Arm-pump-aholic Anonymous Compares Stick with Weight to Gripstik for Wrist Exercise

Fast By Design Product Review:Canadian Motocross Company

'Welcome to Fast by Design's first AA meeting (Armpumpaholic Anonymous). My name is Smitty and I am an Armpumpaholic. They say the first step to rehabilitation is admitting you have the problem. Well since I am the only one here I will now stand up and say "I GET ARM PUMP".

Whew! Now with that over, lets diagnose the scenario. If you are like me and have a daytime gig, you probably practice around twice a week and race on the weekends. Although you do everything you can during your motos, breath steady and avoid "Death Grip", you still have the Arm Pump monkey on your back. Well friends I have great news! The FbD test department received an interesting little package about a month ago from Gripstik. Inside was a curious looking apparatus that resembled two motocross grips glued together at their ends. I know what you are thinking, "Another wonder product that will fall short of what I need to help me kick the arm pump habit".

The first step to dropping arm pump is to ride as much as possible. If you don't put in some track time during the week, arm pump is inevitable. If you don't get it you are: A) not pushing hard enough. or B) a freak of nature. Once you are able to ride at least twice a week you will probably notice a reduction in arm pump. The next step is to work on the forearms during the other days.

Freddie Spencer, a multi-time road racing champion and dirt bike rider, suggests a broomstick handle, a piece of string and a 5 pound weight. You attach the weight to one end of the string and the broomstick to the other. Holding the broomstick you wind the string up raising and lowering the weight. This technique works great and from personal experience I found it helped reduce arm pump more than any other single exercise. Gripstik has taken the winding with resistance motion but removed the string and weight. Thus creating the unit we described earlier, the two grips actually twist against each other with variable force. The resistance can be adjusted by simply rotating one grip closer to or farther away from the other grip.

The Gripstik unit is very compact, in fact small enough to fit in the glove compartment of you vehicle, where mine is most commonly found. The reason for this is I usually use mine a couple times through the day. When driving to work in the morning I hit allot of stop lights, so instead of just sitting at the light staring ahead at the car in font of me, I do a one minute moto in my van. With about ten sets of lights on my daily commute I get a pretty good forearm work out. The second use is before I practice. After getting into my gear I like to stretch a bit before jumping on the bike. Between stretches I will do about 50 reps of the Gripstik to warm up the forearms.

I can honestly say that I have gotten the arm pump problem down to a manageable level. Between weekly riding and the daily use of the Gripstik I can run a 20 min moto flat out at most of my local tracks, something that was just a pipe dream last year.'

Here is a list of some satisfied customers who use the Gripstik Wrist Exerciser:

-Bill Collins: 5 time World Arm Wrestling Champion and Captain of TEAM USA Arm Wrestling

Read up on Bill's tips to Arm Wrestling Training at http://www.gripstik.com/arm-wrestling.html.

-Brandi Profitt: Nationally Ranked Professional Rock Climber

Read Brandi's review of Gripstik at http://www.gripstik.com/rock-climbing.html

- Larry Eastman: MN State Racquetball champion in Singles and Doubles

Read Larry's Top 10 Racquetball Training Tips at http://www.gripstik.com/racquetball-equipment.html

-Joe Day and Curtis Brown: NHL Players

Read Frank Burggraf's (Burggraf Skating and Skills On and Off Ice Training Centers) Article on Training for Hockey Success at http://www.gripstik.com/ice-hockey-training-equipment.html

- Joe Stansberry: USGA Champion and PGA Champions Tour Player

Read Joe's review on how the gripstik helped him when he was ailing from carpal tunnel syndrome at http://www.gripstik.com/therapy-carpal-tunnel.html

For more reviews and testimonials go to http://www.gripstik.com/Strength_Training_Home_Exercise_Equipment_testimonials.html

NASCAR's David Reutimann - From Boy to Superstar

Born on the 2^nd of March in 1970, David Reutimann grew up in Zephyrhills, Florida with the zeal of driving inborn within him. The Ruetimann family name resounds strongly within the old school races and various fans throughout the east coast. Their family name is notorious on the race tracks of Orlando, Florida. Buzzie and Wayne Reutimann (David's father and uncle) were legends amongst the old school racers throughout the east coast. Their presence commands respect on and off the tracks and such a tradition was instilled in young David. David was brought up with racing in his blood and he has made sure to continue the bloodline on the tracks.

