Another Week To Be Jealous

Well Paris was amazing but I had to get back to London which is becoming a lot like home to me (weird I know considering my home i actually about 5000 miles away in Mississippi).  My class and I got to spend the week meeting with all kinds of amazing people in all different aspects of sport.  We got to meet with Kate Hoey who is a member of the British Parliament and the Minister of Sport (aka she's a big deal, and Irish!)  Mrs. Hoey informed us a lot on how London is creating a lasting legacy after the Olympic Games and how everything new that is being built will transition to community centers to encourage sport in the country.  Also, London is being very smart and creating non-perminate structures to house events that can be taken down after the games.  The next day we visited the Chelsea Football Club and that was a huge stadium and a lot of blue.  Chelsea is consistently ranked in the top 5 of the premiere leagues in London and is a great franchise with awesome facilities.  The next day we traveled to Wimbley Stadium which may be one of the largest stadiums/centers in London.  It is more than just the home of the English National Football (soccer), and Rugby Teams, the stadium is used for corporate events and concerts.  It is going to be used in the 2011 olympics to host many of the soccer games and the finals.  After this we had the opportunity to go to the British Open in Sandwich, and yes, I saw McIlroy.  The guys is pretty awesome, but what is more impressive is the hole-in-one I witnessed on the 16th hole buy Dustin Johnson.  It was kinda insane, and I'm not even a huge golf fan.  My class and I also got to travel to one of the English Training Centers called Bisham Abbey which is the development center for sports such as football (soccer), tennis, squash, and golf.  This is a place that young people identified to have olympic or professional potential are sent to develop in their sport.  Following our trip there we visited Stoke/Mandeville which the home of the ParaOlympics and the national training center for athletes with disabilities.  Well I know thats a lot of info but was only one week for me!  Of course there are pictures to follow and more posts very, very soon.

Cheers!

Huge stained glass window in Parliament 

Chelsea Stadium

Wimbley Stadium

Me with Wayne Rooney's English National Jersey, you know no big deal

Bisham Abbey Offices

 

"Merci Pour Les Mémoires"

Just to make those of you reading a little more jealous, I did spend the weekend in Paris, and yes it was pretty awesome.  The city itself is just so relaxed and everyone is just on there own time enjoying life.  Don't even get me started on the food. Ok, well since you asked, the food is mind-blowing.  Parisians may come across a little arrogantly but if you could make food like those people you could be too.  To put it into perspective for all of you, I hated tomatoes until this trip.  Now, I eat them like apples.  But the city of lights has so much more to offer, after all, it is the city of lights.  We got to travel to Versailles and see the wealth and beauty that was the royal family, and the immaculate gardens which seem to go on and on forever.  We  also visited the Louvre which was amazing and extremely crowded.  Side note, the Mona Lisa is actually really small - who would have thought it.  Then we took a ride on a river boat down the Seine and night which gives you a completely new perspective of the city.  And of course, we got to see the Eiffel Tower, which to was smaller than I actually thought it was going to be but still very, very cool to see.  So here is a sampling of pictures that I have accumulated and at the end is a short video of the Eiffel Tower as it is lighting up at midnight... hope you enjoy!

"Jusqu'à ce que nous rencontrons encore la ville de lumières."

(until we meet again city of light)

And here is that video I promised....

Grab some tomatoes, lets play ketchup

I know its has been a while since my last post, but there is a good reason - I've been BUSY!  When my professor for the summer said we had a full schedule, he wasn't kidding.  So the last time I posted we had just visited Twickenham Rugby and had a nice reception to welcome all the students in, but now we are in full swing.  To begin with, I have meet with the head of NFL International and talked strategy/planning and the legacy they are making in England with American Football, which is surprisingly popular here.  I also meet with Populous.  They are the masterminds, architects, engineers who are behind all of the major sporting stadiums that you see throughout the world.  But that was just a warm-up for the grounds and history that my class experienced at Lord's Cricket.  Lord's (as it is commonly referred to) is the home of cricket.  Cricket is the national game of England and is immensely popular throughout the former common wealth countries and the middle east. Well thats enough for one post but I will post again very soon so that you all can hear about Paris and all of its beauty.
Happy readings...

Cheers!

My class meeting with the NFL International

Model of the Olympic Stadium in London

A collection of the wooden balls they use in cricket

Lord's Cricket Stadium

The original stand at Lord's

The state of the art media center at Lord's

The pitch

July 5th - Tackles and Tarts

Today we had the awesome opportunity to visit the town of Twickenham and the huge stadium that is there.  Twickenham Stadium is the home of England rugby.  So in case you didn't know already, rugby is huge, here in the UK.  The stadium itself is an amazing venue to visit.  For those of you like me who are basing your knowledge of rugby of the movie Invictus, I'll post a link to a website that will explain all the rules for you.  Rugby is known as the hooligans game played by gentlemen. The pitch (field), as they call it, is as pristine as any professional baseball/soccer/football stadium anywhere in the world.  To make it just a little better, the pitch is made of grass that is gown and meticulously kept up on site - thats right folks, no astro-turf here.  It was one of the most beautiful stadiums I have ever been to.  Also, and not to be forgotten, Her Royal Highness as a box at the stadium which she uses every year for the international matches that Twickenham hosts.  Because I am so awesome, I got to sit in Her Majesty's seat!  After we returned to Kings College we had a small welcome reception where we had some very good food and deserts.  So as in it is becoming tradition, I will post a few pictures of our adventures for you all to see.

Cheers!

http://www.rugbyunionrules.com/

My Class with our teacher Dr. Phillips

That's me chillin in the Queens seat at Twickenham, no big deal

These are from our reception....

Sports Management Kids