Birds of Prey Giant Slalom

Sunday morning, 8:00am and Paul is on the course checking out the best spot to catch some sequence shots.

Little bit of a rough start on the day. We have had our boot bag plugged in at the press center. Each day the power has been blown. Not until today did we put it together. AP (associated press) guy asked me if I had my curling iron and hair dryer plugged in as well. Haha!

Beautiful day! Sun again today. Running two Giant Slaloms today, 9:45 and 11:45. The times are added together for the winner. We are hoping the USA has a better day.

Tried every day to make contact with Sports Illustrated and no return calls or emails. Jimmy Colton, is he real or a fictional character that is used for emails. Oh well. Made some great contacts with the press last night.

We are watching Alex Leever a forerunner from the USA as well as Will Gregorak, #50. Both are local kids from the Vail area. A forerunner is a like a cupbearer, checking out the course and the conditions. If they crash, there are changes made to the course. They are looking for uneven spots, weather conditions, shade and blind spots as well as fencing and possible crash spots. Safety of the athletes is the number one priority.

#13 Daniel Albrecht, Switzerland is the comeback kid. He suffered an injury that had him in an induced coma 20 months ago. He finished #17 in the first run and #21 in the second run. He has so much determination, nothing will stop him at this point. He was a crowd favorite. Everyone likes to see an underdog make it back.

The athletes fans bring paper, helmets, footballs, whatever to have them sign. Paul and I got Ted Ligety's signature on one Ted's promotional posters. I stood in line with all the kids.

#5 Ted Ligety came in first with a time of 1:16:14. Bode Miller, , Warner Nickerson and Tim Jitloff as well finished in the top 30, the first run. Only the top 30 will run the 2nd Giant Slalom.

The second run has first place running last and last place running first. The later you are in the race, the more information there is about the track. So Ted Ligety will run last.

You can feel the suspense in the crowd as the 30 racers begin. Bode Miller has a tough second run as well as the other USA ski team. Now we are the Ted Ligety and he does it with a beautiful second race.

A great day for USA team, Ted finishes first at Beaver Creek for the men in the Giant Slalom and Lindsey Vonn in Canada finished first in the Super-G.

Birds of Prey World Cup Super-G

Saturday morning, December 4,2010 in Beaver Creek, CO. A beautiful day with some light snow on the hill. The hill has been remarked from the downhill to the Super-G. Excitement is back from a disappointing day yesterday. Racers begin at 11am. Super-G starts at 11,940 elevation and finishes at 8,944.

The Super-G began with a native america group praying for the racers safety as well as the crowd and care for Mother Earth.

There was a large crowd in hand for the Super-G. The USA fans were in force and ready to greet their athletes.

The hill is ready and beautiful. The track is fast. Georg Streitberger from Austria, 1:17:18 took the race followed by Adrien Theaux, France, 1:17:29 and Didier Cuche from Switzerland, 1:17:31.

First USA racer across the line was Steven Nyman, 1:18:88. Five USA, racers including Bode Miller and Ted Ligety did not cross the line, going out of bounds prior to the finish. Many of those going out of bounds lost it at the Screech Owl turn.

It was a tough day for the Americans at Beaver Creek as well as the Bobcats in Bozeman, Montana.

As well as the World Cup is the Bobcat playoff at 12:05pm in Bozeman, Montana. What happened? The Bobcats lost with a score 49-17 to North Dakota. Well, at least we beat the Grizzlies.

We watched the Women's Super-G on Universal Sports. Learned this online channel from the Austrians. Check out footage of Lindsey Vonn, saves a near crash and keeps second place. Great up to date and live coverage of sporting events. Costs about $30 per year.

Birds of Prey World Cup Training and Downhill

Beaver Creek, Co. Site of the Men's World Cup in the United States, http://www.bcworldcup.com/.

DAY 1---Tuesday, November 30, 2010. 20 degrees, no wind and the sun is shining. Absolutely beautiful. 18 countries represented as well as 79 racers. Carried skies, camera gear and computer up the hill, from parking lot to the press center. Wore myself out and then barfed. Well, not the best way to start a day. Amazing after a barf how good you feel. Onward with the day.

Ted Ligety and Bode Miller are favorites for the USA. Training has been moved up from Wednesday to Tuesday, November 30, due to coming weather conditions. Training start at 12:30. Average speed coming down the hill is 94 mph.

