USA Sports News, Athletic, track and field news: 2011

Athletic news: World's top hurdlers place for new indoor fixture

Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper leads a physically powerful field announce on Wednesday for the women's 50m hurdles at next month's US Open indoor athletics meeting at Madison Square Garden.

USA Track and Field said that Harper would be connected in the event by two-time defensive world indoor champion Lolo Jones, USA Indoor and Outdoor champion Kellie Wells and British national record-holder Tiffany Ofili Porter.

The showdown adds to earlier announce stars Jesse Williams, Christian Cantwell, Adam Nelson, Bernard Lagat, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Asafa Powell, David Oliver and Jenn Suhr, all looking for to get their Olympic-season campaigns off to flying starts.

The well-known arena in Manhattan will host the first edition of the US Open on January 28 as the first event of USA Track and Field's Visa Championship Series.

Meanwhile the Millrose Games, the indoor gathering held at Madison Square Garden since 1914, have been stimulated by organizers to the more modern Armory Track and Field Center in New York on February 11.

Lorissa Rivas,Teresa Perrozzi prepared to rumble

The stage is set for the biggest fight in boxing on local soil today with two major world titles at bet.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Lorissa Rivas and the USA’s Teresa Perrozzi will clash at the Woodbrook Youth ability from 7pm. Rivas, who has been nervous to re-enter the ring since her last defeat to Tori Nelson of the US at the Jean Pierre Complex in July, looked physically fitter and sharper than when she last fight here in Trinidad.

She will take on Perrozzi in the characteristic event of the eight-bout card for the WBA Super Middleweight title and WBC Silver/Final Elimination title. She needs to use this fight to warm-up for a rematch with Nelson in the New Year.

Yesterday, Perrozzi weighed in at 159.5 pounds at the Alicia’s Palace, Lady Chancellor Road, St Ann’s and will be hopeful to get better on her record of 12 fights, seven wins, four losses and one strained bout.

The night’s activities will feature an equally attractive undercard that will comprise Trinidad and Tobago Heavyweight champion Kertson Manswell coming up next to Mitchell Rogers of Guyana and rising gifted professional boxers Prince Lee Isidore facing Shawn Pile of Guyana in a Lightweight contest.

Manswell is eager to establish himself to his fans after suffering three successive defeats earlier this year.

In his last fight, Manswell beat Leon Gilkes of Guyana in the first round at the Queen’s Park Oval to push his record to 22 wins in 25 comprehensive of 17 knockouts.

In another pro bout, Kevon Diaz will come up next to Eion Blue of Guyana in a Middleweight contest. Meanwhile, there will be four amateur fights on the night. In the opening bout Ingle Charles, who only lately won gold medal for TT at a Barbados tournament, will take on Kimberly Jackson in the welterweight division while Dion Charles will face Gideon Prince and Ryan Rampersad will clash with Anthony Durgadeen in a lightweight fight.

Trinidad and Tobago’s US-based boxer Lawrence Singh will make his first appearance next to Imran Khan in a Flyweight contest.

Boxing news: New Faces - Tony Luis

While Montreal and the province of Quebec are currently the hotspot of Canadian boxing, other province can also claim gifted up and coming boxers. One such case is jr Welterweight Tony Luis (13-0, 5 KOs) hostility out of Cornwall, Ontario.

Articulate and affable, Luis will tell you that being a boxer was forever his goal since his early childhood. “When I was 7 or 8, I used to stand in front of mirrors and mimic the boxers I would see on TV,” he remembers. In his last fight, the 23-year-old Cornwall native took a big step forward by winning the WBC 140lb Continental Americas title with a stoppage of Mexico’s Alejandro Barrera (21-8).

Having crashed into the top 30 of the WBC rankings, young Tony is now looking forward to further his growth in 2012.

Luis was an amateur star in his native Ontario, winning 6 Ontario titles and earn a spot on the Canadian national team. He reach the finals of the qualify round for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but lost a controversial decision that dashed his Olympic dreams. Not making it for Beijing encouraged him to turn pro in May of 2008 a decision over David Aguirre.

With father Jorge as head trainer, Tony has been progressively progressing, beating boxers with optimistic records such as (Adrian Verdugo 14-1, veteran Aldo Valtierra 25-12, and Adrian Valdez 19-7). In only his sixth fight, Tony won the Quebec lightweight title by stopping Jorge Barros.

“It was my first title and my first big success victory. So, for me, it was a landmark,” says Luis. Veteran Canadian trainer and boxing analyst Russ Anber had this to say about Tony: “His assets are great hand speed, a great work rate, throw punches in bunches, plus he’s an outstanding body puncher. He may not have one punch knockout power but he will wear down his opponent.” Punching power is one aspect Luis feels he has greatly better. “My five knockouts wins have been in my last eight fights.”

A promotional free agent, Luis is managed by father Jorge and has knowledgeable Matt Yanofsky as an advisor. Says Yanofsky, “In 2012, we would like Tony to crash into the top 10 or 15 ranking. We are also hoping for big TV exposure and, why not? Maybe a fight in the USA. We would love to have the US boxing viewers see this brilliant young man in action.”

Volunteer Assistant Coach at Alderson Broaddus College for men’s and women’s track and field teams

Alderson Broaddus College is accepting applications for a volunteer helper coach for the men’s and women’s track and field teams. This position will carry out the practice and training routines in the areas of Sprints and Jumps and support in the training of other event areas when needed.

Bachelor’s degree is necessary and collegiate track & field opposition experience in jumps/sprints is highly favored. The position will assist the head coach in all aspect of the program.

For 140 years, Alderson-Broaddus College has been as long as a quality education for its students. Overlooking the charming Tygart River Valley in Philippi, West Virginia, Alderson-Broaddus College students learn and grow in a faith-based knowledge community.

Deeply entrenched in the liberal arts, Alderson-Broaddus College is a health-related and professional educational institution. Alderson-Broaddus College is allied with the American Baptist Churches, USA, the West Virginia Baptist Convention, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

Duties include: Planning/implement daily practices for jump/sprints core, recruit organization and travel to HS meets. Working nights and weekends are standard and expected. Good infrastructure skills and previous recruit of high school student-athletes is necessary and highly sought.

This is a non-paid position restricted to NCAA guidelines; candidates must profitably complete background check.

Boxer Floyd May weather Jr. plans to plead guilty to summary wrong charges in a plea deal resolving felony allegation that he battered his ex-girlfriend, court officials said Tuesday.

Floyd May weather Jr. here in court in October, will face fines and as much as 18 months in jail for a domestic aggression charge.

Mayweather, 34, will face $3,000 in fines and could be sentence to between two days and 18 months in the Clark County jail after insistent Wednesday to one count of battery domestic violence and two pestering charges, said Tess Driver, an aide to Clark County District Attorney David Roger.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal first report the plea deal Tuesday.

It also includes an agreement for Mayweather to plead no contest next week to misdemeanor battery and pay a $1,000 fine for poking a 21-year-old homeowner association security guard in the face during a November 2010 argument about parking tickets on vehicles outside the boxer's home in a select, suburban Las Vegas community.

Roger and Mayweather's lawyers did not right away react to messages from The Associated Press.

Mayweather had been facing a confirmation hearing Wednesday and a decision by Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa whether to send him to trial on felony grand larceny, coercion and robbery charges, and wrong domestic battery and harassment counts. He could have faced 34 years in state prison if he was convict of all those charges.

The felony case stem from accusation that Mayweather hit and endangered his ex-girlfriend, stole her cell phone and exposed two of their children, then ages 10 and 9, during a September 2010 fight about the woman dating another man.

