#Triathlon Queen

[theomenmedia]

Saiyami Kher Completes Iron Man70.3

Saiyami Kher not only dazzles on screen but also in sports! She's the first Indian actress to complete the grueling Ironman 70.3 in Germany.

Link to the full story: https://www.theomenmedia.com/post/saiyami-kher-triumphs-as-first-indian-actress-to-conquer-ironman-70-3-in-germany

[world-of-wales]

HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY TO THE SWEETEST AND CUTEST LITTLE MAN, HRH PRINCE GEORGE ALEXANDER LOUIS OF WALES (B. 22 JULY 2013) ♡

On 22 July 2013, Prince George was born to Catherine and William, then known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in St Mary's Hospital, at 16:24 BST weighing 8 pounds and 6 ounces. He was born during the reign of his paternal great-grandmother Elizabeth II and is the first child and eldest of Will & Cat.

The little prince's name was announced on 24 July as George Alexander Louis. George is one of his paternal grandfather King Charles’ middle names and was the regnal name of Queen Elizabeth's beloved father Albert. Alexander is the masculine version of Queen Elizabeth's middle name Alexandra and was also Catherine's top choice for a baby boy's name. Louis is in honour of his 3rd-great-uncle Earl Mountbatten of Burma - Louis, his father - Prince William and King Charles.

Georgie was was christened by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on 23 October, in the Chapel Royal in St. James' Palace.

George spent the first few months of his life in Anglesey, Wales, before his family relocated to Kensington Palace in 2014. He started at West Acre Montessori School Nursery in 2016 when his family moved to Anmer Hall in Norfolk and then studied at at Thomas's School in Battersea. In 2022, George and his family relocated to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, after which he started at Lambrook School with his siblings.

Born as a Prince of Cambridge, he became HRH Princess George of Wales after his grandfather conferred his parents with the titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales. George was third in line to the throne upon his birth but is now second in line following hid dad taking over as the heir.

He made his official royal debut during the Cambridge tour of Australia & New Zealand in 2014. His first Palace balcony was in 2015 and has also joined his parents on official tours to Canada, Germany and Poland. Taking part in two royal weddings Georgie has also been a part of his great-grandmother's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 and was a page of honour at his grandfather's coronation in 2023.

George is a keen tennis and football player (a huge Aston Villa & England fan) and loves rugby, cricket & triathlons. He is adores AC/DC and Led Zeppelin & is learning to play the electric guitar. Georgie is known to love the military and wanted to join the air cadets when he was younger.

He also loves helicopters and police cars and was a fan of Fireman Sam. As per his mum, he likes thunderstorms, and when younger T-rex, the dinosaur fascinated him the most. George spends a lot of time outdoors, helping out with the farm animals & is quite a competitive gardener.

[punishedsaints]

Ok so I've been watching the Olympics and it seems like everyone is looking at the athletes with absolute LUST and yet the controversial thing was the drag queen show. We have to share the world with such a stupid bunch of people. I swear the opinions of those people mattered almost nothing some time ago.

Also I saw that they really made the athletes swim in the Sein river during the triathlon competition. What the actual F UCK. That water is toxic. I really thought it was a joke.

And the memes, yeah, who cares about those. I don't understand why those two shooters became popular, the Turkish guy and the Korean girl. and so on and so on

[wofredone]

Finally finished reading A Guide to the Dragon World! Because my notes ended up being quite long, I'm splitting the post into two parts. The first part (aka this one) is just a summary of the new lore introduced in the guide, specifically cultural elements of each tribe along with tidbits of history. I left out most character-specific content (such as the letters) because I was primarily reading this for worldbuilding, but I will talk about it in the second part, which will be my review.

Keep in mind that the majority of information is in the context of royalty and nobility. I will talk about this more in my review.

Be warned, this is a very long post.

Different tribes (probably) have different scents

It was stated that a male dragon has not ruled since the Scorching, implying that there may have been a king in the past

Treasure is used as currency on Pyrrhia

There are detective mystery genre scrolls/books

Hatching day cakes are a thing, and SkyWings traditionally set their cakes on fire (at least based on an offer Peril made, not sure if that's just because she's a firescales though)

Tamarin and Starflight invented a letter-presser for blind dragons

Mathematics and calculus exist

The lancehead snake is a cousin to the dragonbite viper, though not as deadly

Certain tribes are wealthier and/or bigger than others, but it is not specified which ones

The names of the three moons are Oracle, Perception, and Imperial, the last one being the biggest moon

The white dragon with wing stubs in Burn's collection still has no confirmed tribe; it's similar to a SilkWing but only has two wingbuds

+the SilkWing wing had washed up on shore

Pantalan queens used to host a queen gathering every few moons, which was used to address disputes

"For HiveWing Eyes Only" regarding the Book of Clearsight may predate Queen Wasp

SeaWings had also escaped to Pantala (I think this was previously unknown, but correct me if I'm wrong)

Krakens are confirmed to be real in the Book of Clearsight

MudWings

MudWing troops have specific roles (healer, treasurer, gatherer, communicator)

