BREAKING NEWS: 2015 Pan Am Games coming to Brampton
Friday November 6 2009
By PETER CRISCIONE
Print this article
Email this article
Toronto's bid to host the 2015 Pan American Games has come out on top, which means several sporting events will be featured right here in Brampton.
The final vote for the 2015 Pan American Games was held in Guadalajara, Mexico, today where Toronto and the GTA won over another contenders vying for the honour.
Toronto was selected after the first ballot results pulled just after 4 p.m. this afternoon.
The two other bidding cities were Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia.
With the successful bid, Brampton will host training and competitive events for wrestling, soccer and racquetball.
These sports will attract close to 10,000 participants to Brampton.
The city will also play host to a cricket cultural event involving international teams as part of the 2015 Pan Am Games.
Toronto won with 33 votes, with Lima receiving 11 and Bogota 7.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Updated: December 17, 3:12 PM ET
The laughs behind the Steel Curtain
By David Fleming
Page 2
The Steelers' massive indoor practice field stood empty, dark and silent when, one by one, members of the NFL's best defense slipped in through a side door and shuffled quietly toward the only light in the entire building, coming from inside a nearby racquetball court. Linebacker James Farrior was first, followed by MVP candidate James Harrison, massive nose tackle Casey Hampton, a long string of jumpy, chatty defensive backs and safety Troy Polamalu, who untied his long hair as he walked.
And once all 14 players arrived, I followed them out of the darkness and into the room where a photo shoot was being set up for ESPN The Magazine. Temporarily blinded by the bright lights, with reality slightly altered by the small, narrow door as well as the echo-chamber effect inside the court, for one surreal second I experienced what it must feel like for a running back to head into the line of scrimmage at the goal line of Heinz Field.
You cover your eyes. You duck. You gulp.
In the background, you swear you hear the unmistakable siren wail and thumping bass from what sounds like Public Enemy's "Shut 'Em Down." The next time you open your eyes, you're facing the game's nastiest defense.
And then, of course, Harrison, the leader, steps forward and asks for a fan so that Polamalu's hair will poof just the right way when the cameras flash. Everyone cracks up. You breathe again.
Of all the wonderfully bizarre situations this job puts me in on a fairly regular basis, this has to be near the top: an hour spent squeezed into a tiny racquetball court with the members of Blitzburgh. A defense that in two weeks could become the first team since 1991 to lead the league in rush defense, pass defense and total defense at the same time as allowing the fewest rushing yards ever by a Steelers defense in the modern era.
In this town, that's saying something.
I mean, the amount of talent crammed into this room was stunning: Farrior, the anchor, with his team-high 112 tackles; Harrison, 15 sacks and seven forced fumbles -- seven; perennial Pro Bowler Polamalu and his NFL-best seven picks; LaMarr Woodley, 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pick; Aaron Smith, former Pro Bowl end with 4.5 sacks; corner Deshea Townsend, who returned a pick to beat Dallas … the list goes on.
Not that anyone has noticed. Hampton set his family up in a suite at Heinz Field for the game against the Cowboys. Late in the first half, down on the field, the Steelers' defense was feeling good about shutting out Romo, T.O. and the rest of the Cowboys. But Hampton's family, which was up in the suite, later admitted it was bored to death and hoping for some more scoring on the field. "We can't win, it's always going to be like that. Offense sells tickets, but a true fan can enjoy what we do," Hampton said before the shoot while sitting at his locker inside the Steelers' locker room. "We've always had great defenses here. The other defenses, the Baltimores, they holler a lot about what they're doing. But we just sit back and do our thing. We just do it low-key."
(By the way, you'll be happy to note that Steelers receiver Hines Ward extracted his revenge on the Flem File for naming him one of the league's dirtiest players by interrupting my interview with Hampton to ask about the worst Christmas gift he ever got. Answer: a red sweater. Long story. Mom couldn't afford much. Thought he was getting a toy or something cool. Etc, etc. The whole thing was very distracting. Well played, Mr. Ward. Well played indeed. Hampton and Ward, who was wearing a pair of bright yellow Crocs, kept laughing about the too-small Kool-Aid-colored sweater for a long, long time.)
Laughter is a sound you hear a lot around the Steelers' complex these days because, in the NFL, laughter is the unmistakable sound of confidence, of swagger, of a team that's rapidly climbing its way up the postseason seeding ladder while the Giants and Titans around them try desperately to hold onto their Mo as it leaks out of their cupped hands like water.
And inside the racquetball court, the Steelers' punch lines hit as hard and as often as their blitzes.
They rapped for the cameras. They flexed. They posed. Smith said he had been working on his Zoolander Blue Steel look all day. And when the players found out the shoot was intended for a possible cover (I'll never tell), half of them jumped down and started doing push-ups to bulk up for the newsstand.
"Smile," the photog yelled to Harrison.
"I don't smile," the 'backer replied.
"What do you think of the super spread that Texas Tech runs?" I asked him a few minutes later during a break.
"Texas Tech? Who's that?" he asked.
Come on, man. Be cool.