David's grandfather and father would tear down the tracks in their early 30s Chevys, trimmed in blue and white with the famous "00" painted on red. They brought their game to the track and had their trophy in tow. Buzzie had the DIRT world in his hands after storm winning events all over the Eastern seaboard. David Reutimann, at the beginning was very much like his father. He was driving modifieds and late models on dirt and paved tracks while building up his own reputation.

Although the transition from weekly tracks to big competitions was extremely hard, David Reutimann proved the critics wrong. He was able to make the change smoothly and after getting noticed by Darrell Waltrip, the pieces fell into place. All of this took place when Reutimann moved up to the Slim Jim all Pro Series in 1997. He won Rookie of the year, finished in the top-ten eight times and had a fifth-place points finish. One would conclude that that was pretty good for such a large change in a short period of time. At the next season's end, Reutimann grabbed a hold of the Sportsmanship award.

What probably was his biggest win was his daughter's birth in 2001. Reutimann who now resides in Mooresville, North Carolina, set up house with his wife Lisa and young daughter Emilia with their mini-dachshunds, Roxie and Daisy.

It took him a few years after his debut onto the professional scene before he got his three wins in 2002 and with that, finished second in the overall championship standings. It was also that same year that the Florida native entered his first of four NASCAR Busch Series races. The car he raced in was owned by Joe Nemechek after getting some help from an old friend called Brian Pattie. Reutimann went on to finish at the 16^th spot when he debuted at the Richmond International Raceway and later finished in the top 15 twice that same season. The next seasons, Reutimann ran seven Busch races for NEMCO. He also participated in the New England 300 and the Brickyard 400 in the Winston Cup Series in the #04 for Morgan-McClure Motorsports, but unfortunately failed to make the cut to qualify at both times.

Reutimann then signed on with Darrell Waltrip Motorsports in 2004 to race the NTN Bearings truck in the Craftsman Truck series. He won the pole in his second race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Reutimann had four top-fives and with his finish in 14^th place in points, he managed to snatch Rookie of the Year again into his bag. His first career race was won in 2005 at the Nashville Superspeedway. He then went on to make his cup debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway and continued to make fifteen Busch starts and had four top tens.

Buzzie Reutimann still races till this very day. David Reutimann, though a third generation racer in his family, proved that racing can be strong within one's genes and that it is possible to go to the big time even if you start out small.

NASCAR’s David Reutimann – From Boy to Superstar

Born on the 2^nd of March in 1970, David Reutimann grew up in Zephyrhills, Florida with the zeal of driving inborn within him. The Ruetimann family name resounds strongly within the old school races and various fans throughout the east coast. Their family name is notorious on the race tracks of Orlando, Florida. Buzzie and Wayne Reutimann (David's father and uncle) were legends amongst the old school racers throughout the east coast. Their presence commands respect on and off the tracks and such a tradition was instilled in young David. David was brought up with racing in his blood and he has made sure to continue the bloodline on the tracks.

David's grandfather and father would tear down the tracks in their early 30s Chevys, trimmed in blue and white with the famous "00" painted on red. They brought their game to the track and had their trophy in tow. Buzzie had the DIRT world in his hands after storm winning events all over the Eastern seaboard. David Reutimann, at the beginning was very much like his father. He was driving modifieds and late models on dirt and paved tracks while building up his own reputation.

Although the transition from weekly tracks to big competitions was extremely hard, David Reutimann proved the critics wrong. He was able to make the change smoothly and after getting noticed by Darrell Waltrip, the pieces fell into place. All of this took place when Reutimann moved up to the Slim Jim all Pro Series in 1997. He won Rookie of the year, finished in the top-ten eight times and had a fifth-place points finish. One would conclude that that was pretty good for such a large change in a short period of time. At the next season's end, Reutimann grabbed a hold of the Sportsmanship award.

What probably was his biggest win was his daughter's birth in 2001. Reutimann who now resides in Mooresville, North Carolina, set up house with his wife Lisa and young daughter Emilia with their mini-dachshunds, Roxie and Daisy.

It took him a few years after his debut onto the professional scene before he got his three wins in 2002 and with that, finished second in the overall championship standings. It was also that same year that the Florida native entered his first of four NASCAR Busch Series races. The car he raced in was owned by Joe Nemechek after getting some help from an old friend called Brian Pattie. Reutimann went on to finish at the 16^th spot when he debuted at the Richmond International Raceway and later finished in the top 15 twice that same season. The next seasons, Reutimann ran seven Busch races for NEMCO. He also participated in the New England 300 and the Brickyard 400 in the Winston Cup Series in the #04 for Morgan-McClure Motorsports, but unfortunately failed to make the cut to qualify at both times.