The MudWing palace is surrounded with blanket forts where groups of dragons can socialize

The palace also has a library and the oldest scroll is about the blood red eggs

The MudWing succession crisis happened ~200 years ago

There was at least one case of a MudWing being ordered to destroy a blood red egg

There is a royal hatchery for MudWing eggs

^ They're still, for the most part, left to fend for themselves with the exception of education and training beginning earlier

^ The queen still has limited interactions with her children (by choice)

^ The bigwings in particular is taken to be trained and has to fight the queen for the throne, same as other tribes

MudWings have their own language (at least during the MudWing Succession Crisis)

Structures are made of adobe

They have papyrus

The original royal bloodline was secretly ended during the MudWing Succession Crisis and later revealed in Princess Sawgrass's retelling

MudWings raise cows for dairy and there is a royal cowherd

SeaWings

There are stories (by Coral) written from the perspective of animals

Bunch of Aquatic information; there are phrases exclusive to Aquatic

One hatching day food is raw tuna wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with fish eggs

(Royal) traditional hatching day activities include a triathlon, treasure hunt, coral reef hide-and-seek, humpback-whale-themed singing competition, and an ocean pet fashion show

SeaWings keep seahorses, sea dragons, cuttlefish, and bobtail squids as pets

Hatching day feast includes sharks, tuna rolls, and lobsters

There might be a new palace/area for dragons of other tribes to visit in construction

RainWings

RainWings used to read and write

Other tribes wanted the rainforest territory (at least according to Handsome)

They used to eat meat

RainWings used to constantly kill each other for the throne

The nonlethal competition was introduced to reduce bloodshed

RainWings used to have scrolls and libraries (during the Darkstalker era), but transitioned to storytelling/oral history at some unknown point in time

RainWings used to be feared by every other tribe and were known for their assassins

^ There was an assassin training program

Queen Jacaranda was responsible for most of the changes in RainWing society

^ She ended the assassin training program, outlawed usage of venom on other dragons, ordered the construction of the hammocks and platforms at the top of the canopy (presumably leading to sun time) and was interested in "taming prey" (sloths in particular)

Was in a war/territory dispute with the SkyWings and signed a peace treaty (it's not directly stated who the peace treaty was with, it was either the SkyWings or the MudWings)

It's implied that extensive sun exposure makes RainWings lazier

RainWing culture is more open to expressing emotion as a result of their color changing scales

NightWings

NightWings have legends/stories, the described one is about a seer named Comet that rarely had visions and was thought to be powerless until he foresaw a storm that destroyed the kingdom

There is also a scroll about The Prophetess that Fatespeaker liked to read, which is about a seer that fought bad guys with her visions

NightWings hatched under one full moon gain seer or mind reading powers, while two full moons grant both powers

Three full moons amplifies the strength of these powers

Some believe there's a connection between the moons and animus magic, but Darkstalker disagrees with this

NightWings (in the old kingdom) made sure as many eggs as possible were born under full moons

NightWings were raised to believe they were inherently superior at some genetic level (yikes)

The whole prophecy and lies spread to Pyrrhia were born out of desperation (I guess this was already known but I think it's worth noting because here it's being outright stated)

NightWings were the first to develop a written Dragon language; they taught it to the rest of the continent to record history and communicate

+traveling NightWing teachers that brought scrolls and taught them

There were NightWing scriptoriums where they copied scrolls by talon to spread to Pyrrhia

NightWings were responsible for most of the treatments used by other tribes

In the past, seers used their visions to help other tribes and NightWings were more open to sharing their knowledge in general

The old NightWing kingdom has a lot of moon exposure and a cold climate

NightWings had theatre performances, including props

The listed plays include: A Midsummer NightWing's Dream, The Importance of Being a NightWing, and A Little NightWing Music

On the island, NightWings had abandoned theatre, art, and music

They also had gardens with nonedible plants

NightWings have hatching ceremonies

The full moon music festival is an ancient custom that was revived by Queen Vigilance, along with other unnamed customs

There were ceremonies for seers and mind readers

The full moon music festival involved musicians sharing their newest compositions and providing an opportunity for dragonets to learn about traditional NightWing music; Vigilance introduced an hour where amateurs could also share their talents

The seer ceremony involves giving a vision of the future for NightWings and the mind reading ceremony involves mind readers sharing good thoughts about Vigilance (probably just the queen in general)

There was an island temple dedicated to honoring the first librarians of the NightWing tribe

The Glass Jubilee, started by Vigilance, celebrates each year of her reign and involves glasswork, music, and dancing

SandWings

Some SandWing treasure: the Desert Tiara (worn by SandWing queens for centuries), the Twilight Necklace (possibly of NightWing origin), and the SandWing Scepter

Queen Oasis had a symbol

Sign off(s) : "Wishing you bright sun and strong winds"

SandWing kitchens (for royalty, at least) have cages where birds are kept for meal preparation

SandWings keep armadillos, coyotes, tortoises, pumas and snakes as pets (and also eat them)

