Wednesday, June 29, 2011

_________________________________________________
This post is about stealing ideas and  about the advantages and
disadvantages of sittingt together in one class-room with the one 
who stole your ideas...

Monday, June 27, 2011

New This Week!

30 June 2011:
There was a mistake for the pricing of Baker Heli-pop Reynolds. The correct price should be $105 instead of $95.





























Saturday, June 25, 2011

Meta..

Schaut mal, ein nettes Dankeschön-Comic für einen Link:
...immer auf der Suche nach neuen Comic-Blogs zu  Eurer und meiner Unterhaltung:
 Lilli
P.S. Und Danke auch an alle, die mich verlinkt haben! (...und Entschuldigung, dass nicht jede/r von Euch ein eigenes Dankes-Comic erhält... ; ) Ich mach übrigens auch gerne mal ein Ferien-Gast-Comic...

Friday, June 24, 2011

Back to School

Ben Field

Ben is the recently appointed manager of Sport Pembrokeshire at Pembrokeshire County Council


With schools across Wales being asked to get their pupils to fill in the national School Sport Survey, Ben describes his work so far to sell the benefits of the project.
When details of the survey came out I could certainly see the benefits of having the data – both for my team working in sport and the schools themselves – and I wanted to make sure we did our bit to sell the benefits.
We started off with an e-mail from the Director of Education to all our schools. This wasn’t a directive but an opportunity to stress the importance and encourage them to take part. It was good to have that endorsement from the Director.
I met with the Education Advisors for the School Improvement Teams to talk them through the detail and gain their support.
I presented to Primary School Headteachers while my Head of Service presented to Secondary Headteachers.
All Sport Pembrokeshire staff work in some form or another with local schools – peripatetic PE tutors, 5x60, Dragon Sport and sport specific officers – and they are key to reminding schools about the survey and giving that extra encouragement.
We’ve got a newsletter that goes out to schools and the public and we’ve included a full page article on the survey in our current edition.
I’m maintaining regular contact with Headteachers via phone and email. If the school has completed or started the survey I’m e-mailing them to make sure I thank them for their support. And also trying to build up some healthy competition.
The key message I’ve been selling is around the well-being agenda and the information that will be made available for schools to use, particularly as evidence for any impending Estyn Inspections.
I’ve had some constructive feedback about the questions, the terminology and the length of time it’s taken some pupils to fill in.
With the data that we could have, I certainly hope the end will justify the means.
_______________________________________________________
for my dear english-speaking-readers:
I'm too lazy to translate this whole text.. The main information is, that
I stopped the comic-workshop for kids (in fact boys...). Maybe I'll do
a workshop just for girls. I'm asking myself whether this is discriminating, but
decide, that it's not. I didn't really draw comics with this bunch of boys
who were constantly fighting. And I'm an artist, who wants to teach something
about comics and not a kindergarten teacher. It was fun annyway! : )


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

_____________________________________________
 Convert phallic symbols to memorials of feminality!
Why  "cupid's arrow"
and not "cupid's pit"?

Career advice: want to be a sports psychologist?

Dr Joy Bringer is a Sport Psychologist, working full-time with elite athletes and coaches at Sport Wales in Cardiff. She is a Chartered Psychologist and is accredited to the High Performance Sport level with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences 

Joy Bringer
Sport Wales' Dr Joy Bringer

In her role, she has travelled to the Athens and Beijing Paralympic Games supporting British athletes. She has also been an integral member of Team Wales at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games.
We managed to catch up with her to get some career advice for those who fancy a career as a sport psychologist...



