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WELCOME TO WIMBLEDON

June 27, 2007 12:35 PM

WIMBLEDON, England

Green triggers a special feeling of sports-euphoria in me like no other color. In my younger days I donned the color as I took to the playing fields in the town of Billerica, Massachusetts. It signified an extraordinary sense of school pride.

Green is also the color of Boston’s biggest, bad’est, monster of them all….the Green Monster, that towers over the outfield at my favorite place in the world, Fenway Park. This symbolic structure often intimidates opposing players.

And today, as I walk through the cast- iron gates of the All England Lawn Tennis Club for the first time, I’m taken aback by the abundance of green….courts, balls, fences, and walls….topped off by the lush lawns that blanket all twenty of the coveted tennis courts. On these, the sacred grounds of Wimbledon, green stands for history and tradition.“It’s amazing here,” said 2004 women’s champion Maria Sharapova. “I get goosebumps.”   

“Wimbledon” is the oldest event in tennis, dating back to 1877….and it is widely considered to be the most prestigious, as well. Tradition often takes precedence over contemporary customs here. Players are required to wear all-white, and women working on the grounds don ankle length skirts. I asked one woman, in her twenties, what she thought of the old-school attire. She rolled her eyes, and moaned, “tradition...”

But this year comes a bevy of breakthroughs, slowly ushering in signs of modern reality.

For the first time, women will receive prize money equivalent to their male counterparts.
When Billie Jean King won the first-ever ladies open singles championship, she was awarded $1,500….compared to the $4,000 men’s champion Rod Laver pocketed.
"You know, I think it sends a great message," Serena Williams said. "It's a step in the right direction, I mean, for not only tennis, but just for women's sports and just for all women." This year’s prize? A mere $1.5 million.

An exciting piece of technology also debuts today. The “hawkeye” is bringing with it high hopes of making the game more exciting for fans in the form of instant replay.  This high-speed, multi-camera system tracks the ball….and questionable calls are reviewed on screens inside the stadium for all to see.

And finally, Wimbledon is about to “raise the roof.” Literally. A state-of-the-art roof is set to be constructed over center-court to combat the number one enemy of all outdoor events…rain…and the delays it brings with it. Renovations have begun to complete the roof by 2009…giving Center Court a much different feel. “It’s much more bright,” noted defending champion Roger Federer. “It’s definitely going to play different, that’s for sure. More wind being able to come into the stadium,” he adds.

All of these changes should make for an exciting event.   

Stay tuned!

More to come…….

June 27, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Meet the Indy 500's Odd Couple

June 08, 2007 10:24 AM

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana

On an average Sunday afternoon, soft-spoken Sam Hornish Jr. cruises past the corn fields that line the roads of his northwestern Ohio in a burly, black pickup truck. Meanwhile, his counterpart, extroverted Helio Castroneves, takes to the showy streets of South Beach in a luxurious Lamborghini.

Meet IndyCar's version of the odd couple.

Each are different in terms of personality, but both know how to put the pedal to the metal -- and win. "We're both pretty much fighters," Hornish told ABC News. "We have similar accomplishments." The 28-year-old Midwesterner takes to the track on Sunday as the defending champion of the Indianapolis 500 after a dramatic, come-from-behind finish last year. In fact, he went on to win the 2006 IndyCar Championship for the first time in his career.

Castroneves is no slouch either. He's a two-time Indy 500 champion and enters this year's competition as the winner of the prestigious pole position, which earned him the coveted No. 1 starting spot in the race. "Sam and I are pretty different [away from the track]," Castroneves pointed out. "I believe it begins where you grow up." For Hornish, that would be the tiny town of Defiance, Ohio. Population: 16,000. Number of traffic lights? Very few. Hornish has become the pride and joy of this sleepy hamlet. "There are so many people around here that have been so supportive," he said. "The local paper has promoted me so well. And there are people from town who go to five, six, seven races a year. That's one of the things that's best about it for me -- when I accomplish something I feel like they accomplish it too." Hornish is as cutthroat as they come behind-the-wheel, but once he steps out of the car it's a different story. "I don't have a whole lot of confidence outside the car. There's a lot of things I wish I could do better -- do better with the camera and promote myself better. But it's not me. I'm not up there doing that song and dance because it would come off too fake. I'm glad I'm smart enough to know that's not me." He goes on to add, "There's something about the car -- I'm a different person. It's like going in the phone booth and changing."

When talk turns to his colorful teammate, Hornish breaks into a grin. "Helio is obviously a lot more outgoing, a lot more song and dance than I am in a lot of ways," he said. "He is one of the only people I know of in the world who looks at the alarm clock in the morning and instead of saying, 'Crap, I have to get up,' jumps out of bed, when the alarm hasn't gone off yet, and says, What am I gonna do today?'"

When asked to sum up his personality using three adjectives, Castroneves said: "Three words are not enough.I would have to say I'm a passionate person. I'm obviously happy, I enjoy life. And I'm focused -- especially when I'm in the race car." Catroneves now lives in Miami, Fla., but believes his homeland shaped who he is today. "Everybody there is warm and welcoming. I have some of those characteristics," he told ABC News. Known for his electric energy, and effervescent smile, this Brazilian native is nicknamed Spiderman for his tradition of climbing the fence to celebrate with fans whenever he wins a race.

Like Hornish, Castroneves is in the zone when he's on the track. "It's very hard to describe what you're feeling inside the helmet.You're so focused, so intense, that when you finish it's like 'Wow,'" he said. "I have a great group of guys. One of the first things that comes to my mind is to thank them. I'm driving the car but also driving my team to happiness. It's a team sport."

Come Sunday, some 350,000 spectators will descend upon the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Both teammates say they are in it to win it. "I don't feel good, I feel awesome, I feel great," said Castroneves. "I've been preparing very hard. Not only mentally, but physically as well. As long as I keep working, keep sharp, we'll be good to go."  "Winning the Indy 500 was every emotion from being 100 percent excited and feeling on top of the world, to feeling this giant amount of relief taken off my shoulders," Hornish added. "The way I look at it, there's no reason why [I] shouldn't win again. I just need to go out there and be smart. I know how to do it now, been there, done that."

Gentlemen, start your engines.

June 8, 2007 | Permalink