There is a scroll for dragonets on pets, including recipes for cooking the pets

SandWings have tortillas

After Oasis died, councils and debates were placed to pick the next queen

SandWings have history museums, including multiple gifts from past alliances

IceWings

Sign off(s): "On the winds of blizzards," "Snow mountains of love"

Education is very important (at least amongst royalty)

Ice sculpting is a significant form of art

IceWings frequently host talent shows and competitions

Many are constantly trying to create things to share with the rest of the tribe and typically work solo

Walruses and seals are not kept as pets

An image of the ranking walls is included, showing the written language (not sure if it's Dragon or an IceWing-specific language)

There is another animus gift, the gift of understanding, with missing part(s) and an unknown purpose

A layout of the menu for a coronation/royal feast is given (ingredients include kelp, sedge, garlic, ginger, crab, moss, whale, polar bear, narwhal, fulmar, puffin, gannet, scavenger, shark...)

IceWings use sealskin for scrolls

There are wandering librarians that circulate scrolls around the Ice Kingdom villages

^ Dragonets are chosen to be the next bard of the village, which are storytellers that memorize the history of the IceWing tribe and folktales

In the Village-of-the-Plentiful-Seals, there are multiple dragons named Caribou to honor the animus that gave them the gift of subsistence

^ They also host an annual feast in celebration of Caribou that lasts five days and nights

Where-No-Dragon-Goes-Hungry has a statue of Caribou made of whale bone, and host a Caribou celebration involving an ice sculpture contest every year

The aurora borealis is believed to be the Great Ice Dragon's frostbreath

We-Remember-and-Venerate-Caribou has a year long market that trades food

There is a temple of the Great Ice Dragon that feeds dragons for free

Princess Caribou's gift had upset the IceWing aristocracy because it was meant for dragons outside of the circles

^ They believed that it would make them lazy, forget how to hunt, and that hunger motivated them to work harder (which of course was entirely wrong)

Outer villages are low in the IceWing social hierarchy; they're often neglected by the royalty/nobility/etc.

Dragons from the outer villages were invited each year to compete for a spot in the palace school; this gave them a chance to enter the circles and better their social status

Every seven years, SkyWings hosted a challenge in the palace called the Clash of Claws

^ Consisted of seven days and seven challenges: flame, endurance, strength, cunning, guile, wit, and speed

The precision and heat of a flame is skill-based (at least partially)

Prince Cliff wrote the new SkyWing anthem (+ it's implied other tribes don't have anthems)

SkyWings

*Because Scarlet had a lot of influence and control over SkyWing culture, some bullet points are specified as pre, post, or during Scarlet's reign

SkyWings throw elaborate hatching ceremonies (at least according to Fierceteeth)

SkyWings may have weave tapestries (Smolder mentions an alliance gift possibly being given by the SkyWings)

SkyWings cultivate lemons

(Pre-Scarlet) The arena hosted parades, art shows, dance performances, and beauty contests; dragons from all over Pyrrhia were invited

^ Winning sculptures and tapestries were kept by Queen Firestorm

They have ironsmithing and host ironsmithing classes

Scale-polishing and muscle-building for beauty

(Pre-Scarlet) SkyWings had the option to choose partners for themselves, but often opted to be matched by the queen because they were busy

(Pre-Scarlet) Weddings are quiet, private rituals that only involve the two dragons getting married and are hosted in the sky

(During Scarlet) weddings became elaborate and were also celebrated with deathmatches in the arena; most did not want to deal with their celebrations and either didn't marry or got married in secret

Most did not want to be matched by Scarlet

There are SkyWing Ancestry Scrolls where dragons record their weddings

Families don't hold a lot of significance, parents raise their hatchlings then send them off to get a palace job

Diamond rings are used for engagements

(Royalty) White silk is worn for weddings

SilkWings

SilkWings used to take time off from school to explore Pantala after their Metamorphosis

SilkWings are naturally tree dwellers, but were forced to live on the webs between the Hives after the Tree Wars

SilkWing queens chose their successor, they did not fight for the throne

Monarch was the name of two of the best queens in SilkWing history

They have tea, lemon sugar crunches, and peanut butter cookies

HiveWings

HiveWings pick a specialization at a young age

Education is primarily agriculture based

There are universities for each hive: Wasp Hive University, Jewel Hive University, etc.

HiveWing abilities are genetic, but not always passed down

LeafWings

LeafWing dragonets have to practice jungle survival skills in the villages before being let out

The LeafWings had books in the Poison Jungle

^ They used plant fibers, bark, sap (glue), wood pulp (paper), and dyes for bookmaking

Most of their books and libraries were lost in the Tree Wars

Some LeafWing books: The Legacy of the LeafWings, Ash of Green Gingkos, The Count of Mount Kudzu, Rowan and Juniper, The Exceptionally Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Insects For the Discerning Entomologist, Mysterious and Mystifying Murders, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Several LeafWing artifacts survived the fires, one of which was the "Archival LeafWing Documents: For Future Historians," buried by Queen Sequoia

"Safe branches," "strong roots," "from roots to the canopy," and "till the full moon" are some sign offs

Names such as Belladonna (and presumably any other dangerous plant) were untraditional before moving to the Poison Jungle

New Year of the Trees is presumably a holiday

PoisonWings and SapWings were not initially on hostile terms, this was done by Belladonna

LeafWings cultivate bananas, potatoes, yams, papayas, avocados, kumbu, and dragonberries

Apologies if there's any information that was already revealed in the main series. Also, I included some more minor things (such as the sign offs) because it could give hints into some cultural lore such as values and language.

