#like 'this one's ashley - she's 8 and on the soccer team'

[hanzajesthanza]

my attempts to avoid thoughts of geralt's hanza continue to fail, as sapkowski talks about them in front of my face.

(from manuscript, on the subject of the hero and the quest):

On this expedition, the Hero (Simple or King) is accompanied by others who are stereotypical-canonical fantasy characters, in other words - clichés:

Wizard-Mentor (the aforementioned MERLIN, Obi-wan Kenobi, Gandalf, Allanon, Belgarath, Sephrenia or Moiraine, who supports the hero with advice and help); Faithful Servant (in the case of the King, literally, in the case of the Simple, rather a childhood friend, Sam Gamgee. He serves the plot to recite wise folk maxims and prove that the simple people are the most morally healthy; or to save the ass of his master/friend where magic and a sharp sword will not help, and common sense and a strong, faithful arm will suffice). Good Knight (charismatic LANCELOT, always loyal and ready to fight, sometimes with some dark secret in his life); Worse Knight (always with some dark secret in his life, ambitious like Boromir, in the clutches of Evil, secretly collaborates with Evil, regrets betrayal, undergoes catharsis, perishes); Trickster - Conniver (see LOKI in "Materia Magiczna"**), cheerful, but can cause trouble, which attracts like a magnet; Damsel in Distress, who is saved from danger on the way and included in the team. Usually a princess in disguise. For several volumes of the cycle she does not like the Hero, in the last she becomes his wife.

* Type A = Percival, a hero who does not have power and is searching it, and Type B = King Arthur, a hero who has lost his power and wants to regain it. in other words, Type A = Reynevan and Type B = Geralt :)

** another chapter of the book, "Materia magica, or the Little Magical Alphabetical Lexicon," it's a glossary of various myth and legend. in loki's entry, he recounts some myths of loki and equivalates him with other figures across various traditions: Odysseus, Pryderi, Bricriu, Mordred, Alyosha Popovich, Coyote, Anansi, Maui). then he lists a few fantasy/spec fic characters he categorizes as trickers: Cugel (Dying Earth), Kickaha (World of Tiers), Coyote (Coyote Blue), Peter Lake (Winter's Tale), Moonglum (Elric of Melniboné), Nifft and Haldar (Nifft the Lean), Random (Chronicles of Amber), Saruman (Lord of the Rings), Shimrod (Lyonesse), Silk (The Belgariad and The Malloreon), Gray Mouser (Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser), Talen (The Elenium).

my thoughts:

pretty obvious assignments here, for the most part.

regis is the Wizard-Mentor, but, as he soon loses his mystique, his intellectual, philosophizing manner becomes mundane and irritating than providing magical provenance. he advises incessantly, answering questions before they're asked, giving guidance when no one asked. he only appears to be omniscient, and the others may think he's so smart because he's hundreds of years older than them, but is really just a guy, a middle aged man with a troubled youth which he learned from. his advice is not magically guided and for this reason is fallable, mortal, human. maybe the cliché is also played with in that he's a vampire, not a wizard, sorcerer, or priest, "‘I see.’ The poet sighed. ‘Is Regis a sorcerer?’ ‘No. No, not a sorcerer.’" ... as vampires are typically evil and regis is decidedly a force of good. (on this topic, @wampirzielarz once compared-contrasted gandalf and regis and it was super interesting :))

dandelion is a combination of the Faithful Servant and the Trickster. he's geralt's best friend, and doesn't fight alongside him with sword but his presence is necessary to our hero for moral support, that all makes the first part an obvious assignment... and... sapkowski lists a wide variety of tricksters of various moral alignments, but amongst them are some heroes and some best friends of heroes (and anti-heroes). and asides from being geralt's closest friend, dandelion is, after all, a rascal, who uses words and good looks to get what he wants from people. "a cynic, a lecher, a womanizer and a liar." (also, because i think szarlej also fits this double-definition as well, i won't hesitate to give them to dandelion, as they serve pretty similar functions alongside their respective heroes).

milva is the Good Knight, "always loyal and ready to fight" describes her perfectly, and her 'dark secret' was her pregnancy and plans for abortion. (though, the attribution of lancelot... well, maybe this is why some keen eyes saw a potential in yenva). anyhow, the playfulness with the cliché comes from the fact that she's a woman, which is supposed to be surprising that the hero's strongest ally is a woman. i think the "charismatic" attribute is also supposed to be played with here, as milva is simple and not too well-spoken, only so in her cursing. in other words, she's a peasant woman, and not a born-and-bred nobleman. also, for her gender, she is a play on another trope sapkowski mentions a couple of pages later, but i can't go into it now because it's too funny.

cahir is the Worse Knight, though perhaps in reverse, for all of his associations with Evil was in the past and shed like sports colors when he changed teams. he has no betrayal, "I will never betray you, witcher," all of his ‘betrayal’ was before he was even allied with the hero. but of course, for these sins, he "undergoes catharsis, perishes".

the Damsel in Distress is evidentially angouleme, being "saved from danger on the way and included in the team." the rebuking of the cliché, of course, is that geralt is "genuinely angry, genuinely confused, genuinely embarrassed" when she offers her "gratitude" to him. also, that she is no princess in disguise, just an ordinary girl, though she is confused for the princess they're after (who also happens to be another play on the damsel in distress cliché). and again, like milva, i think angouleme is related to another specifically female character cliché sapkowski calls out; but i'll save it for another post.

[chanelfunnell]

Q@A

a) anon, shame Trevor Zegras is injured. I like his technical style of the game when he's serious about hockey and frankly, he's a little bit crazy off ice but adorable. We all need to laugh so to his horrible footwear. He is on the left..I know he is dorky as well and the shoes are super trendy.

B) anon, I am glad to see Tazer but I am not glad to see him in this puffy face state it is puffier than before and definitely he has not bloated face during his struggles in 2020, 2021. I'd point a finger on Meghan Butler in his life as all Marcus Aubrey's crap quasi medicine is up to Tazer's throat. He also clinges to old memories, having his old buddies over. What a coach said about his moods is quite scary. Maybe also booster by the intake of Aubrey's bs.

He's still handsome and adorable when he's serious, not furious but you see he is not all right and so his look aka so bloated face. Either health problems with kidneys that he does not admit etc or some substance by M Aubrey's use. Obviously it's a circle because he struggles withbkack of his routine and old team mates, changes, Lindsey pregnant again, Kaner is gone, his Blackhawks career ends soon so he clinges more and more to that bad support...tjan breaking the circle and facing the music...and these people are more fragile and getting more and more addicted to certain sect or drugs, pills etc..

C) anon, the Blackhawks injury list is vast, I am sorry for Tomorrow, Reese Johnson, good Tyler Johnson is back but they did not play so bad in last couple of games based on the injuries and newbies. I guess Seth Jones is calmer captain than nervous Tazer who was amazing when he did well off and on ice because he can't deal with losses.

D) anon, Crosby's long term crazy fan Ashley who is followed by Tazer is off the railing and on memory lane to Vancouver which was 13 years ago. Please...with all of that

You need to ask her or betteer, try to ask Sidney Crosby and Marketa whether they have dated, slept together, kissed or had a fling...i do not bother and no way after 10 years like Ashley. Obviously Kathy is in his life despite her denials and calling her a generic bland blonde. I am not a big fan of Kathy as I think she's bland lazy Step ford Wife but she is pretty and a serious partner of Sidney Crosby. Marketa and Kathy are the similar type at least in face department and Crosby has reacted to the Blackhawks and Hossa's photoshoot of 12 apostles of Last Supper as a copycat of flat caps so .....speculate...Ashley has been obsessed with her beside Kathy Leather for ages. We do not know how many children Marketa has and so about her partner's. We know 2, one of 8 years and one soccer player. Se has a baby boy apparently but no one knows. Whether true or not I guess when she will crawl out with any kid on the skates it will be definitely a champion with a huge game IQ and these two Vancouver goal champions once young bucks Crosby and Toews will start their own families. They are 36 and 35 years old this year for the sake of good hockey DNA and dynasties!!!!!

E) it is Nico Hirshier's sister, calm down, anon also a sister of Nurse etc is very good looking. At least NJ Devils are devils on the ice once again after years of tanking.

f) did you see Lafranieree and his cheeky sneaky puck between legs manoeuvre? He is brilliant if he wants to be as he is older now. It is stupid to put just 18 years old kid into NHL season to play permanently but he plays better with Kakko and he's too much sensitive or angry. When he gets his crap out of his head it's an amazing smart game and footwork to watch. Then Russian players and I don't mean Ovechkin empty entree but Kaprizov and his magic. I can't find on my stupid cell phone a video of certain game but I am not able to upload photos from that phone to Tumblr as well...

g)anon, I guess Dallas and San Jose players have huge competition in Skinner and new Swedish defenseman of the Oilers regarding moustache and a stubble, well, a beard department so Hannah Montana's dad with his doppelganger with a mullet in Mullet Arena. What a place to celebrate.

[l2bbocsstuff]

A Tome and a Toy

Korra was not feeling 100% as she entered the store.  The bell that tinkled when the door opened sent another round of butterflies in her stomach.  She was used to some people recognizing her as she was the leading scorer for the Republic City Rebels.  She knew there were highlight reels of her abilities on YouTube but right now she wished to be as anonymous as possible.  Korra thought to herself, probably wearing the team’s merch was not my brightest idea.  She headed to the counter.

A freckled-faced red-headed, Nirvana T-shirt-wearing teen was standing there waiting for her next customer.  Korra scanned the clerk’s nametag and mumbled “Ashley, I’m wondering if my order has come in?”  Korra thought Ashley looks like a twelve-year-old.  I really hope she doesn’t follow soccer.  

Ashley smiled pleasantly and asked, “May I have your name and order ticket please and I can look for it on the computer.”

Whispering and leaning forward, Korra responded, “My name is Korra.  The order should be under that name.  Here’s the ticket.”  She passed the small piece of paper to the clerk.  Korra held her breath.

The girl accessed the computer and said, “It doesn’t look like it has arrived yet,” giving Korra a quizzical look, “you should check back tomorrow and I’ll see if the book has arrived.”

Korra absolutely knew from the look that the clerk had given her that the name of the book she had ordered had come up on the screen.  I really should’ve ordered from Amazon.  Spirits, that was embarrassing.

When Korra returned to the Sato mansion, Naga met her at the door. The polar bear dog’s kisses lessened her anxiety.  She was still feeling somewhat mortified by the book she ordered.  In addition, she was waiting for the delivery of the shipment from a company called PinkCherry.  Thinking about having the box delivered to the estate made Korra blush.  

Korra knew that Asami was much more experienced than she was in the bedroom. So, Korra was trying to expand her horizons.  Keeping secrets from her lover wasn’t easy but Korra was determined to surprise Asami for their anniversary in a week.

The next day both the book and the package arrived.  The discovery of the box on the front porch made Korra blanch. Korra was still feeling flustered about her gift for Asami.  She hoped it would go over well.

The night of their anniversary, the couple went to Kwong’s Cuisine for supper. Asami wore a spectacular red wrap-around dress with 4-inch black stiletto heels.  Korra wore a blue button-down shirt, a black vest, and a pair of matching slacks.  The couple enjoyed a lovely meal.  When they arrived back at the mansion, they both had the intention of having a quiet night in.

“Would you like a glass of red wine, sweetheart?” Asami asked from the living room.

“That would be lovely, thank you.  I’m heading upstairs for a minute to change and I’ll be right back down.”

Asami went to the wine rack, pulled out a lovely vintage, and opened the bottle.  She grabbed two glasses from the bar and filled each one.  She returned to the living room and sat on the sofa.  Asami heard Korra coming back down the stairs.  As Korra came around the corner into the room, Asami quickly recovered from the shock of seeing Korra completely naked except for the 8-inch purple strap she was wearing.  Korra placed a copy of the Kama Sutra on the coffee table and tried not to look too flustered.  “Happy Anniversary, Asami!!  I love you.”

Asami asked with desire in her eyes, “I assume you want to try some things from the book.  Let’s start with the first illustration and go from there.  I love you too.  More than you will ever know.”  

Fin

[slimthicksonnett]

Rock, Paper, 1v1 (Catarina Macario)

Surprise! No plot, just vibes, because it's missing Cat hours.

Prompt: here

Rated: S for Scissors and Stupidity and Soccer, also R for Rose Cameos

Word Count: 4,003 (don't know how I managed that)

Playing overseas was all fun and games until you had to be back for international break. Lyon had always been picky about letting one of their star forwards go during the middle of season, and Cat being there now too certainly didn’t help. 

“One of you can go now, one of you can go later.” They had said.

You had tried to plead your case but US Soccer had apparently agreed that one of you could come to camp late, as long as you both arrived eventually. This led to the two of you having to play a very heated round of rock, paper, scissors to decide who would leave on time and who would stay to play the Sunday morning game against Angers. 

Seeing as it was now somewhere around 8 am and you were just arriving at the team hotel in Columbus, it is pretty clear that you lost this round. 

“GOOD MORNING USA!” Someone yelled, an arm slinging around your shoulders and catching you in an impressively solid headlock. Groaning in annoyance, and maybe a little bit of pain, you attempted to wiggle out of your teammates hold. When you got your bearings and realized it was Kelley, you stopped squirming, knowing full and well it was a futile effort and the defender wasn’t letting you go until she wanted to. 