Mayweather, who uses the nickname "Money," was acquitted by a Las Vegas judge in October of other offense harassment charges alleging he in danger the lives of two other homeowner association security guards in another argument about parking tickets.

Mayweather is unbeatable in the boxing ring, with a record of 42-0 with 26 knockouts

Dressed as Santa, David Strout points racers in the way of the register area at Simpson wood United Methodist Church for the Peachtree Corners Christmas 10k on Saturday,

Hundreds of racers, young and old alike came dressed in their best holiday gear as they contribute in the Peachtree Corners Christmas 10k at Simpson wood United Methodist Church on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011.

Elf ears, reindeer antlers, Santa Claus beards and a few grinches were spotted running throughout the neighborhood on the brisk and windy morning.

The happening was a USA Track & Field endorsed race and a qualifier for the 2012 Peaachtree Road Race later next year.

The race was planned by the Georgia Cup, a Peachtree Corners-based company. If you missed this one, there's one more coming up on Jan. 1, 2012, the Resolution 10k.

It's a great way to start out the new year. The 10K and 5K race will be held in Peachtree Corners Technology Park. Look for more in order coming up on the 2012 Resolution 10K, or visit the company's website for details and register.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a lot of things. Boring is in no way one of the them.

Interviewed by TMZ, he said NBA players want to win so if they had self-assurance in a woman coach "they would go to war with her."

He also believes there will be an openly gay NBA player in 3-5 years and that it will be "more of a media impression....than a player issue."

He thanks the Lakers for sending him Lamar Odom. "A gift that fell in our lap." As for the Chris Paul trade, he believes the owners were "thrown beneath the bus" and called the events that led him to the Clippers as deceitful. (Move to 2:40 for Cuban and thanks to Yard barker for the video tip)

Shot putter Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops, B.C., heads the list of finalists chosen for three of Athletics Canada’s major award and his coach Anatoliy Bondarchuk heads another of the short lists, as the national body for track and field unveils its stars and their achievement Friday.

Armstrong, 30, is chosen as the best overall athlete in track and field, the best field athlete and the best presentation of the season, Bondarchuck us chosen as coach of the year.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Armstrong.had a brilliant flight season in which he under enemy control the big man’s sport by winning the points race in the Diamond League elite events; posting a season-best throw of 22.21 metres – which stands up as the Canadian record; taking Canada’s first world championship medal in shot put in Daegu, South Korea; and taking a Pan American Games gold, introduction the steel ball a meet-records 21.23 metres.

The winners will be unveil Wednesday December 21, and will be honored at a feast following the 2012 Canadian Championships in Calgary.

The finalists and winners are chosen by Athletics Canada’s Awards Committee from a nominee pool put forward by the membership.

Utah MMA: Steelfist Fight 4 review and news

Steelfist Fight Night 4 was fast-paced and filled with nothing but knockouts and submissions.

The first fight of the Dec. 9 event set the expectation for the rest of the card when Moses Sohn had a spinning back kick that led to a guillotine choke. Sohn landed the wonderful kick to the body only 30 seconds into the match, who drop his opponent Tymen White and locked the choke in at: 35 in the opening round.

The night was action-packed with seven submission and four technical knockouts: not one fight went the distance. The main event of the night left an aron Sawyer to battle against John Kafer. The fight was back and forth, with exchanges taking place on the ground and on the opponents' feet. Kafer finished up taking home the victory, as Sawyer couldn’t take the pace and punishment Kafer would put into effect.

In other without arms combat news, Dave Foley of Foley’s MMA in Ogden is hosting an Amateur Boxing event on Saturday. There will be 20 matches, with 13 gyms from Utah and surrounding states represent. Foley has been hosting these events since he opened his first gym in Ogden.

Foley’s MMA has 10 boxers participate, including children as young as 8 and weighing 50 pounds all the way up to adults. Foley has been a strong supporter of the next generation of unarmed combatant. Tickets can be purchased at the door; they are $12 for adults and $6 for children 6 and under. Foley’s MMA will also host the official USA Boxing tournament at the end of January.

Steelfist Fight Night 4 results:

Moses Sohn vs. Tymen White — Sohn wins by tapout to guillotine submission at 35 seconds into round 1.

Dustin Ashley vs. Ryan O'Meara — Ashley wins by rear naked choke at 3:24.

Weston Barnes vs. Tyson Green — Barnes wins by RNC at 1:53.

Asa Tuiaka vs. Allen Mafileo — Mafileo wins by RNC at 2:43 into round 1.

Lynn Schulz vs. Chris Romrell — Schulz submits Romrell with a guillotine choke at 35 seconds into round 2.

Chris Merritt vs. Nathan Grundvig — Merritt defeats Grundvig by TKO in round 1.

Jesse Clark vs. Travis Loveland — Clark wins by TKO at 38 seconds into round 1.

Josh Hayes vs. Kensei Sato — Fight canceled, as Josh Hayes left during the event.

Trevor Cook vs. Richard Urias — Urias defeats Cook by TKO at 4:25 into round 1.

Anthony Miller vs. Curtis Johnsen — Johnsen defeats Miller by triangle at 37 seconds into round 1.

Craig Ross vs. Pat Reeves — Ross wins via tapout to strikes at 4:25 into round 2.

Aaron Sawyer vs. John Kafer — Kafer wins by TKO in round 2.

Bolton boss Owen Coyle has revealed he would be eager to sign defender Tim Ream for Bolton Wanderers, but realizes why MLS side New York Red Bulls has insisted the defender is not for sale.

Ream is spending a few days training with the Trotters after enjoying last week with Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion.

West Brom manager Roy Hodgson was impressed by the centre-back and stated he was considering a bid to sign USA international on loan in the January transfer window.
The 24-year-old has also impressed Coyle and he believes Ream has the quality to be part of the Bolton squad.

But, Red Bulls sporting director Eric Soler has confirmed Ream has made the trip to England to gain experience and the USA international will be with the Major League Soccer club next campaign.

Outstanding

"Would we like to have him at the football club? Absolutely," Coyle said.
"Red Bulls have said that he is not for sale and that is totally understandable - I would say that about my top players.

"Tim Ream is an outstanding player. He is someone I have known about for a couple of years now and I have watched his games extensively.

"I can totally understand why the Red Bulls would say he is their player, because he is a prized asset.

"But he has come in here, conducted himself very well and shown his quality - he has a lot of similar qualities to (Bolton's USA international) Stuart Holden, in terms of mentality and how he sees the game and wants to progress, and those are attributes I love.

"He is a New York Red Bulls player and I wouldn't say anything else beside that because you have to respect that he has come in for a week's training with the permission of the club.

"We'll leave it at that for the moment, and we'll see what January brings."

Luke Donald capped off a amazing season by winning PGA Tour player of the year, the most important of the postseason awards because it's a vote of the players. He became the first British player to win the award since it began in 1990. "It's a great honor to cap off what has been an amazing year for me," Donald said from the Australian Masters in Melbourne. "Thank you to all the players for their votes. There were obviously some other worthy people to vote for, and I guess my overall steadiness and having to go to Disney and win, and win the money list like I did, was a deciding factor.

"I feel much honored at the moment." Donald won the award over Keegan Bradley, Bill Haas, Webb Simpson and Nick Watney. An official known with the results described it as a landslide. The official spoke on condition of secrecy because the tour does not release the votes or the order in which the players finished. Bradley, whose two wins integrated the PGA Championship, was voted rookie of the year. It was only the fifth time in the last two decades that the PGA Tour player of the year did not win a major. Even so, Donald made a compelling case, especially at the end of the year.