[forlovvers]

( meant to be )

pair: prince!jake x princess!reader | genre: fluff, meet-cute, royal!au | warning(s): none! | wc: around 1k | synopsis: in which you plan to escape from meeting your husband-to-be. 

lynne’s notez🗒️: HAPPY BIRTH MONTH TO MY MAN JAKEEE😵‍💫😵‍💫 i cannot explain in words how much i love jake !!  also this is soooo inspired by bridgerton queen charlotte 

Climbing out of a three-story window, in an Indian sapphire encrusted gown should be considered a triathlon with the way it had you panting as if you had just swam thirty meters, ran five miles and cycled through a rusty forest. The old Victorian window was also no help at all, the way it wouldn’t open without some elbow grease.

Your grip tightens around the ivy vine as you feel yourself slip ever so slightly. You needed a better way to escape. You jump and almost lose your grip when a gentle voice appears from behind you.

“What are you doing?” the voice asks, laced with curiosity. The cold wind of the night blows and it makes you wish you had thrown on something a little bit more covering as the chill settles over your skin.

You roll your eyes. “Baking cookies,” you say with sarcasm. You assumed the voice was a random maid, prying on your royal life. You ignore him, hoping he’d be uninterested and leave. You loosen your grip and drop down just a bit, almost touching the ground with the way your gown draped just over the soil. 

“Do you want help?” the voice offers. He sounds amused and that boils your blood. How could he laugh at the princess trying to escape from meeting her royal suitor? 

“No. I don’t. Now please, leave.” You shut your eyes and pray he’d listen to you. “That is an order from your princess.” You say (a bit embarrassed), trying to assert your dominance and instead of leaving like you asked, the voice laughs. 

“But, I can’t just leave a damsel in distress.” He says and you can almost picture a smirk on the mystery person. You groan indefinitely and throw your head back. He just wasn’t going to leave you alone, was he?

“Well, are you just going to stand there or help a damsel?” You say irritatingly. He chuckles and you can hear shuffling from behind you. He reaches up and suddenly a strong pair hands of wrap around your waist. You slowly let go of the vines, pleading to the angels above that he doesn’t drop you. 

His grip tightens and you feel a bit a flustered. He’s impossibly close as he gently lets you down and you feel your feet hit the earth once again. 

You look down at your dress and pretend to dust it off, thanking the moon for not shining down your rose-dusted cheeks. Your heart was beating so fast and loud, you were sure he could hear it. Deciding you had had enough, you gather your skirts and begin to walk away. 

“Wait a second,” the voice says and his hands catch your forearm, spinning you around and into his chest. He holds you by the waist as you stare into his big brown eyes. He smells of vanilla and fresh parchment. He has high cheek bones and pink lips that curve into an adoring smile, one that makes your stomach turn. His hair is swooped neatly and his clothes are adorned with gold finishes. Your breath shortens and you want to lean in. Lean in and be close. It’s enticing the way his pretty eyes invite you in. 

And then it dawns on you. He is no random maid. 

“I found the princess!” You hear one of the royal guards yell. The mysterious man lets you go almost instantly at the sound of new voices and takes a step back to clear his throat. You cough awkwardly, letting the new thought sink in. 

Your head snaps up at the sound of your mother’s voice approaching you hastily. The queen is walking quickly towards the two of you, a stern look on her face. “Y/n, where on earth have you been?” you can tell she’s trying hard not to raise her voice.

“I believe she went to take a moonlit stroll in the garden, which I must say is lovely.” The mystery man says, showing off his heart-melting smile. You’re slightly stunned. He just saved you from a long and terrible lecture from your mother. 

And it must work because your mother nods and her face relaxes. “Well, I see you’ve meet your suitor.”

“Prince Jaeyun of Bane, your majesty.” he bows and he suddenly takes your hand, his lips meeting with your knuckles, leaving a small kiss on your skin. You swear your knees buckle and you lose your balance. 

Jaeyun smiles his smile as your mother turns away and orders for the front doors to be opened. His steps fall into tune with yours as you walk. 

“You did not tell me you were my suitor.” You huff, cheeks pink with embarrassment. You refuse to at look him and fall under a spell once more. 

“You did not ask.” He says simply. Jaeyun bites his bottom lip as he tries to get you to look at him. He finds your embarrassment quite cute. Strands of your hair escape from your loose bun and he reaches out to tuck some behind your ear. 