What made you decide on a career in sports psychology?
I first learned about the field of sport psychology, when I was completing my undergraduate degree in psychology at Pepperdine University in California. Pursuing a career in sport psychology was a great way to combine my love of sport and my ambition to help others.
How would you define sports psychology?
Sport psychology is the study of psychological principles applied to sport. It is actually a very broad area of study which can include looking at ways to improve an individual’s performance (for example, an athlete, a coach, a team manager, or even a referee), a team’s performance, or indeed the whole sporting organisation. Some researchers study what motivates people to get involved in sport and continue to participate, which is very important from a national health perspective. In terms of elite sport, researchers look at what will help athletes and coaches excel at their sport, and applied sport psychologists help athletes and coaches put this into practice.
How did you get into it?
 I was encouraged to present my undergraduate dissertation on coach feedback at a student conference, which made my application stronger when I applied to study for my master’s degree at the University of Oregon. My master’s degree programme was focused on teaching us about the theory of sport psychology and how to become good researchers.
There was no structure for gaining applied experience. However, for those students who were motivated to work in sport, the professors did provide guidance. I had worked in tennis previously, so I approached the university tennis coach and offered to help out. I worked 20+ hours a week, doing anything from feeding balls, to evaluating matches, to helping with admin, and reviewing applications from prospective players. I was also able to put into practice some of the ideas that I was learning about during my sport psychology course.
After completing my master’s degree, I answered an advert to complete a PhD at the University of Gloucestershire. In addition to doing the research required for the PhD, I completed three years of supervised experience to become a British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences applied sport scientist. As my area of expertise was in sport psychology, I felt that it was important for me to able to call myself a sport psychologist (which is a protected title) so I also made sure that my training would prepare me to become a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and register as a practicing Sport Psychologist with the Health Professions Council.
What do you do now? 
I have been working at Sport Wales as a Senior Sport Psychologist since 2003, helping elite athletes and their coaches train and perform better. When I start working with a sport, athlete, or coach, we will go through a process of a “needs analysis” where we will identify areas where improvements might be made. This could include teaching skills such as goal setting, refocussing strategies, imagery, and managing emotions.
I work within a team of sport scientists and sports medicine providers, so whenever possible I link in with the other support staff. For example, if an athlete wants to improve concentration during competition, the performance nutritionist will work with the athlete to develop an appropriate nutrition plan for competition days, and I will help the athlete with refocussing strategies.
What do you enjoy about it?
I love working with highly motivated sports people who are striving to perform better.
What would your advice be to anyone thinking of becoming a sport psychologist?
Currently, if you want to be an applied sport psychologist, you must complete a Health Professions Council (HPC) approved programme of training and successfully register with the HPC. Anyone wanting to become an applied sport psychologist should start by reading the advice on the websites for the British Association for Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), the British Psychological Society (BPS), and the Health Professions Council (HPC) to learn about what qualifications are required. Then, speak to those already working in the field.
Find out what the current job market is and learn about the career paths for applied sport psychologists, academic lecturers, and researchers in sport psychology.  Seeking out opportunities to volunteer or work in sport, whether it is through coaching or other roles, is a great way to make contacts and find out whether or not the hours and the environment suit the way you want to work.
The Sport Wales website gives lots more information about volunteering and you can sign up to get involved today!
Any myths about it?
In the past, some athletes thought sport psychology was only needed if something was wrong with them. Fortunately, most athletes and coaches now value the input sport psychologist can have in terms of improving preparation and performance. For example, sport psychologists can play a major role in helping athletes, coaches, team managers, and support staff to anticipate and respond better to pressures that might occur during the upcoming London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. 
If you want to find out more about becoming a sport psychologist, the following links might be helpful: 
http://www.hpc-uk.org/apply/psychologists/
http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/careers_home.cfm

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

20 ways in which boxer Sean Mcgoldrick's been helped by Sport Wales' sports science & medicine team

Sean Mcgoldrick with his
2010 Commonwealth Games gold
This week, Wales’ Commonwealth Games gold medallist boxer Sean Mcgoldrick will be competing in the European Championships in Turkey.




It takes more than lightning reactions, natural talent and committed boxing coaches to get to the top.

Like most, world class athletes, Sean is also supported by a team of sports science and medicine experts.

In our latest blog, Sport Wales’ sports science and medicine team take us behind the scenes and give us 20 ways in which they’ve been helping him prepare:

Strength & Conditioning Coach Joe Hewitt has:

·         been helping Sean to create force from the floor and transferring it into his punches
·         developed more mobility and stability
·         develop Sean’s structural strength which means that Sean is more able to hold strong body positions
·         increased his lower body strength which increases his ability to generate force, improves movement ability and resistance to fatigue and gives him a solid base from which to defend and attack from
·         developed his upper body strength which helps him to cover up and defend
·         undertaken circuit based conditioning sessions to develop Sean’s power endurance - while the boxer was recovering from hand surgery
·         helped develop his hand strength

