Athletics - 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4x100m, 4x400m, 1500m

Athletics is the general name for sports involving running, walking, jumping, or throwing.  These are the oldest known sports, and have been contested for centuries.  There are 23 Athletics events for women in the Summer Olympics, so we met at a local track to complete a few.

First up was the 100m sprint.  This is one of the most popular and prestigious events at the Olympics, and the goal is around 10 seconds.  We lined up at the starting line on the track, and the finish line looked so far away.  We did not time ourselves, but it is safe to say we were not close to 10 seconds.

We also did the 200m, the 400m, the 800m, and the two relays - the 4x100m and 4x400m.

J on the first leg of the 4x100m

Handing off the baton

M looks strong at the finish of the 4x100m

We finished off the evening with the 1500m.  Not all of us are runners, and none of us are sprinters, but we got out there and ran anyway.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that combines combat and self-defense techniques with sport and exercise.  It was developed in Korea during the 1940s, and by 2009 it was practiced by over 30 million people in 123 different countries.  It is distinguished from other martial arts by its emphasis on high kicking and fast hand techniques.  The belief is that because the leg is the longest and strongest limb of the body, it has the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes with the least chance of retaliation.

Taekwondo became a medal sport in the Olympics in 2000.  While sport taekwondo consists of sparring, breaking objects, performing patterns, and self defense, only sparring is done in the Olympics.  Points are awarded for accurate, powerful techniques landed on your opponent's body.  More complicated techniques (like a spinning kick) earn more points.

We met at the Sanchez Taekwondo Institute in Fort Worth for an introductory lesson.  We learned a forward snap kick and a roundhouse kick, and did a few self defense techniques.  Our instructor, Wayne, demonstrated how the kicks we learned could be combined with spins and jumps to become more complex and powerful.

Taekwondo is another one of our new favorite sports.  Thanks, Wayne and Sanchez Taekwondo.

Boxing

Boxing was contested at the original Greek Olympics in 688 BC, and was added to the modern Summer Olympics in 1904.  Women's boxing made its Olympic debut in 2012.  Boxing is one of only two sports in the Olympics that still requires participants to have amateur status.  In amateur boxing, contestants wear protective headgear, and point are awarded for the number of clean blows landed rather than physical damage done.

We were all very excited to try boxing.  Faith, Hope, and Gloves Boxing in White Settlement has introductory lessons, so we all showed up on a Saturday morning.  Our instructors showed us how to wrap our hands to protect them, then we all donned gloves and took up stations around the gym.

L on the heavy bag

L and R in the ring

M and J on the speed bags

L on the floor to ceiling bag

With our instructor, AJ

The one hour class ended with some plyometric exercises and core work.  It was an incredible workout, and we really enjoyed it.  Don't be surprised if some of us decide to go back for more.

Basketball

In December 1891, Dr. James Naismith was looking for a way to keep his gym class active in the cold New England winter.  He nailed a peach basket to the wall and invented basketball.  The new game was a huge success, and was introduced to the Olympics in 1936, with women's basketball added in 1976.  The US has been incredibly dominant in Olympic basketball since the beginning.

The 1936 Olympics were an experiment in outdoor basketball.  The games were played on dirt tennis courts.  Unfortunately, there was a driving rain during the gold medal match, and the court turned into a muddy mess.  Teams were unable to dribble or bounce pass, and the final score was 19-8.

We played basketball outside as well, but we chose a sunny day and an asphalt court.  M played basketball in high school, and the skills came back to her as we played.  The rest of us, well, we look good in the pictures.

M got some air.

Tennis

Historians believe tennis began in 12th century France.  It was a favorite of royalty.  The game was played indoors until the invention of the lawn mower made lawn courts appealing.  Modern tennis was developed by savvy businessman Major Walter Wingfield in the 1870s.  The major patented a set of rackets, balls, a net, and rules, and used his connections with the aristocrasy around the world to market his set.

Tennis was part of the inaugural Olympic games.  It is usually played on hard (asphalt/concrete) courts, but some venues offer clay or grass courts.  The varying surfaces provide different players with advantages and disadvantages.  The very first Olympic medal ever awarded to a woman was in tennis.  Today tennis events include men's and women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

Only a few of us were available this week, and the weather was threatening to storm, but we met at some local hard courts to give this a try. 

Tennis was a lot of fun.  There was a lot of running after the ball, and we had to ignore rules about hitting the ball in the lines in order to keep the volleys going.  But we definitely got better the more we played.  We'll have to revisit tennis when the rest of our gang is available.