This sets your heart on fire. You finally turn to look at him and Jaeyun fights back a smile when you give in to him. 

“I am not ready for marriage.” You say clearly, anticipating his reaction. Instead of becoming upset like most people have when you told them, Jaeyun’s smile only grows. 

“Then I am willing to wait for you.” Jaeyun says surely. He laces his hands with yours and your heart swells.

Maybe you are meant to be.

[silmarillion-stats-polls]

Modern AU occupations for house of Finwe

Other suggestions included individually on linked polls. Thank you.

Finwë: Senator

Míriel: fashion designer and creator

Indis: queen consort/first lady

Fëanáro: Elon Musk/prince and corporation CEO

(Nerdanel)

Nolofinwë: politician/government worker

Anairë: journalist/media worker

Arafinwë: father

Eärwen: children’s book writer

Maitimo: lawyer

(Maglor)

Tyelkormo: dog trainer/works with animals

Carnistir: tax lawyer

Curufin: mechanical engineer

Amrod: student

Amras: student

Fingon: firefighter

Turgon: architect

Aredhel: equestrian professional

Argon: student

Finrod: international humanitarian aid worker

Angrod: Ironman triathlon runner

Aegnor: sportswear/hair model, tied with disaster in love

Galadriel: Translator/foreign affairs worker/diplomat

[incorrectbatfam]

Please, my dear, spare some information on the art of the maple syrup triathlon? For I am uncultured swine who wants to know I'd I could survive a first date with Queen Steph.

In a regular triathlon, you run, bike, and swim

In a maple syrup triathlon, you run through syrup, bike through syrup, and swim through syrup

[queenofcandynsoda]

Sol Fertilis Holidays: July to December

July

Third Sunday- Father’s Day/Day of Peach Roses: It is to commemorate fathers.

28th-National Delta Day/Day of Green Gladiolus: It is the day of celebrating Deltas. Deltas would get gifts from their children, spouses, and siblings. They would go to attend sports games, funfairs, ski resorts, and theaters. Some Deltas would even get promoted to a higher position by their Alpha employers.

August

1st- Harvest Festival/Day of Grapes and Grains: It marks the beginning of the harvest and the stockpiling of food for the upcoming autumn and winter. The most notable is the large-scale carnival when people would go to parades, block parties, festival shows, barbecues, and dances. Alewives would be in churches giving away wine on this day to all of the ranks. Families would make a large loaf of bread to eat with either salt, spinach artichoke dip, marinara, garlic sauce, beer cheese, whipped feta, or dipping oil. Couples would handfast as they go to parks or gardens. 

8th- National Omega Day/ Lillemore Day/ Day of White Carnations: It is the day of celebrating Omegas and the birthday of Lillemore Rosário, an Omega who was assassinated after the election when the PNP won the majority. Families would take their Omega spouses and children to gardens for picnics or go to funfairs. Many people in Olympia would go to visit the Lillemore statue in front of the Royal Perfume Conservatory to pay their respects. 

24th to 31st- Celebration of Champions: It is a week-long sports festival where young athletes compete in different sports, such as soccer, triathlon, shooting, rowing, boxing, tennis, and fencing. The winner would be given a golden olive wreath and can represent Sol Fertilis in the Olympics. 

September

Second Sunday- Fest of Elders/Grandparents’ Day/Day of Amaranths: It is to commemorate grandparents and Elders.

Autumn Equinox- Fest of Wine/Day of Gathering: It is the first day of autumn. Alewives would give bottles of harvested beer and wine to start the day. Families would attend church to give offerings to Mars Sol and his family, along with his sister, Vesta Luna. A Delta Plus Lar would then sacrifice an ox to mark the end of the Mars Sol half of the year.

October

12th-National Beta Day/Day of Blue Hydrangeas: It is the day of celebrating Betas. All of given gifts from their employers and spouses. It is then split up into three categories depending on rank. Beta Pluses would attend theaters of performing arts or opera and formal restaurants. Beta Neutrals would attend dramas or comedies, go to ballrooms to dance, and eat in standard restaurants. For Beta Minuses, their Gamma Minus spouses would join them in a mass dance, similar to this. Then, they have dinner in communal restaurants, parties, and watch plays or musicals. 

31th-Fasting Day/Day of Fast: It is the day of fasting and abstinence. The night before, families would eat meals and would not eat for one day. They would attend mass in the church and pray. Babies and toddlers would be exempt from fasting. As this is a day of sexual abstinence, Mating Ceremonies are postponed and the Pleasure Venues will be closed on this day. 

November

1st- Fest of Offerings/Day of Folklore: It is the day to commemorate those who had passed on. The families would have a large feast to break the fasting. Alpha pups would gather around a bonfire in the evening. They would play games, wear wreaths, and crowning of the Pumpkin King, or Pumpkin Queen. Children are given sweets to represent giving food to Mars Sol’s children. It also marks the end of the harvest festival.

20th- Children’s Day/Children's Celebration/Day of the Blooming Daisy Sweet Peas: It is to commemorate children and grandchildren.

