried about him,” Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said via the Post-Gazette. “Y’all have been updated as much as we have. The thing that we’re hopeful for and prayerful for is that he comes back and he’ll be OK. The football stuff is secondary. His life is a lot more important to me than football.”

Dec. 6

Shazier was transported back to Pittsburgh to stay at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center:

Statement on #Steelers LB Ryan Shazier (Wednesday, Dec. 6): pic.twitter.com/7AVSzXMksr

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 6, 2017

Dec. 5

The Steelers updated Shazier’s status throughout the day:

Statement by #Steelers GM/VP Kevin Colbert on LB Ryan Shazier pic.twitter.com/WEp6wktNCu

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 5, 2017

Joint statement from Dr. David Okonkwo (UPMC) & Dr. Joseph Cheng (UCMC) on #Steelers LB Ryan Shazier. pic.twitter.com/ou4UkTRvVR

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 5, 2017

“I really have no update in terms of his medical status other than what was released earlier,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters. “I would imagine at the appropriate time that those who are responsible for his care will give you a reasonable assessment of where he is. I imagine that would occur as soon as later on today.”

“From my perspective, obviously it was a tough evening,” he said. “Ryan’s a trooper. I had an opportunity to spend some time with him, and he’s in good spirits.”

Dec. 4

Shazier was injured during a Monday Night Football game against the Bengals in Week 13. On Cincinnati’s first possession of the game, Shazier went to the ground clutching his back after tackling Bengals wide receiver Josh Malone. It looked like a normal, everyday kind of tackle until Shazier didn’t get up.

Shazier was immobilized on a backboard, carted off the field, and taken to a Cincinnati hospital.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did not have an update on Shazier’s status after the game.

“This is a tough game, tough business,” Tomlin said. “5-0 (Shazier) is our brother.”

What does Ryan Shazier mean to the Steelers?

Shazier has been the Steelers’ biggest defensive playmaker since they took him in the first round of the 2014 draft.

The 25-year-old Shazier means so much more to the Steelers than that, as was seen in the way his teammates reacted immediately after his injury. They had a hard time holding back tears in the immediate aftermath and for the rest of the game.

“I don’t think Vince (Williams) stopped crying until after halftime, and that’s one of the most gangster dudes on the team,” safety Mike Mitchell said, via The MMQB’s Greg Bishop. “People had to grab him by the face mask and be like, ‘Yo, you’re the middle linebacker now. You can’t be sniffling.’”

The Steelers went on to win that game, beating the Bengals 23-20. They won four of their last five, locking up the second seed in the AFC before falling to the Jaguars in the Divisional Round.

He wasn’t on the field, but they didn’t do it without Shazier.

“When you see him, you know how much he loves football and wants to be out there for us,” linebacker Anthony Chickillo said, through the team’s website. “You just want to go hard for him. You just want to win for him.”

What’s Shazier’s prognosis?

Shazier started rehab days after undergoing surgery. He’s still very much a part of the Steelers, even if he never takes the field again.

Shazier and his family believe that he will play again.

“Yes, I do,” Vernon Shazier said. “I Shalieve.” Shazier and his family consistently use that play on Shazier’s last name and the word “believe“ when talking about his injury.

The injury was terrifying, and it’s difficult to even think about whether Shazier can or will play football in the future. What matters now is just Shazier’s continued recovery.

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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What’s the latest on Ryan Shazier?

Shazier is making incredible progress after a terrifying spinal injury he suffered in Week 13 against the Bengals.

Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a spinal injury in December and has been making slow progress in a quest that stretches far beyond the gridiron.

He made a surprise appearance at the NFL Draft, when he walked out, for the first time in public, with his fiancee. Shazier announced the Steelers’ first-round pick, safety Terrell Edmunds:

Ryan Shazier walks onstage with his fiance to announce the Steelers pick pic.twitter.com/UQwOPd3kLh

— That Dude (@cjzer0) April 27, 2018

Two weeks before that, Shazier was an honorary captain at Ohio State’s spring game:

#Shalieve || The presence of @RyanShazier was felt during this year’s spring game. His return was a testimony of love of #TheBrotherhood. #GoBucks #LongLiveTheBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/jNlIyAaBG7

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 17, 2018

Here’s what happened before that:

On Feb. 20, Ryan Shazier spoke for the first time about his injury when he was a guest on his teammate Roosevelt Nix’s podcast. Shazier said that he’s making progress every day and that he plans to play football again one day. He echoed that on March 4 in a conversation with NFL Network’s Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock. Shazier said he wants to get back on the field and continue what he hopes will be a Hall of Fame career.

Days later, Shazier attended a Penguins game and stood up, with some help, while fans gave him a standing ovation:

A well-deserved STANDING ovation for this guy. Welcome to the game, @RyanShazier! pic.twitter.com/IhBscrsXTT

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 7, 2018

On Feb. 1, Shazier posted the most encouraging sign of his recovery to that date with a picture that appeared to show him standing — albeit with support from teammate Ben Roethlisberger.

