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A Golf Coach Is Important If You Want To Improve Your Game
Why would anybody need a golf coach when most of the famous golfers of old developed their game pretty much on their own? And besides, wouldn’t a golf coach take away all the fun of the game and make the whole thing too serious to call a leisure...
Beyond Boarders ... come ski with me
My earliest memory of skiing is an old picture my parents use to have. In it, I am about three and a half feet tall, bundled up tight, wearing the world’s largest sweater, woolen socks pulled up past my knees, and wrapped in a never-ending scarf. My...
Food as Fuel
Nutrition Basics for the Exercising Adult
Food is necessary for all humans to sustain life. For our bodies to properly function at rest, calories are needed from food to provide the energy needed to breathe, help our heart beat, allow our...
Golf Conditioning Myths
Golf conditioning is here and now! Golf has always been viewed as a game of leisure. But today's golfer is leaner, stronger, and fitter. Until the last few years, golfers didn't know how to go about incorporating exercise or, specifically, a golf...
IOC Drops Softball From Olympic Games
When the announcement came out of the International Olympic Committee meetings in Singapore that softball and baseball dropped were being eliminated from the Olympic program in 2012, many, including myself, were stunned.
I could understand why...
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Cold Nights and Hot Games: Great Alaska Shootout Basketball Tourney
Each year, colleges and universities from all over the nation
send their men's basketball teams to the "Last Frontier State"
to the Great Alaska Shootout Basketball Tourney. The competition
heats up the cold winter days and nights, as teams meet head on
to battle for buckets. Colleges and universities get the
opportunity to play against their top rivals and powerhouses of
the game. These games draw in record crowds each year, as any
basketball fan should not miss the chance to attend this fast
paced pre season classic.
The main question on any sports fan's mind is, why Alaska? The
reason is simple, former University of Alaska Anchorage head
coach, Bob Rachal found a loophole in the NCAA rules determining
pre season play. In an effort to draw more attention to the
state, the University of Alaska Anchorage, and the Seawolves
athletic program, Rachal became the mastermind of what began as
the Sea Wolf Classic. The NCAA rules stated any games played
outside the contagious 48 states did not count towards a
program's pre determined allotment. For this reason,
participants of the Great Alaska Shootout Basketball Tourney can
get an early gauge of their teams prowess against national
talent.
The first Sea Wolf Classic was held in 1978 for the '78-'79
basketball season and saw the Wolfpack of North Carolina State
University crush the University of Louisville's Cardinals. The
tournament ended in 1978, leaving many wondering if it would
become an annual event. Much to everyone's relief, the Sea Wolf
Classic became a Thanksgiving tradition in 1979, but under a new
name.
Broadcaster Billy Packer is credited with changing the name from
the Sea Wolf Classic to the Great
Alaska Shootout Basketball
Tourney back in 1979. In this stunning tournament, the title
game came down to the University of Kentucky Wildcats and the
Iona College Gaels. The Wildcats proved too powerful for the
tiny New York school, and emerged victorious as the second
champion of this fantastic new basketball challenge.
A list of past champions reads like a who's who of College
basketball, including NC State, Louisville, Kansas, Kentucky,
Duke, North Carolina, and UCLA to name a few.
The attendance may have been meager in the early days, but soon
the action caught on, and now college basketball fans of all
ages flock to the state for the Thanksgiving weekend Great
Alaska Shootout Basketball Tourney. What better way to celebrate
our national day of thanks than by cheering on teams from all
across the country? Many hotels, cruises, and lodges have
special packages designed with the college basketball fan in
mind.
If you find you cannot wait until December to enjoy hot hoops
action, head to Anchorage and watch the action melt away the
snow! Plan a trip for the family and bring budding sports fans
to experience the thrilling display of skill and sportsmanship,
or make it a raucous occasion for celebration with your best
hoops loving buds. Whoever you bring, just make sure you bring
yourself to this annual college basketball showdown!
About the author:
A lifelong Alaskan, Ron Richards lives in the beautiful
Matanuska Valley. Ron invites you to come and see Alaska. One
excellent way to enjoy Alaska is by taking an affordable Alaska Cruise Visit
http://findanalaskacruise.com for more information.
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