December

Winter Solstice- Fest of Midwinter/Day of Vesta Luna: It is the first day of winter. It is celebrated with family gatherings, feasts, gift giving, Midwinter shows, singing, and attending church. In a church, a Delta Plus Lar dances on the ground, usually barefoot on snow. Then an Omega would wear a white dress with red flame designs and a veil and sit on a curule seat. They sing a hymn commemorating Vesta Luna’s gift of the hearth, home, and prosperity. 

31st- New Year’s Eve: The celebration of the end of the Gregorian New Year.

[goalhofer]

2024 olympians representing non country of residence part 8

Puerto Rico: Jose Alvarado, basketball (Brooklyn, New York); Jacqueline Benítez, basketball (Coolbaugh Township, Pennsylvania); Gian Clavell, basketball (Miami, Florida); George Conditt IV, basketball (Chicago, Illinois); Darian Cruz, wrestling (Allentown, Pennsylvania); Aleem Ford, basketball (Lawrenceville, Georgia); Alli Gibson, basketball (Stockton, California); Arella Guirantes, basketball (Brookhaven, New York); Mya Hollingshed, basketball (Bellaire, Texas); Jordan Howard, basketball (Gilbert, Arizona); Brianna Jones, basketball (Babylon, New York); Tayra Meléndez, basketball (Boston, Massachusetts); Chris Ortiz, basketball (Brooklyn, New York); Ayden Owens-Delerme, athletics (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); India Pagán, basketball (New London, Connecticut); Mariah Pérez, basketball (Newark, New Jersey); Isaiah Piñeiro, basketball (Auburn, California); Steven Piñeiro, skateboarding (Orlando, Florida); Jasmine Quinn-Camacho, athletics (Orlando, Florida); Isalys Quiñones, basketball (Chula Vista, California); Ethan Ramos, wrestling (Hawthorne, New Jersey); Davon Reed, basketball (Ewing Township, New Jersey); Sofía Roma, basketball (Queens, New York); Kristen Romano, swimming (Lancaster, New York); Trinity San Antonio, basketball (Moreno Valley, California); Gabby Scott, athletics (San Diego, California); Jonovan Smith, wrestling (Los Angeles, California); Stevie Thompson; Jr., basketball (Torrance, California); Maycey Vieta, diving (Jefferson Township, Ohio) & Tremont Waters, basketball (New Haven, Connecticut) Refugee Team: Farida Abaroge, athletics (Strasbourg, France); Omid Ahmadisafa, boxing (Munich, Germany); Yahya Al-Ghotany, taekwondo (Azraq, Jordan); Mohammad Alsalami, athletics (Berlin, Germany); Amir Ansari, cycling (Stockholm, Sweden); Matin Balesini, swimming (Guildford, U.K.); Francisco Centeno, shooting (Ciudad Mexico, Mexico); Muna Dahouk, judo (Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands); Saeid Fazloula, canoeing (Karlsruhe, Germany); Tachlowini Gabriyesos, athletics (Tel Aviv, Israel); Yekta Galeh, weightlifting (Berlin, Germany); Eyeru Gebru, cycling (Nancy, France); Amir Hassanjani, canoeing (Augsburg, Germany); Fernando Jorge, canoeing (Cape Coral, Florida); Dorian Keletela, athletics (Lisbon, Portugal), Adnan Khankan, judo (Damascus, Syria); Dominic Lobalu, athletics (Ngong, Kenya); Perina Lokure-Nakang, athletics (Kakuma, Kenya); Iman Mahdavi, wrestling (Milan, Italy); Farzad Mansouri, taekwondo (Manchester, U.K.); Alaa Maso, swimming (Hanover, Germany); Kasra Mehdipournejad, taekwondo (Berlin, Germany); Jamal Mohammed, athletics (Tel Aviv, Israel); Ramiro Mora, weightlifting (Blackpool, U.K.); Cindy Ngamba, boxing (Bolton, U.K.); Dina Pouryounes-Langeroudi, taekwondo (The Hague, The Netherlands); Mohammad Rashnonezhad, judo (Amsterdam, The Netherlands); Nigara Shaheen, judo (Toronto, Ontario); Arab Sibghatullah, judo (Mönchengladbach, Germany); Saman Soltani, canoeing (Vienna, Austria); Luna Solomon, shooting (Lausanne, Switzerland); Musa Suliman, athletics (Bern, Switzerland); Manizha Talash, breakdancing (Madrid, Spain); Hadi Tiranvalipour, taekwondo (Rome, Italy); Jamal Valizadeh, wrestling (Le Mans, France); Dorsa Yavarivafa, badminton (London, U.K.) & Mahboubeh Zharfi, judo (Berlin, Germany) Republic Of Congo: Freddy Mayala, swimming (Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of Congo) Romania: Szőcs Bernadette, table tennis (Bremen, Germany); Silvian Colodrovschi, water polo (Aix-En-Provence, France); Felix Duchampt, triathlon (Clermont-Ferrand, France); Andrei Mândrilă; rowing (Chișinău, Moldova); Rebecca-Aimee Papuc-Diaconescu, swimming (Las Vegas, Nevada) & Ilie Sprîncean, canoeing (Criuleni, Moldova) Rwanda: Diane Ingabire, cycling (Girona, Spain); Clementine Mukandanga, athletics (Siena, Italy) & Oscar Peyre-Mitilla, swimming (Marseille, France) St. Kitts & Nevis: Zahlia Allers-Liburd, athletics (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) & Naquille Harris, athletics (Bronx, New York) St. Lucia: Jayhan Odlum-Smith, swimming (Antibes, France)

