The Origin of American Football

Contributed by Mark Tolley.
Associate Director, USA Sport Group.

Thanks to the dominating presence of media technology in today's society, finding current coverage of our favorite sports can be as simple as fumbling with a remote control or clicking a bookmark in our web browser. Developments in technology over the past couple of decades mean we have unlimited and instantaneous access to score lines, rankings, highlights and controversies in whatever sport we've chosen as our own. Even in the office, coffee break visionaries tell us of the 'up and coming' generation of young athletes; destined to be the gleaming smile of sports performance drinks of the future... but how many of you sports fans out there have taken the time to really appreciate where it all started, the humble beginnings... the origin of your sport?

American Football

Ok, so some of us may have heard of Walter Camp the 'father of football', in 1879 this guy introduced aspects of the sport which are still relevant to today's modern professional game; the line of scrimmage, down rules, etc.

Top Moments of Sportsmanship

Contributed by Simon March.
Director, USA Sport Group.

In an increasingly competitive environment, it is easy to forget the backbone of any great athlete: sportsmanship.

Regardless of the type of sport, ability level of the player or level of competition, if the next generation of superstars could follow the example set by the athletes below, sport would be a much better place for it.

Golf: Adam Van Houten

Adam Van Houten, a student at Mount Gilead High School in central Ohio, had just won the state golf championship. It appeared he’d won by a comfortable seven-stroke margin, but Van Houten noticed a mistake on his scorecard. His playing partner had accidentally given him a five on the 10th hole instead of a six. Since Van Houten signed his scorecard before he’d even noticed the mistake, as per golf rules, he had two choices. He could ignore the mistake and win the state championship or report the mistake. He reported the violation to tournament officials and was disqualified from the competition.

Soccer: Paolo Di Canio

The Premier League game entered injury time with the score tied at one. Everton keeper Paul Gerrard went down with an injury, but West Ham played on. A cross found Paolo Di Canio, open net in front of him, Gerrard on the ground to his side. Instead of tapping into the empty goal, Di Canio picked up the ball and signaled the medical staff onto the field.

School's Out Mini Camps November 10-11

The US Sports Institute provide School's Out Mini Camps on school holidays throughout the year.  We have already held hugely successful Columbus Day camps on October 10 and our next camps are set to run on November 10 & 11 as all the teachers will be at the NJEA Convention!

Mini Camps are condensed versions of our most popular summer camps and inlcude:

• Multi Sport
• Soccer Squirts
• NetBursting Soccer
• World Cup Soccer

School's Out Mini Camps are being held across New Jersey for ages 3-14 depending on the camp.  Camps are usually half-day camps and range in cost from $35-$75.

For more information and to search for a camp near you, click here.

Soccer programs are staffed by our sister company, United Soccer Academy.

Globe Trotting: Cricket

Contributed by Emma Booth.
Regional Director, USA Sport Group.

The US Sports Institute offers many sports in their programs, from flag football to lacrosse and basketball, but how much do you know about different sports from across the globe? Each week we will be introducing you to a new sport. This week... Cricket!

Cricket was first played way back in the 16th century in England and is now played across many countries in many continents including Australia, Holland and Bangladesh. To learn the rules of cricket, I’ll be honest, you’d be here all day, but the general idea of the game is; if you score more runs than the other team, you win! There are 11 players on each team, one fielding and one batting; but only two batters are actually on the pitch at any one time. The fielding team’s job is to try and take wickets (get the batters out) and once they’ve done this, the teams swap over so the fielding team gets their chance to bat. There are many types of cricket matches, of various lengths; some can last as long as 5 days, but even then the game can end as a tie!

Women's Rugby in America

Contributed by Annabel Sergeant.
Area Manager, USA Sport Group.
Scotland Rugby International.

As the worldwide leaders in sport and with a reputation for breeding world class athletes, it is no surprise that rugby in the USA is becoming an ever more popular sport. In particular, women’s rugby is rapidly developing in the States and throughout the rest of the world.

In the history of women’s rugby there has been six World Cups, of which only the last four have been officially sanctioned by the International Rugby Board (IRB). The Eagles (USA Women’s National Team) won the first ever Women’s World Cup in 1991, England won in 1994 and the latest four have been won by the New Zealand Black Ferns. The tournament has grown considerably in the past fifteen years although television audiences and event attendance still remain relatively low, especially in comparison to other women's world cup events. The recent 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup games were broadcasted on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, which has remarkably helped to develop the growth of women’s rugby in the UK.