sports culture

It is often said that Sport imitates life, I always wonder if that is true and whether the Sportsmanship and the sporting spirit existed. That is because when the stakes are high, I wonder how many of us can be honest? Honest enough to lose an advantage or maybe even fail at achieving a dream. I mean even at the times when it did not matter much, how many times can I person say I have been honest?

Do you remember those school tests, where you could cheat, copy that answer of someone else, we know it is wrong but still the temptation was there and most of us succumbed(unless you get caught its fine, that is the thought). There was always that one person who got lucky; the teacher gave him extra marks or a higher grade accidentally. So what does that person do? Get up go to the teacher, get the scoring error corrected. The result, he did not realize that he had just corrected himself out an A+ plus score, which would have him take top honours in class. Now was that a wise choice? Would he have done it if he knew he was losing the top grade? Ninety nine times out of hundred, I do not see that happening.

The stakes were just a school test, now take that same situation and place it in an infamously famous piece of football world cup history. Now known as the "Hand of God" goal. That being the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, it is the quarter finals and England face Argentina. Argentina with the legendary Maradona and England with "Mr. Clean" Gary Linekar (he never got a yellow or red card in his career). The stage was set; on the line was the World Cup, the dream of every footballer. Maradona got a cross and leaped up brilliantly in the air to head it (given his small physical size) and en route to the goal the ball brushed his left hand. A clear hand ball, but the goal went in and it was allowed. Camera's showed the clear hand ball, the England players protested but to no avail. Then, the Goal of the century by Maradona, where he single handedly (or footedly) scored the next goal taking the whole English defense (such was his class).

There are times when a person can rise above the game; I wonder what if Maradona could have told the referee, that it was a hand ball and that the goal, be disallowed (which it should have been, as per rules). At what price though, at the price of risking world cup glory? Now one could argue that it is the referee's job to make sure rules are adhered to. There was a chance, to rise above the game, but the stakes were much too high, even for the person who scored the goal of the century. Every time a batsman walks (without being given out by the umpire), or improper tackle of which a player takes responsibility, the person might lose but the game wins, sport wins and with that, even if there was no glory, a person rises above the game and becomes the spirit of the game. There is no price, honesty cannot be valued by stakes.

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) -- Greg Norman shot his second straight 70 at treacherous Royal Birkdale on Friday, sinking testy putts at the final two holes to hang on as the only player at par midway through golf's oldest major championship.

But no one was hotter than Colombian heartthrob Camilo Villegas, who closed a 5-under 65 -- the best round yet -- with an astonishing five straight birdies.

Norman, a 53-year-old newlywed, was two strokes ahead of the field until he made a mess of No. 17. The Shark put two shots in the rough and another in a backside bunker, but rolled in a 12-foot bogey putt that limited the damage.

After a perfect drive on No. 18, Norman walked up the fairway twirling his club and taking in a huge roar from the British gallery, which knows him as a two-time winner of the Open, not the guy who squandered numerous chances to win majors on the other side of the Atlantic.

Norman's approach came up far short of the flag, then he rolled a putt 20 feet past. Facing another bogey, the Aussie calmly sank the par saver, giving the slightest hint of a fist pump, then a tip of the cap as his caddie patted him on the shoulder.

Among his fans: former tennis great Chris Evert, who married Norman last month.

''That was quite an ordeal last few holes,'' Norman said. ''I felt like it was getting away from me a little bit.''

Villegas, dubbed ''Spider-Man'' for his unique style of reading putts, has long been more flash than substance. He's never won on the PGA Tour, but put himself right in contention at a tournament known for unlikely champions, including Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton.

The charismatic Colombian had eight birdies overall. He capped his amazing run at the end by striking the flagstick with his approach at No. 18, then sinking the putt after the ball ricocheted onto the fringe 18 feet away.

''It was a fun round,'' said Villegas, playing his first British Open. ''It's very different than what we're used to playing in the United States.''

Norman birdied three holes on the front side to offset a double-bogey at the gargantuan sixth, leaving him as the only player with a score that didn't have a plus sign in front of it.

A host of top players had yet to tee off, all of them hoping to avoid the cold, soaking rain and howling winds that made life miserable for the early starters Thursday. That group included Retief Goosen and Mike Weir, who both opened with 71s in brutal conditions and were to start the second round just a stroke off the lead.

Those who went out early Friday found conditions a bit easier, though they still had to contend with a light mist and a brisk breeze off the nearby Irish Sea. A pounding rain struck suddenly around lunchtime, threatening to make it another grim day for those drawing later tee times.

The forecast called for potentially heavy showers throughout the day on top of an ever-more-menacing wind, a possible repeat of Thursday morning.

Rocco Mediate, who shared the first-round lead with Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby at 69, couldn't match that score but was still in contention. A double-bogey at No. 11 marred the American's round, but he tapped in for birdie at the final hole to cap a 73 that left him two strokes behind Norman.

Mediate is following up well on the U.S. Open, where the 45-year-old everyman gave Tiger Woods all he could handle until losing a 19-hole playoff. He doesn't have to worry about Woods this time -- the world's best player is sitting out the rest of the year recovering from knee surgery.