Sean with from left: Performance Analyst Stuart Peacock, Performance Nutritionist Kathryn Brown,
Physiotherapist Sian Knott, Sports Psychologist Catherine Shearer, Sport Wales Institute
Manager Brian Davies and S&C coach Joe Hewitt
Sian Knott, Physiotherapist has:

·         provided rehabilitation following Sean’s hand surgery – mainly focussing on regaining full movement in the wrist, hand and fingers as well as regaining strength of the overall hand and forearm
·         undertaken more general work, so that Sean is in best shape possible to get maximum benefit from his training without getting injured
·         worked to keep Sean’s muscles at an optimal length, in conjunction with soft tissue massage therapist Dave Rowe

Sean in action at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi

Kathryn Brown, Performance Nutritionist has:

  •   advised Sean on a nutrition strategy while he’s travelling to make sure that he’s getting all the nutrition he needs while also maintaining his target weight range
  • advised him how to take in fuel and fluid post weigh-in so that he is nutritionally prepared for the event
  • worked with Sean so that after his intense training sessions he is able to take in the right nutrients to refuel and repair his muscles and so that he rehydrates to replace sweat losses of sodium and water

Dave Rowe, Soft Tissue Massage Therapist has:
·         eased tightness and improved movement in back and shoulders
·         reduced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) associated with intensive training
·         assisted in recovery and rehabilitation following injury to right fist
·         promoted recovery from competition and/or training

Cath Shearer, Sport Psychologist has:

·         worked with Sean on his pre competition goals to make sure he is on target to reach his competition goals
·         helped Sean develop contingency plans for any situation he is faced with
·         assisted Sean in developing  a competition plan

Wo ist die nächste Comiczeichner-Selbsthilfegruppe?



______________________________________________________
Where's the next self-help group for comic-artists!?
Comic-artists often tell in interviews:
"A great thing about comics is that you have total control about everything!"
I think that this is the right attitude to accomplish even longer stories. But
what can be a blessing can also be a curse ...
"The tricky thing about comics is that permanentely you have to make decisions
and never know whether they are the right ones!"

Monday, June 13, 2011

A road trip of disability sport discovery

Disability Sport Wales

Michelle Daltry of Disability Sport Wales tells us how Welsh sport is set to be more inclusive to disabled people:
In March 2011, Jon Morgan -Executive Director of Disability Sport Wales - and I set out on a road trip across Wales to present the new partnership agreements for 22 Local Authorities in Wales. 
In all honesty, despite my enthusiasm for the partnership agreements and roadside cafes, I was a little concerned that by the end of a few thousand miles cris-crossing Wales for hours in a car with Jon, his jokes and observations - life may begin to run a little dry!
We started our meetings with an early start from Cardiff to my homeland of North Wales, with Gwynedd, Anglesey and Wrexham hosting us.  Later that same evening,  we returned home tired but very excited after hearing some of the most positive and powerful messages from our local authority partners around the need for inclusive practise within their programmes. 
And by the time we had completed all 22 meetings, it became very clear that the future for disability sport in Wales is very bright and one that is shared right across Wales.
insport is the brainchild of the Disability Sport Wales team.  Inspired by the Australian Sports Commission Disability Sport unit’s model, Sports Connect, insport aims to support our key partners across Wales to encourage everybody to think about how disabled people can be involved in all aspects of sport – from participating to coaching or volunteering. 
The insport programme has three strands – National Governing Bodies of Sport, Local Authorities (Development) and Club.  Each one of these packages has a Ribbon, Bronze, Silver and Gold pathway and through the Disability Sport Wales team each of these key groups will be given all the support needed to help embed inclusive thinking in all elements of their work.
While we were on our cross country tour we were hoping to inspire a few local authorities to help us design and pilot the package for insport development.  What we were actually met with was unanimous support for the programme and more local authorities wanting to be involved than we could actually manage!
Caerphilly even approached us before we had  actually met them!!  The task of narrowing these down to a manageable group was completed after much deliberation and Wrexham, Conwy, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Newport, Torfaen and Caerphilly were last week announced as the seven local authorities helping to lead the way on developing fully inclusive sports development programmes. 
The first insport development group meeting will be held within the next few weeks, with the intention  of supporting all 22 Local Authorities to achieve at least the Ribbon standard by 2013.   
In the meantime, work behind the scenes is well underway to identify the next five National Governing Bodies of Sport to join insport trailblazers Welsh Athletics and Welsh Rowing who have already achieved the ribbon award. 
And whilst all this is going on, the 22 Disability Sport Wales Development Officers across Wales are hard at it supporting the insport club programme  to deliver appropriate sporting opportunities for all disabled people, bringing together the final key pieces of the inclusion puzzle.
If you've got any questions or comments, feel free to post them here or catch me on Twitter 