He won two competition’s, as much as anyone else this year. He won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average. He had top 10s in 14 of the 19 tournaments he played, a rate of reliability only Tiger Woods has known in this era. But it still came down to the end of the year. Simpson won twice in the last three months of the season, and entered the McGladrey Classic to try to capture the money title. He took over the lead with his runner-up finish, and Donald decided to enter the season finale at Disney.

The former Michigan State linebacker was thoughts about life after college. A returning knee injury ended his NFL aspiration. He had a degree in illegal justice, but he certainly wasn't ready for a desk job.

Then he saw former Notre Dame Safety Tom Zbikowski, whom he compete next to on the gridiron, fight in a televised boxing match.

"It's that easy," says Mitchell, 29. "I was a casual fan, but I never consideration about boxing before that. My last fight was in eighth grade."

Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs) hope to show Saturday how far he's come since middle school. He takes on Timur Ibragimov (30-3-1, 16 KOs) of Uzbekistan in a 10-round co-main event of the Capital Showdown at the Washington Convention Center (HBO, 9:45 p.m. ET).

It's another step in his trip toward becoming "the savior of American boxing," as he has been call by former champion Oscar De La Hoya and others.

American boxers under enemy control the heavyweight division for much of the 20th century with stars such as Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The sport's reputation peaked for U.S. fans when their countrymen lined the division.

But American heavyweights have hardly ever kept the belt for more than a year since the 1990s, after Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield flamed out. As Eastern Europeans, led by Ukrainian brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, took manager of the four major belts, boxing's relevance in the USA has waned.

Mitchell, nickname "Mayhem," thinks he can do amazing about that. "Everybody wants to have someone they can relate to," he says. "I'm ready to put that on my shoulders. Confidently, I can be the one to bring the heavyweight title back to the U.S."

If his past history is any signal, it's not difficult to think he can achieve it. Mitchell was a standout linebacker at Gwynn Park High in Brandywine, Md., and as a senior was named the top suspicious player in the Washington area by The Washington Post. He had a multitude of scholarship offers but chose Michigan State because of the playing style and his rapport with the coaching staff.

Mitchell was a key donor and ultimate starter as a redshirt freshman for the Spartans. His sights were set on playing professionally, but damage to particular cartilage in his knee derail those dreams.

As one door stopped up, another opened. Mitchell came back to Maryland in 2006, soon after graduate, to pursue a career in boxing. He admits to having little technical skill in the beginning, but he picked up the sport quickly by watching film and expenditure time in the gym.

Manager Sharif Salim thinks the easy change can be recognized to his football background.

"It takes outstanding athleticism to play college football," Salim says. "He's shown the capability to take contact and is quick on his feet from chasing down running backs. Big Ten football has helped him in dealing with coverage, considerate drills and maintaining the discipline needed in a sport like this."

Mitchell enters the ring for the main fight of his career Saturday. Ibragimov is bigger, stronger and more knowledgeable than anyone he's faced.

Mitchell will try to stand for the Washington area in front of hometown fans, friends and family, as well as his wife and two children. But the sculpt 6-2; 240-pounder is aiming much higher than being a local hero.

"The fan support is great and I'm keyed up about the chance," he says. "At the same time, I can't let that overwhelm me because I want to be back on this platform again.

"I'm not saying I'm the rescuer or the heavyweight hope, but I believe I possess the tools and aptitude to become heavyweight champion of the world."

U.S. bring CNY "Thunder" to Roller Derby World Cup

Hundreds of athletes from across the globe descend on Toronto for the very first Roller Derby World Cup. Tamara Lindstrom wedged up with one team USA skater who got her start in Central New York. CANADA -- Three days. Thirteen countries.

Two-hundred-sixty skaters collide on the track at the enormously first Roller Derby World Cup.

"We've got countries coming from halfway across the world," said event planner Amie "Speedin Hawking" Sergas. "Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina."

"Finland, Germany, Brazil. It's been actually cool considering all these countries come jointly," said Team Canada skater Bonnie "Soul Rekker" Bray.

Leading the way for Team USA is Nicole "Bonnie Thunders" Williams. "My life is inspired by roller derby," William said. The skating celebrity hails from Central New York.

"There's a little sports hall of fame in Rome, so maybe someday I'll be a part of that," Williams joked. She got her skating start with the Syracuse University coordinated figure skating team.

"And when I enthused to New York, I wanted to keep skating and roller derby was kind of this perfect junction between skating because I loved to skate, but also phone sport," said Williams.

Williams has skated with the Gotham Girls Roller Derby since 2006 and now runs her own store, Five pace Skate Shop, in Brooklyn.

She and 19 other athletes from crossways country traveled to Toronto to show America's skating prowess.

"We had, unluckily, not that much training for this tournament," Williams said.
Team USA took the track with just two practices under their wheels."I think it's always challenging when you play with new people," Williams said. "When somebody knock someone out of bounds and you do one thing expectant them to follow you and then they don't do what you expect."

Three days of cut-throat bracket led to a final matchup between the two North American teams and the U.S. and Canada fought it out to take home the first ever breaker derby world cup. Team USA conquered the pack, winning the final round 336 to 33.

"It feels pretty unbelievable to be able to say you're the first world champion of roller derby," Williams said. "It's absolutely an amazing feeling."

And possibly one stride closer to that hometown Hall of Fame. But for now, she said, it's time to try amazing new - a week off.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – WBO, IBF and WBA heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko pull out of his fight adjacent to French challenger Jean-Marc Mormeck on Monday after undergo two operations in two days to take away a kidney stone. The fight had been listed for Saturday in Duesseldorf.

Klitschko's promoter, Bernd Boente, said Monday that March 3 was a probable new date for the fight. The IBF would have to approve it because nominally Klitschko would be request to fight a mandatory challenger on that date.

"We hope to know in two or three days. Mormeck is also ready to accept it," Boente said, adding that Klitschko was "deeply dissatisfied" by having to call off the fight.

Klitschko had abdominal pain at his training camp in Austria on Friday. The 35-year-old Ukrainian was taken to Innsbruck for initial treatment before being transferred to a Dusseldorf hospital. The stone was detached Saturday but Klitschko return to the hospital Sunday before a scheduled television look.

His older brother Vitali, the WBC champion, appears on the live program and said Wladimir was taken ill soon before the show and return to the Duesseldorf hospital.
Dr. Peter Albers, the chief urologist at the Duesseldorf University Hospital, said Klitschko was doing fine and did not have pain any longer.

"But he is very week after two surgeries and it makes no sense to have a fight now," Albers said.

The 39-year-old Mormeck is a former WBC and WBA united cruiserweight champion. He has won all his fights since moving to the heavyweight division in 2009. He has a vocation record of 36 wins (22 KOs) and four defeats.

Saturday's fight was theoretical to be Klitschko's 20th title bout and his first exterior since thrashing British boxer David Haye in July. His record is 56-3 with 49 KOs.

Fooglies one of 32 teams attractive part in US Cricket Open

Fooglies announce today that their team Fooglies Cricket is one of 32 teams taking part in US Open 2011, to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from Dec 1-4.

This year, Fogies will be captained by USA batsman Aditya Mishra. The team comprises several current and former first-class cricketers from India and Pakistan at this time residing in the USA.

Arjun Thyagarajan, founder of Fooglies, said his team was excited to be part of US Open 2011. "As USA's biggest cricket tournament, I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this event. I think that the Fooglies have some of the best cricketers across USA today, they are a very high-energy team and they are going into this tournament with the right blend of talent and experience." Competition at the tournament is very strong this year and several international and first-class cricketers have said to have confirmed their participation. "Our first game is against the US All-Stars that have the likes of Shoaib Akhtar in their list (not officially confirmed). It’s a do-or-die game for us!"

Arjun Thyagarajan is looking onward to the contest and is excited about the prospects of the Fooglies. "We have some highly gifted cricketers and we are going to have a blast in Florida. We did well in the past tournament and expect to build on that performance."

