Every year Tiffin University's Lacrosse team plays host to a LAX-4-Life game. LAX-4-LIFE Inc. is a national lacrosse campaign to provide and support programs geared toward adolescent and young adult suicide prevention awareness. Lax-4-Life was started in spring 2009 by members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Association after teams were confronted with the prospect of life after suicide. When resources were not available they asked "What can we do?" Lax-4-Life was the answer.
In the spring of 2010 they took the campaign nationally throughout NCAA Division II womens lacrosse. They had over 2/3 of teams participate in close to 50 designated games throughout the season. As a result over 1,000 t-shirts were sold. These profits along with donations collected during the games resulted in $17,000 being raised for the Allyson Rose Green Foundation. This year Lax-4-Life decided they wanted to do even more. To really make a difference they have invited Division I and Division III to join the cause. This seasons LAX-4-LIFE games will take place during the last week of March and the first week of April. They are currently in the process of creating a non-profit organization, LAX-4-LIFE Inc. Through their 501C# organization, it is their hope that they can raise suicide prevention awareness on college campuses throughout the country. Understanding the pressures of student athletes are under before they come to college as well as while on campus, they feel a program like this is long overdue.
Being an athlete isn't just
about the physicality and conditioning of your body to be better and stronger than
the opposing team/opponent. It also involves
training your mind to be mentally tough. It takes a lot to be a part of
competitive events and sports. With yelling fans, coaches harping down your back
and teammates depending on you, how do you maintain a steady and focused
attitude that allows for peak performance? What is being mentally tough exactly
and how do you develop it? Dr. David Yukelson of Penn State University examines
these questions and has developed the answer that all athletes should consider
before any competition or workout.
What is mental toughness?Mental toughness is having the natural or
developed psychological edge that enables you to: cope better than your
opponents with many demands that are placed on you as a performer (competition,
training, lifestyle). A key component of mental toughness is learning how to
condition your mind to think confidently and be able to overcome
frustration/self critical negativity. Personally for me as soon as a coach or
teammate points out my mistakes I have made, I immediately shut down and begin
to dwell on those mistakes in my mind and begin to psyche myself out as a
player. In order to prevent this from happening and develop mental toughness
Yukelson lists six steps athletes should consider preparing themselves mentally
before competitions or workouts.
1. Mental toughness starts
with the right attitude and state of
mind (know what your core confidence is all about) -Confidence comes in
knowing you are prepared and having an unshakable belief in your abilities to
reach intended goals.
2.Program your mind for success ahead of time with positive
affirmation and expectations -Expect the best from yourself; affirm what you
are going to do to be successful -Confident goal oriented statements starting
with “I will, I can, I am going to…” -Focus on the things you want to occur,
other than things that might go wrong -Visualize yourself performing
(confident, energized, full focus)
3. Routinize your behaviors: develop a systematic pre-performance
routine that clicks on desired mental emotional state of mind (practice,
pre-game, competition).
4.Poise and composure: Learn how to let go of mistakes quickly if
things do not go the way you want. -Don’t allow frustration to undermine your
confidence/focus
5.Take control of negative self talk: Reframe “stinking thinking”
into positive task oriented suggestions.
6.Look at failure as a stepping stone for future achievement.
-Champions approach to overcome adversity: Play to win as opposed to fear of
making mistakes -He missed 9000 shots, missed 26 game winning shots, lost 300
games –Michael Jordan, NBA 6 time world champion “I failed over and over, that
is why I succeed.” Be a difference maker, step up and have a peak performance
when it matters most.
Being mentally tough isn’t a
cake walk; in fact it takes a lot of internal strength and focus to maintain
the right state of mind. By examining these steps and applying them to your
life it can help individual’s confidence and allow for peak mental performance.
** Following video is a motivational film about what is takes to be successful and inspired**
Lacrosse comes from a rich history
of being one of the first sports ever played on American soil. Invented and played by the Native Americans,
the equipment used in LAX consists of a stick in order to control a small ball that
is passed among team members. The lacrosse stick holds significance to the
Native American way of life, including religious beliefs. As one can only imagine with the growth of
the sport, the lacrosse stick has come a long way from its original form carved
of wood, using animal tendon or vines to form a basket at one end. The game
continued to be played with wooden sticks until the latter 20th century.
STX 1970s Composite Stick
Taking a look at STX,
leaders/innovators of women’s lacrosse equipment, they were among the first to
mass produce wooden sticks for play. As
the game began to become more popular, along with advancements in safety, STX
produced one of the first composite heads to fit on a wooden handle in the 70s. The introduction of this new innovation began
to slowly emerge then boomed in the growth period as players began to notice a
significant change in their performance.
The transition from the traditional wooden stick to composite quickly
transformed the game of lacrosse forever.
The new composite sticks were
definitely a cash cow for producers, even at the maturity stage of their life
cycle players still invested because, at the time, they were the best product
for lacrosse in the market. STX still continues
to invest in new materials and technologies to enhance the equipment of the game.
STX Xen
In today’s game, sticks are
made of synthetic materials for durability and easier handling. According to
SimplyLacrosse.com, today's lacrosse sticks are made of an aluminum pole with
plastic forming the netted head. These materials, as well as materials such as
titanium and graphite, are designed to lighten lacrosse sticks, making them
simpler to control during game play.