[calacuspr]

London Youth Games set to unearth Olympic stars of tomorrow

The London Youth Games Finals Festival takes place at the end of June, inspiring the next generation of young athletes to have a more active lifestyle

Coming just a few weeks ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Finals Festival takes place at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the culmination of a season of grassroots competition featuring 30 different sports

In addition to the great sports, there’s a host of exciting activities at London Marathon Community Track and Copper Box Arena, providing a truly diverse and inclusive reflection of the London 2012 Olympic Games legacy.

LYG Foundation Chair Prof. Geoff Thompson MBE said: “The Finals Festival will provide an opportunity to engage, motivate and inspire young Londoners and their communities this Olympic and Paralympic year.

“The 2024 London Youth Games Finals Festival marks the culmination of months of intense competition by tens of thousands of young Londoners in over thirty sports. We're thrilled to host the Finals Festival at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, aiming to leave a lasting impression on participants and sustain the Olympic legacy.”

Encouraging young people to be active is fundamental, with research by Sported finding that 60% of young people surveyed had issues affording activity costs, exacerbating widening gaps in children’s activity levels.

Dina Asher-Smith, Raheem Sterling, David Weir and Alex Yee are some of the sporting legends who have achieved great things having previously taken part in the London Youth Games.

Alex Yee, Olympic gold medallist in the Mixed Relay Triathlon and former London Youth Games participant, said: ”Taking part in the London Youth Games was a special memory when I was younger and made me fall in love with sport even more than I already did.

“It was such a memorable competition, where I made lifelong friendships, learned valuable life lessons and really built my confidence to continue in sport and see how far I could go.”

Yee and Sir Mo Farah are two household names to have competed in London Youth Games’ Cross Country events in the past. More than 1,800 runners took part in the first series event on November 18, a Cross Country event on Hampstead Heath, featuring four age groups  contesting individual, team and overall medals.

LYG CEO, Andy Dalby-Welsh, underlined why the Games are so important for the capital’s kids: “At the London Youth Games, we passionately believe that sport should be accessible to all young Londoners, of all genders, ethnicities, beliefs, disabilities and backgrounds. 

“Our research shows that more than 90% of LYG participants are inspired to continue with their love of sport for the rest of their lives and that’s something we are incredibly proud of.

“With the Olympic Games just around the corner, we’re excited about the opportunity to encourage more young people to take part in sport in the months to come.”

The London Youth Games Finals Festival takes place on June 28-30.

For more information, please visit https://www.londonyouthgames.org/finals-festival/

[decentralvaccine]

Raising Awareness On Meningitis

When varsity athlete Megan Plamondon started feeling sick last November, she thought she'd pushed herself too hard on a two-hour run.

The student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., started feeling tired toward the end of her Sunday long run with her triathlon teammates, but that wasn't unusual — it was 17 kilometres, after all. She lay down to rest afterward, like she often would, but then she started feeling nauseated, and her head hurt.

By Sunday night, Plamondon, 19, was still in bed with a cracking headache, stiff neck, and sensitivity to light. By the next morning, after a restless, painful night, she says she knew something was very wrong.

[toughgirlchallenges]

Nirjala Tamrakar Wright - First Nepalese woman to complete a full-distance triathlon

Nirjala is a 41-year-old Nepalese national triathlete and a mother of two. She was Nepal's national mountain biking champion for 12 years, from 2001 to 2012, and after dominating the mountain biking scene for 12 years, Nirjala was known as the "Mountain Queen" by her peers. Nirjala is now a triathlete on the Nepal National Team. On June 6th, 2021, Nirjala completed the UK Ultimate Triathlon event in Whitchurch after 15 hours and 13 minutes. The full Ironman distance includes 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling, and 42 kilometers of running. She then became the first Nepali female athlete to complete a full Ironman-distance triathlon. Her historic achievement was publicly recognized as the "First Nepalese Female Athlete to achieve" by Nepal Triathlon Association President, Mr. Nilendra Raj Shrestha.

  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Subscribe so you don’t miss out. 

You can support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Learn more by visiting www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast . Thank you.

