Ali was a world heavyweight boxing champion that fought his way into the country and the world’s affection. Outspoken and unrelenting, Ali began his boxing career back in 1954. Ali, then known as Clay, won 6 Golden Gloves contents in Kentucky, 2 golden gloves titles that were national and 2 Amateur Athletic Union Crowns.

It was in 1960 that he won a gold medal in the Summer Olympics that took place in Rome. He later threw that gold medal in the Ohio River when he found that racism in Louisville was rife. It was in 1960 that he became a professional boxer.

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Fencing World Championships

Olympic fencing is a specific type of competitive fencing governed by rules that have been developed by the FIE (Federation Internationale d’Escrime).  These rules are by necessity more strict than those used in conventional fencing, but they are similar — in foil fencing utilizing what are called the rules of “right of way”.

In Olympic fencing, the epee, saber, or foil may be used.  The foil is an extremely long, flexible sword which evolved from the blunt swords used by people who were learning the art of using the short sword.  It was blunt in order to protect the novice sword user.  The epee blade comes from similar origins; however, its blade is stiffer, heavier, and less flexible.  The saber is also stiffer than a foil, but not as stiff as an epee.

As in many formal competitions, Olympic fencing utilizes electric weapons.  These special blades have a “button” on the end that registers whether or not a score has been made (i.e., whether or not pressure has been applied).  These electric blades are necessary in Olympic fencing because they make scoring simple and non-subjective.

In foil, you can have hits that register as “on” or “off” target.  Therefore, fencing gear includes special conductive jackets.  Sabre fencers also wear special conductive masks and cuffs (with sabre, head and arm areas are acceptable hits).  Fencers are also attached by a cord to their weapon and to the scoring box.  The cords are necessary to create conduction.  These cords are retractable so as to minimize annoyance to competitors.

Men and women have separate competitions at the Olympics.Along with individual competitions, there are also team competitions.Fencing has been featured in every Olympic Games in the modern era.

In team competition, twelve countries each enter three competitors.  The winning team is the first to achieve 45 hits.  As in individual competition, fencing in the Olympics takes place on a surface called a Piste.  This is an area made of a metal mesh.  Lines are drawn on the mesh to indicate legal play areas and “en Garde” lines.

Another unique thing about the Olympic games mascots is that each of the young ambassadors has a two syllable name which rhymes. The name for the Fish is “Beibei”, for the Panda its “Jingjing”, “Huanhuan” for the Olympic Flame, “Yingying” for the Tibetan Antelope and for Swallow it is “Nini”. They represent the five elements of nature as well, which are the sea, fire, forest, earth and sky! Each Fuwa carries the tradition of spreading good wishes in the form of symbols and signs. They help China in spreading the theme of the Beijing Olympics 2008, which is One World, One Dream for every Continent.

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Moreover, thumping with the gloves also conserves the opponent from grim hammering and breaking of bones. Use of right gloves and thumping down the opponent are two most essential elements of the advanced day boxing. Boxing gloves are not meant to harm the other boxer but to salvage him too from the grave and full blooded punching. It is very critical to decide the seamless gloves for the boxing. The new boxing gloves are made using the assorted matter like leather, synthetic or vinyl at the exteriors while in the inner parts are made soft and comfortable. Gloves made out of leather are thought as the best as leather is very durable substance and gives utmost comfort to the boxer. Due to nonstop knocking the inner of the gloves get very hot due to body heat production, the inner should be well freshened using breathable mesh to enter cool new air inside the gloves. Thus, you should always insist on acquiring the gloves of high excellence from the good reputed boxing equipment provider. You might have to suffer from some unpleasant effects, if using the cheap worth boxing accessories.

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Brooks started coaching at the Minnesota University and spent the 1970’s doing this in his own special way. He was a man known for his personality being more than prickly, and his preparation for games and training was beyond fanatical.

It is a misguided notion that the team that went to inspire the Hollywood movie Miracle, were untrained, unconditioned and unreliable. Brooks spent over a year nurturing the team that would go on to fell the mighty Russians. He handpicked the team from tryouts, physiological testing and whittled down the list from over 700 wannabe Olympic players.

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Cadet World Fencing Championships Slideshow

The United States Fencing Team has gotten off to a strong start in the competition at the 2009 Cadet and Junior World Fencing Championships in Belfast, Ireland winning four medals in the first two days of competition.  Nzihgha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Lee Kiefer (Versailles, Ky.) started pulling in the medals for Team USA, winning gold and silver respectively in the Cadet Individual Women’s foil competition on Sunday, April 5, the first day of the competition.  Prescod defended her Cadet World title by defeating teammate Kiefer in the gold medal bout. 

Day one of the competition also saw Margaret L.C. Lu (Greenwich, Conn.) take 12^th place in the Cadet Individual Women’s Foil.  In the Cadet Individual Men’s Sabre division the U.S. was represented by Michael Mills (Milburn, N.J.) in 20^th place; Alexander Ryjik (Alexandria, Va.) in 33^rd place and Will Spear (Wynantskill, N.Y.) who finished 67^th.