After first day of training, Cuche from Switzerland is in the lead, 1:47:80. Bode Miller (USA) is at 1:48:91, Ted Ligety (USA) 1:52:54, Erik Guay (CAN) 1:48:72.

Racers range from born in 1989 with the oldest racer born in 1969.

Beaver Creek will host the 2015 Men and Women's World Alpine Ski Championship.

DAY 2----Wednesday is snowing, training day 2 is still on for 11am. Lower visability, less sun and snowing. We made it through 41 racers and then canceled the race. Inversions, warm on top of the mountain with snow and rain midway and by the time the racers get to the finish their goggles are frozen over.

Snow, snow and more snow. It is pebbled snow, icy snow and very dry. It is like walking on sand.

Bode Miller is the US favorite. Miller, 33, won three medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Miller last won on the Birds of Prey course in 2006.

Running on little sleep and lots of adrenaline. Sent a query to Vanity Fair Magazine as well as a photo to Sports Illustrated today.

DAY 3---Thursday morning is clear skies and warm. Warm is not a good condition as the course could become soft which makes for dangerous conditions.

Sun, sun , son, all day long. Put on the sunscreen today. Gorgeous. Very fun to play with camera and the sunlight. Catching sun rays and goggles with reflections.

ESPN is here and setting up cable everywhere. Watching some of the first footage to come over from their cameras. You can feel the excitement in the air today.

Young children and adults alike from the Beaver Creek community have come to see their favorite racer. Bode Miller is certainly their favorite.

Bode takes the time to talk with children, photos as requested and talks with the press. The cow bells will be ringing when he comes down the hill. The children yell, "BODE, BODE."

Grugger ends the third training with a time of 1:45:37. Bode Miller was fourth with a time of 1:45:60. Tomorrow will tell the story of the best downhill racer. Conditions are great for a wonderful day of racing. The course was fast today. Gravity is more a nuisance than a law when it comes to ski racing.

Press conference and captains meeting spoke of a fast course, unpredictable weather and a time to promote the ski world.

With Vail very close to Beaver Creek, fashion is a part of the atmosphere. Color, women, children, families and alike visit the trainings. Eddie Bauer fashioned the jackets for the event at Beaver Creek, very fun and festive.

The trainings as well as the race itself is free and open to the public. This is the only north america stop for the World Cup. After Beaver Creek the racers will go to Europe. Beaver Creek is the 2015 location for the men and women's World Cup Championships.

As well as watching the men in Beaver Creek we are keeping up to speed on the women in Lake Louise.

Following Tommy Ford, a young skier with great potential. He is an ambassador for Steadman Philippon Research Institute. The institute seeks to keep people physically active late into life with pioneering othopedic research and education. Check out their website: http://www.sprivail.org/. Racers know the importance of physical health and mental health. I like Aksel Lund Svindal's saying, "Elegance is an attitude".

DAY 4---Downhill competition today. Up at the hill at 7:30. Paul will run the course a couple of times and see where he wants to be for photos. I will be a the finish. Working with Austria, Associated Press and Getty in the press area today. Great people to work with. Most speak english as a second language.

11am came and went, windy on the top. Race delay until 12:30. Women's race at Lake Louise is at 12:30, so the Men must wait until 1:30. Now they are waiting until 2pm. Still very windy and now the short days and darkness at 4:30 will become a factor. Maybe the Men will do the downhill on Monday? Race is offically cancelled. There is a solemn and glum feeling on the hill, from the athletes to the spectators. The athletes safety is the number one concern. The volunteer's worked so hard and no race. They talk about having the stuffing knocked out of them. Thanks to all the volunteers for their hours and hours of hard work.

Bode Miller and Ted Legity came into the crowd to lift the spirits of their fans. They stop for autographs as well as photos. They talk with their fans, from the children to the adults, serious talk as well as fun and laughter.

It is the end of a long day. Paul and I are empty, wait all day, and then on race. Emotionally exhausting.

Brawl of the Wild

9:20am, Interstate 90 from Deer Lodge to Missoula was two lanes of vehicles heading to Missoula. Vehicles with Bobcat signage as well as Grizzly flags fly through the wind and snow on their way to Missoula.

12:05 pm, November 20, 2010, is the beginning of a 110 year old rivalry. The 11th ranked University of Montana Grizzlies played the 8th-ranked Montana State Bobcats. 26,000 plus fans attended the bitterly cold game. Hand and toe warmers littered the stadium.