Arjun said, "Fooglies came together about 11 years ago and since then has been reuniting for various tournaments. It is is basically an intersection of cricket and friendship."

Speaking about the sponsors and group, he said, "We are also very thankful for the support of friends and well-wishers. It keeps us going and brings together some of the best cricketers all over the USA."

Fooglies squad for US Open 2011

1. Arjun Thygarajan
2. Amith Sarma
3. Siddharth Mehta
4. Aditya Mishra (captain)
5. Ritesh Kadu (wk)
6. Kiran Patel
7. Shantanu Divekar
8. Krishneal Goel (U-19)
9. Abhimanyu Rajp
10. Muhd. Nisar
11. Syed Fareed
12. Sujesh Pulikkal
13. Elmore Hutchinson
14. Taimoor Ahmad

Former world record possessor and sprint legend, Asafa Powell, will make his New York indoor track first look at the 2012 US Open Track and Field meet on January 28 at Madison Square Garden, USA Track and Field proclaim yesterday.

Returning to the site of her 2011 NYC indoor victory, World and Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown will join her Jamaican countryman in the short sprints, while two of the most popular Garden high-school track events - the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) boys' 4x800m and girls' 4x400m relays - also will be contested.

"No US city is more international than New York," USATF Interim CEO Mike McNees said. "Having Veronica and Asafa at the Garden will help focus the international significance of the Olympic year, with the US Open as the first round of the 2012 USA-Jamaica competition."

The kick-off event of USATF's Visa Championship Series, the US Open will be the first track meet to be held in the newly renovate Garden, and will be the first major professional meet in the United States as the 2012 Olympic year get under way.

As the man who has run more sub-10-second 100m dashes than anyone in history, Powell's look will mark his first NYC exterior since he ran at the 2009 Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium, and his first time competing indoors since 2004.

The 29-year-old Jamaican held the title of world’s fastest human for three years, when he own the 100m world record of 9.77 seconds from 2005, until Usain Bolt broke it in New York in 2008.

VCB returns

Among the most consistent and decorated short sprinters of her age group, Campbell-Brown's recommence is the stuff legends are made of; two-time defensive Olympic 200m gold medallist, defensive World Indoor 60m champion, 2011 World champion at 200m and 2007 World 100m champion.

At the Garden in 2011, 'VCB' easily won the 60m dash in the Visa women's 60 metres. Her additional international hardware include a bronze medal in the 100m at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and silver in the 2000 Olympic 4x100m. At the World Championships, she has won a total of seven silver medals, dating back to 2005.

Tickets, starting as low as $15, will go on sale to the universal public today at 12 p.m. Tickets will be obtainable at the MSG Box Office, Ticketmaster charge at 866-858-0008, all Ticketmaster outlets and THEGARDEN.com. Annual MSG Track & Field subscribers can contact 212-465-6073.

Boxing's Vic Darchinyan target MMA

One of the best bantamweights in boxing needs to test his spirit in mixed martial arts.

"I will do MMA," Vic Darchinyan told Showtime days before Saturday's title bout with Anselmo Moreno, the World Boxing Association's 118-pound champion. "I will struggle in 2012. ... At the same time I want to do MMA and boxing."

Darchinyan has contemplated mixed martial arts for a short time, he said. His boxing advocate, Gary Shaw, has knowledge in both sports; as leader of EliteXC, he was accountable for turning Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson into a hot product among MMA viewers.

Shaw drew a contrast to Ferguson.

"Vic is grave about going into MMA after he completes his victory on Saturday night," Shaw said at a press meeting Wednesday.

Ring Magazine rates Darchinyan at No. 5 for bantamweights in boxing. While some knowledgeable boxers have had honest careers in MMA, such as Chris Lytle and Marcus Davis, the going might be tougher for Darchinyan, given that he's previously 35 years old.

He'd also need to bulk up for mixed martial arts, where the minimum men's division has a 125-pound bound. If he aspires to fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship or Bellator Fighting Championships, he might have to put on even more muscle; they at present go no lower than 135 pounds.

UFC parent Zuffa has been thinking about a 125-pound division for years, but those plans haven't gone past the conversation stage. Some fighters in UFC's 135-pound class are basically 125-pounders fighting heavier than their optimal weight, counting former contender Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson, as well as John Dodson, a finalist on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Former Jacksonville State football coach Charley Pell was one of eight people selected Wednesday for introduction into the 2012 class of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, which will be inducted at a ceremony in May.

Combination Pell in the class are Mal Moore, E.J. Junior III, Artis Gilmore, Bryan Kirkland, Andre Tippett, Steve Wallace and Dan Washburn.

Pell, a national of Albertville, played just one season of high school football for the Aggies, but was good sufficient to earn a scholarship offer from Bear Bryant to the University of Alabama. He played unpleasant and suspicious tackle at Alabama and was a member of the Crimson Tide's 1961 national championship team.

After his playing days, Pell stayed at Alabama as a mark off assistant before taking a job as an assistant coach at Kentucky under Charlie Bradshaw.

Pell finally earned the head coaching job and athletics director position at Jacksonville State in December 1968 at the age of 28. While at JSU, Pell lead the Gamecocks to a 33-13-1 record in five seasons, counting a 10-0 mark and win over Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic in 1970. He is a member of the 2000-01 class of the JSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Pell left Jacksonville State in 1974 for an supporter coaching job at Virginia Tech and finally moved on to Clemson as an assistant in 1976. The next season, he became Clemson's head coach, where he went 18-4-1 in two seasons, twice being named the ACC Coach of the Year, before moving on to Florida.

At Florida, Pell went 33-26-3 over five-plus seasons. He was ablaze three games into the 1984 campaign after the NCAA announce that the Gators had committed more than 100 violations under his watch.

Florida Cricket Academy announce 3rd annual U-19 Invitational Tournament

The City of Miramar and Florida Cricket Academy (FCA) announce our 3rd Annual under 19 Invitational Cricket Tournament.

FCA, a youth cricket growth group since 2007 is based in Miramar/Hollywood, Florida is an affiliate member of the USA Cricket Association.

The Academy is satisfied to announce that our 3rd Annual Under 19 Invitational Cricket Tournament will be detained over the MLK weekend Jan. 13th, 14th, and 15th. All matches will begin at 10:00am each day.

In addition to the FCA U-19 team, the New York Region U-19, Michigan Cricket Academy and Cricket Academy USA under 19 teams will contribute in this event.

All games will be play using both cricket fields at Miramar Regional Park.

Everyone is confident to come out and support the highest level of youth cricket in the region.

Oregon distance runner Matthew Centrowitz has decided to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility to run professionally.

The 2011 world bronze medalist in the 1,500 meters has signed with PACE Sports Management, a United Kingdom-based athlete management company.

The PACE track and field roster includes Olympic champion Usain Bolt, and world champions Vivian Cheruiyot, Mo Farah, Linet Masai, Phillips Idowu, Christine Ohuruogu and Jana Pittman.

Centrowitz will turn his focus to the 2012 Olympic trials and the London Olympics. The trials will be held June 22 to July 1, 2012, at Hayward Field in Eugene. The Olympics start July 27.

"I am very grateful to the University of Oregon and the coaching staff for all they have done for me," Centrowitz said. "This important decision has taken me a couple of months to decide on but (is) a decision I feel that is best for me in reaching my upcoming goals."

This past season, Centrowitz won NCAA and U.S. championships at 1,500 meters. He holds the school record in the event at 3:34.46.

Centrowitz was a three time Pac-10 champion in the 1,500 and was a seven-time all-American.