  Show notes

Who is Nirjala

Speaking with Nirjala previously on the Tough Girl Podcast

Discovering triathlon 

Living in UAE in 2011 and training for mountain biking 

Thinking about doing an Ironman

Making the transition from mountain biking to triathlon 

Stopping mountain biking and focusing on family 

Wanting to lose weight after having children

Getting back into training after having a C section 

Why she wanted to do a triathlon 

Learning how to swim as an adult 

Overcoming her fear of open water

Taking on her first sprint triathlon 

Learning to swim front crawl in 2018

Not feeling confident in the water 

Dealing with feelings of panic while in the water

Feeling more confident in the water 

Training for open water swimming 

Learning how to float 

Doing her first Full Ironman triathlon

Following a free training plan found online

Balancing training time with her family 

Being on the start line of the race

Being worried about the cold water

Eating during the race

Feeling relief and happiness crossing the finish line

Recovering afterwards

Feeling a lot of pain at the end and not being able to sleep

How to connect and follow on the social 

Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you to take on your next challenge

How to face your fears even when you are afraid 

Why you can do anything you want in your life

  Social Media

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NirjalaTamrakar 

    Check out this episode!

[ahmed25646]

Cassandre Beaugrand is changing in England

Cassandre Beaugrand is changing in England

Irresistible in running from her first strides (quadruple French cross-country champion in her younger and junior years), winner of her first World Triathlon Series (titled at the time) at the age of 21 in 2018 in Hamburg, Cassandre Beaugrand has always had this image of future triathlon queen glued to her trisuit. Obviously, the expectations were justified and the Frenchwoman has shown it,…

[oh-yes-i-did-not]

It does occur to me now that most people haven’t heard the vocal triathlon that Lucia is.

Like, most people think Queen of the Night aria when thinking of something vocally demanding, but it doesn’t have that much jumping up and down, you just need to be coloratura soprano who can do low and super high.

Lucia is the one that really demands all that and also vocal control to go up and down and up and up and up and DOWN and then the most up you’ve ever been to.

My problem with about all of the Diva Song IRL versions is that they come to it with the "impossible song!" first and the actual opera, Lucia di Lammermoor comes second. Or not thought of at all. They all just end up sounding incomplete.

[arealtrashact]

As if they weren’t bad enough as adults . . .

[kneehab]

three months

I hit twelve weeks post op on Monday (two days ago), and I had my first round of isokinetic strength testing yesterday, so lots to catch up on documenting.

First, all the good (and there is lots of good!):

I don’t think about my knee at all, except when I’m at PT, someone asks about it, or I’m trying a new exercise or something at a higher weight in the gym. It occupies very little space in my head on a day to day basis.

I have full and equal range of motion! I have been at full extension since day 1 thanks to me not having hyperextension and due to the leg brace being locked straight, but I hit full knee flexion (about 155 degrees for me) at 8.5 weeks post op, so just after my last update was written. I can also fully sit on my heels kneeling.

I’ve started swimming. Not a ton, but around the beaches in Washington (it’s been so hot) and even in a pool at a gym I got a day pass for.

I’m walking and cycling tons now, sometimes walking upwards of 20,000 steps a day, which feels great.

I tested essentially equally on my functional testing. That includes things like a Y-balance test, where a PT measures how far you can touch your toe while standing on one leg at a time, things like that.

I don’t have any more pain behind my knee when flexing my quad.

Swelling is basically gone. Occasionally after a hard gym day or a really long walk I will get a tiny bit of swelling but it’ll be gone by the next morning.

I’ve started some basic plyometric/jumping/pre-running movements in PT! This includes gently bouncing up and down on your toes and softly landing from one leg onto the other. 

... And the tough.

Luckily, the tough is pretty minimal, but the main one is that I didn’t get the strength testing results I was hoping for. I’m at about 65% LSI, in other words, my left quad is about 65% as strong as my right. My PT says this is a solid number for where I am at in the recovery, but it’s hard not to be pretty disappointed as I need to be at 80% to run. But it’s helpful to have the clarity of where I’m at, and what my next steps need to be to hit my goals. My mission for this month is to work my quad hard, consistently, every other day, no excuses, so I can be as close to 80% as possible by my next round of testing at 4 months.

I think I might be struggling to eat enough protein, and also eating enough in general. I want to make this a focus of the next month, too. I can’t build a quad if I’m not giving it protein.

I’ve also just been struggling with a feeling of loss. I’m sad to be missing out on stuff still. Even though things are infinitely better than they were a month or two ago, I’m still not able to do many of the things I love. I can’t run, I can’t do aerial silks, I can’t do a triathlon, and that sucks because the season will be over by the time I could do so physically.

At the end of the day, things are pretty great. My graft is still there and strong, and I’m able to walk and hike and swim and be outside. I’m so grateful that the early stages of recovery are behind me, as I remember in those early days I just couldn’t imagine there would be a day again where I could just take a long walk without limping.

And I am really grateful for the good habits that the regimen of PT is teaching me. It’s building a gym habit. I never did very much squatting or strength training in general and was a bit of a “cardio queen”, so needing to do this to meet tangible goals is giving me the structure to develop discipline around strength training.

Onto the next month, and welcoming a mindset of growth and discipline, as well as a sense of joy in the small moments of new abilities.