University of Montana has been called the “Most scenic campus in America”, by the Rolling Stone Magazine. The Museum of the Rockies affiliated with Montana State University houses the largest collection of dinosaur remains in the United States. Both universities boost great achievements. They bring value, education and research to the state of Montana.

Both schools have athletic departments that are involved in their community. Part of athletics is teamwork and through this teamwork the athletes are involved in food drives, blood drives, and fundraising as well as elementary school programs. Young boys and girls look to athletes to be a hero, someone they can emulate. Justin, age 10, says he met several of the football players from Montana State University that have come to his school and assisted in their reading program. Justin wants to be a football player for Green Bay when he grows up, first of all with the Bobcats, of course, he says.

We often are inclined to focus on how talented or gifted an athlete maybe. Sometimes that’s true. Athletics involves hard work, dedication, commitment, and a sense of pride in yourself and your teammates. The long hours an athlete puts in are the building blocks for a successful future not only in athletics, but more importantly in life.

Families get together around the MSU – UM football game. Jessie and her brother, Daniel drove over from Bozeman on the day of the game, while their parents Darren and Marie, drove over from Spokane, Washington. “We would not miss this game for anything”, says Jessie. “We take vacation for this game”, says Daniel.

With childhood obesity at an all time high, many people are quick to blame video games. Food intake, eating non-healthy foods and larger portions as well contribute to weight gain. Shelby, age 10, says she used to be bigger than she is now, lost some weight and learned to eat good food. She wants to be a cheerleader when she goes to University of Montana to be a doctor. Shelby says, I don’t want to be a big doctor.” The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (www.fitness.gov) has been around since Dwight D Eisenhower in the 1950’s. The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) mission is to engage, educate and empower all Americans across the lifespan to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.

Half time involves exiting the stadium catching a warm beverage, warming hands and feet as well as young boys and girls throwing the football and sliding in the snow. All the young boys and girls say they want to be football players and cheerleaders when they go to school.

Fans travel from New York as well as California to attend this game. Father and son arrive at the game, 10 years straight. Whether living in Idaho, California or New York this duo has never missed the Cat-Griz rivalry. Painted faces, costumes, bare chest young men and girls with pompoms twirling in the wind and snow are in the stands. Emotions are high, each school wanting this victory. Only one team will win and represent the state of Montana.

University students from each school have been busy the week prior to the game with activities surrounding the greatest game in college football in Montana. Parades, bon fires and pep rallies are just a part of the activities that bring this game to the kick off.

Being an athlete involves being coachable, dedication to practice, competitive, desire to do your best, working on weaknesses and through adversities, as well as characteristics of being a champion.

The cheerleaders and the school mascots bring the crowd to their feet with their spirit and energy. Clarice, age 6, says she is going to be a cheerleader for the Grizzlies and play basketball for the Bobcats. Brent, age 8, says he is going to play football for the Grizzlies. Brent says, “I eat what my mom tells me to eat and I try to go bed when she asks me.”

“Teamwork is part of my family”, says Destiny, age 15. Our parents make us settle our own disputes and take part in chores and duties around the home. “It makes me feel important and a part of a great team”, she says.

Red cheeks, running noses, cold hands and feet, fans excited and fans in tears sum up the end of the game. With the score, MSU 21 – UM 16, the 110th meeting of these two teams comes to an end. Fans exit the stadium quickly looking to find a warm spot. The wind blew through the stadium with snow fluttering around. 17 degrees and a 20 mile an hour wind made for a very chilly day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Pamela D Bussi was born and raised in northern Montana along the hi-line. Writing, blogging and photography are her passions. Pamela is predominately a non-fiction writer with topics related to health, wellness and lifestyle. She resides with her husband and son in Bozeman, Montana. She is a graduate from the New York Institute of Photography. She is a contributing author to Montana Healthy Living Magazine as well as the Examiner, Power Women Magazine, Seed and Ezine. Check out more information at: www.pamelabussi.com.

Shrink Your Belly and Decrease Diabetes Risk

This is a great article--certainly worth reading

By Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D.

Belt-tightening is smart when the economy tanks -- but it's even smarter if you want to avoid diabetes. A new study underlines what we YOU Docs have been saying for years: Waist size is more important than weight. And in this case, size does matter:

Smaller is better. Turns out big waists are a critical reason why twice as many older adults in the U.S. have diabetes than in England. American men's waists are 1.5 inches larger than Brits'; women's are 2 inches bigger. Fat is a lot like real estate: It's all about location, location, location.