Depending upon the player’s position can determine on the type of stick
someone can get, however it is usually based upon preference.
To say the least, the sport
of lacrosse is still in its growth cycle and along with that the equipment and
products are continually being changed and enhanced. In other words, the company with the newest
and effective designs and technologies will turn the most product sales.
With grueling workouts and the continual strain put on these LAXERS bodies, it is important to replenish with nourishing foods that will always keep them at the top of their game. Taking a look at various health and nutritional web sites I have found the top 5 foods most nutritionists recommend for all athletes. The Lady Dragons are now implementing these foods into their everyday diets.
1. Whole grains: Whole grain food such as cereal, bagels, pasta, and bread give good, long-lasting energy to the whole body. As the most important food group, athletes should eat many whole grain carbohydrates before an event.
2.Peanut butter: Peanut butter is a good source of protein and essential fats, and it is easy to carry and eat on the go. Other protein sources will work as well, such as lean meat or dairy; the important thing is to get adequate protein before and after a work out. Protein helps the body in maintaining aerobic metabolism instead of anaerobic metabolism, which prevents the body from taking protein from lean tissue. Adequate protein speeds recovery and helps in actual performance situations.
3.Fresh fruits and Vegetables: Fresh produce is a great way to get vitamins and minerals that help the body function as normal. They are usually fat-free and contain lots of energy for the body to use during exercise. Some fruits, such as bananas, contain potassium, a mineral that regulates water levels in the body and stabilizes muscle contraction. Low potassium levels can lead to muscle cramps and fatigue, so eating potassium-rich foods is a good idea. However, it is important to regulate potassium intake, because too much too quickly can lead to a heart attack. Athletes should take in 435 milligrams of potassium for every hour they exercise. While potassium does not aid in actual performance, it speeds recovery and should be considered as one of the most important supplements to an exercise program.
4. Calcium-Rich Foods: Foods such as cheese, yogurt, and milk contain necessary calcium, which creates strong bones and protects athletes from injury. These dairy products are also a good source of protein, but they should be eaten well before an event, as they take some time to process. If the body does not tolerate dairy well, supplements should be included to ensure that athletes receive the recommended daily intake of 1000 milligrams. As an example, a cup of skim milk provides about 300 milligrams of calcium.
5. Fiber-Rich Foods: Fiber is the nutritional component that keeps athletes full and regulates the digestive tract. Many of the foods already mentioned include fiber, but it is important for coaches to know which foods help athletes regulate fiber levels. Examples of fiber-rich foods include whole grains, apples, berries, almonds, and legumes. A simple way to determine the necessary amount of fiber is to add 5 to the athlete's age. For example, a 10-year-old athlete needs about 15 grams of fiber daily. After the age of 15, athletes need 20-25 grams of fiber a day.
With the hype of the super
bowl slowly dwindling down from last night, the commercials and advertisements
still linger strongly in the air. As we all know it wouldn't be
a Super Bowl without the 15 to 30sec commercial productions that cost
more money to make than most even earn in their lifetime. With a
large viewing audience of around 90 million, this is every
marketers dream to create that advertisement that can be gawked at by
audiences from around the globe. However, this year there seems to be
some mixed reviews on the commercials and whether they were
note worthy at all. Of course, it was going to be difficult for
Chrysler to out shine themselves from last year’s empowering message on the
the city of Detroit, but Clint Eastwood? Granted an amazing actor
and very deep prominent voice, I honestly didn't know if
the commercial was supposed to be serious or comedic. BUT this is beside the
point, I want to discuss other forms of advertising that were showcased during
the SB that may or may not have gone unnoticed by viewers.
Some
interesting observations I made about last night’s game. Both players were sponsored by Reebok. The Reebok logo was plastered on all of the players jerseys,
however the shoes and accessories the players had worn were by different
brands, predominately Nike. I am not
sure how player sponsorships work, but apparently they are allowed
to wear other brands other than Reebok. If I were
to take a guess I think that Reebok is the official sponsor of the NFL and all
teams wear Reebok jerseys, but footwear, gloves, sweatbands ect. can be up to
the player? (not sure). Also,
Toyota must have shelled out a lot of money to have their name on the half time
report commentators table. It is a
safe to say that the vast majority of commercials/advertisements were
cars. There was
Fiat commercials, Kia Optima, al lot of Chevy, and of course Chrysler.
Also, NBC being the network/channel the game was on didn't hesitate
to plaster their, what I like to call, rainbow orange slice logo everywhere.
They advertised upcoming TV programs, along with their
sports network and just NBC in general. If the camera angel was just
right you could see Verizon flash on the electronic boards throughout the
stadium. Finally, those classic green Gatorade cups and water
bottles were being used by the players and coaches.
2012 Super Bowl Halftime Show
Though
this blog is predominately on the advertising I want to conclude with my
thoughts on the half time show. IT BLEW
MY MIND! Though
the actually performers, Madonna cough cough, could have done without; the
overall entertainment value was spectacular. The show/camera positions/network went off without a hitch in my
opinion. A lot of
organization and event planning went into this production and it was on
point. Perhaps
one of the more entertaining half time shows. The usage of fiber optic lights (moving floor) was brilliant and I
bet we will see the usage of more digital stuff such as that in the upcoming
opening ceremonies for the Olympic games.