“There’s our brace baby!” A voice that you quickly recognized as Andi’s called out, saving you from KO’s hold as your best friend and former captain pulled you into a hug. 

“The first goal was just a tap in.” You grumbled in lieu of a greeting as you let yourself sink into the embrace.

“A tap in is still a goal!” Andi tutted, giving your shoulders a firm squeeze as she pulled back and looked at you seriously. It wasn’t that you weren’t confident in your abilities as a forward, it’s just that you tended to be a little too modest when it came to things like goalscoring. A trait that Andi had found incredibly annoying ever since Stanford.

“Hope you saved some of that goalscoring fire for us!” It was Midge who got to you next, her arms wrapping around your waist and spinning you around in the air, drawing a stream of laughter from you. 

“She always does.” Though Midge had already set you down, the soft words from your Lyon teammate were enough to make you feel dizzy again.

“Hey Y/NN, long time no see.” Cat joked softly as she replaced Midge in front of you, pulling you into a hug that felt as natural as ever as her arms settled around your waist and she buried her head into your neck. 

“Hey there, chaton.” Your response was muffled by her curls, but she clearly heard you anyways as she hummed softly in response against your skin.

“Alright that’s enough, you see her like every single day. Hand her over greedy!” Cat let go with a huff and you were about to laugh but before you could, you were squeaking in surprise.

“Cookie!” You scolded, staring up at the woman who had quite literally swept you off your feet and was now carrying you bridal style. For her part, Alana just laughed and shrugged her shoulders as best as she could while holding your weight.

“What? We need to get to breakfast and if someone didn’t take you away now, we would’ve been there forever.” Alana has a smug look on her face, knowing the double meaning to her words, and the team could be heard laughing in the distance. 

Craning your head backwards to look around the defender's strong build, you caught Cat’s eye. The smile on her face mirrored that of the rest of your teammates and all she had to offer was an innocent shrug as you rolled your eyes at her part in all of this.

–

Even with a camp full of newer players, breakfast was what it always was with this team. Trouble. 

“So Y/N! Finally decided to gift us with your presence, huh?” Ashley Sanchez called out as you sat down at your breakfast table. Rolling your eyes, you greeted the Bruin with the obviously appropriate reaction of your middle finger. 

“Oooo, she’s gotten feisty! Horan, is that what happens when you hang out with the French?” Rose teased, earning herself a grape to the side of the head from the blonde midfielder. “I’ll take that as a yes…” 

“Seriously though, we missed you.” Emily Fox said sincerely, taking the empty seat to your right.

“Thanks Foxy, I missed you guys too.” You smiled softly at the blonde, appreciating her effort to recenter the conversation. While Fox hadn’t been with the senior team for long, the two of you had history at the youth level and you were glad for her company.

“Really? We couldn’t tell. You seemed a bit busy scoring bangers to be thinking about us peasants!” And just like that the conversation ramped back up again as Sanchez, another player you had youth team history with, brought everyone back to the conversation she had previously started.

“Can a woman not multitask?” You questioned, an eyebrow raised in a teasing challenge as you sipped your smoothie. 

Some of the team took that for an acceptable answer, nodding their heads in understanding. However, the woman to your left just scoffed loudly causing everyone's heads to turn her way.

“Any other woman? Maybe. You? Absolutely not.” Cat said, poking at the eggs on her plate as she fought back a laugh.

“Who invited you into this conversation?” You deadpanned, staring at her blankly as a round of “ooo’s” went around the room. 

“Damn, she really did get feisty!” Kelley exclaimed, noises of agreement coming from the team.

Truthfully, you couldn’t be bothered by their antagonizing. Your focus was fully on Cat who was now shoveling eggs down her throat and trying to look anywhere but at you. It seemed normal enough but you knew Cat well enough to know that this was her way of trying to avoid the awkwardness that she was absolutely feeling. 

“Please, she’s not feisty. Just mad at Cat.” Abby Dahlkemper jumped in, pointing it out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

This, of course, caught Cat’s attention. Awkward situation and antagonizing teammates be damned, she was not about to have these girls saying serious shit like that so casually.

“She is not mad at me!” She protested, turning to look at you with her honey brown eyes full of concern.

The team continued to joke around you both but the two of you were stuck in a silent conversation as you stared each other down. It wasn’t that you were mad at her, necessarily, but you were still a bit upset by the whole situation. While you’d certainly had a good game with Lyon, you hated playing without her. When they’d brought you both the news that one of you could leave and one could stay, you’d wanted her to fight. Wanted her to say that if one of you wasn’t leaving that neither of you were leaving. Not for her to beat you at rock, paper, scissors and leave without you!

“I am a little mad.” It was a little childish, you knew that. But it was also the truth, in a roundabout way.

“What did I do!” Cat fussed, looking at you with wide eyes as she tried to work out how she, who hadn’t seen you in days, somehow managed to make you mad.

“I didn’t say I was mad at you.” You pointed out, crossing your arms a little defensively over your chest.

You could see the wheels turning in Cat’s head as she tried to work out what was going on. Realizing just how serious she was taking the possibility of you being upset with her, you softened a bit. Nudging her with your foot under the table, you offered her the tiniest smile possible, an indicator that you were still very much being playful and this wasn’t a real argument. The two of you had always preferred talking about your feelings privately and directly, this wasn’t a conversation you would be having seriously in front of all of your teammates. All of your teammates who were, in fact, still watching you both very intently. 

“Oh come on, that’s not fair!” The forward protested, scrunching her face up in annoyance at the realization of your half admission.

“What’s not fair is that if you hadn’t beat me, I wouldn’t be having to do the beep test today after not sleeping in over twenty-four hours!” The fork you were holding was now pointed harmlessly at her chest, poking her gently as you made your argument.

“It’s not my fault you ALWAYS start with scissors!” Cat pleaded, desperately trying to defend herself against your whining about having to stay at Lyon while she got to come to camp early.

“Well I’m SO SORRY that I’m just a predictable lesbian, CATARINA!” Throwing your hands up while Cat just facepalmed at your dramatics. 

Your nosey teammates however, were stunned. All around the room jaws were on the floor at this fake argument and “admission” that had just unfolded in front of them.

“Does this count as TMI?” Jaelene asked no one in particular, eyes still very wide.

“What ever happened to no girlfriends at camp? Did we stop that rule?”  Rose whispered to Sofia.

“No way is Pinoe not even here and we are discussing scissoring at the breakfast table.”  Alyssa groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose at the absolute nonsense that was going on. 

“Woah pause, who said anything about scissoring?” You asked in subtle panic, eyes wide as you looked from Cat to Alyssa while your face flushed a bright shade of pink. You didn’t think you’d said anything about THAT in front of your teammates.

“Cat literally just said you always start with scissors.” Horan clarified casually, biting into a piece of fruit as she fixed you with an almost uninterested look. 

“Oh my god you absolute- we meant scissors like ACTUAL scissors. Well, not actual scissors but like rock, paper, scissors. Because I always start with scissors because it’s obviously superior but Cat lovessss to start with rock for some reason.” Rambling was a natural thing when you were nervous and in this moment you were so flustered you weren’t sure if your words were even comprehendible as they spilled out of your mouth. 

Cat, on the other hand, was sitting beside you trying not to die of laughter as she placed a reassuring hand on your thigh.

“Wait. Rock, paper, scissors? You two played rock, paper, scissors to decide who got to leave on time?” Kristie asked, looking at you both incredulously. 

“Of course we did! What else were we supposed to do?” You scoffed, looking at her like she just asked the stupidest question known to man.

“Leave it to two of the top footballers in the world to play a children's game to make their decisions instead of doing a 1v1 like normal people.” The blonde midfielder laughed, shaking her head as she went back to her breakfast while you stared at her with wide eyes.

“Wait, that’s an optio- Why didn’t we think of that!” This time it was the wheels in your brain that were turning as you smacked Cat lightly on the shoulder at the presentation of this clearly superior solution to your problems.

“Who is we? I thought of it.” Cat admitted, shrugging her shoulders casually.

“And you didn’t mention it because…” With the glare you now had fixed on her, Cat seemed to quickly lose the casualness as her spine straightened up just a bit.

“Because she didn’t want to lose!” Sophia Smith called out, smirking. You looked over at your usual training partner and winked, blowing her a little kiss that she pretended to catch and press to her heart.

“I would not lose!” Your best friend interjected, now being the one to cross her arms over her chest.

“Oh really, is that so?” You pushed, knowing just how competitive Cat could get when the right amount of pressure was applied.

“Obviously.” She huffed, clearly aiming for dismissiveness but sounding a lot more defensive.

“Fine. You and me. After practice.” Cat turned to face you now, eyes narrowed at the challenge as you smirked at her. There was a challenge sparkling in your eyes that Cat could never turn down.

“Fine. What are the stakes?” Your face lit up at her agreement, but quickly fell when you realized that maybe you hadn’t thought this all the way through.

“Bragging rights?” You offered weakly, earning multiple “boo’s” from the team and a soft laugh from Cat.

“I am not doing an entire national team practice and then playing a 1v1 against you of all people just for bragging rights.” Cat said, giving you a pointed look that made your face scrunch up even tighter in focus.

“Ugh, fine. Let me think!” 

The team resumed their meal, some peeking up at you curiously here and there as they talked among themselves. You, on the other hand, were deep in thought trying to figure out what offering satisfied such a bet. Cat, who had returned a hand to your thigh, was absentmindedly drawing shapes on your skin in a vain attempt to maybe get you to calm down and stop tapping.

“I’ve got it!” You suddenly shouted, “Winner gets top for a month when we get home.” A proud grin covering your face as you held out your hand.

“Deal.” Cat said immediately, a similar grin mirrored on her face as she shook your hand. The two of you stayed like that for a second longer, eyes locked, an unspoken message passed between you. And then you were both jumping up out of your seats.

“Hold up, the winner gets WHAT?” Rose shouted, but the two of you were already gone down the hallway.

---------

“FULL FIELD?” You called out to Cat, who had wandered to the sidelines for a water break after Vlatko had called practice done for the day. You, on the other hand, were overflowing with energy and bouncing on your feet in anticipation for this little challenge. 

All practice, the promise of getting to go against Cat is what kept you going. Even though you were incredibly exhausted and ran a beep test by yourself, you were able to push to nearly your normal level with the simple goal of getting to the end of practice. Okay, so maybe you were a bit competitive too.

Your teammates found themselves walking slower than usual, no one in any particular rush to get to the locker room today. Some like Alana and Midge even went as far as to settle down on the sidelines of the training pitch, waiting for the two of you to get on with it.

“I mean if that’s what you want to do, bunny.” Cat teased, walking over to meet you in the circle. You opened your mouth to snark back at her but stopped when you saw the bottle she extended to you. When you looked at her skeptically, she pressed the bottle of colored liquid into your hands.

“As much as I want to beat you, I don’t want it to be because you blacked out. Drink your training mix.” It wasn’t a request and you knew there was no room to fight her on this so you accepted the drink. Under Cat’s ever watchful eye, you unscrewed the top and drank the salty mix of electrolytes that even years of the game could never make you enjoy.

Meanwhile on the sidelines, more of your teammates have gathered. 

“So, are we just going to ignore the whole ‘winner gets to top for a month’ thing?” Rose commented as she settled onto the grass beside Alana.

“Technically she said gets top, not gets to top. So who even knows what that means.” Sofia countered.

“We already got it wrong with the scissoring thing this morning so I think maybe we should just stop questioning them.” To everyone's surprise, it was Fox who spoke and dropped down into the grass next. It seemed like Kelley was going to question Fox’s comment but commotion on the field snapped their attention back to the two of you.

“Okay, ball in the middle. Ten paces back to start. First to score wins.” You set the rules, adjusting a traditionally smaller drill into something actually bet worthy, while Cat nodded in understanding. 

“Are you sure about this?” Cat questioned, offering you an out.

At any other moment it would be sweet the way she worries about your health. But right now? You just wanted to win.

“Catarina, darling. I haven’t slept in 36 hours and am being fueled only by iced tea, espresso, and my unbridled rage. I am more than sure.” Your declaration was loud enough to be heard from the sidelines, gaining whoops and hollers from your friends while Cat took in the all to familiar fire in your eyes.

“Alright then, let’s do this.” 

The ball was set in the middle of the circle and as per the rules, both girls took ten steps backwards away from the ball in opposite directions. As you did, you formulated your plan. 

Now, you had no doubt that you were fast, but you did distance. You weren’t stupid enough to think you’d beat Cat in a sprint to the ball. She’d get there probably one step ahead of you, kick the ball past you, and use the second it would take you to turn to take off down the field. And so when the countdown, courtesy of Sanchez and Smith, hit one, you took a different path. 

Instead of sprinting straight for the ball, you went diagonal. Just as you’d predicted, Cat reached the ball first and gave it a swift kick to get it in front of herself. Clicking your tongue, you took off after the ball. Thankfully, the angle you had taken placed you further down the field than Cat and thus, closer to the ball. You could hear her huff of frustration when she lifted her head and read this, could feel her steps on the ground as she sped up even more and closed in. But you got there first, tapping the ball to a halt between your boots and turning to face the speeding forward head on. The pace Cat moved at was impressive, but it also had its disadvantages. Such as the fact that she had so much momentum in her run that when you turned abruptly with the ball at your feet, she couldn’t slow down in time to stop in front of you. Delicately, you slid to the side, just narrowly avoiding the collision as Cat came to a halt in the spot you’d just been standing. 