Belly fat is dangerous because if those gooey globules are collecting round your middle, you can bet they're also causing inflammation in your liver, blood vessels and immune system. That puts you at higher risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease, too. But you can get rid of those love handles. (Trust us, your lover will find lots more interesting body parts to grab onto.)

1. Scrap your scale: You're better off keeping a tape measure handy and measuring your middle instead.
2. Know your goal: Women, aim for a 32.5-inch waistline; 37 max. Men, shoot for 35 inches, and keep it below 40. Any bigger and health problems increase greatly.
3. Try these moves: Walk 30 minutes a day, and do exercises that strengthen your abdomen, legs and upper body -- they'll shrink your waist, too.
4. Eat all day: Yep, that's right. Research shows that people who eat six small meals throughout the day (versus two or three big meals) have smaller waists.

Thanks Docs for a great article.

Sexuality In The Second Half Of Life

Sexual health is healthy at any age. It is an indication of a healthy relationship. Though movies and television might tell you that sex is only for the young, they are wrong. The need for intimacy is ageless. Sex changes as you age. Joints just do not move like they used to and gravity has taken its course on the body.

To maintain a satisfying sex life, talk with your partner, communication is the key to a happy and content sex life. Set aside time to be sensual and sexual together. Share your thoughts about lovemaking; tell your partner what you want from him or her.

Many articles speak of men loosing their sex drive as they age and enter their 50’s. Do not believe what the women’s magazines spout. Sex in your 50’s can be magical and certainly without the concerns of youth, such as pregnancy.

As a woman approach menopause, estrogen production decreases. As a result, most women have less natural vaginal lubrication, which can affect sexual pleasure. There are over the counter products that certainly can assist in the pain of penetration.

As we age, illness and medications can inhibit sexual response. Illnesses that involve the cardiovascular system, high blood pressure, diabetes, hormonal problems, depression or anxiety — and the medications used to treat these conditions — can pose potential sexual health concerns.

High blood pressure, for instance, can affect your ability to become aroused, as can certain medications used to treat high blood pressure.

Do not let embarrassment keep you from asking your doctor for help — sexuality and aging do not need to be something that embarrassing. Sexuality and aging are a beautiful process that we need to embrace.

People of all ages must be vigilant about practicing safe sex. Sexually transmitted disease is on the rise in the aging population. With the divorce rate what it is, marriages are taking place later in life.

Many books and magazines talk about sexuality in the second half of life. Sex is not just for the young, it is for people of all ages. Sex at 90 is going to be fun and terrific.

Pamela D Bussi was born and raised in northern Montana along the hi-line. Writing, web design and photography are her passions. Pamela is predominately a non-fiction writer with topics related to health, wellness and lifestyle. She resides with her husband in Bozeman, Montana. She is currently studying with the New York Institute of Photography. She is a contributing author to Montana Healthy Living Magazine as well as a photojournalist for the Examiner at examiner.com, Ezine.com, Seed.com and Power Women Magazine. Check out more information at: www.pamelabussi.com.

Growing up or Growing old

What will it be? Grow up or Grow old?

What does growing up mean? For many it is becoming more responsible, becoming a part of society, becoming an upstanding member of a community.

What does growing old mean? It is about aging, skin changes, body changes, as well as hair color and clothing. Getting older happens; mostly it is out of our hands. You can look younger, but the insides know the truth and eventually we all are only on this earth for stated period.

So back to growing up and some thoughts. Growing up is about balance between the heart and head, accepting responsibility for actions and making decisions daily. Maturing takes place in decisions, judgment and reactions to life. Confidence takes place and self-assurance, as well as the ability to laugh at life and yourself. Take risks, allow embarrassing, scary or frustrating events to take place and be alert to stepping to far. Embrace others, find love, discover passions and dreams, be empathetic to others, do not follow others and their footsteps of life as though they will turn out the same for yourself. Embrace others and have the capacity to feel loss and be vulnerable.

Cherish quiet moments in life as well as exciting out of the norm events of life. Look forward in life and not backwards. Do not let life pass by because of complacency, ruts, comfort, fear or financial ruin.

Accept and like yourself. Enjoy who you are as well as strengths and weaknesses. Focus more on strengths more than weaknesses. Know values and morals that mean something in life.

Explore, examine, investigate and live life. Take charge of life, life life rather than simply existing. Take risks and try something new today. Have conversation with someone new today.