"Matthew has had an enormous impact on the University of Oregon track program," Ducks coach Vin Lananna said. "Oregon has a great tradition in distance running and we are proud of his accomplishments in adding to that tradition.

"We wish him nothing but the best and we are excited for his future as a professional."

Centrowitz will stay at Oregon to complete his sociology degree. Although it's not as common for a track and field athlete to turn pro early as it is in football or basketball, it is not unprecedented.

It is more common for sprinters. Allyson Felix never ran in college despite enrolling at USC. Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon both left early from Arkansas and Jeremy Wariner did the same at Baylor.

Former McKay standout Ryan Bailey ran one season at Rend Lake (Ill.) Community College before turning pro. Alan Webb and Evan Jager are examples of distance runners who who left college early.

Webb ran one year at Michigan before turning pro, while Jager left Wisconsin after one year.

JACKSON — Cody Haas is one more win away from the USA New England Boxing title in the semi-novice 141 pound weight class. The Berlin resident won a unanimous decision in his semifinal bout to advance to the finals this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Billerica Elks in Billerica, Mass.

"He's fighting so well," said trainer and former three-time World Champion Kickboxer Dick "The Destroyer" Kimber, who created the White Mountain Boxing Club and it's headquartered in Jackson at the former site of the Red Fox Pub. "His jab is right on the money and his countering is better, he's doing so well. I think he'd got a real good shot on Saturday. He's in great shape, physically and mentally, I think he's ready to go."

Haas has had some great training to prepare for the tournament, including Kimber and Cody’s dad, Gary Haas, a former Olympic-trials boxer. The Haas family is originally from Ohio and has transferred to the Berlin area, as Gary is a federal officer.

Haas has been training for months in Jackson and is supported by Roland Sanschagrin, Roger Villenueve, and the Red Fox Restaurant.

Kimber is planning a women's kickboxing/self-defense class that will run for six weeks this winter. If anyone is interested, or if anybody would like to help sponsor the fighters in Kimber's program, they can contact him at 723-2659.

The administrator spoke on the circumstance of secrecy on Sunday because details of Erickson's going away have not been finalized.

Erickson will meet with athletic director Lisa Love as early as Monday and, at 64, could be allowed to give up work rather than be fired. Erickson could unmoving coach in whatever bowl game the Sun Devils play in.

Erickson's job came into danger after Arizona State lost its final four games next a 6-2 start, knocking the Sun Devils from contention to play in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game next Friday. He was 31-30 in five seasons in the wasteland.

Erickson won a pair of national titles with Miami and had stops at Oregon State and Idaho before incoming in Tempe in 2007. He had an imposing start in the wasteland, named the Pac-10 coach of the year after most important the Sun Devils to the Holiday Bowl and their first 10-win season in nine years.

That twisted out to be the highlight of his tenure. Arizona State won no more than six games the next three years, ineligible for a bowl last season since two of its games were next to Football Championship Subdivision schools.

Love opt to stick with Erickson in spite of three straight shaky seasons and the Sun Devils went into this year with high prospect, recurring nearly every starter on both sides of the ball.

Arizona State looks good early; taking control of the Pac-12 South after its first eight games then went into a tailspin.

After becoming bowl eligible for the first time in four years with a win over Colorado on Oct. 29, the Sun Devils lost their grip on the South with a loss to UCLA the next week, and couldn't make up ground regardless of the Bruins' lackluster finish.

The final blows for Erickson's probability of keeping his job came with a unsatisfactory home loss to rival Arizona, which had fired its coach and had won just two games at that point, followed by Friday's 47-39 loss to California at home.

"I don't know that I have ever been through a month like this," Erickson said after the loss to Cal. "We felt that we had a chance to have a great year, then you lose four in a row and just end up with a very, very average year."

Professional boxer Ondřej Pála z MÉDEA BOXING TÝMU obhájil titul mistra Evropy WBO v těžké váhové kategorii. Soupeře Darnella Wilsona z USA porazil jasně 3:0.

"Nečekal jsem, že toho tolik vydrží. Po zápase byl hodně rozbitej a prý ho rovnou odvezli do nemocnice. Ale doboxoval," řekl Pála po souboji.

"O mně se ví, že nejsem po žádném zápase spokojený. I tentokrát tam byly nějaké chyby, mohlo to z mé strany být lepší," okomentoval sobotní zápas Pála, který se do ringu vrátil poprvé od letošního dubna. Po dobu pauzy léčil pochroumané rameno, nyní už je prý naprosto v pořádku.

Přestože porazil Pála Wilsona na body jasně 3:0, během souboje měl prý namále. "V devátém kole mě Wilson chytil zadním hákem a musím přiznat, že jsem byl blízko počítání," prozradil český boxer.

"Jinak to šlo podle plánu a plnil jsem taktiku, kterou jsme s trenérem Krivoručkem vymysleli. Boxoval jsem technicky, na distanc a chtěl soupeře unavit. Musím ale přiznat, že mě Wilson trochu překvapil, jak byl připravený. Nečekal jsem, že toho tolik vydrží. Po zápase byl hodně rozbitej a prý ho rovnou odvezli do nemocnice. Ale doboxoval," dodal Pála.

Ten se vítězstvím nad Wilsonem významně přiblížil k splnění svého velkého snu - zápasu s Ukrajincem Vladimirem Kličkem. "Měl by být domluvený zápas, jehož vítěz by boxoval právě s ním," říká Pála, který triumfoval podevatenácté v řadě a celkově zaznamenal 30. výhru během své profesionální kariéry.

Poslední překážkou k duelu s Kličkem by měl Pálovi být Robert Helenius, boxer světové špičky. "Ale taky je to jenom člověk, rozhodně se s ním dá boxovat. Věřím si," prozradil sedmadvacetiletý boxer.

India's Karthikeyan Murali wins the gold medal in the under-12 open collection in the World Youth Chess Championship at Caldas Novas (Brazil) on Sunday morning. India bag five medals in the championship including the gold, silver and three bronze.

The other medal winners for India are TN lad Ram Arvind, who won the silver in the under-8 group while Debashis Das, Rathanvel and Salonika Saina added bronze in the under-18 open, under-10 open and under-8 girl’s category correspondingly.

In the ninth and final round, Karthikeyan draw with Ravi Haria of England and joined for the top spot along with Gledura Benjamin of Hungary. But better tiebreak score helped Karthikeyan in his gold bars quest.

In the under-8 open category, Ram Aravind was unsuccessful not to win the gold as he beaten ultimate gold medal winner Liang Awonder of USA in the final round.

However, the American had a better tie-break score and was sitting pretty after the last but one round.

In under-18 open sort Debashis Das took a draw next to gold medal winner, Grandmaster Ter-Sahakyan Samvel of Armenia to resolve for the bronze medal.

Rathanvel drew his final-round game next to Fide master Tabatabaei M Amin of Iran to bag the bronze medal while Salonika Saina beat Ismayilzada Zeynab of Azerbaijan to come to an end third in her category.

Diptayan Ghosh, who has been determining well for a medal, missed it hardly in the under-14 category by final fourth as he lost his final round game next to Cuellar Diego of Peru.

Lakshmi C and Stany G A had an alike experience in the under-8 girls and under-18 open categories correspondingly as they came fourth.