Reutimann then signed on with Darrell Waltrip Motorsports in 2004 to race the NTN Bearings truck in the Craftsman Truck series. He won the pole in his second race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Reutimann had four top-fives and with his finish in 14^th place in points, he managed to snatch Rookie of the Year again into his bag. His first career race was won in 2005 at the Nashville Superspeedway. He then went on to make his cup debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway and continued to make fifteen Busch starts and had four top tens.

Buzzie Reutimann still races till this very day. David Reutimann, though a third generation racer in his family, proved that racing can be strong within one's genes and that it is possible to go to the big time even if you start out small.

Tindall’s severe injury serves as reminder to club players

The news that Zara Phillip's boyfriend Mike Tindall sustained a horrific injury in the England six-nations game against Wales recently dominated the nation's sporting headlines; and also brought into perspective the risks associated with playing such a fierce contact sport.

Tindall is, of course, a professional rugby player and so could recuperate from his ruptured liver and torn lung safe in the knowledge that his employer would continue to pay him, and that he would get the best medical attention available. But, most amateur players are not afforded such beneficial arrangements, and should think very carefully about what contingency they have in place, should they be subject to a similar or even worse injury.

Rugby is a very physical contact sport and every time a player takes to the field they risk a serious injury, however slight the odds. However, when participating in sport, especially of the contact variety, players' thoughts inevitably turn to the fixture itself, and not whether the game will bring an injury so severe that it will impact on the rest of their life.

Recent figures from the Rugby Football Union show that, on average three very serious injuries occur each year that result in the maximum benefit from the sport's own insurance policies being paid out to the beneficiaries. The RFU's Accidental Death and Permanent Total Disability policy is compulsory for all players of all teams participating in the English Union. The maximum benefit for total disability from their policy is £500,000, which sounds a generous amount, but it is expected to last a lifetime.

Indeed, the Union itself admits that the benefit is too low and recommends that players take out an additional top-up policy for Permanent Total Disability. In addition, players should also give thought to purchasing legal cover against personal liability, as it's not just the injured player that could end up in financial straits. If it can be proven that another player, players or a club was negligent in causing a severe injury then they could be subject to a costly personal injury claim. In some cases that would involve the pay-out of a significant sum of money to the injured player, which would have to be paid out of the respondent's personal finances if they were covered by liability insurance.

Indeed, where players sustain serious personal injury playing sport it is advisable for them to establish the exact cause. They could consult a specialised personal injury lawyer in order to establish whether there is a case to be pursued. Of course, many accidents occur in sport, but where the injury has occurred as a result of someone else's negligence then appropriate action should be taken, and that also includes the negligent party bearing financial responsibility for the injured player's recovery.

The New York Marathon - the world's largest

The New York Marathon attracts over 35,000 participants each year, all entering either the men's, women's or wheelchair participant categories. The race first started in 1970, has been run every year since, and is the world's biggest annual marathon, narrowly beating London to the title on the basis of runners completing the course.

In 2007 Paula Radcliffe scored an amazing comeback victory at the race, leading the women's race from start to finish and completing the course in an amazing 2 hours 23 minutes and 9 seconds. The men's race was won by Martin Lel of Kenya in 2 hours 9minutes and 2 seconds who out-sprinted second-placed Abderrahim Goumri in sight of the finishing tape.

World-class athletes such as Lel and Radcliffe are drawn to the race not only by the $900,000 prize fund but also the global TV audience of almost 315million. Many of the amateur athletes, who make up the majority of the participants, compete to raise money for charity and to enjoy the thrill of running past the two million spectators that cram the 26-mile route.

The Marathon takes in all five boroughs of New York City, starting on Staten Island. Almost the entire first two miles of the race involves crossing the massive Verrazano-Narrows Bridge over the Hudson into Brooklyn, before turning northwards. After 13 miles the route then traverses into the borough of Queens, before entering Manhattan over the Queensboro Bridge. After four miles the route crosses into the Bronx, where runners cover just over one mile in the last of the boroughs to be visited before heading south back into Manhattan. The last stage of the race takes the runners through Harlem and finally into Central Park where they complete the last three miles of this gruelling race.