Seizing the momentary advantage, you ran. You kept the ball close, feeling Cat at your heels as she had managed to cut quickly and return to chasing after you. You were almost inside the eighteen when she got to you, her hand reaching out to tug at your jersey.

“Putain!” You cursed at the clear foul as the younger girl managed to slow your run.

Now she was pressed against you, hand hard against your lower back as she put a foot between your legs in an attempt to poke out the ball. Growling in frustration, you planted yourself as you maneuvered your upper body in an attempt to box her out. You were successful for the most part until one particular shove. Cat’s hips pressed forward in your backside, not only catching you off guard but also catching you off balance. In an attempt to keep yourself upright, your left foot stuttered forward. That second was all it took for her to gain enough space to poke the ball to the side, spinning past you, and getting it back at her feet. 

She only got a few steps away though before you were charging in. Suddenly you were losing and the air of “little challenge” had shifted to “life or death”. Your brain seemed to recognize the stakes and kicked back into a mode it hadn’t really been in since college. At Stanford, you didn’t believe in position based practices. If your defenders were practicing, you wanted to be practicing too. And suddenly it was a mindset you were extremely thankful for.

As you ran alongside her, you took the deepest breath you could manage at this speed. Locking your eyes on the ball, you let instinct kick in. Bending in your left, fully extending your right, you went to ground. It was a damn near textbook slide tackle. Your hip hitting the ground just as your laces hit the ball, scooping it back towards you as Cat tumbled forwards. Without a moment's hesitation, you were popping right back up and taking off towards your own goal. If you listened closely, you would’ve been able to hear two very proud Stanford defenders losing their minds. 

But your focus was on the ball. You managed to get back to the box before Cat caught up with you. Contrary to common belief, you’d always argue it was actually so much harder to shoot on an empty goal. Difficulty aside though, you quickly realized that was the only option. Three more seconds and Cat would be trapping you again to get the ball back and the whole dance would start again. And so you did the logical thing, flicked the ball in front of you, and took the left footed touch that you so often sought out in games. The ball smacked the back of the net with a satisfying crack, and you fell straight to your knees.

Within the same amount of seconds it would’ve taken Cat to catch up with you, you were now being swarmed by your teammates. Compliments and cheers came from every angle and Kelley wrapped you in a hug tighter than the headlock she’d had you in this morning.

“Didn’t know you remembered how to do that.” Cat commented as your teammates pulled away, leaving you sitting on the ground.

“Do what? Beat you?” You quipped, cheeks pink with exertion but a smirk on your face nonetheless.

“No, I’d never think you’d forget how to do that.” She smiled, holding out a hand to help you up. Taking it gratefully, you pulled yourself up so that the two of you were chest to chest. You stayed that way for maybe a moment longer than necessary, keeping your hand in hers. 

“You’re right, I could never.” Giggling, you let go of her hand and went to walk towards the locker room for a much needed shower.

But of course not before turning over your shoulder to remind the girl of the bet she’d just lost.

“Oh, and I expect all of your clothes on the bottom before the end of the day once we get back! I’m expecting a full month of wrinkle free clothes.” You sent a final wink before disappearing into the locker room while Cat just rolled her eyes. It was a constant argument for the both of you about how hanging clothes on the bottom rung of the stupidly small closet always resulted in things getting wrinkled because of how they touched the floor and got scrunched up. Problem was, you both had too many clothes to fit all of your hanging items on the top rung together.

“Wait a fucking second, they were talking about a CLOSET?!?!” Rose yelled, jaw on the ground in disbelief that that’s what you’d meant by ‘winner gets top’. 

But maybe if she would ask the right questions, she’d get the answer she was actually digging for. Afterall, you were talking about your and Cat’s shared bedroom closet. But no one seemed to question that part…

[hopetofantasy]

Culture, parallels & meta - S1 E10

Maandag 15:48

Perfect parallel: Marie mistaking Robbe for ‘Robin’ in S1 and Sander playfully using the same nickname in S3 and wtFOCKDOWN.

°

Maandag 16:52

C is for culture: The scene looks like nighttime, even though when it’s barely 5 o’clock? Totally accurate! Due to winter time and Belgium’s position on the map (latitude 51° north), the sun only comes up between 8/9 in the morning and goes down at 5/6 in the afternoon. Making it, very dark, very soon!

Perfect parallel: Jens being there for Robbe when his dad left and his mom broke down in S1, Jens offering him a place to crash because his mom is institutionalized and Robbe doesn’t want to go to his dad in S3. 

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: The doorbell says ‘family Ijzermans’.

°

Dinsdag 12:46

That’s character: The fact that Luca doesn’t really take effort in her studies, is hinted all around the seasons. Homework done last minute, only learning the bold text for her exams, tossing papers in the air, showing her mediocre grades, being distracted from studying (singing, instantly giving up), ...

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Luca’s laptop - covered with stickers - has one at the top ironically stating ‘I don’t like stickers’. Others include Rick Ashley, the A-team, a dabbing dog and Grumpy Cat with the text ‘Found Dory, she was delicious’. Also, at the end of the scene, Yasmina put a little paper boat on the corner.

°

Woensdag 10:21

Perfect parallel: Robbe and Jens revising physics in the stairwell, when the couple was still together and Jana making a physics joke to Jens, after their drama happened.

Nod to the OG: 

°

Donderdag 08:32

C is for culture: "And Saint Nicolas still didn’t forget you” - On the 6th of December, Belgian children celebrate Saint Nicolas’s Day (the predecessor of Santa Claus). Before going to bed, they’ll put out their shoe with carrots and sugar cubes for the horse of the Sint. During the night, he visits everyone by riding on the roofs, dropping the presents through the chimney with the help of his Black Petes. The next day, they’ll wake up to a display of gifts and sweets. More information about the tradition here.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: One of the sweets she gets are 'Prince' cookies. These are her favorite ones: her mom served them - together with hot milk and honey - to her, when she was heartbroken. 

°

Donderdag 12:56

C is for culture: "I have to study for my exams.” - In secondary school, all students have two to three yearly exam periods. The first one is in December (before Christmas break), the second in April (before Easter break) - the second-to-last and last years don’t have this one anymore - and the third in June (before summer break). Each day comprises of one or two exams, with the afternoon off to study. This entire period takes around two weeks and at the end they’ll have a couple of free days.

°

Vrijdag 20:43

C is for culture: Luca and Robbe are drinking ‘Jupiler’ beer, the most popular beer in the country, easily recognizable by their trademark red-with-a-black-bull stickers. It’s also one of the biggest sponsors in Belgian soccer. The national team wear their logo on their jerseys, there is plenty of advertising on the field and the first division competition is called the ‘Jupiler Pro League’. 

Where is Wally? Keisha wins with beer pong!

°

Vrijdag 21:42

That’s character / Perfect parallel: Robbe never claimed he liked Jana, as the reason why he told Marie about the kiss in S1. He simply states that he couldn’t deal with the fact that he was becoming the third wheel. Saying his role was reduced to “A shoulder to cry on”. But that he never intended to lose her. And this is consistent with his character.

Later on in S3, he feels neglected by his friends, who seemed to be more interested in vlogs, pranks and girls rather than his struggles. He feels like he can’t talk to them and lashes out. Yet, he keeps fighting for his relationships, too scared to lose them (as seen with Jens, Noor, Sander). 

These insecurities might stem from a fear of being abandoned, like his father did to him. He lets people walk all over him and saying ‘sorry’ - even stuff he wasn’t responsible for - so that they don’t pack up and go. Until he has enough of being like this and lets it all out in anger.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Zoë is using the tv remote as makeshift microphone, while Britt uses the ‘Sinterklaas’ themed candy dispenser.

[sleepinelysium]

The Ask Tag

  Rules: 15 questions, 15 mutuals

Tagging: @skeleton-richard @tollers-and-jack @themalhambird @cornbreadcrumbs @derwentvalley @hovering-giraffes @malvoliowithin @catedevalois @the-golden-ghost @cedrwydden @shredsandpatches @alittlefoxedup

Forgive me, those of you who have been double tagged, but I don’t have many tumblr friends. 

Thank you for tagging me, @princess-of-france

1. Are you named after anyone? No, my parents just liked the name Ashley.  Though, my Mom wanted to name me Samantha or Tabitha, and my Dad was not into it, saying, “you’ve been watching a lot of Bewitched, haven’t you?”  Though, my Dad also joked about naming me pumpkin because I was almost born on Halloween.  My Mom said, “let’s say we did, and don’t.”  I was also supposed to be born on Pearl Harbor Day, so people (dumb as they are) kept suggesting to my parents that they name me Pearl if I were a girl and Harbor if I were a boy.  Obviously, my parents did not go for that (and I am forever grateful).

2. Last time you cried? I guess it was this last semester when a former professor of mine died suddenly.  She’d been sick for a while, but she seemed to be on a plateau of sorts.

3. Do you have kids? Nope.  I am 22 with no significant other and not graduated college yet with no plan to have a ‘real’ job in the forseeable future, because I’m looking at grad school.  So,... yeah.  That’s not happening any time soon.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes, I do.  It’s the highest, most sophisticated form of communication, don’tcha know?

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people? I’m not sure.  Whatever seems to stand out, one way or another, I guess.

6. What’s your eye colour? A medium brown.

7. Scary movie or happy ending? I don’t like scary movies.  I don’t like jump scares and I don’t like things that are frighteningly intense.  So I like...not scary movies (the mathematical complement of scary movies?).  Happy endings are fine, so long as they fit the story, but I also like angst, so tragedies are fine, too.

8. Any special talents? I can make almost anything about Shakespeare, I guess. 

9. Where were you born? Boca Raton, Florida, US

10. What are your hobbies? Reading, writing, crocheting (my roommate and I have been working on blankets for our moms for when we graduate), listening to music

11. Do you have any pets? Yeah, my family’s got a dog named Logan!  He’s a yorkie and he’s absolutely precious

12. What sports do you play/have played? I am not a ‘sports’ person, really.  I played soccer, Upward Bound basketball, and swim team for my neighborhood, but not a lot besides that.  Most competition type things I’ve done have been a part of have been Science Olympiad and NCFCA, a homeschool speech and debate league.

13. How tall are you? 5′6.25″

14. Favorite Subject at School? English and History.

15. Dream job? A paying, tenured professorship

[nicetrands-blog]

Dancing With The Stars Week 8 Results : Who Went House On Dwts Period 9?

Mya and Dmitry Chaplin eased into the energetic jitterbug with a prolonged introduction. Taking part in the component of a maid and a janitor, respectively, it took the couple awhile to get into the routine. As soon as they did, there were tons of clips, a handful of claps and plenty of head bops to go about. The singer, who started off the season as a star performer, felt a small bit secure, even during Dmitry's lifts. news is alive and nicely. Twitter was complete of messages on Thursday stating that the singer had passed away. Carter took to his official Twitter account this morning to report that rumors of his death are untrue.

Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel experienced a large obstacle to conquer this week: Kelly. Her insecurities, which have plagued her all period, arrived back again in rehearsals for the jitterbug. Despite her adorable sequined gown, the schedule lacked spunk and the type of wild abandon brought by mark. Kelly went via the motions with some achievement but her facial expressions swung from a large smile to a serious pout. The tabloid favorite will have to rely on her fans to have her through.

Popstar Aaron Carter

Today's Dancing with the Stars 2009 Season 9 announcement on Great Morning America introduced the nation to its latest dancing icons. Some new cast associates seem obvious, some are out of the blue - and one in specific is a little bit of a shock.

When I was four many years previous, I really begged my father for a guitar. He was like, "No, you can't have 1 till you're five." So, eventually, when I was 5, he gave me a guitar, and ever since, I by no means want to put the guitar down. That's truly where it all started. Grammy Winning singer/songwriter Joss Stone took to the stage with her single Free Me when the Dancing with the Stars outcomes display ongoing. I don't know about you, but when I look at Joss Stone and her fairly encounter and girly hair, and then listen to her sing, I'm usually shocked by the cacophony in between the sight and the sound. Her voice is lovely, I believe, but just not what I ever anticipate. Anyway, she was joined by a pair of professional dancers doing their thang on the ballroom floor. It looked like an elaborate bedroom dance, if you want my viewpoint.

Aaron Carter Boyfriend

What it comes down to is who has the bigger enthusiast foundation watching "Dancing with the Stars" and voting? Snowboarders who assistance Vito? Soccer followers who support Irvin? Swimmers who support Coughlin? Coughlin is a California woman, born and elevated in this state. She attended UCBerkeley. The second Dancing with the Stars outcomes display of the 9th period aired this night on ABC. The display sooner or later lyrics aaron carter featured co-host Samantha Harris doing her best impression of Morticia Addams-crossed-with-a-chia-pet, performances by the USC Trojan marching band and singer Joss Stone, critiques of final night's action, and of course, the all-important elimination of a third celeb from DWTS period 9. For the night's play-by-play as seen through my rose and green and yellow and generally paint and peanut butter smeared mommy-goggles, read on. The first group to perform was Team Paso, consisting of, Mark Dacascos, websites, Mya and Michael Irving, alongside with their Dancing with the Stars professional companions. The judges praised Team Tango and scored every 24 factors.