How Indians finished in Brazil:

Under-8 girls: Salonika Saina (3rd), Lakshmi C (4th), Bommini Mounika Akshaya (19th), Tanishka Kotia (34th)

Under-8 open: Ram Aravind L N (2nd), Ritam Nag (41st), Sai Krishna S (52nd) Under- 10 girls: Bidhur Rutumbara (8th), Bansi Prathima M (12th), Tarini Goyal (13th), Priyanka K (21st)

Under-10 open: Rathanvel V S (3rd), Rakesh Kumar Jena (5th), Mitrabha Guha (11th), Nitish Belurkar (24th), Anand Nadar (31st)

Under-12 girls: Ivana Maria Furtado (13th),Riya Savant (14th), Priyamvada Karamcheti (24th), Tejaswini Sagar (28th)

Under-12 open: Karthikeayn Murali (1st), Aravindh Chithambaram V R (10th), Abhimanyu Puranik (14th), Hetul Shah (15th), Harshal Shahi (22nd)

Under-14 girls: Srija Seshadri (8th), Mahalakshmi M (9th), Lasya G (16th), Monnisha G K (24th)

Under-14 open: Girish A Koushik (12th), Diptayan Ghosh (4th), Satvik M (50th)

Under-16 girls: Pratyusha Bodda (5th), Nandhidhaa P V (8th), Anjana Krishna (26th), Bala Kannamma (38th)

Under-16 open: Antonio Viani D'cunha (7th), Shiven Khosla (35th), Sarang Ponkshe (53rd)

Under-18 girls: A Akshaya (18th), Saranya J (32nd), Visalatch R (37th)

Under-18 open: Debashis Das (3rd), Stany G A (4th), Himal Gusain (15th)

EUGENE, Ore. - The 2012 Olympic Track & Field Trials start June 22 at Hayward Field. The local organize committee educated some lessons from 2008 that should make 2012 even better and more noticeable.

NBC is the broadcast rights holder for the 2012 trials and was so as well in 2008.
Due to NBC's tight limits on the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, many people who were not able to go to the trials in person miss a lot of the action.

KVAL Sports has learned, however, that 2012 will be a much dissimilar story. "With our work with NBC, we try to make it as fan welcoming as likely to the most number of people," said 2012 organize Committee Co-chair Greg Irwin. "So, moving up the plan a little bit and making it more obtainable to everyone across the country, we want everybody to have the advantage of watching the spectacular events at Hayward Field."

In 2008, the men's 800 meter final was the most unforgettable event of the trials, but it was seen only once on television.

"It is trying when you turn on KVAL and you can't of necessity watch the races you want to watch because somebody else has the rights to them," said 2008 men's 800 champion Nick Symmonds.

NBC's system in '08 not only excluded anyone else from shooting any video of the trials, but NBC also prohibited any other media outlet from airing their video of events on certain days.

"NBC pays billions with a 'b', billions of dollars to own the rights not just to the Olympics, but to the Olympic Trials." said USA Track & Field spokesperson Jill Geer. "I can tell you that I've been on calls with NBC officials where we've worked on them loosen their guidelines."

But they were anything but loose in '08 and KVAL was required to use immobile pictures to tell the story of the days' events. The main reason for that was because on most days NBC chose to air its boradcasts awaiting midnight when KVAL's newcasts were previously over. However, that won't be the case in 2012.

"We haven't announced the broadcast schedule yet, but the time slots are not going to be 11 to midnight," said Geer.

"All the TV coverage of the US Track & Field Championships will be held at prime time," said 2012 Organizing Committee Co-chair VIN Lananna. "So, it will be a much better schedule." That will be good for everyone, as well as local media outlets.

Ken Egan will acquire Ireland’s campaign at the Olympic Test Event happening with a quarter-final meeting next to China in London this evening.

The Dublin southpaw, who has drop back down to light-heavyweight from heavyweight, will meet Xuan Bao at the ExCel, the venue for boxing at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Ireland is using a six-man squad at the Test.

Declan Geraghty and David Oliver Joyce will be concerned in quarter-final duels on Friday, versus Thai flyweight Norapoj Tetchkoom and Italian insubstantial Donato Consenza.

Belfast’s Conrad Cummings and Tommy McCarthy and Con Sheehan have established byes into Saturday’s semi-finals.

Cummings will get together Brazilian middleweight Esquiva Florentino and McCarthy faces knowledgeable Kazakh heavyweight Vassily Levit.

Tipperary super-heavyweight Sheehan will deal leather with Morocco’s Muhammad Arjaoui for a place in the 91Kg+ final.

All the Irish squad will be boxing in the afternoon/evening session which begins at 5pm each day at the ExCel.

Ireland’s Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin and Darren O’Neill have previously qualified for the 2012 Olympics.

There will be one final Olympic qualifier for European male boxers next April.

The May 2012 AIBA World Women’s Championships in China will act as the only Olympic qualifier for female boxers.

92 boxers, 69 Men and 23 Women, will take part in the Olympic Test Event in London.

The countries challenging are; Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, France, Great Britain, Greece, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, USA, Uzbekistan, Sweden and Thailand.

Olympic Test Event ExCel London

Novermber 24th Quarter-finals
81Kg: Ken Egan (Ireland) v Xuan Bao (China)

November 25th Quarter-finals
51Kg: Declan Geraghty (Ireland) v Norapoj Tetchkoom (Thailand)
60Kg: David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) v Donato Consenza (Italy)

November 26th Semi-Finals
75Kg: Conred Cummings (Ireland) v Esquiva Florentino (Brazil)
91Kg: Tommy McCarthy (Ireland) v Vassily Levit (Kazakhstan)
91Kg+: Con Sheehan (Ireland) v Mohammad Arjaoui (Morrocco)

Irish squad

56Kg: Declan Geraghty (Crumlin)
60Kg: David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy)
75Kg: Conrad Cummings (Holy Trinity)
81Kg; Ken Egan (Neilstown)
91Kg: Tommy McCarthy (Oliver Plunkett)
91+Kg: Con Sheehan (Clonmel)

Team manager: Des Donnelly
Coaches: Billy Walsh & Zuar Antia
Physio: Conor McCarthy

Diptayan Ghosh in under-14 open and Bommini Akshaya in girl’s under-8 category reserved the Indian flag flying in the World Youth Chess Championship at Caldas Novas on Tuesday.

Dipatyan drew his fifth round game against Fide Master Bellahcene Bilel of France while Akshaya defeated team mate Tanishka Koita.

In the under-18 open group International Master Debashis Das held Grandmaster Fedoseev Ladmir of Russia in the fifth round while Nandhidhaa, sole head after the fourth round in the under-16 girls' category, suffer her first beat in the championship next to top seed Ziaziulkina Nastassia of Belarus.

Under-10 leaders Rathanvel and Rakesh Kumar Jena also had Nandhidhaa's fate as they cut down to Zhu Yi of China and Li Ruifeng of USA correspondingly.

In the under-8 open section, Ram Aravind L N (4.5) beat Noritsyn Sergey of Canada (3.5) to be among the frontrunners.

In the under-10 girl’s group, three Indians, Priyanka K, Bansi Prathima and Tarini Goyal stay close to the leaders with four points each after their fifth-round wins.

In the under-12 girls section, India's award hope Ivana Maria Furtado (3.5) improved from her second-round beat and enclosed lost ground with a draw next to Unuk Laura of Slovenia (3.5).

In the under-12 open section, Karthikeyan Murali (4.5) beat Perske Thore of Germany (3.5) to make additional progress. In the same category, Aravindh Chithambaram and Abhimanyu Puranik were a half point at the back Karthikeyan.

In the under-14 girls section, Monnisha G K and Srija Seshadri were organization the leader close with 4.5 points each.

Division II Cross Country Announced National Awards

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announce on Tuesday that NCAA Division II Cross Country Champions Ryan Haebe of Western State and Neely Spence of Shippensburg were named as National Athletes of the Year for the 2011 cross country season. In adding, Western State’s Jennifer Michel was standard as the National Men’s Coach of the Year while Tracy Hellman of Augustana (S.D.) was named the National Women’s Coach of the Year.