''It made me think I can do it again,'' Mediate said. ''If I can get there again, I want to see what happens. I don't know what will happen, but I know I'll be more comfortable.''

Jean Van de Velde, still remembered for his epic 72nd-hole collapse at Carnoustie nine years ago, briefly surged into contention, only to get slapped down by this links course along the Irish Sea. He made the turn with a 2-under 32, then fell back with a couple of double-bogeys on the back side.

Still, he finished with a solid 1-over 71, heading to the weekend just four off Norman's pace.

''I'm very happy,'' Van de Velde said. ''I'm happy with my form, as well, even though I'm a bit inconsistent. I need to take out the tool box and try to find my way around. You can swing as well as you want, but sometimes it's not good enough.''

McDowell was struggling along -- with four bogeys and no birdies -- until a brilliant 3-wood at No. 16 set up a short birdie putt. He finished with a 73 and was tied with Mediate at 142, as was Jim Furyk, who shot a solid 71.

Sergio Garcia, intent on bouncing back from a devastating playoff loss to Padraig Harrington at last year's Open, rolled in a 75-foot birdie at No. 4 but ran into trouble after the turn. He bogeyed the 10th and double-bogeyed the next hole to slip five shots behind Norman.

Garcia was one of the lucky ones Thursday. Most of the players who went off in the morning struggled mightily in horrible conditions, including Ernie Els -- rated as one of the favorites but left with an 80 on his scorecard, the highest score of his sterling Open career. Vijay Singh also shot 80 and Phil Mickelson struggled to a 79.

Unless you store your boat inside, you probably use or have considered using a cover to protect her against the problems of outdoor storage. Now there is another option - Shrinkwrap your boat! Marine shrink-wrap is formulated to protect your boat while shrink wrapping prevents chafing or flapping.

Unless you store your boat inside, you probably use or have considered using, a cover to protect her against the problems of outdoor storage eg. ultra-violet gelcoat aging, weather damage, airborne grime, bird droppings... Tarpaulins or custom made covers of plastic or canvas have traditionally been used, but recently shrink-wrap boat covers have been gaining in popularity amongst boat owners.

Marine-grade shrink-wrap is not sticky and therefore does not bond to boats, it should not be confused with ‘pallet wrap’ or ‘stretch film’ that is stretched around an object and gives minimal protection. Shrink-wrap is draped over, secured to and heat shrunk onto the boat, so unlike a tarpaulin, it becomes tight and therefore cannot flap and self destruct. This is the secret of its durability.

Whilst a tarpaulin or custom cover is simply thrown over the boat and tied down, fitting a shrink-wrap cover is a different process. First, a 'perimeter' band of tough polyester strapping or rope is run around the waterline of the boat. The shrink-wrap is then placed over the boat, tucked around the perimeter band and heat-welded back onto itself creating a 'hem'; once anchored in this way, it is 'shrunk off' using a hot air tool.

This 'shrink-to-fit' characteristic means Boatcoat covers are particularly good at protecting awkwardly shaped products such as boats; and as sheets of shrink-wrap can be easily joined together there are no limitations as to the size or shape of boat which can be protected. In addition, unlike a tarpaulin, a Boatcoat cover can be fitted with access doors, air vents and can even be fitted tightly around masts and rigging.

At the start of the sailing season, the cover is simply removed – shrink-wrap cannot be re-used but is valued by recyclers. The ability to re-use a tarpaulin or custom-fitted cover is often considered the main advantage of using a tarpaulin compared with shrink-wrap. Whilst this can be true, the additional expenditure on repairs & maintenance; the time needed to clean tarpaulins or fitted covers; and the need for storage when not in use should not be underestimated.

Boat builders around the world have been using shrink-wrap to protect their boats for 10-20 years, so the process is tried and tested. Gas-fired hot air tools are usually used, the hot air is swept over the cover in a continuous motion so that it is never in one spot long enough to cause damage; in fact, the shrink-wrap thins and forms holes long before enough heat can be transferred to damage what is being covered.

Shrink-wrapping an already wet boat could trap moisture and condensation under the cover; however a specialist service agent will install a number of air vents into the cover allowing a cross-flow of air which is ideal for removing any trapped moisture drying out the boat.

In the UK, shrink-wrap covers tend to be white, it looks clean and professional and reflects the sun keeping the interior cool whilst allowing natural light through – especially good where work is taking place underneath the cover. In colder climes, coloured shrink-wrap such as blue is used, these absorb heat from the sun and cause any snow on the cover to thaw slightly and slide off, preventing damage to the cover or the boat due to weight of snow.

Marine shrink-wrap is specially formulated and ultra-violet inhibitors are added so that the plastic cover won’t degrade when protecting boats being stored outside for long periods.

Fitting a Boatcoat cover is a fairly simple process; however it is not normally considered a 'DIY' job for boat owners. Installation services are provided throughout the UK by a number of specialist Boatcoat service agents who operate mobile shrink-wrapping operations or by boat dealers, marinas and boatyards