Aaron Carter That'S How I Beat Shaq

The initial outcomes show will air on Wednesday, September 23rd and will feature a Patrick Swayze tribute, a performance by Sean Kingston, award-winning Lion King dancers and the first Macy's "Stars of Dance" performance of the season. Melissa Joan Hart - Melissa continues to enhance with every week, and her expert dancing companion Mark Ballas carries on to push her in workouts. Unless of course she has a complete catastrophe, do not look for her to go house in 7 days four.

Aaron Carter Hiv

Ashley Hamilton and Edyta Silwinska. Ashley Hamilton is a singer, songwriter and comedian, and son of George Hamilton, who was a prior DWTS competitor. His companion Edyta Sliwinska is the only dancer to appear on all eight seasons of DWTS. Her previous companions include: Lawrence Taylor, Jeff Ross, Jason Taylor, Cameron Mathison, John Ratzenberger, Vincent Pastore, Joey Lawrence, George Hamilton and Evander Holyfield. Her husband is fellow dancer Alec Mazo. With no prior dance encounter, Ashley's opportunity of successful it all is uncertain, but if anybody can whip him into shape, it's Edyta. Furthermore, isn't it time she took house the mirror ball trophy? Grammy Winning singer/songwriter Joss Stone took to the stage with her single Totally free Me when the Dancing with the Stars outcomes display continued. I don't know about you, but when I look at Joss Stone and her pretty face and girly hair, and then hear her sing, I'm always stunned by the cacophony in between the sight and the sound. Her voice is beautiful, I think, but just not what I at any time expect. In any case, she was joined by a pair of pro dancers doing their thang on the ballroom floor. It looked like an elaborate bedroom dance, if you want my opinion. Dancing with the Stars the Results Show will air tonight, eleven/03/2009, on ABC at 8:00 Central time. Tune in to discover out who will be voted off on the double elimination spherical and which two contestants will have the most affordable scores, consequently competing in a dance off, exactly where the Dancing with the Stars judges will determine their destiny.

[forkickspodcast]

Canadian women’s team set for friendly series with Costa Rica - Sandra Prusina

The Canadian women’s soccer team welcomes Costa Rica for a pair of upcoming friendlies, with a date in Winnipeg on June 8, followed by a meeting three days later in Toronto.

It’s been over a year since the two sides met. They faced off during the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifiers in Houston where the Canadians came away with a 3-1 victory that secured them a spot at the Olympics in Rio later that summer.

Here’s an inside look at the history between the two countries, which dates back over two decades:

3 — Canada has played in Winnipeg three times since 1990. The most recent match was in 2014 at Investors Group Field versus the United States, which finished in a 1-1 draw. The team has never won in the Manitoba capital.

9 — number of goals captain Christine Sinclair has scored against Costa Rica since 2002. She’s followed by Charmaine Hooper, who netted six over the span of her lengthy career.

10 — total meetings between Canada and Costa Rica. The Canadians have outscored their opponents 33 to 4.

11 — number of National Women’s Soccer League players on the Canadian roster for this two-game series. Boston striker Adriana Leon leads the way in scoring with a goal and three assists, while rookie goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was named to May’s NWSL Team of the Month. The league is on an international break for the weekend of June 10-11, which means the players won’t miss any action.

17— number of national team appearances for centre-back Shannon Woeller. Other than a few minutes she played in a friendly versus Germany in April, the 27-year-old joins Canada for the first time since 2012. Since then, she has played professionally around the world with stops in Iceland, Norway and Germany.

21 — number of goals Costa Rican captain Shirley Cruz has scored in 63 appearances for her country. Canada’s Ashley Lawrence and Cruz are teammates, as they play together professionally in France’s Division 1 Féminine for Paris Saint-Germain. Cruz has scored 15 goals for PSG over the course of 78 matches. She previously suited up for Lyon.

23.6 — average age of this Canadian roster. The youngest player is 16-year-old Jordyn Huitema, while captain Christine Sinclair is the oldest at 33. She turns 34 the day after the Toronto game.

30 — the Central American side currently sits 30th in the FIFA rankings. The squad has consistently been climbing the rankings since 2009, jumping from 92nd to 41st and then reaching its highest spot ever at 29 a year ago.

30 — age of Costa Rican head coach Amelia Valverde. She has been part of that program since 2011 and was named bench boss of the senior side in 2015, ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada where her team finished third in Group E with a record of one defeat and two draws. The loss was a hard fought 1-0 battle with Brazil in one of the tournament’s most entertaining games, as the Costa Ricans nearly held one of the world’s best teams off the score sheet. Post-match, Valverde stated, “We might not have an army in Costa Rica, but they still fought like warriors.” Less than a year later, they placed third in the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship.

158 — number of caps between the recently retired pair of Kaylyn Kyle and Josee Belanger. Both will be honoured at the game in Toronto for their outstanding careers with the Canadian program.

1991 — The first-ever match between Canada and Costa Rica took place on April 16, 1991 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Charmaine Hooper netted a brace in a 6-0 win for the Canadians in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifier game. Goalkeeper Carla Chin earned a clean sheet.

[meditationklaus]

The 25 Most Inspirational Women of 2016

As 2016 comes to an end, let’s pause for a moment to celebrate some of the amazing women who inspired us this year.   There are so many amazing women out there who have made a difference (continue to everyday) and inspired a lot of people this year, make sure to comment below and share anyone I missed and how they inspired you.

1. Simone Biles

Credit: NBCOlympics

Now the most decorated women gymnast in history, gold-medal winner Biles captured America’s hearts in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her athleticism, artistry, and heart inspire us to fight for our biggest dreams.

2. Hillary Rodham Clinton

Credit: Gage Skidmore

Mrs. Clinton not only became the first woman presidential nominee in American history, but she also won the popular vote by nearly three million votes. Clinton credits yoga for helping her stay calm and focused.

3. Dianne Bondy

Bondy is a popular yogi whose star continued to rise in 2016. Her message centers around bringing greater diversity into the yoga world with an emphasis on embracing yogis of all shapes and sizes. Her leadership and passion are an asset to the yoga community.

4. Liz Gilbert

Credit: Oprah.com

Author and creativity expert Gilbert is best known for her books Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic. This year, Gilbert had the courage to share that she had left her second husband (the start of their love affair was chronicled in Eat, Pray, Love) because she had fallen in love with her best friend, musician Rayya Ellis. She continues to motivate and inspire her followers on social media.

5. Michelle Obama

Mrs. Obama, aka FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States), stepped into the limelight during this year’s presidential election with her inspiring (and very yogic) reminder that, “When they go low, we go high.”

6. Seane Corn

Credit: YogaJournal

Corn, everyone’s favorite curly-haired yogi, turned 50 this year and she’s better than ever. Corn’s continued work with the Off the Mat, Into the World foundation, aimed at enacting social justice through the teaching and practice of yoga, is a beautiful example of karma yoga in action.

7. Shannen Doherty

Credit: Shannen Doherty on Instagram

Doherty, former star of Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed, has been battling breast cancer this year. She continues to document her recovery on Instagram. You can follow her on Instagram at @theshando.

8. Winona LaDuke

Credit: SpeakOut

LaDuke, a Native American activist and former Green Party candidate, made headlines this year as part of the Standing Rock protests to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. ““The Standing Rock protest camp represents that struggle for freedom, and the future of a people. The future of all of us,” LaDuke recently said.

9. Ilhan Omar

Credit: StarTribune

Omar, 33, made history this year when she became the first Somali-born, Muslim woman to be elected to Congress. Omar will represent district 60B in the state of Minnesota.

10. Ellen Degeneres

Credit: Newsweek

Ellen has been making us laugh for years. In 2016, her hard work was rewarded with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a civilian. In his remarks at the award ceremony, President Obama said, “Again and again, Ellen DeGeneres has shown us that a single individual can make the world a more fun, more open, more loving place, so long as we ‘just keep swimming.'”

11. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a.k.a. the Notorious RBG, continues to inspire us with her frank and outspoken manner. At 83, she is the oldest member of the court. This year, she published her memoir, My Own Words.

12. Laverne Cox

Credit: LaverneCox.com

Cox is best known for her role as Sophia Burset, a transgender inmate who’s trapped in solitary confinement on Season 4 of Orange Is the New Black. Cox is also an outspoken advocate for the transgender community. This year, she starred as Frank Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

13. Arianna Huffington

Credit: The Guardian

Huffington inspired us this year with her mission to help us get a good night’s sleep. She released her book, The Sleep Revolution, and has recently stepped down from her role as editor-in-chief of the The Huffington Post to start her own health and wellness company called Thrive Global.

14. Beyonce Knowles

Credit: Billboard

With the release of her boundary-smashing visual album, Lemonade, and show-stopping Super Bowl performance, Beyonce took the world by storm, inspiring women everywhere to speak their truth and fight for justice. There’s a reason she’s known as Queen Bey to her fans.

15. Shailene Woodley

Credit: @josue_foto

Actress Woodley added activist to her title through her work this year on behalf of Standing Rock in protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Woodley brought worldwide attention to the cause after her October arrest.

16. Michelle Carter

Credit: Yahoo Sports

Who didn’t get chills watching Carter, a.k.a. Shot Diva, hoist the American flag over her head after her gold-medal victory? This athlete continues to inspire her many fans with a message of empowerment via social media and speaking engagements.

17. America Ferrera

Credit: America Ferrera’s Instagram

Actress and activist Ferrera made news in 2016 through her passionate advocacy for Hilary Clinton, proudly declaring, “I’m with her!” at the Democratic National Convention. She also completed her first triathlon in September.

18. Kesha

Credit: REUTERS/David McNew

2016 was a challenging year for Kesha, who filed a lawsuit against the producer she claimed had assaulted and abused her for years. When her record company refused to release her from her contract, it sparked the “Free Kesha” movement online. She was recently named Trailblazer of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards.

19. Glennon Doyle Melton

Credit: Little Moon Photography

Melton became a household name this year with the publication of Love Warrior: A Memoir, after it was selected as part of Oprah’s Book Club. Her fierce dedication to speaking her truth inspires millions. Melton is now in a relationship with soccer star Abby Wambach, and has inspired us even more by reminding us that love is love.

20. Mothers of the Movement

Credit: TIME

Mothers who lost children as a result of police actions took part in the Democratic National Convention this year, speaking on behalf of the children they had lost too soon. As part of the broader Black Lives Matter movement, these inspiring women continue to work to address gun violence and police brutality.

21. Mother Teresa

Credit: Biography.com

Though she died in 1997, Mother Teresa inspired us this year when she was declared a saint by Pope Francis. Often seen as one of the quintessential examples of a Karma Yogi, someone who practices yoga by serving others, Saint Teresa of Kolkata dedicated her life to serving the poor.

22. Leslie Jones

The New York Times

Jones made headlines in 2016 when she starred in the Ghostbuster remake. But she won our hearts and admiration when she faced down racist attacks on Twitter. Jones continues to make us laugh each week on Saturday Night Live and inspires us with her courage and tenacity.

23. Lady Gaga

Credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake

Not only did Lady Gaga release a chart-topping new album, Joanne, in 2016, but she was also an outspoken force in the 2016 Presidential Election. She recently inspired us with her candid declaration that she is living with PTSD due to being sexually assaulted several years ago.

24. Ashley Graham

Credit: NYMag.com

Graham made news this year as the first size-16 model to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. She continues to work to break rigid definitions of what a woman’s body should look like, recently teaming with Barbie to release a doll in her own image, complete with no thigh gap.

25. Emma Watson

Watson is best known for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, but she’s also a feminist and a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.  She continued her fight for women’s rights in 2016 and made news in November when she left feminist books in the New York City subway after the Presidential election.

Did any of these inspirational women ignite the fire in you to be the best version of yourself? Share your thoughts below!

The post The 25 Most Inspirational Women of 2016 appeared first on DOYOUYOGA.COM.

[savetopnow]

2018-03-12 15 SPORTS now

SPORTS

Barstool Sports

Girl Scouts Change Their Rules And Make It Okay To Sell Girl Scout Cookies In Front Of Weed Dispensaries

College Baseball Announcer Becomes Befuddled While Reading A Pitcher’s Bio Filled With Always Sunny Quotes

Rory McIlroy Announces Tiger Woods Is The Undisputed Greatest Player Of All Time

Is It Acceptable For Some Strange Lady To Take A Selfie With My Dogs Without Permission?

Michael Rapaport gives an inspirational Slam Dunk contest speech and his NBA mid-season awards

Deadspin

At Least Two Dead After Helicopter Crashes In New York City's East River

Dallas Fuel Release Félix “xQc” Lengyel

Download Your Printable NCAA Tournament Bracket Here

NCAA Tournament Field Set: Undeserving Teams Somehow In; Deserving Teams Somehow Out

Tiger Woods's Impressive Showing Comes Up Agonizingly Short

ESPN

Serena or Venus? Who ya rooting for when they meet at Indian Wells?

Lakers leave impression on LeBron in punishing rout of Cavaliers

Donovan continues to struggle for playing time

Bracketology: Don't count out the Cornhuskers

Rain or shine, Roger Federer remains flawless in 2018

FiveThirtyEight Sports

2018 NCAA Men’s Tournament Preview

2018 March Madness Predictions

How Our March Madness Predictions Work

The Phillies Rebuilt Like The Cubs And Astros. Can They Win Like Them?

Beside The Points For Thursday, March 8, 2018

Reddit Sports

Google doc of U.S. Cities by winning percentage in all of sports, complied by myself.