NATIONAL MEN’S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Ryan Haebe, Western State
Haebe, a sophomore from Evergreen, Colo., won the NCAA Division II person men’s title in 30:45.1, three seconds ahead of colleague Tyler Pennel.

Haebe became the first entity national champion for the Mountaineer men since 2001, and only the second student-athlete in Western State history to win a men’s cross country national championship. Michael Aish won national titles in 1999 and 2001.

Earlier in the fall, Haebe positioned fourth in the RMAC Championships, helping the team to the meeting title. Haebe did not take part in the NCAA Central Regional.

NATIONAL WOMEN’S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Neely Spence, Shippensburg
Spence, a senior from Shippensburg, Pa., won her second-consecutive Division II national championship with a 13-second triumph over the field and a 6K time of 20:53. Spence led for the majority of the race, gradually increasing her lead as the runners spread out through the frozen tundra.

Earlier in the season, Spence capture her fourth-straight Atlantic Region top and won the region this season by nearly a full minute with a 20:43 performance in the 6k. Spence also became the first in PSAC history to win four-straight league cross country crowns.

NATIONAL MEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Michel, Western State
Michel’s Mountaineers engineered their first NCAA men’s cross country team crown since 2005 with a leading victory at the NCAA Championships. Western State tally just 27 points, placing their top five runners in the race’s top 13. Sophomore Ryan Haebe and senior Tyler Pennel ended the race 1-2, senior David Goodman placed fifth, senior Gabriel Proctor took seventh, and sophomore Trevor Blackman came in 13th.

For Michel, in her fifth year at the helm, Western State won their first RMAC title since 2004 and located second in the NCAA Central Regional.

NATIONAL WOMEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR: Tracy Hellman, Augustana (S.D.)
Hellman’s squad won their first NCAA title in women’s cross country with a 75-79 victory over adjacent challenger Western State. Entering the meet as the No. 5 team in the nation, the Vikings wedged to the plan and stuck jointly as the scoring crew of five would earn overall places of 12, 13, 15, 17, and 29. Junior Leah Hansen led the group; follow by sophomore Runa Falch, sophomore Kristin Brondbo, junior Kyle Blakeslee, and senior Kelly Kougl.

The Vikings earlier in the season won their fifth-straight discussion meet as they took the NSIC title. They were third in the NCAA Central Regional.

Athletic Sports Calendar for 11/19

Athletic sports news: DasHuh Basketball Dads-Daughters 2-on-2 Tournament - Alternative Learning Center, 3650 Michigan Ave., Fort Myers; double elimination, games played with women's ball; registering daughters grades 6-8 & dads (any age), entry fee $60 (forms online), deadline Nov. 23. Info: Shannon Graham (239) 357-6791;

Dec. 5-Jan. 13

Cal Ripken Baseball Registration - Taking registration from players ages 4-12 at Cape Coral Parks & Recreation athletic office, 1015 Cultural Park Blvs. (City Hall), 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. weekdays; cost for T-ball & coach-pitch $50, all other divisions $110 (Dec. 5-31), $120 (Jan. 1-14); season begins Feb. 18. Info: Bernie Howard (239) 242-3485.

Jan.-May

Cape Recreational Youth Track & Field Club Registration - Ida Baker High School; athletes ages 8-18 welcome, non-competitive team meets 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays; competitive travel teams available; cost $75 (includes AAU and USA Track & Field memberships. Info: (239) 980-3351;

General Info

Cape Coral Bass Club - Meeting first Tuesday each month, 7:30 p.m., Caloosahatchee Moose Lodge 2395 on Cape Coral Parkway; men, women, children who love to bass fish welcome; tournaments held locally and out of town. Info: Jim Lewis 945-7188; Cape Coral Tarpon Hunters Club - Meeting third Thursday (March through September) each month, 7 p.m., Cape Coral Yacht Club; 40th anniversary year; club catches and releases all tarpon; social and competitive club, hosts rookie seminars, tournaments for youth and adults. Info: Gary Jackson (239) 898-2980.

Cape Coral Sailing Club - Meeting fourth Wednesday each month, 7:30 p.m., Cape Coral Yacht Club, 5819 Driftwood Pkwy.; adults interested in boating (sail or power), cruising or armchair are welcome. Info: Ron Miniter 945-7761.

Sailing Singles Club - Happy Hour gathering first Friday each month, 5 p.m., general meeting third Thursday each month, 7 p.m.; daysails & weekenders being planned; learn to sail with us; new members and captains with sailboats welcome. Info: Shannon (239) 541-0104.

Saturday, Nov. 19

Oasis High School Baseball Golf Tournament - Coral Oaks Golf Course, 1800 NW 28th Ave.; 1 p.m. shotgun start, foursome scramble format; prizes, long drive, putting, hole-in-one and closest to pin contests; entry fee $100 per player, proceeds benefit Oasis High School baseball team. Info: Louis Korchick (239) 898-8332; Frank Haba (239) 699-0572; Shuan Haag (239) 590-5217;

Sunday, Nov. 20

Lee County Archers 3D Archery Shoot - Nalle Grade County Park range, North Fort Myers; sign up 8 a.m., shotgun start 9 a.m., shooting fee $10; roving field range of 20 3D target stations plus 14-station NFAA field course. Info: Ben Brown (239) 369-6212.

Wednesday, Nov. 30

50-Plus Softball Registration - Accepting applications for players, all skill levels, for Tuesday/Thursday evenings at Cape Coral Sports Complex or BMX Park; winter/spring season starts Jan. 3 (deadline Nov. 30); cost $70 per player, tryouts held 5-6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays prior to league games until Nov. 30, all new players must attend at least one tryout. Info: Jennifer (239) 292-2923; Tina (239) 267-9684 or (860) 575-9452; Ken (941) 855-0489.

Sunday, Dec. 4

Lee County Archers 900 Round Event - Nalle Grade County Park range, North Fort Myers; 9 a.m., open to public, registering new participants, all skill levels. Info: Ben Brown (239) 369-6212.

Dec. 7-11

Jamaica Invitational Pro-Am "Annie's Revenge" Golf Tournament - White Witch and Cinnamon Hill golf courses; 54-hole tournament based at Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica; foursome team (three amateurs, one pro) entries accepted, first-come first-served basis; register online. Info: www.jamaicaproam.com

January 2012

Alumni Football Invitation - Weekend games Jan-March (2012), for all former high school football players age 18 and older; full pads, officials, etc., must gather 35 players to play; can be fundraiser for your school.

Jan. 7-8

HITS Triathlon Series - Naples; five distances including full marathon; details and open registration online. Web: www.hitstriathlonseries.com

Jan. 7-15

Minnesota Twins Baseball Fantasy Camp - Hammond Stadium at Lee County Sports Complex; campers enjoy week of living a Major League experience, instruction and coaching by former Twins greats like Harmon Killebrew, Bert Blyleven, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek and many others; registrations for 2012 currently ahead of last year's sellout pace. Info: Stan Dickman 1-888-446-8946; Web: www.twinsbaseball.com

A three-part inquiry into the politics of best track and field athletics by KVAL Sports airs on KVAL 13 TV News at 6 starting on Monday, Nov. 21.

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - U.S. champion Nick Symmonds runs in and has won debatably the toughest race in track and field: the 800 meters.

Off the track, Symmonds is now fighting what could be a trailing battle. "The current position is really crippling our sport, track and field," Symmonds told KVAL sports.

The Willamette University graduate and current Springfield resident said the International Associations of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and United States Track & Field are doing more harm than good with their current logo rules. Symmonds believes these systems are the largest problem with the sport today.