Outside of Wheeler’s gold and Glon’s bronze, day two also saw Celina Merza (Wayne, N.J.) finish 18^th in the Cadet Individual Women’s Sabre.  Peregrine Badger (Providence, R.I.), Jake Harbour (Santa Fe, N.M.) and Gavin Medley (Santa Fe, N.M.) represented the U.S. in the Cadet Individual Men’s Epee division finishing 18^th, 48^th and 88^th respectively.

Tuesday, April 7, the third day of competition at the 2009 Cadet and Junior World Fencing Championships, is the scheduled day for competition in the Cadet Individual Men’s Foil and the Cadet Individual Women’s Epee.  Alexander Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.), Jeremy Goldstein (Westport, Conn.) and Wilfred Curioso (Barrington, R.I.) will carry the flag for the U.S. in men’s foil, while Katharine Holmes (Washington, D.C.), Grace Neveu (San Francisco, Calif.) and Sarah Collins (Palm Harbor, Fla.) will look to earn medals in women’s epee.

Still upcoming for the U.S. squad will be Olympian Gerek Meinhardt.  Meinhardt reached the round of 16 at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.  Also of note, (San Francisco, Calif./South Bend, Ind.).  Meinhardt, the youngest U.S. Olympic fencer ever at 18 years-of-age and now a freshman at the University of Notre Dame, will compete in the Junior Men’s Foil events on April 10Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas), the sister of 2008 U.S. Olympian Kelley Hurley (San Antonio, Texas/South Bend, Ind.), will be competing in Junior Women’s Epee events also on April 10^th and 13^th.  Two coaches from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team for Fencing, Ed Korfanty and Mike Pederson, are coaching the U.S. Junior and Cadet fencers at the 2009 Junior and Cadet World Championships.

The Olympic torch is known for its relays around the world before the games begin. This was not from ancient times but from the modern era. Joseph Goebbels introduced this at the highly controversial Berlin Olympics to promote the Nazis and their way of thinking. Nowadays, the Olympic torch is used to promote peace and unity around the world, all though it has come under fire and protest because of the Beijing Olympics.
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2009 Foil Fencing Match

If you ask a group of non-fencers how safe fencing is, conjecture would probably center on the safety of the blade.  The non fencers would be reassured to know that deaths in fencing are few and far between.  In fact, more people die playing football each year than in fencing.

Ask a group of veteran fencers what the dangers of fencing are, and you are more likely to hear about pulled muscles, tendon injuries, and trauma to the ligaments of the knees and ankles.  Some fencers experience overuse issues with the elbow joint (lateral epicondylitis) not unlike those faced by tennis players.

Fencers are taught to suspend activity immediately if a blade breaks.  However, if they are properly attired in their mask and protective clothing, they have little to fear.  While today’s fencing gear is designed to reduce encumbrance to the fencer, the fabrics used, such as ballistic nylon, effortlessly repel the impact of a broken blade.  One fencing enthusiast mused that there is more danger of getting injured in a car accident on the way to fencing school than an injury on the strip.

Although the dangers of modern fencing in a well-run and conscientiously managed fencing program are few, failure to follow appropriate procedures and rules will jeopardize the safety of the individual fencer, teammates, and observers.  Several safety precautions (credit to Benjamin Jacobs, Fencing: A Parent Orientation and www.fencing.franklurz.com) in the fencing environment include:

1)     Never point a weapon at an unmasked person

2)     Never engage another person when you are not wearing a mask

3)     Always wear safety equipment

4)     Stop fencing as soon as you are aware of any unsafe factors (factors include broken blades, unsafe floor conditions, or an opponent who is not under control)

5)     Do not participate in unsupervised practices.

6)     Always warm up before fencing to prevent the likelihood of muscle, ligament and tendon trauma.

7)     Check your clothing for holes.  A trapped blade in your clothing could cause a serious accident.

8)     Unless you are a novice fencer, make sure you wear underarm protection.

9)     If you are a male fencer, wear an athletic supporter with a protective shield.  If you are a female fencer, wear breast protectors.

10) Protect your legs with appropriate pants.

11) Be aware of your surroundings.  Before stepping out onto an active floor, check to be sure it is safe (no loose equipment, no fencers engaged in a bout or practice).

12) When you are fencing, do not drive your opponent into a wall or other hazard because you are so eager to win a touch.

13) Don’t fence too close.

14) If you are repeatedly colliding with your opponent, stop fencing until you can correct the error.

15) Aggressive fencing is ok; violent, uncontrolled fencing is not.  Nothing you do should cause pain or harm.

16) When hit, don’t point at the area with your finger.  Instead, immediately acknowledge the touch in a clear, audible voice.

This is a lengthy list, much of which boils down to common sense.  With attention to these types of safety considerations, fencing can uphold its outstanding safety record.