Lebron with the sick no look pass

PAOK Soccer Team Owner Carrying Firearm Halts Game in Greece

Forget the second-place finish, Tiger Woods is back and golf is so much better for it

LeBron toys with the Lakers

SB Nation

WWE Fastlane 2018 results: Winners and highlights from Sunday night

Kevin Harvick wins 3rd Cup Series race in a row

6 ways the NCAA bracket selection show was pretty odd

LeBron James just delivered the most beautiful no-look pass of the season

Get your printable NCAA bracket 2018 here

Sports Illustrated

John Cena’s Equal in the Ring, Daniel Bryan's Conspicuous Absence and Other Takeaways From WWE Fastlane

Cleveland Browns Trade Flurry Makes a Previous Addition Even More Critical

Ashley Graham Says She 'Can Accomplish Anything' on a Good Hair Day

Watch: LeBron James Completes Smooth No-Look Pass vs. Lakers

The Seven Biggest NCAA Tournament 2018 Snubs

The Ringer

Vintage Tiger Showed Up Just in Time for the Masters

Villanova’s Draw Presents a Case Study in Assessing What Makes a Region Strong

Rediscovering the Joy of Watching Tiger Woods on Sunday

Jake Arrieta Is a Phillie—and the Phillies May Actually Be Contenders

Selection Sunday Was Good to the ACC, but Not to USC and Saint Mary’s

Yahoo! Sports

Too early to panic, but banged-up Cavaliers unimpressive getting swept in Los Angeles

Federer takes care of business, Djokovic crashes out

Selection Sunday winners and losers

Report: 49ers wanted to trade for Talib, he said he wouldn’t go to San Francisco

Georges St-Pierre Believes Ben Askren is One of the Best, but Won't Fight Him

[wellpersonsblog]

10 Plant-Based Athletes Absolutely Crushing It (And What You Can Learn From Their Success)

It’s no secret that plant-based athletes are having a moment…

Many of the world’s top and most talked about athletes follow a plant-based diet, such as soccer stars Alex Morgan, co-captain of the US Women’s World Cup winning soccer team, and Lionel Messi, not to mention the countless plant-based athletes making their way onto the tennis courts, racetracks, football fields, and in NBA basketball arenas across the country.

Runners, bodybuilders, weight lifters, and athletes from all stripes seem to be leaning toward plants for optimal athletic performance more than ever before.

Why? Because the benefits are real.

You’ve known that. I’ve known that. And now professional athletes and the entire world are getting to know that at an incredible rate.

And with each new professional’s success story comes additional motivation and drive…

Motivation to get stronger and fitter, and drive to spread the word about what’s possible on a plant-based diet.

So today I’m sharing some of my favorite stories and athletes right now who I hope will give you the same level of motivation they’ve given me.

Athletes who are absolutely crushing it on a plant-based diet, and what you can take away or learn from their success.

#10: Natalie Matthews

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A post shared by Natalie Matthews IFBB PRO (@fitveganchef) on Jan 9, 2020 at 10:54am PST

The Athlete Natalie, a bikini competitor in one of the divisions within the larger bodybuilding and fitness industry, turned pro in 2018 within the IFBB (International Federation of Body Builders) as one of the top bikini competitors in the world. In 2019, she competed across the country, placing as high as 4th in an Olympia-qualifying pro show at the Battle at the Falls in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, just one spot behind three-time world champion, Ashley Kaltwasser. Natalie also placed 7th at the IFBB Indy Pro in Indianapolis, Indiana in her first full season as an IFBB Pro. Her bikini division is the most popular, and therefore most competitive, of any category within the bodybuilding industry. In addition to being one of the world’s top bikini competitors, Natalie is a former professional surfer, and is a professional chef and cookbook author. If 2019 was any indication of what to expect from Natalie in the future, it’s a good bet that 2020 will be even more epic for the Puerto Rican chef turned world renowned fitness model.

Having worked and toured with Natalie, I’ve seen that her recipe for success is her passion combined with her work ethic.

When she sets a goal, she creates a plan, develops habits, and makes deliberate, daily actions that help her achieve her goals.

The Takeaway Look inside and find what your own passion is and create action plans for daily steps that get you closer to your goal.

It could be as simple as writing a goal down that you see every single day, or waking up early to complete your workout before your day gets away from you. With Natalie, it’s all about priorities, and if it matters to her, she’ll find a way. It has served her well as a newcomer to a sport where she is already one of the best on the planet.

For more information about Natalie, and to see how she crushed it in 2019, follow her on Instagram at @fitveganchef or on www.fitveganchef.com.

#9: Torre Washington

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The Athlete Torre is a champion bodybuilder and physique competitor at the highest level — he has been either a vegetarian or vegan nearly his entire life. He earned his IFBB professional status in 2018, and competed throughout the past year, placing as high as 3rd at the first fully drug-tested IFBB Pro show in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He also finished 4th at the Muscle Contest in Los Angeles, California. Along with his top 5 finishes at the most prestigious level of professional bodybuilding, within the most competitive category of men’s physique, Torre also traveled the world promoting the plant-based athlete lifestyle from Australia to Mexico. He is a sought after personal trainer, eBook author, coach, and international public speaker. Torre is also featured in the film, From The Ground Up, and he has become one of the most influential vegan bodybuilders in the world.

Torre’s success stems from a sincere desire to help others. This is evident to anyone who has followed him online in recent years, and very clear to me, as someone who has known Torre for more than a decade.

Torre is also a true fan of the sport he competes in. He cheers on other competitors, and wants to see everyone become the best versions of themselves. In a sport that is inherently competitive, based on subjective judging, where athletes are quite literally compared to one another on stage, Torre is a fan of the process. He knows that at the end of the day, it’s him vs. him, and he has never lost sight of that. It is that approach that has made him one of the best vegan bodybuilders in the world, and certainly one of the most influential.

The Takeaway Smile often, lift others up, and share your passion with others. Torre always seems happy, and it is likely that positive attitude that keeps him ahead of the competition in a fairly isolated sport of bodybuilding.

For more information about Torre, and to see how he crushed it in 2019, follow him on Instagram at @torre.washington or on www.torrewashington.com.

#8: Mary Schneider

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A post shared by Mary Schneider (@greenbodymary) on Jan 30, 2020 at 7:26am PST

The Athlete Mary is a long distance runner who qualified for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials in the marathon. With a personal best time of 2:42.01 (which is a 6:11 pace for 26.2 miles), she qualified for the USA Olympic Trials in 2019, and eyes the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games. Over the past year, Mary has been a key member of the Prado Racing Team in San Diego, CA, and she became the 2019 San Diego USATF XC Women’s Champion. With a blistering pace for the half marathon at 1:17:38, which is a 5:56 pace, she has been an Overall Female Winner in races from her native San Diego to Virginia Beach, and from Lehigh Valley to Delaware.

As a plant-based athlete since 2017, Mary has seen a significant improvement in her athletic performance, recovery after training, and has set her all-time personal records in distances from 5k to marathon. She works as a holistic nutritionist and is a USATF certified running coach, having coached beginners to those who have qualified for Olympic Trials. If that wasn’t enough, Mary is also a lawyer and a yoga instructor, and leads by example as she follows her passion to make her dreams happen.

What I find especially inspiring about Mary is that she took time away from the sport of competitive running to pursue a law degree and get her career started, but then she returned to running at the highest level and performed at her very best.

The Takeaway A great lesson from her example is that it is never too late to do what you love. I know first hand as a former runner, turned bodybuilder, turned runner again (and eventually turned weightlifter again), that even after a long hiatus, success and joy can be found in a sport you love. So if there is a sport that tugs at your heart, but that you haven’t pursued in quite some time, today could be the perfect day to do something again for the first time.

For more information about Mary, and to see how she crushed it in 2019, follow her on Instagram at @greenbodymary or on www.greenbodyrunner.com.

#7: Liz Cambage

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The Athlete Liz is a professional basketball player in the WNBA, as an all-star center for the Las Vegas Aces. Following her exceptional 2018 season, where she set a WNBA scoring record with 53 points scored in a single game, she returned to the WNBA all-star game in 2019 and led her team to the post season playoffs. In addition to being a three-time WNBA all-star, Liz was also named to the 2019 All-WNBA Second Team, and she finished the season ranked 10th in the league in scoring, 7th in rebounding, and 6th in blocked shots.

Liz not only had another breakout basketball season, but she also had a breakout year as an international star when she graced the cover of ESPN Magazine’s Body Issue, in which famous athletes pose nude or semi-nude, showing their professional athlete bodies in tasteful ways. Liz is a part of a growing group of WNBA and NBA players who have adopted a plant-based diet. Other notable plant-based basketball stars include Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, JaVale McGee, DeAndre Jordan, and Diana Taurasi.

Excelling in sports hasn’t always come easy for Liz. In fact, she has spoken openly about her struggles with mental health. She penned an open letter to the Players Tribune where she shared her own struggles, but also with some uplifting words for readers, including, in a description of her letter, “I just want everyone to remember that we are all human, we all have our ups and downs and we should never be ashamed of our feelings. And please remember to be kind to one another, for you never know what others are going through.”

The Takeaway There are many lessons here, including the simple fact that we all have feelings, no matter how famous we are, and fame, success, and money don’t make underlying issues go away. Liz encourages us to address our feelings, embrace them, and talk about them, before they take control over us.

For more information about Liz, and to see how she crushed it in 2019, follow her on Instagram at @ecambage or on Twitter.

#6: Morgan Mitchell

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The Athlete Olympic sprinter Morgan Mitchell is a star in the blockbuster film, The Game Changers, and she had an incredible 2019 season on the track. Between distances of 200 and 1600 meters, she racked up three 1st place finishes, and a whopping 13 top 3 finishes. She also won multiple relay races and had four top 3 finishes in the 4 x 400 meter team relay. In addition to her native Australia, Morgan competed around the world, taking her talents to China, Italy, Great Britain, France, Qatar, Japan, and the United States. With the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics around the corner, keep an eye out for Morgan to crush it in 2020 too.

As Morgan addresses in The Game Changers, she is looking for an edge as an elite athlete, and she discovered that edge through diet. Many of us talk about results we want to achieve someday, as simple as a New Year’s Resolution, or as lofty as qualifying for the Boston Marathon, but there is a fundamental difference between wishing and doing. Morgan knows that today’s workout impacts tomorrow, and that hundreds of days in the future, the Olympic Games take place. Having a goal, setting a target, and working every day to reach a destination that is far off in the distance is the mentality of an Olympic athlete.

The Takeaway Whether you have aspirations of being one of the best in the world at what you love, or you simply want to have more energy and a better mood, take a page out of Morgan’s playbook and focus on the future by making the most of today.

For more information about Morgan, and to see how she crushed it in 2019, follow her on Instagram at @morganmitch or on teammathewsrunning.com.au.

#5: Hin Chun Chui

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The Athlete Hin Chun Chui is a vegan bodybuilder, and is quickly emerging as one of the most successful and dominant competitive bodybuilders in the industry. In 2019, Hin took 6 first place trophies, following a year of taking home gold 6 times in 2018. Competing around the world, promoting the vegan bodybuilding lifestyle, Hin has become an international star. Winning the IFBB Denmark Pro Nordic World Show in multiple divisions, as well as the IFBB Canada Ben Weider Natural Championship in physique and in bodybuilding, and the IFBB Asia Pro Qualifier Taiwan in two divisions at the end of December, capped off an outstanding year for Hin taking on the world stage. With twelve first place finishes, including multiple world championships over the past two years, while just in his early twenties, Hin has an incredibly bright future in the sport of bodybuilding and beyond.

Something I’ve learned from Hin after watching him compete in person, and from meeting him, as well as following his career for years, is that he doesn’t let anything get in his way. He literally trains six or seven days a week, allowing his body to adapt to a high workload, just like a marathon runner is able to sustain a training routine of six or seven days a week of running as a result of adaptation, and he has conditioned himself to manage a high volume of exercise to achieve his goals. He believes he can be one of the best in the world, and he enthusiastically pursues that mission because of his love for the vegan lifestyle and his desire to spread awareness of veganism as a result of his athletic success as a vegan bodybuilder.

The Takeaway Despite his incredible success, Hin is also humble and gracious and knows that to be great at anything takes a team effort, and is quick to thank his training partners, coaches, sponsors, and fans who cheer him on along the way. That’s a lesson that all of us can get behind. Be grateful, but stay hungry.

For more information about Hin, and to see how he crushed it in 2019, follow him on Instagram at @vegan_bodybuilder_hin_chui or on cleanmachineonline.com.

#4: Robbie Balenger

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The Athlete Robbie is an ultra endurance athlete, best known for his 3,175-mile run across the United States over the course of 75 days from March to May of 2019. That’s a minimum of running 40 miles per day for 75 consecutive days, with an average of 42.3 miles covered daily, with no days off, which is unimaginable for most people. Not only did he run from Los Angeles to New York in two and a half months, he did it largely to raise awareness of the power of a plant-based diet. Robbie’s transcontinental run was sponsored by the Texas-based vegan ice cream company, Nada Moo, and his effort raised awareness of the dairy-free lifestyle at large. Robbie appeared on the Rich Roll Podcast at the end of 2019, reaching a vast audience, sharing his unique journey across the country.

I followed Robbie’s journey across the country, and regrettably never joined him for a few miles when he ran through my current home state of Arizona. Robbie’s accomplishment reminds me of the late Steve Prefontaine who was America’s greatest running legend in the ‘70s known for testing the limits of the human heart.