"What I'd like to see is the policy changed so that athletes are permissible to have multiple sponsors displayed on their skin, displayed on the back of their jerseys," said Symmonds. "Just change the rules to permit more corporate dollars to flow into the sport."

Symmonds at first voiced his strong opinions on the logo policy compulsory by the IAAF and USATF in a blog post on flotrack.org on Oct. 3.

"As it is now meet sponsors work through the IAAF and USATF," said Symmonds. "The governing bodies take their share and let what's left trickle down to the athletes in the form of prize money. I appreciate that these governing bodies need to take a cut in order to keep operating, but it's gone beyond that. It's gotten to the point where people are taking benefit of the athletes and taking much more than their share of the pie."

Symmonds feels that allow athletes to display more finance logos mean more income for the athletes. The current IAAF policy state:

IAAF Advertising Regulations:

3.1.1.2 Any other Advertising on or by or otherwise related with an Athlete is prohibited, including but not incomplete to body painting, tattoos, jewelery, hair dying, hair shaving, the use of any flags, banners, T-shirts, hats and any other form of display of Advertising.

3.1.1.3 No advertising or display of Sponsors of the Athletes in the form of "an Athlete x sponsored by company y" or similar may be display or appear on the Athletes or or else in the Competition Site.

So who's really behind this policy? The IAAF - or the shoe companies that may not want other corporations advertise with their athletes at events?

"Let's say I'm sponsored by company X, and company X gives me my uniform, they might not want other logos obscure their apparel," said USATF spokesperson Jill Geer. "So, there’s not just the international rule, but also there are each individual apparel manufacturer as well."

"There are all sorts of sponsors for IAAF," said 2011 USA men's World Championship team coach Vin Lananna. "So, I don't recognize if just the shoe companies alone would have the juice to be able to stop or stop something that made intellect for the athletes."

"To a sure extent I imagine the clothing manufacturer enjoys having their logo as the only one on a jersey, but even their logos, Nike's swoosh for example, has extreme limits of where it can be placed and how it can be displayed. These limits come from USATF and IAAF and they're absurd as well."

Track & Field will come back to the country's premier sports and activity venue for the 99th year on Saturday, January 28, when the U.S. Open Track & Field at Madison Square Garden kicks off USA Track & Field's 2012 pass Championship Series, USATF announce Thursday.

Garden legend Bernard Lagat will headline in the men's mile in a USA Track & Field meet that promise to glass case the best of the sport's practice in a sleek in-stadium and put out appearance. The U.S. Open will be the first track meet to be detained in The Garden following the conclusion of the first phase of the building's historic, top-to-bottom, three-year Transformation, and will be the first major specialized meet in the United States as the 2012 Olympic Year gets under way.

"Madison Square Garden feel like home to me, and I am so happy to be coming back in 2012," said Lagat, a 2-time Olympic medalist and the American record holder who has won eight 1-mile races in the Garden. "I can't think of a better place to kick off the Olympic year. I look onward to seeing the New York track fans who have support me for so many years, many new fans in the new Garden."

The U.S. Open will be transmit on ESPN from 7-9 p.m. Eastern on January 29 and is part of USATF's most aggressive TV schedule in years.

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announce Wednesday that Carolina senior Kendra Schaaf is the 2011 Southeast county Female Athlete of the Year. The honors were nominated on by Division I cross country coaches.

Schaaf won both the ACC Championships and NCAA Southeast Regional Championships entity titles. Schaaf, who won the ACC get together by 25 seconds two weeks ago, conquered the NCAA Regional field as well as she won by more than 14 seconds and led the women's team to a third-place come to an end.

Schaaf, next to with sophomore Jake Hurysz, will vie at the NCAA Championships Monday, Nov. 21, in Terre Haute, Ind.

The men's race will begin at about 12:08 p.m. ET; follow by the women's race at around 12:58 p.m. A live webcast of the championships will be show from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET on NCAA.com. Highlights from the championships will be integrated as part of the CBS NCAA Fall Seasonal Show planned to air on Saturday, December 18, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET on CBS HD.

FORT WORTH, Texas – TCU’s Jordan Calhoun and Cameron Tabor garnered Bob Lilly - Athlete of the Year honors by the better Fort Worth Chapter of the partnership of Christian Athletes.

Calhoun and Tabor were accessible their award at the FCA “Share the Victory” feast at the Fort Worth Hilton on Nov. 11. J.C. Watts, a former US Congressman and starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, was the major speaker at the banquet.

Calhoun, a Norman, Okla. native, netted a team-high seven goals, while dishing out a pair of assist in 2011. She is the program’s all-time most important in career goals (36) and points (85). The senior onward tallied three game-winning scores this season, putting away Toledo, Hofstra and Northwestern State. Calhoun received all-conference acceptance for the third time in four years, claim first-team recognition in 2008 and 2010.

Tabor enjoys a winning sophomore campaign in 2011, breaking the TCU benchmarks in the weight throw and hammer throw. The Norman, Okla., native twisted in a personal-best discus mark of 175-4 feet to maintain the event at the Bobby Lane Invitational. Tabor also claimed the shot put title at the Texas A&M Reveille and the hammer throw top at the Horned Frog Invitational. He entered to the NCAA West preliminary in the shot put.

Allen Kenneth Johnson is a retired hurdling sportsperson and won Olympic Gold in the 110 metre high hurdles at the 1996 games in Atlanta, Georgia.

Born in Washington, D.C., an all-round athlete, Johnson attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and shine at high jump, long jump and decathlon as well as hurdles.

Olympic Games
Gold	1996 Atlanta	110 m hurdles
World Championships
Gold	1995 Gothenburg	110 m hurdles
Gold	1997 Athens	110 m hurdles
Gold	2001 Edmonton	110 m hurdles
Gold	2003 Paris	110 m hurdles
Bronze	2005 Helsinki	110 m hurdles
World Indoor Championships
Gold	1995 Barcelona	60 m hurdles
Gold	2003 Birmingham	60 m hurdles
Gold	2004 Budapest	60 m hurdles
Silver	2008 Valencia	60 m hurdles

2003 in the Stade de France saw Johnson win his fourth IAAF World Championships in Athletics 110 m hurdles title when he beat Terrence Trammell into second to pass the three world championship gold medals that Greg Foster had won at the event.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics he tripped over a hurdle in the 2nd beginning round and was unable to conclude the race and reach the final. He was however ranked world's number 1 throughout 2004's season.

Johnson is trained by Curtis Frye, at the University of South Carolina where he serves as a volunteer assistant coach. He resides in Irmo, South Carolina.

Johnson was worried by injury in 2000 but still made the final at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia just absent out on adding to his medal collection by concluding fourth.

Other Achievements:

Silver	1994 IAAF World Cup - London, England	110 Meter Hurdles
Gold	1995 World Championships in Athletics - Gothenburg, Sweden	110 Meter Hurdles
Gold	1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships - Barcelona, Spain	60 Meter Hurdles
Gold	1996 Summer Olympics - Atlanta, Georgia	110 Meter Hurdles
Gold	1997 World Championships in Athletics - Athens, Greece	110 Meter Hurdles
Gold	1998 Goodwill Games - Uniondale, New York	110 Meter Hurdles
Gold	2000 Summer Olympics - Sydney, Australia	110 Meter Hurdles
Gold	2001 World Championships in Athletics - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	110 Meter Hurdles
Silver	2002 IAAF World Cup - Madrid, Spain	110 Meter Hurdles
Gold	2003 World Championships in Athletics - Paris, France	110 Meter Hurdles
Gold	2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships - Birmingham, England	60 Meter Hurdles
Gold	2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships - Budapest, Hungary	60 Meter Hurdles
Bronze	World Championships in Athletics - Helsinki, Finland	110 Meter Hurdles

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