Friday, June 10, 2011

_____________________________________
Little girl kisses metal-fence at the supermarket.
"Ugh!Drop it!"
Probably it reminded her of her mother.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

________________________________________________________
Granny in front of me in the supermarket bought:
2 cans of hairspray "Extra Strong"
1 Pkg. sanitary napkins
6 different woman-magazines
( none cost more than 1 Euro)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Fööööööööhn


_____________________________________
antidepressant:
blow-dry yourself

Net Gains: Volunteering in netball

Claire Knowles is the Sport Wales Events Officer based in Cardiff. In her spare time she volunteer’s with Creigiau Netball Club, based in Cardiff, as an Under 11 Coach. She is also a paid Head Coach for the Senior Club, and works with the juniors voluntarily.

How often do you volunteer with Creigau Netball Club?
The club is based out of Radyr High School and Howells school in Cardiff, and caters for children from 7 years old to as long as they want to play!! 
We have U10’s, U11’s U12’s U13’s U15’s Youth and a Senior Club with 4 senior teams, plus we do summer league netball and the odd games of mixed netball too!
 I volunteer every Saturday morning for an hour through the Netball season. Next year I’m working with the Youth so will be volunteering every Tuesday for an hour.

How did you get into Netball?
Through school.  I started in primary school, and then I linked with a club in secondary school where I started coaching and got my first coaching award.

How did you get into volunteering?
I was always encouraged by my School PE Department and parents to get involved in activities, so I suppose it came from there.

What do you enjoy the most about volunteering?
I’ve really enjoyed working with the U11s, its only one hour and I get so much reward from seeing them progress throughout the season!

How is Creigau Netball Club  doing in terms of its achievements?
The club is doing really well (forever growing!).
The club aims for the next 12 months are to develop the Junior section and actively work with Sport Cardiff to advertise the club as an exit route from schools.
The club at a junior level is about individuals achieving their potential and enjoying the sport – so it would be for the girls to continue participating in Netball and enjoying their sport.

What advice would you give to someone who would be interested in volunteering?
Start small, ask if there is a particular job you can support with e.g. Scoring at games, registration at each session, assisting with warm ups and see how you go with that.
Give it a go and get your friends involved too!

In your opinion, how can we encourage more people to volunteer?
For me it’s taking away the thought of a ‘one woman/man band’ – to get involved in volunteering in sport you don’t need it to take over your life – everyone has something they can offer however small, its all about teamwork!

Monday, June 6, 2011

FROM CENTRE CIRCLE TO CLIPBOARD

Paul Batcup
PR Officer, South West Wales Region Team, Carmarthen

Paul has just started volunteer coaching with the Garden Village FC under 6 age group.  

I’m certainly no Fergie, Dalglish or Wenger....and I’m a lifetime from following Brendan Rogers to the top table of football coaches.
But, I’ve taken the plunge and I’m hooked on coaching already.
A huge football fan, and still a regular park player, I’ve been increasingly intrigued at the idea of giving the orders rather than taking them.
Of course, coaching (very) young kids is a long way from the hairdryer treatment associated with Sir Alex.
With my five year-old boy a huge football fan already, I’d taken a watching brief for the last few months as he played his first 4-a-side games on a Sunday morning for a ‘proper’ team.
I’ve been taking him to recreational sessions and soccer schools since he was three and, with regular kickabouts in the garden and park, he’s certainly on the right track to proper technique and the physical skills to play the game....which is the most important thing.
I truly believe that training and practice with a ball (a ball each) is key for kids growing up. A formal game should be a very small part of what they do – 5%, if that.
The one thing I’ve noticed is that kids love the competition and play a game. They even celebrate like their heroes when they score a goal. It’s just part of our culture and I think we should use that positively.
Right...back to the plunge.
With many more little ones coming along to the weekly ‘training’ sessions, I was asked to take a session of my own. I’d watched – and taken part in – countless training sessions over the years, but this was different.
What a buzz. Like playing your own first game all over again.
Make no mistake, it is hard work...especially with children aged five and six. As a matter of course you can expect some messing around and a few tears.
But when you can see them enjoying and having fun it makes it all so worthwhile. In fact, I was so hyper it took me an age to get to sleep that night.
Now I’m going there will be no stopping me...I hope. I’m sure many other parents would feel the same...but it’s just about making that jump to do it.
I remember how much I looked up to my coaches when I was a junior and I’d love the youngsters in our sessions to think the same in years to come.
National Volunteer Week runs from the 1st- 7th June – what are you doing?