The Takeaway Robbie had the audacity to believe he could run substantially further than a marathon every single day for 75 consecutive days, and so he did. If he can believe in himself enough to make that dream happen, imagine what potential lies in each one of us. What dreams do you feel like chasing? What goals do you want to conquer?

For more information about Robbie, and to see how he crushed it in 2019, follow him on Instagram at @robbiebalenger or on plantpoweredmission.com.

#3. Lewis Hamilton

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The Athlete Lewis is a Formula One race car driver, considered to be one of the greatest of all-time. He is a six-time Formula One World Champion driving a Mercedes on race tracks around the world. In 2019, he seemed to be winning races around every turn. Lewis took the first place crown a record 11 times, including in four consecutive races, and six out of seven consecutive starts. He brought home the title from racetracks in Bahrain, China, Spain, Monaco, Canada, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Russia, Mexico, and Abu Dhabi. Lewis uses his platform, including his Instagram audience of more than 14 million followers, to promote a plant-based diet. As an executive producer of The Game Changers, Lewis made a big splash in 2019 among a plant-based community largely previously unaware of his accomplishments on the racetrack.

He speaks out for animals and the environment, and crosses over into various other ventures beyond the racetrack, including fashion. In 2019, Lewis set an all-time record in Formula One racing with 413 points and 17 podiums, with his sights set on a bright racing season in 2020.

The Takeaway I’ve never met Lewis, but have followed him online for many months, after I heard about his involvement with The Game Changers. Something that strikes me as particularly inspiring about Lewis is that he seems to be more authentic than many other celebrity athletes. He really appears to have a quiet confidence about him that is a strength that sets the tone for the success he achieves in sports, in business, and in life. He comes across as truly himself, whether you like it or not, and there is something highly admirable about that as viewer and fan watching from afar.

If there is one thing we can learn from Lewis, it’s that there is power in being your authentic self. If he can have a positive influence on millions of others to communicate that idea, he will have done a great service to humanity.

For more information about Lewis, and to see how he crushed it in 2019, follow him on Instagram at @lewishamilton or on lewishamilton.com.

#2. Novak Djokovic

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The Athlete Novak is the number one ranked men’s tennis player in the world. In 2019, he won five tournaments, including the Australian Open, Madrid Open, Japan Open, Paris Masters, and the prestigious Wimbledon title in epic fashion over Roger Federer in one of the greatest championship matches in history. With a 57-11 singles record, and more than $13 million in tournament earnings in 2019, we can safely say that Novak crushed it last year. Like Lewis Hamilton, Novak is also an executive producer of The Game Changers and has used his platform to encourage others to adopt a plant-based diet. The sport of tennis is no stranger to plant-based athletes. Venus and Serena Williams have dominated the sport for decades, and for the past ten years they have followed a mostly or exclusively plant-based diet. Martina Navratilova is considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players of all-time and is a long-time vegetarian.

As the year and the decade came to a close, Novak was named the ATP’s Men’s Tennis Player of the Decade. But not to be complacent, he kicked off 2020 with a bang by winning the Australian Open for a record eighth time and is on pace to become the greatest men’s tennis player of all time.

The Takeaway What I like about Novak is that it seems like every time I see him talking on camera, he is discussing a plant-based diet. The plant-based athlete movement is still new enough that there is a lot of ridicule out there toward those of us who live and eat this way. But Novak is living it boldly, and that will hopefully inspire other athletes, from world-class to weekend warriors, to feel comfortable saying “I am a plant-based athlete.” Maybe that inspires you to be unapologetically plant-based too.

For more information about Novak, and to see how he crushed it in 2019, follow him on Instagram at @djokernole or on novakdjokovic.com.

#1. Alex Morgan

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A post shared by Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) on Sep 16, 2019 at 3:02pm PDT

The Athlete Alex is the co-captain of the US Women’s World Cup Champion soccer team, and she uplifted an entire nation with her performance in the 2019 Women’s World Cup. As arguably the most popular athlete of the year, with her summer spent in the global spotlight, this plant-based athlete World Cup champ is my 2019 Plant-Based Athlete of the Year. Alex not only let her skill on the soccer field do the talking, but she graced magazine covers, appeared on television shows, and won awards all year as the quintessential champion of champions. Alex provided inspiration to an entire gender, and entire nation, and to the world at large on the biggest stage in the world’s most popular sport.

Fueled by plants, Alex has established herself as one of the greatest of all-time in her sport and will remain a sports icon for years to come. It comes at no surprise that Alex made the TIME 100 Most Influential People list for 2019. Like Torre, Alex was also featured in the plant-based athlete documentary, From The Ground Up. With her long list of accolades and awards, perhaps her most exciting news of 2019 was announced in October when she and her husband shared the news that they are expecting a baby girl in April.

The Takeaway The thing that inspires me about Alex is that she was already on the world stage as a famous athlete and she didn’t let that deter her from changing her diet to eat exclusively plants. Often times, the world’s greatest athletes have been discouraged from changing their approaches to nutrition or training with a fear from coaches, teammates, nutritionists, team sponsors, and team owners that their performance will be negatively impacted.

Alex shows us that it is okay to trust your gut and eat in alignment with your beliefs. And she did it while walking right into the global spotlight as the brightest star of 2019 of any athlete in any sport.

For more information about Alex, and to see how she crushed it in 2019, follow her on Instagram at @alexmorgan13 or on alexmorgansoccer.com.

And This is Just the Beginning…

More and more athletes are switching to a plant-based diet and excelling because of it.

And as that growth continues, so does our motivation to show the world what’s possible eating only plants.

Which plant-based athletes are your biggest inspirations?

About the Author: Robert Cheeke, best-selling author of Plant-Based Muscle, Shred It!, and Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, 2-time champion bodybuilder, and founder/president of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness – www.veganbodybuilding.com.

The post 10 Plant-Based Athletes Absolutely Crushing It (And What You Can Learn From Their Success) appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

First found here: 10 Plant-Based Athletes Absolutely Crushing It (And What You Can Learn From Their Success)

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Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions.

Scientists may have discovered a lake filled with liquid water on Mars; updates on the Russian nerve agent attack that killed three in England continue to roll in.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona via Getty Images

Radars have detected what scientists speculate is a lake of liquid water beneath Mars’s southern polar ice cap. The discovery, which is the most significant evidence of liquid water on the red planet to date (if confirmed by further research), raises questions about the planet’s ability to host life. [CNN / Ashley Strickland]

The MARSIS radar examines the planet’s surface and immediate subsurface while traveling on the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express orbiter. The radar sends out signals and analyzes what “bounces back.” [BBC / Mary Halton]

The existence of liquid lakes beneath Mars’s surface means that some form of microbial life could exist within the planet’s subsurface. Nevertheless, these findings aren’t by any means definite proof that Mars is hospitable for life (as we have come to understand it). [Independent / Andrew Griffin]

The Italian team of scientists analyzed three years’ worth of data, whose longevity and stability gives their findings more validity. [Scientific American / Lee Billings]

The Mars express team is basing its findings on the dynamics of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland. But it’s important to remember that space “does not cooperate” and anything goes. [National Geographic / Nadia Drake]

It’s possible, for instance, that the evidence has been analyzed incorrectly and the lake is filled with sediment instead of water. [ABC Australia / Belinda Smith]

The discovery, along with other evidence from years past, is more reflective of what once was, rather than what persists today. Vast lakes and rivers likely dominated the warmer, Earth-like Martian surface billions of years ago. [Popular Mechanics / Jay Bennett]

Overall, the research is the beginning of how scientists determine where humans may one day land on Mars. [The Verge / Loren Grush]

Meanwhile, Mars is moving toward its closest position to Earth since 2003 — look up when you have the chance! [Vox / Brian Resnick]

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A British woman named Dawn Sturgess was killed by a Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent called Novichok at the beginning of July. Leaders across the EU are pointing fingers at Russia as authorities try to get to the bottom of the attack. [Vox / Madeleine Ngo]

Sturgess’s boyfriend, Charlie Rowley, was also poisoned by Novichok but survived after spending three weeks in the hospital. Rowley says the nerve agent was disguised as perfume, which he gave Sturgess as a gift, in a boxed and sealed container. [Guardian / Steven Morris and Kevin Rawlinson]

The same batch of nerve agent was used in March to poison Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy and British informant, and his daughter Yulia — both of whom resided in a southern English town 8 miles from where Sturgess lived. The United Kingdom expelled 23 Russian diplomats as a result. [WSJ / Jenny Gross]

Authorities have since identified two suspects in the Skripal case who they are “sure” are Russians. The Kremlin denies any involvement with the attack. [ABC News / Julia Macfarlane]

Investigators suspect that a drop team left various receptacles containing the nerve agent around the town of Salisbury. Public health officials are warning residents not to touch anything that doesn’t belong to them. [CNN / Nina dos Santos]

There’s a good chance that Russia’s Vladimir Putin gave President Trump a soccer ball bugged with some sort of wifi-accessible antenna implanted by Adidas. The ball could thus be vulnerable to hacks. … Spying? By the Russians? Groundbreaking. [Bloomberg / Vernon Silver]

Students that survived the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, will be getting a therapy dog to provide emotional support. Man’s best friend is, once again, here to save the day. [NBC Miami]

Singer Demi Lovato was hospitalized on Tuesday, July 25, after overdosing on unspecified drugs. She is now in stable condition. [Rolling Stone / Sarah Grant]

More and more teenagers are smoking Juuls, the trendy e-cigarette, as the company takes over the e-cig market. The Massachusetts state attorney general is investigating Juul Labs to combat the epidemic and get to the bottom of what makes Juuls so enticing to teens. [The Verge / Rachel Becker]

“This is a new me. If I could go back and do a lot of things differently, I definitely would.” [Former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal speaking to Ronan Farrow about her alleged affair with President Donald Trump, for which she recieved hush money / New Yorker]

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The Trump-Cohen tape, explained

Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star destroyed by pickaxe-wielding vandal (again)

Steve Bannon’s bold plan to start a populist revolution in Europe

3 biological parents, 1 child, and an international controversy

The protests over Nia Wilson’s murder, explained

Original Source -> Vox Sentences: Life, er, lake on Mars

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12 kick-ass soccer movies to watch instead of the World Cup

When I was in elementary school, my parents thought it'd be a great idea to get me, an uncoordinated only child, involved in some Team Sports. One of those sports just so happened to be soccer.

I attended practices, ran my little asthmatic lungs out, and poured my sweat and tears (no blood, come on, people) into the sport. Sadly, my cleats rarely touched dirt, and whenever they got anywhere near the ball, I committed one of the ultimate sports sins: I froze.

Needless to say, I stopped playing soccer and never followed the sport professionally. Because of these circumstances, I'm sorry to say I do not care about the FIFA World Cup. What I DO care about, however, are great soccer movies.

SEE ALSO: A 'clairvoyant' cat has predicted who will win the World Cup opening match

If you, too, dream of celebrating the World Cup without the pressure and commitment that comes with watching professional soccer, I've got you covered!

Trust me, you can still get in the spirit of the game by dusting off your participation trophies and watching these excellent 12 soccer movies instead. And if you are a fan of the World Cup, well, then you can watch these movies to keep your soccer obsession going.

The greatest soccer movies of all time

Let’s kick things off (ha ha) by diving right into five soccer movies I can confidently say are wonderful. Shall we?

1. She's the Man

The top spot obviously goes to one of the greatest sports films of all time, She’s the Man. The 2006 modern-day sportsy version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night stars Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. After the girl’s soccer team at her school gets cut, Bynes, who plays the utterly hilarious Viola Hastings, disguises herself as her brother Sebastian to join the boy’s soccer team and prove her skills. 12/10 would recommend. Gets better every time.

2. Air Bud: World Pup

Next, we have Air Bud: World Pup — a 2000 film that clearly could not be more perfect for the occasion. The beloved Buddy (RIP) proves he’s not just a basketball star (spoiler alert: he's good at all athletics) when he joins the local soccer team and helps them in the championship playoffs. If you like sports and playful pups, this is the pick for you!

3. Switching Goals

Switching Goals is a timeless Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen classic. The 1999 tale of two soccer-playing twins placed on different teams offers up the ultimate competition. I mean, what could compare to a good, old-fashioned sibling rivalry on the field?

4. Bend It Like Beckham

If you're looking for a film about impressive soccer skills, strong friendship, and crushes on a coach, Bend It Like Beckham is here for you. The 2002 film stars Parminder Nagra as Jess Bhamra, an 18-year-old whose strict Indian parents won't let her play soccer. With the help of Keira Knightley's character, Jules Paxton, the two bring a team to greatness.

5. 1/4 of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants — based on the novel by Ann Brashares — tells the story of four long-distance best friends sharing a pair of jeans that just so happens to fit them all perfectly. One of the girls, Bridget, played by Blake Lively, is a soccer player, which makes this a totally acceptable movie to watch during the World Cup!

Soccer movies I've never actually seen that look slightly promising

Now let's take a look at a few films that I can't personally vouch for, but which look like perfectly fine ways to participate in World Cup mania.

6. Kicking and Screaming

This 2005 comedy starring Will Ferrell deals with a whole lot of competition, both on the field and in the family. When Ferrell's character, Phil Weston, becomes head coach of his son's soccer team, he learns he'll have to compete against a rival team led by his own father, Buck. Things presumably get very messy.