"Seriously, I don't watch football when I go home, man," Harrison insisted. "I don't watch ESPN or none of that -- I watch cartoons."
This was his kind of scene, then.
"I'm hungry," someone else yelled.
"Is that a wrap?" someone asked.
Meanwhile, the defensive backs started poking fun at the linebackers, saying they led with their helmets too many times. The linebackers made of fun of the tackles who kept complaining about kneeling on the hard floor. The tackles told the DBs to cross their arms and tuck their hands under their biceps to make them look bigger. When the photog asked for a mean, serious look, the Steelers all froze as long as they could -- like holding in church giggles … then burst out laughing. After each pose, they all ran over to the laptop to see how the photo turned out, then yelled at the guy who blinked.
Honestly, you always kinda hope the great teams act like this when they're out of sight and by themselves, but you never know. And the whole time inside that tiny court, all I could think was: "Wait, wait. This is a team that has won eight games by a TD or less, that's about to play in Baltimore where they've lost five straight, and they don't seem to have a care in the world. … The Titans are in trouble. Big, big trouble."
Finally, the Steelers were asked to pose in black ponchos. The hooded cloaks were pure old-school -- a perfect homage to all the defensive greats who have come before them in Pittsburgh. But the pressure to live up to that legacy must be immense. The reminders are everywhere. Lombardi trophies. Team photos. Statues. Paintings. Hall of Fame plaques. Like the one down the hall the defensive players must walk past on their way to meetings. It's a floor-to-ceiling black and white photo of the first points ever scored in a Super Bowl by the Steelers -- a safety, appropriately enough, registered by the Steel Curtain against Fran Tarkenton in Super Bowl IX.
So I half-expected some of the current Steelers to pause or even flat-out refuse to wear the old ponchos and voluntarily cloak themselves in the history, legacy and expectations of the Steel Curtain.
But none did.
They threw them on without hesitating.
And from where I was standing, it looked like a perfect fit.
I know this topic has probably come up in the past but how cool will it be to have racquetball for the Nintendo Wii. You can do it like tennis and it would be cool if they made something you attach to your feet so you actually move around. I think that this game could involve jumping in addition to just standing there and hitting the ball. The ball would need to be slowed down a bunch for the game. If only we knew how to get Nintendo interested in this idea. I think it can be a best seller. I also think that this game will give you the best workout out of all the other sports.
The Motorola IRT World Racquetball Championship presented by Verizon Wireless to air on ESPN Classic
Denver CO -The 2008 Motorola World Racquetball Championship presented by Verizon Wireless will air on ESPN Classic.
Here are the match times. (Times listed are eastern)
Semi #1 Jason Mannino vs. Rocky Carson
11/8 12:00 pm and re-aired on 11/11 at 2:00 am
Semi #2 Kane Waselenchuk vs. Alvaro Beltran
11/8 12:30 pm and re-aired on 11/11 2:30 am
Final Rocky Carson vs. Kane Waselenchuk
11/15 12:00 pm and re-aired on 11/18 2:00 am
The Motorola IRT World Racquetball Championship presented by Verizon Wireless to air on ESPN Classic
Denver CO -The 2008 Motorola World Racquetball Championship presented by Verizon Wireless will air on ESPN Classic.
Here are the match times. (Times listed are eastern)
Semi #1 Jason Mannino vs. Rocky Carson
11/8 12:00 pm and re-aired on 11/11 at 2:00 am
Semi #2 Kane Waselenchuk vs. Alvaro Beltran
11/8 12:30 pm and re-aired on 11/11 2:30 am
Final Rocky Carson vs. Kane Waselenchuk
11/15 12:00 pm and re-aired on 11/18 2:00 am
Would this work for a racquetball arena? Why or why not? Would the people sitting in the corners be able to view the court or will it be too distorted? This is all assuming that the racquetball court is a 4 Wall Glass Court.
I am bringing this up because when I went to Memphis the past two years for the US Open I have seen people sitting on the ground because there were no more seats left. There was barely any room to walk, especially during the finals. I think that the VIP Tables set up take up way too much room and I know there is a solution for people who pay the extra bucks. Any ideas? Disagree or agree? How can we bring more seating in and use the space to the fullest ability?
Seating such as this could be an idea
What are your thoughts?
I am really bummed out about this injury. I was just going to begin training. I was stupid
enough to go play a game of 5 on 5 basketball right after I practed racquetball. I stopped
suddenly and I tore my acl. Now I need surgery, acl reconstruction surgery. I chose a hamstring
for my graft. Has anyone ever experienced? When did you return to playing? What type of graft
did you use? Thanks for all the help!
Hey,
Do any of you know how many of the pros and which ones use vibration dampeners? I can't decide if I like them.
There is a tournament coming up and my coach wants me to play doubles with him. The problem is that he wants me to play the Open division, but I am an A player. What should I do? Should I play?
This is just an idea.
1. How would the view from the front of the court be if it was glass?
2. Would you mind sitting there?
3. What part of the court, the front, the back, or the sides, would you want to sit in?
Would the layout of the arena below work for racquetball considering that the court was a 4 wall glass court?
