Video: 2011 National Parkour Summit competition

The 2011 National Parkour Summit competition took place in Seattle, Washington. World class traceurs, including Levi Meeuwenberg, Frosti Zernow, Brian Orosco, and Tyson Cecka competed in speed competitions at Gasworks Park where two obstacle courses were set up. The first course was an Adult Open competition at Parkour Visions’ brand new gym, while the second was an Adult Invitational. Each participant was given two chances to run three timed courses. While competing, each traceur was able to learn about themselves as they created faster ways to overcome obstacles.

Check out the event for yourself in this video:


America’s Cup Sailing: the top attraction in Los Cabos, Mexico

Commands like “forward grind” and “backward grind” are guaranteed to elicit a chuckle, but when you’re deep in the throes of a sailing race, the laughter is pushed to the back of your mind. At the Cabo Adventures America’s Cup Sailing experience, recreation is seasoned with competition. Head out onto the water in Los Cabos, Mexico, and test your mettle against other visitors to Baja California Sur. Don’t worry, experts will be on board to help you along. And, yes, they keep score against each other, so the fix is never in.

Cabo Adventures is among the most interesting attractions in Los Cabos, and the America’s Cup excursion is at the top of the list. Skip the party scene for a little bit to do something for your body. The entire staff consists of experienced race crews who are more than happy to orient you to the tasks of sailing and winning out on the windy seas.

Those interested in watching the hard work can certainly find ways to abstain from the manual labor of cutting across the water, but the real fun is in grabbing a handle and putting your back into the quest for victory.

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As you push back from the slip, the first part of the voyage consists of a safety briefing and a general familiarization of what you can expect. In addition to showing you where ropes connect and explaining what your roles will be, the staff picks up a board and diagrams the basic racing tactics you’ll execute when the games begin. A bit of tradition is thrown into the mix, as well, from the countdown to start to the encouragement of trash-talking (all in good fun, of course).

And then, the race begins.

As part of your Cabo Adventures experience, you’ll race twice. The notion that each boat will claim victory once is wishful thinking for some, as the crews do keep score. If one of the men aboard your boat has suffered a recent losing streak, expect him to pull out all the stops to bring that disappointment to a close. Adding a bit of contention, one craft is named for Australia and the other for New Zealand. Old rivalries are perpetuated off the Cabo shore.

Throughout the competition, the staff is pleasant, helpful and understanding. You won’t be pushed; whips are not extracted from below deck to motivate you. The purpose, above all else, is to have a good time, and the team will help guide you through the challenges that await. It’s not easy, but you’ll be able to swap out with other guests during each race.

Once the second race has come to a conclusion, you’ll head back to the marina. Enjoy a cup of bear, stretch your shoulders and listen to the accented memories of the Australian, Kiwi and Mexican crew members. To call them experts is an understatement. Feel free to ask them about their own histories. They’ll talk willingly, but you won’t find boasting in these sea stories – just the untainted facts of professionals recounting the joyful pains of pursuing glory.

Oh, if you want a turn at the steering wheel, just ask.

From start to finish, the America’s Cup Sailing team was nothing short of a pleasure to be around. They are able to deliver a high-touch, insightful experience without even approaching obsessive or overbearing. The point of the excursion is to experience something you wouldn’t back home. They grasp this and make it a reality. Without a doubt, it has the potential to be the highlight of your Los Cabos vacation.

Back on land, check out a few of the other attractions that Cabo Adventures offers. A glass dolphin tank sits right in the lobby, and there are opportunities to swim with them, too. Special programs exist for kids, and there’s a “Dolphin Trainer for a Day” package that allows you to get your hands dirty wet with the staff.

If you’re headed to Los Cabos, this is the first attraction you should add to your itinerary.

Disclosure: The Los Cabos Tourism Board picked up the tab for this trip. But, if you know me, you know I don’t do anyone favors. The opinions are definitely my own.

Play this free, on-line, animated travel game to compete for prizes

Never mind the prizes you might win by playing the interactive, animated game Race for the Sky at iloho.com, a travel Website. It’s a fun way to while away time, even if you don’t win.

Ever since Emma Torry, a blogger at iloho sent us the link to the game, I’ve played it six times, trying my darnedest to get Marcos to his flight on time.

See, he has slept through his alarm, and with a couple other mishaps, he’s hoofing it to the airport by running down the highway dodging cars, tire spikes and bananas peels. I think those are banana peels. Along the way, he can pick up a key which puts him on a motorcycle for a brief while, and pick up “S’s” which put in a cape so he can fly. Watch out for the cars, though. Hitting a car puts him in bandages, and on crutches.

I’m not very good at this game.The first attempt was pitiful. Marcos was in bandages in half a second. Other people playing are great, though. There’s a leader board that lists the top 10 scores. Currently, the highest is 16870 points.