7. Playing for Keeps

This 2012 soccer film stars Gerard Butler as a retired player turned coach of his son's team. Though lots of soccer moms are crushin' on him, Butler's character's heart still appears to belong to his ex-wife, played by Jessica Biel. Sounds like some solid rom-com potential.

8. Her Best Move

Her Best Move is the 2007 coming-of-age story of Sara, a 15-year-old who just wants to live her messy teen life but is blessed/cursed with insanely good soccer skills and therefore has to play on her dad's team. (Note: The dad in this film is Scott Patterson, aka Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls, so that alone makes it worth the watch).

9. The Big Green

Walt Disney Pictures tells the story of a 1995 soccer miracle that takes place in the town of Elma, Texas. Talented and hip new teacher Anna Montgomery (Olivia d'Abo) teaches her kids to play with the help of Sheriff Tom Palmer (Steve Guttenberg.) Note: I see some familiar faces from The Sandlot, which means it's probably another great sports film.

Movies ~actual soccer fans~ recommend

Because I want you to have the best Not Watching The World Cup But Still Watching Soccer experience, I took it upon myself to ask real soccer fans in the Mashable office for their movie recommendations. Here's a selection of films they feel did the sport justice.

10. The Damned United

First up is the 2009 drama The Damned United. The film, set in England during the '60 and '70s, tells the story of the challenging/complex/legendary 44 days that football (soccer) player Brian Clough (played by Michael Sheen) spent managing Leeds United. It also seems fairly funny from the trailer.

11. Victory

Don't you feel like there should be a 1980s soccer film starring Sylvester Stallone? Welp, there is! Stallone plays Captain Robert Hatch in the 1981 drama Victory, which shows soccer as it's played in a German POW camp. Under unusual circumstances, a German National team of Nazis competes against a group of their prisoners of war for the win.

12. Fever Pitch

My colleague Kellen recently brought to my attention the fact that there is a Fever Pitch other than the not so great baseball film starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon, and it's about soccer. The 1997 movie stars A YOUNG COLIN FIRTH as a teacher/coach, and that's it! You had me at "young Colin Firth!"

Happy World Cup, everyone!

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WATCH: FootGolf is a thing... it's like golf, but with a soccer ball

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10 Best Hotels To Stay In Pine Island Ridge Florida – Top Hotel Reviews

Pine Island Ridge Florida is beautiful and has lots of hotels. Ofcourse we are only looking for the best hotels in Pine Island Ridge Florida. It’s important to compare them because there are so many places to stay in Pine Island Ridge Florida. You’re probably wondering where to stay in Pine Island Ridge Florida. To see which hotel sounds better than the other, we created a top 10 list. The list will make it a lot easier for you to make a great decision. We know you only want the best hotel and preferably something with a reasonable price.

Our list contains 10 hotels of which we think are the best hotels in Pine Island Ridge Florida right now. Still, some of you are more interested in the most popular hotels in Pine Island Ridge Florida with the best reviews, and that’s completely normal! You can check out the link below.

Skip to the most popular hotels in Pine Island Ridge Florida.

10 Best Hotels In Pine Island Ridge Florida:

Renaissance Fort Lauderdale-Plantation Hotel

Description:

Adjacent to Jacaranda Golf Club, this hotel is very close to soccer, baseball, and hockey venues, as well as shopping options. It features a heated outdoor pool, fitness center and restaurant.The classically styled guest rooms and suites include flat-screen TVs. Each has a work desk with an ergonomic chair and a minibar.Renaissance Fort Lauderdale-Plantation Hotel has an on-site restaurant, Bin 595, which serves a fusion of American, Caribbean and Latin flavors.Guests can relax in the whirlpool or swim in the outdoor pool. The on-site fitness center has cardio equipment and free weights.Renaissance Fort Lauderdale is 7 miles from Fort Lauderdale Airport and 8.1 miles from Hollywood.

Reviews:

Hotel was close to the interstate and easy drive from airport. Hotel staff were very professional and accommodating. Facility was beautiful

Lovely clean large room. Nice bathroom though had shower curtain which I didn’t like. Staff fab. Good restaurant on site. Free parking!

all staff were professional and friendly. room very clean and comfortable. central location. food and shopping minutes away. would definitely recommend and stay again.

We stayed during hurricane Irma. The staff was very friendly, well prepared and flexible, they made us feel safe and comfortable. Information was always available and the communication with guests very clear. The rooms were quiet even during the storm outside. Great Management team.

Good location at Interstate Exit; convenient to nearby office complexes.

For more info click here.

La Quinta Inn & Suites Plantation at Southwest 6th Street

Description:

One of our top picks in Plantation.Just 8 miles from Fort Lauderdale Beach, this Plantation hotel features an outdoor pool. A hot breakfast is served daily. All rooms include free Wi-Fi. Deerfield Beach is a 30-minute drive away.A flat-screen TV with cable is featured in all rooms at La Quinta Inn & Suites Plantation at Southwest 6th Street. Simply furnished, each room comes equipped with coffee-making facilities.Guests at Plantation at Southwest 6th Street La Quinta Inn & Suites can enjoy a breakfast of waffles, eggs and sausage. A variety of baked goods and fruit are available. Juice, tea and coffee are included.Nova Southeastern University is 5 miles from this hotel.

Reviews:

It was close to other places to go. We were next door to each other as I had 2 rooms.

Ashley made checking in and out extremely easy. She was pleasant and inviting. I will stay again.

In good location. Quiet. Room comfortable. Coffee very good.

Good location from I-595. Short drive to the BB&T Center for a hockey game. Room was quiet and the bed comfortable with a number of pillows. Desk staff were excellent, professional and very accommodating.

Excellent range of Breakfast items fresh fruit also provided

For more info click here.

Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale/Plantation

Description:

One of our best sellers in Plantation! Featuring free WiFi and a restaurant, Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale/Plantation offers accommodations in Plantation. Guests can enjoy the on-site bar.Each room at this hotel is air conditioned and has a flat-screen TV. Certain units feature a sitting area to relax in after a busy day. Every room is fitted with a private bathroom. For your comfort, you will find free toiletries and a hairdryer.You will find free shuttle service at the property.Miami is 24 miles from Hyatt Place Ft Lauderdale, and Miami Beach is 24 miles from the property. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport is 7 miles away.

Reviews:

Always satisfied with room & staff. They keep a record of our preferences. Location handy to shopping & eating.

One night stay, we had the 2 double beds and pull out sofa. Beds comfortable, room clean, asked for extra towels which were delivered within minutes. Big television with great reception. Wonderful breakfast, it gets busy but there is ample seating. About 20 minute ride to airport.

Ideal for Short Stay. Comfy and Spacious Room. They have a fairly decent Break Fast.

The location of the hotel is located to a very nice shopping mall, the room was clean and comfortable. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Overall everything was nice. The bathroom could be a bit bigger

For more info click here.

La Quinta Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Plantation

Description:

The La Quinta Inn and Suites Plantation is just a 15 minute drive from the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport. Guests can enjoy a daily continental breakfast and an outdoor pool.Free Wi-Fi is included in every room at this Fort Lauderdale hotel along with a flat-screen cable TV. Free toiletries are also provided for added convenience.A fitness center and a hot tub are available at the Fort Lauderdale La Quinta Inn and Suites. Guests have access to a laundromat and meeting facilities as well.This hotel is within one mile of several dining and shopping options, including the Westfield Mall. The Fort Lauderdale beaches are less than a 20 minute drive away.

Reviews:

The bed was like a cloud. And the staff were excellent and friendly.

continental breakfast only; did not include scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon like Holiday Inn Express

This property is well located. Hear tô Sawgrass Mills

stayed in 3 La Quinta’s during stay & this being the most expensive so was very disappointed that it was by far the worst. Breakfast was extremely poor. The room was in bad need of re decoration. Reception staff keener to take phone calls than serve the person trying to check in or out!

Tequila at the front desk is amazing and she is the main reason I keep going back. Nick is very good also. The staff is very responsive.

For more info click here.

Hampton Inn Ft. Lauderdale Plantation

Description:

With a convenient location near Interstate 595 and offering free shuttle service to Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Port Everglades, this hotel is ideally situated for exploring the nearby area.Guests at the Hampton Inn Fort Lauderdale Plantation can look forward to a free continental breakfast after a restful night’s sleep on the hotel’s signature Cloud Nine beds. In addition, the hotel features a state-of-the-art fitness center along with a swimming pool and Jacuzzi.The Fort Lauderdale Plantation Hampton Inn is also situated only a short drive from the beautiful beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. In the nearby area, guests can also discover a number of shopping centers and restaurants, all within walking distance.

Reviews:

The staff was very helpful friendly .the buffet was delicious..pillows and mattress was exceptional..10 plus

The overall service, room decor, breakfast, the little touches that made the stay so comfortable, like complimentary cookies in the evening and water, the staff (front desk and ladies who cleaned the room), free airport shuttle service.

Like the breakfast choices and the kids had enough to eat and drink ,staff were pleasant and helpful.All my concerns were addressed immediately.

The front desk staff awesome cannot remember name blonde hair and reddish thx a million ladies from room #329

The breakfast was wholesome, the property itself clean and decent and the location is awesome, near to lots of shops.

For more info click here.

Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Plantation

Description:

The Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Plantation hotel is a 15 minute drive from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It has a modern gym, an outdoor pool and a 24-hour market.The rooms at the Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Plantation have individual climate control, a tea/coffee maker and satellite TV.Guests can enjoy breakfast and dinner options at The Bistro. A small selection of snacks and beverages can be purchased at The Market.The Lauderdale’s outdoor swimming pool is surrounded by landscaped grounds and palm trees. Guests can also get the latest news and weather in the on-site business center.Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Plantation is just 2 miles from Plantation Preserve Golf Course And Club and within walking distance of Broward Mall.

Reviews:

Everything was fine except sandwich at Starbucks was burnt. I am not a fan of Starbucks and they did not have any breakfast blend.

Breakfast should be included in price of room or at least there should be coffee provided. Free transfer to cruise port should be provided.

Jennifer in housekeeping was wonderful. Rosita at the Starbuck’s cantina was grwat

I had private balcony access from my room. Very close to shopping and restaurants. Every employee who I interacted with was helpful, happy, and well mannered.

Everyone was friendly. I will return on my next stay

For more info click here.

Staybridge Suites Ft. Lauderdale-Plantation

Description:

Providing free high-speed internet access and on-site grilling facilities, this all-suite property is 4-minute drive from Plantation Central Park and a 20-minute drive from Sun Life Stadium.The Staybridge Suites Ft. Lauderdale-Plantation features a full kitchen in each guest suite as well as ironing facilities and cable TV. The private bathroom includes a hairdryer.Enjoy the free breakfast served daily, featuring a selection of fresh food, juice, and coffee. Relax in the heated outdoor pool or workout in the 24-hour fitness center.Spend the day shopping at Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall (7.5 miles) or relax on the sands of Ft. Lauderdale Beach Park (24.2 miles). Ft. Lauderdale International Airport is a 15-minute drive away.

Reviews:

The room was updated and spacious breakfast was amazing!

Best location, excellent and hardworking. The Gentleman responsible for housekeeping or maintenance, is always friendly and always busy working.

The breakfast did not look inviting to me so I passed but I was satisfied with the comfort of the bed. The shower had a good spray and the room was quiet.

Breakfast options…staff were attentive to keeping food fresh Kitchenette in suite

Good free breakfast buffet. Big Publix supermarket just across road and Pizza restaurant close by.

For more info click here.

Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale Plantation

Description:

Located in Plantation, 25 miles from Miami, Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale Plantation features a hot tub and sauna. The hotel has an outdoor pool and sun terrace, and guests can enjoy a meal at the restaurant or a drink at the bar.Every room at this hotel is air conditioned and is fitted with a flat-screen TV with cable channels. Certain accommodations feature a sitting area to relax in after a busy day. You will find a coffee machine in the room. The rooms are fitted with a private bathroom. For your comfort, you will find bathrobes, free toiletries and a hairdryer.You will find free shuttle service at the property.Miami Beach is 24 miles from Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale Pla, and Fort Lauderdale is 7 miles from the property. The nearest airport is Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport, 7 miles from Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale Plantation.

Reviews:

Our servers Saturday night at the bar and Sunday morning for breakfast were attentive and helpful.

The shuttle bus was very convenient. Breakfast was good. Staff were courteous. Spacious rooms and bathroom

The location of the hotel is central located and the rooms are equip with what is needed.

Check in: Very nice/smooth check in. Room: Super Room with a decent view Cleanliness: Super clean Luxurious: Very premium elements in the room (carpets / tables / bed / etc)

The room was spacious the on demand movie option is great, check in and out was a breeze

For more info click here.

Residence Inn Fort Lauderdale Plantation

Description:

Located in Plantation, 24 miles from Miami, Residence Inn Fort Lauderdale Plantation features air-conditioned rooms with free WiFi throughout the property.Each room is fitted with a flat-screen TV. Some rooms feature a sitting area for your convenience. You will find a coffee machine in the room. Every room comes with a private bathroom. Extras include free toiletries and a hairdryer.Miami Beach is 24 miles from Residence Inn Plantation, and Fort Lauderdale is 7 miles away. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport is 7 miles from the property.

Reviews:

Room was enjoyable. Great energy and the breakfast was good!!!!

Rooms are spacious and comfortable, staff are friendly and helpful.

Good selections for breakfast; clean & comfortable bed & bathroom. Convenient, free parking.