We are hiring part timers

14 June 2011 Update
Application for the part time staff are now closed. Thank you to everyone who sent in their resumes. We will be calling people up for interview in the next few days. If you have not been shortlisted for the job, you will also get a reply from us informing you so.


6 June 2011
We are looking to hire new part timers for our stores.

If you are

At least 17 years old
With a keen sense of interest in skateboard, aggressive inline

Have some knowledge of skateboarding/aggressive inline.
Willing to pick up new skills
Able to work at least 3 days a week with possibility of both weekends working

Please send us your resume with the following information.
If you do not have the following information below, your resume WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Name
Contact details
Work experience (if any)
Working hours able to commit

Application closes Monday June 13th.
Please put down part time job application for subject heading
We will not entertain any late applications.
Short listed applicants will be called up for interviews from June 14th onwards.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

strange shopping


____________________________
...a drill and an ice-cream...

Thursday, June 2, 2011

New This Week!














....drawing from may 2007
______________________________________
On Fathers Day??... maybe he drinks an egg liqueur
and that's all!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

WHY YOU SHOULD GET INVOLVED IN NATIONAL SCHOOL SPORT WEEK

Richard Dando works for Sport Wales (and a part-time triathlete!) and in our latest blog he spells out the benefits of getting involved with National School Sport Week...

Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week 2011
The Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week (NSSW), the UK’s largest celebration of school sport will be happening across the UK between June 27th to July 1st 2011 and schools still have the opportunity to sign up to take part in London 2012 inspired activities and be in with a chance of winning amazing prizes. 

The week uses the power and inspiration of London 2012 to get more young people taking part in and understanding the value of sport.  This year’s theme will be ‘Personal Best’ and young people will be invited to pledge to achieve a personal best in an Olympic and Paralympic sport individually, with their class or with their club, at every level and standard.

In 2010 14,000 schools and 5 million young people took part in NSSW across the UK.  In Wales, 176 primary and 83 secondary schools in Wales signed up in 2010 and took part in NSSW and - with London 2012 only five school terms away - we want to get more Welsh schools signed up in 2011. The deadline for registering is 17 June 2011 and nearly 400 schools have so far signed up across Wales.

This is another fantastic opportunity for schools and pupils to be inspired by London 2012 and to help get every child hooked on sport for life. For further information and details on how to register (registration in Welsh available) please visit www.schoolsportweek.org and look out for the bilingual update emails, resources and amazing prizes linked to London 2012. 

Schools that that register and take part in NSSW will be able to use this as evidence towards their London 2012 Get Set Network application and take advantage of further amazing London 2012 opportunities.

For the school, the week can:
·         raise the profile of sport among pupils, parents and colleagues
·         demonstrate your commitment to physical activity, sport and the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
·         engage pupils in your sport and health objectives
·         celebrate your school’s sporting achievements
·         encourage a whole school approach to celebrating London 2012
·         provide primary schools the chance to win tickets for the London 2012 Games
·         provide secondary schools the once in a lifetime chance to carry the Flame in the Olympic Torch Relay

For pupils, the week is an opportunity to:
·         do more physical activity and try new sports
·         take part in competitions and join a club
·         demonstrate and celebrate a personal best
·         develop social, teambuilding and leadership skills
·         build confidence that benefits overall academic performance in school
·         learn about and demonstrate the Values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
·         have fun!

For the local community, the week is an opportunity to:
·         help the local school win amazing prizes by getting parents and the local community  involved by pledging their support to their local school via a designated website
·         win tickets for the London 2012 Games when pledging support to the local school
·         raise the profile of sport within the community
·         encourage links between schools and community clubs
·         encourage parents to volunteer at their local school during NSSW and beyond
·         encourage local Lloyds TSB branch staff to volunteer at a local school during NSSW and beyond