When the competion ends January 31, 2009, the top winner will win two round-trip business class round-the-world tickets. The next top two winners will win a Canon camera. Other prizes include USB sticks and iPod speakers.

Marathons and Triathalons: Don Some Running Shoes and Hit the Road

One of my all time running highlights was winning second place for my age category in a 4th of July run in Middletown, Ohio. I ran almost a minute faster a mile than I normally did. (And yes, there were more than two people in my category.) When the first mile came and the time-keeper called out the time, I almost turned back to ask, “What did you say?” Instead, I ran like heck to the next mile marker for a confirmation. I was on fire. I think it had to do with: living in Albuquerque at the time, running a lot with a guy I was dating who taught me some running tips, and buzzing a bit from the two days drive to get to Middletown. Besides the fun of doing so well, being a part of a community event pulled me right into the milieu of Middletown. Man, was it glorious.

If you’re a running type, here are some running events listed on the Web site Active.com to consider when thinking about where to travel for your running highs. My run in Middletown was impromptu. I didn’t know the run existed until I showed up at my friend’s friends’ house. This list goes through March 2008.

On the International Scene

Tri Escape to Bermuda Triathlon: 10/21/07 –St. George’s, Bermuda
Run 22nd Venice Marathon: 10/28/07—Venice, Italy
Run adidas Dublin Marathon: 10/29/07 –Dublin, Ireland
Run Puerto Vallarta International Half Marathon & 5K 2007: 11/4/07–Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Run Brooks Brighton 10k: 11/18/07 –Brighton and Hove, UK – England
Run Firenze Marathon: 11/25/07 –Florence, Italy
Tri Island Triathlon Series™ Turks & Caicos: 12/1/07 –Grace Bay, Providenciales, TCA
Run Reggae Marathon & Half-Marathon: 12/1/07– Long Bay Beach Park, Jamaica
Run Lisbon Marathon: 12/2/07– Lisbon, Portugal
Run Milano City Marathon 2007: 12/2/07 –Milan, Italy
Run The Santa Dash: 12/2/07 –Liverpool, UK – England
Run Cabo Half Marathon 2008: 1/19/08 –Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Run Porto Santo Marathon- Madeira Islands: 3/1/08 –Madeira, Portugal
Run Monaco Marathon: 3/30/08 –Monaco, Monaco

In the United States

Tri EnduraSport Half Triathlon: 11/10/07– Freeport, Bahamas, BHS
Run The Las Vegas Marathon & Half Marathon: 12/2/07 –Las Vegas, NV
Run Honolulu Marathon: 12/9/07 –Honolulu, HI
Run Walt Disney World Half Marathon: 1/12/08 –Lake Buena Vista, FL
Run Walt Disney World Marathon:1/13/08 –Lake Buena Vista, FL
Run P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona: 1/13/08 –Phoenix, AZ
Run Carlsbad Marathon & Half Marathon: 1/20/08 –Carlsbad, CA
Run ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon: 1/27/08 –Miami, FL
Run Surf City USA® Marathon & Half Marathon (formerly Pacific Shoreline Marathon): 2/3/08 –Huntington Beach, CA
Run Los Angeles Marathon: 3/2/08– Los Angeles, CA

Google Wants a Moon Rover Bad: More Private Space Travel to Follow?

Fly me to the moon. If it’s a robot you’re talking about, you’re on. Google has a grand plan. The company will pay 30 million dollars to the company that can make them a robotic moon rover, get it there, and get it to beam images and a video back to Earth so they can put it on their Web site. This endeavor is being run like a contest. Any private company in the world that can do this by the end of 2012 gets the dough. If there isn’t anyone who is successful by then, the contest is still on until 2014, but the prize money drops to $15 million.

If you have a private company that might be up to the task, here’s a little check list to help you keep track of the Google X Prize contest requirements. The moonrover must be able to:

  • survive a landing with cameras and high definition video in working order
  • trek at least 1,312 feet on the moon
  • take pictures of itself, plus panoramic shots and a real time video (close to real time)
  • beam those shots and video back to Earth so they can be posted and streamed on Google’s Web site.

These robot building races are not new. In a contest last year, robots raced across the Mojave Desert. William Whittaker who is at Carnegie Mellon University, was in charge of two of those robots and now has his eyes on Google’s carrot, and probably not so much for the money. It’s not that anyone will make a fortune if they are successful. Space missions are pricey. Getting the rover to the moon is a large part of the cost so financially it may be a wash, particularly if you don’t meet the 2012 deadline.

From what I read, it sounds like the challenge of saying, “We did it” might make this happen more than the money will. If it does, this might make commercial space travel closer to the rest of us. Since Google has paired with X Prize Foundation, the organization responsible for the first private spaceflight in 2004, I’d say we might be watching a moon rover do it’s thing on our computer screen one of these days. By 2012, I wonder what those computers will look like? Doesn’t 2012 sound like a long way away? It’s only 7 years. Gaad.