Rooms are very comfortable and clean. Bathroom size was impressive.

The location of the hotel is perfect, it is 2 mins from Broward Mall and close to other nice shopping plazas. The staff were very friendly and helpful, we will definitely be returning.

For more info click here.

Holiday Inn Express and Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport West

Description:

Just off I-595, this Davie hotel offers free shuttle service to and from Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Free Wi-Fi and a daily breakfast are also available.A flat-screen TV and a microwave are found in each modern suite at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport West. A coffee maker and a work desk are also provided.A hot breakfast buffet including eggs, meat and pancakes is served each morning. A juice bar and fresh coffee are also provided.Guests of the Fort Lauderdale Airport Holiday Inn Express can enjoy the outdoor pool and the fitness room. A business center and a laundry room are also open. Transportation services to the cruise port are available for an additional fee.Broward College is one mile from the Holiday Inn Express. Downtown Fort Lauderdale is 8.5 miles away.

Reviews:

Very good selection of foods for breakfast. Front desk attendants, breakfast ladies, shuttle drivers, cleaning staff and maintenance staff were all friendly, courteous and always said hello when they passed by you. This experience was based on staying two days before our cruise and one day after cruising.

The staff was wonderful. I forgot my iPhone charger and they lent me one. They were very accommodating. I will definitely be back.

Spacious room, very clean & comfortable. Staff is very pleasant & helpful. Breakfast was delicious!

Very clean facility….very accommodating, had our room ready couple hours early. Staff very helpful with transportation required to mall. Great breakfast selection.

Breakfast was excellent. Good Wi-Fi reception and Ethernet is available in rooms. Nice bright dining area. Shuttle to airport is provided. Fairly close to cruise port. Rooms are large and clean.

For more info click here.

Top Hotels In Pine Island Ridge Florida Conclusion:

The above is a top selection of the best hotels to stay in Pine Island Ridge Florida to help you with your search. We know it’s not that easy to find the best hotel because there are just so many places to stay in Pine Island Ridge Florida but we hope that the above-mentioned tips have helped you make a good decision.

We also hope that you enjoyed our top ten list of the best hotels in Pine Island Ridge Florida. And we wish you all the best with your future stay!

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An Updated Intro To Locating Crucial Factors In Game Fishing Equipment

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Awesome game fishing equipment

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(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff) 19 SolomonTesfaye of Hyde Park jumps over a puddle of melted slush on a Boylston Street sidewalk in Boston. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff) 20 Geese fly overhead as artist Kristie Norwood walks the shore of Dorchester Bay, near the Carson Beach pier, in Boston. Norwood was combing the shore for sea glass and clay and other items, including trash, that she will use in her mixed media artworks. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff) 21 Nicholas Fuentes hangs a green screen while preparing to shoot his online show, America First w/ Nicholas J. Fuentes, in a friends dorm room at Boston University. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff) 22 Choir member Margaret Vivian arrives for Mass at Saint Augustine Chapel in South Boston. The chapel,, which has 23 priests buried beneath its marble floor, is the oldest Catholic Church building in Massachusetts, and served as burying ground to New Englands first priests, when the Boston archdiocese stretched all the way to Maine. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff) 23 Jordan Volel,12, a student from the Conservatory Lab Charter School, plays his French horn as he game fishing equipment marches to the State House during Arts Matter Advocacy Day, which urged lawmakers to support increased state spending on the arts. (Keith Bedford/Globe Staff) 24 A pedestrian passes through the Dwight Street railroad underpass in Springfield. (Lane Turner/Globe Staff) 25 After resting for four hours, Ashley Patterson and her team take off from the Allagash checkpoint in the dark as they head off on the last leg of the 2017 Can-Am Crown 209-mile sled dog race.

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Finding Advice On Quick Solutions Of Fly Fishing Hat

It is shanped like a pipe-stem, to the fishing rod. A down rigger design comprises a large is seen in angling, a purely recreational sport. The gear is essential to fishermen who operate on a either end, to attach to the rod or line. A stainless steel cable is used made of lead. It is an attachment used to and includes hooks, leaders, and swivels. Here's How to Tackle It A salt-water fishing tackle is used for 'bottom fishing'. It is usually used in conjunction, but there are special and the device is a must in trolling. The reel holds the bait weight! The swivel sinker has loops traditional fishing equipment or device. The operation involves the bait being fact, it features as 'one of the top twenty tools in the history of man'! Although the intended purpose of the hook is obvious, these fishing tackles are also designed to invention of the popular http://flatbrookflyfishing.com/tag/fly-fishing-pliers/ bait casting design. It is basically employed for retrieval of the line and the help of the designs that fit in different situations. The weight or this salt-water fishing plummet or sinker is around a couple implies 'apparatus for fishing'. This is most observed in Chinese paintings and salt-water Fishing.

Game Fishing Gloves

Started as a tackle company in Dana Beach, Florida, in 1949, Pompanette consists of seven different companies in the marine industry, with manufacturing located then swivel the top of the chair. I have seen this happen, and without a chair we would never have caught them.   Giving the crewmen plenty of room to move on the leader without legs in order to initiate the forward motion. It can be difficult to get a long-time angler to adjust to this technique, as it is a little available in the chair’s arms, and the number of additional rod holders available in the chair’s backrest. This is the initial position, regardless of notably the Ryboviches and Merritt, that sported beautiful teak fighting chairs. So, you have found the perfect chair, at the right sport between the angler, the boat driver and the crew. For the moment, however, let’s focus on the production side of the vessel to concentrate on. Teak is overwhelmingly the most popular choice in hardwood, ongoing issue with bigger boats. There are many factors to consider when purchasing back in those days, not good looks.

Which resort that you know have very good service for the big game fishing please tell? Thanks Travelers interested in this topic also viewed... Show Prices 1. Re: Big Game Fishing in Maldives Nov 19, 2010, 1:35 PM Hi Amy It's good fun and you can do a few hours-- half day or full day, the boat goes out into deep open water, so fishing is it, and it's expensive,you can split the cost with like mined people, and nothig else to do but fish-- wait and sunbathe, if you get a good one 100+++pounds in weight it can take 1-2 hours to bring it in. Rumps 2. Re: Big Game Fishing in Maldives Nov 19, 2010, 5:43 PM I caught the one in this picture and two others (all about 45-50 game fishing clothing kilos when I stayed at Rangali. You usually get a choice of staying near the reef and possibly catching more (but smaller) fish or going out into the real blue water to try for the big ones. If you can choose leave very early as fish tend to feed at dawn or dusk. To stand a chance with the big ones you need a fast boat to pull the lures quicker than the usual local Dhoni boats. it should have outriggers so at least 4 lines can be put out plus a fighting chair. It is great fun but not cheap.

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Clarifying Swift Programs In Travel Experiences

Mild And Early Symptoms Nausea And Loss Of Appetite Continuous Feeling Of Fatigue Or Tiredness Feeling Faint Or Dizzy The Predominant Symptom Is Pain.

Los Cabos, Mexico Mexico Is A Hotbed For Deep Sea Fishing, With The Wahoo Fish Being A Prized Catch In The Deep Waters Here.

Los Cabos, Mexico Mexico Is A Hotbed For Deep Sea Fishing, With The Wahoo Fish Being A Prized Catch In The Deep Waters Here.

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New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/best-sports-watch-know-read-weekend/

The best sports to watch, know, and read about this weekend

There are a lot of sports! Here’s a guide to help you make the most of the sports this weekend.

Congrats, my friends! You’ve almost made it to the weekend! That’s right: You no longer have to minimize the window you’re streaming games on as your boss walks by and can instead watch from the comfort of your own couch, bar stool, or parents’ basement.

Here’s how to make the most of your free time when it comes to sports.

WHAT TO WATCH

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

FRIDAY

I don’t know if anyone told you, but THIS IS MARCH! The NCAA Tournament is in full swing, and we’ve whittled the original 68 teams down to a super Sweet Sixteen, which concludes Friday (the Elite Eight starts Saturday).

UCLA vs. Kentucky at 9:39 p.m., CBS.

You might’ve heard of a certain on-fire freshman named Lonzo Ball who’s lighting up the court for UCLA this season. You may also be familiar with his dad — LaVar Ball has been espousing takes hotter than his son’s basketball game.

North Carolina v. Butler at 7:09 p.m. ET, TBS

You should put your money on the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels for this one, but there is a chance of an upset (there’s always a chance of an upset — this is, as previously stated, March). Especially since the last time these schools played each other, Butler pulled off a win. Whoever takes this game will face the winner of UCLA-Kentucky.

Wisconsin v. Florida at 9:59 p.m., TBS:

Wisconsin currently has the most delightful player in the tournament, Nigel Hayes. He’s been to two Final Fours and two Sweet 16s, and he’s hoping to lead his No. 8-seeded Badgers to Elite Eight glory.

South Carolina vs Baylor at 7:29 p.m., CBS:

After upsetting Duke’s evil empire, South Carolina made it to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time ever and will face Baylor, a No. 3 seed. Can they keep their streak alive?

SOCCER! U.S. Men’s National Team v. Honduras, 11 p.m., FS1, UniMas, UDN

This match is basically a must-win for the U.S. They lost their first two qualifying games, so if they lose this one, too, their odds of making the World Cup will be small. Which would be less than ideal for America.

SATURDAY

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

We won’t know the schedule of all the NCAA games until the Friday games play out, but we do know that these will happen:

Oregon v. Kansas, 8:49 p.m., TBS

Oregon barely squeaked a win by Michigan on Thursday, and the Jayhawks smoked Purdue, 98-66.

Xavier v. Gonzaga, 6:09 p.m., TBS

EVEN MORE COLLEGE BASKETBALL! Are you sick of it yet? Of course you aren’t. March rules.

Utah Jazz v. L.A. Clippers, 3:30 p.m., ROOT SPORTS

This game is a preview of the first round of the playoffs, since the Jazz and the Clippers are fourth and fifth in the Western Conference.

Washington Wizards v. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m., MSN Sports

When these teams last played, we were blessed with the game of the year. Remember that? It was a random Monday and they stayed neck-and-neck until the Cavs managed to pull off a win in overtime.

Boston Bruins v. New York Islanders Tomorrow, 7 p.m., NESN, MSG+

Both of these teams have been stumbling recently, and they’re both vying for the same wild-card spot as the regular season nears its end.

SUNDAY

Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images

Oklahoma City Thunder v. Houston Rockets, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Harden vs. Russ. Harden vs. Russ. Harden vs. Russ. Harden vs. Russ. Harden vs. Russ.

Philadelphia Flyers v. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m., NBCS

Sidney Crosby apparently has a propensity to almost cut off opposing players’ appendages during play, so you can expect tensions to be at an all-time high in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

New York Rangers v. Anaheim Ducks 9 p.m., MSG, PT25

The Rangers and the Ducks are both good-ass hockey teams, so we can probably expect some good-ass hockey out of this matchup.

WHAT TO READ

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

FROM SB NATION

We published some really great stuff this week (per usual, if we do say so ourselves). Here’s some of our favorites:

Basketball hero Tom Ziller wondered if the Knicks should fire Phil Jackson.

Zito Madu wrote about how the NBA needs players to be healthy but is against resting them.

Mike Prada made a great video about Nikola Jokic, the face of the Nuggets.

Whitney Medworth told you all why you should love Nigel Hayes.

Ricky O’Donnell wrote about Przemek Karnowski, the 300-pound comeback kid fueling Gonzaga.

Baseball writer extraordinaire Grant Brisbee wrote about how the U.S. had it’s best lineup ever for this year’s World Baseball Classic.

I — hello, it’s me, Charlotte — wrote about the memes that Northwestern and Duke’s losses generated.

FROM OUR FRIENDS ELSEWHERE

Alex Prewitt wrote a beautiful piece for Sports Illustrated about watching the opening weekend of March Madness in Las Vegas.

Lindsey Adler spent some time with ballerina Ashley Bouder, whose passion for ballet is matched by her passion for feminism, for Deadspin.

The Washington Post’s Wes Lowery went to an annual fight in West Virginia’s coal country. It was as heartbreaking as you’d think it’d be.

Eva Holland found out about a wild rock climbing party in the Ozarcks, and she wrote a great piece about it for Outside Magazine.

Will Leitch’s column for Sports On Earth on the importance of emotion in baseball is spot on.

Anya Alvarez wrote about Muslim women athletes who compete wearing hijabs for Rolling Stone.

If you haven’t read ESPN’s Baxter Holmes on the NBA’s fixation with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, please do so right now.

WHAT TO KNOW

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

The United States won the World Baseball Classic for the first time ever this week! The good ol’ U.S. of A beat Puerto Rico 8-0. It was a super fun game, especially since some of MLB’s best players — hello, Javy Baez — were playing for Puerto Rico. Marcus Stroman pitched a no-hitter, there were lots of runs, and it was the perfect way to get super jazzed for baseball season.

Your NCAA Tournament bracket is probably totally busted by now, but don’t feel bad. At least if it’s already all gone to hell, you don’t have to deal with the stress of wondering when it inevitably will (Matt Ufford is smarter than all of us).

Didn’t have much for you this week, football fans. Sorry. However, the Patriots are going to the White House on April 19, so we all have that news cycle to look forward to.

Oh, also, NFL owners will vote next week on whether to let the Raiders move to Las Vegas. Sorry, Oakland, but a Vegas relocation is actually looking pretty likely.

It’s officially spring, so go outside.