A post shared by Ryan Shazier (@shazier) on Feb 1, 2018 at 10:57am PST

At the NFL Combine, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert announced that Shazier wouldn’t be playing in the 2018 season:

Steelers GM says Ryan Shazier won’t play in 2018. “We know that, he knows that”

— Adam Stites (@AdamStites_) February 28, 2018

Shazier told the world he’d regained feeling in his legs after suffering a devastating spinal injury in the Steelers’ Week 13 win over the Bengals.

He visited his teammates at practice for the first time before the Steelers’ divisional matchup against the Jaguars, bringing an emotional lift as the team prepared for the postseason.

This was the first photo that confirmed Shazier was in a wheelchair. His family and the team have kept details about Shazier’s condition close to the vest to protect his privacy as he recovers.

A post shared by Ryan Shazier (@shazier) on Jan 10, 2018 at 11:13am PST

Cameron Heyward told NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala that Shazier said he has good days and bad days. But the days he’s able to spend around his teammates are always good days.

His father, Vernon Shazier, said his condition is improving.

“He’s much better,” the elder Shazier said in early January, via Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV, “but we’ve agreed to keep his progress private until he’s ready to share where he’s at.”

What does Ryan Shazier mean to the Steelers? He’s been the Steelers’ biggest defensive playmaker since they took him him in the first round of the 2014 draft.

He had 89 total tackles this season, despite missing the last four games. That ties him with Vince Williams, who started all 16 games, for second on the team. Shazier finished the season with two forced fumbles and three picks, both of which tie him for the No. 1 spot on the team in each category.

Shazier means so much more to the Steelers than that, as was seen in the way his teammates reacted immediately after his injury. They had a hard time holding back tears in the immediate aftermath and for the rest of the game.

The Steelers went on to win that game, beating the Bengals 23-20. They won four of their last five, locking up the second seed in the AFC. He wasn’t on the field, but they didn’t do it without Shazier.

He hasn’t stopped being there for his teammates. Shazier celebrated the Steelers’ Week 14 win over the Ravens with his teammates from his hospital bed via FaceTime. And he even made it to the Steelers’ Week 15 loss to the Patriots at Heinz Field, just two weeks after his injury. Shazier also attended the Steelers’ Week 17 win over the Browns in Pittsburgh.

Shazier was also on hand to cheer on the Steelers at the divisional matchup against the Jaguars.

#SHALIEVE pic.twitter.com/Q48FqcCfwh

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 14, 2018

He spoke to his teammates in the locker room to encourage them, according to CBS’ broadcast.

After the season was over, Steelers own Art Rooney II said that there will be a role for Shazier in 2018 in some capacity:

Art Rooney on Ryan Shazier's future: "I expect Ryan is going to be here one way or the other and have a roll on the team one way or other in 2018"

— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) February 7, 2018

How was Shazier injured? Shazier went to the ground clutching his back after tackling Bengals wide receiver Josh Malone on Cincinnati’s first possession of the game. It looked like a normal, everyday kind of tackle until Shazier didn’t get up.

Shazier was immobilized on a backboard, carted off the field, and taken directly to a Cincinnati hospital. He was transported back to Pittsburgh and underwent spinal stabilization surgery. The Steelers placed him on injured reserve.

What’s Shazier’s prognosis? Shazier started rehab days after undergoing surgery, and he’s been healthy enough to make it to the team’s practice facility for meetings. He’s still very much a part of the Steelers, even if he never takes the field again.

But that’s not out of the question. Shazier told Nix his goal is to get back on the field and to become a Hall of Famer. Shazier’s father said he believes his son will play again.

“Yes, I do,” Vernon Shazier said. “I Shalieve.” Shazier and his family consistently use that play on Shazier’s last name and the word “believe“ when talking about his injury.

The injury was terrifying, and it’s difficult to even think about whether Shazier can or will play football in the future. What matters now is just Shazier’s continued recovery.

“I’m not worried about him playing for us again, I’m more worried about him,” Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Y’all have been updated as much as we have. The thing that we’re hopeful for and prayerful for is that he comes back and he’ll be OK. The football stuff is secondary. His life is a lot more important to me than football.”

Shazier’s teammates came up short of their goal to win Super Bowl LII, falling to the Jaguars in the Divisional Round.

Shazier wasn’t on the field for the postseason. But he was still a huge part of what his teammates accomplished this season.

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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What’s the latest on Ryan Shazier?

Shazier is making incredible progress after a terrifying spinal injury he suffered in Week 13 against the Bengals.

The Steelers’ season may be over, but one player is still fighting in an extremely important battle. Middle linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a spinal injury in December and has been making slow progress in a quest that stretches far beyond the gridiron.