The race finishes in front of the famous Tavern on the Green, which provides a dramatic contrast of the foliage and vegetation of Central Park against the concrete jungle of the surrounding skyscrapers. The congestion at the finishing point is best described as crammed, and anyone thinking of watching the finish in person should avoid this area unless they can view it from one of the many overlooking windows or terraces of a nearby Fifth Avenue apartment block or Central Park hotel in New York.

And with residents are just as keen - if not more so - on watching the race than visitors, the whole day exhibits a fabulous ambience, and definitely offers one of life's great experiences.

The New York Marathon – the world’s largest

The New York Marathon attracts over 35,000 participants each year, all entering either the men's, women's or wheelchair participant categories. The race first started in 1970, has been run every year since, and is the world's biggest annual marathon, narrowly beating London to the title on the basis of runners completing the course.

In 2007 Paula Radcliffe scored an amazing comeback victory at the race, leading the women's race from start to finish and completing the course in an amazing 2 hours 23 minutes and 9 seconds. The men's race was won by Martin Lel of Kenya in 2 hours 9minutes and 2 seconds who out-sprinted second-placed Abderrahim Goumri in sight of the finishing tape.

World-class athletes such as Lel and Radcliffe are drawn to the race not only by the $900,000 prize fund but also the global TV audience of almost 315million. Many of the amateur athletes, who make up the majority of the participants, compete to raise money for charity and to enjoy the thrill of running past the two million spectators that cram the 26-mile route.

The Marathon takes in all five boroughs of New York City, starting on Staten Island. Almost the entire first two miles of the race involves crossing the massive Verrazano-Narrows Bridge over the Hudson into Brooklyn, before turning northwards. After 13 miles the route then traverses into the borough of Queens, before entering Manhattan over the Queensboro Bridge. After four miles the route crosses into the Bronx, where runners cover just over one mile in the last of the boroughs to be visited before heading south back into Manhattan. The last stage of the race takes the runners through Harlem and finally into Central Park where they complete the last three miles of this gruelling race.

The race finishes in front of the famous Tavern on the Green, which provides a dramatic contrast of the foliage and vegetation of Central Park against the concrete jungle of the surrounding skyscrapers. The congestion at the finishing point is best described as crammed, and anyone thinking of watching the finish in person should avoid this area unless they can view it from one of the many overlooking windows or terraces of a nearby Fifth Avenue apartment block or Central Park hotel in New York.

And with residents are just as keen - if not more so - on watching the race than visitors, the whole day exhibits a fabulous ambience, and definitely offers one of life's great experiences.

Mick Foley, the “hardcore legend”

Growing up in East Setauket, New York, the young Mick Foley was a huge fan of professional wrestling, even hitch-hiking to Madison Square Garden in 1983 to witness his favourite wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka battle his arch rival Don Muraco in the confines of a steel cage. Foley now points to The Superfly's dive off the top of the cage onto the prone Muraco as the precise second when he decided he wanted to become a professional wrestler.

Mick began training in Pennsylvania, oftentimes having to sleep in the back of his car and subsisting on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches due to the financial constraints of driving 18 hours every weekend to train while still being at college. Mick embraced this difficult situation however, aware that this was all part of him "paying his dues". He quickly realised that what he lacked in technical wrestling skill, he more than made up for in his ability to take a beating and get right back up.

Mick eventually made it up to WCW in 1989, then the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind the then-WWF; but, after being placed in ridiculous storylines and having office staff tell him he'd never be a success due to the fact that he "didn't look like a star", Foley left the company and travelled to Japan, where he cemented his reputation as a madman - particularly after his participation in the King of the Death Match tournament in Tokyo. The event promoted inhuman matches featuring barbed wire, thumbtacks, glass and fire. Foley wrestled three matches that day, with fans witnessing Foley being blown up by C4 explosives while wrapped in barbed wire with thumbtacks sticking in his head. Foley emerged the winner, acquiring the legendary status he has had in Japan ever since.

Upon his return to the United States, Foley received word that the biggest wrestling company in the world, the WWF, wanted to meet with him. After an initial meeting Foley finally got his dream job in the company that he had watched while growing up. He packed up his belongings, gave his car to a young trainee wrestler he knew (a welcome gesture considering money and new and used car credit wasn't something a poor, independent wrestler could get their hands on all that easily) and moved back home to New York. Mick quickly became popular due to his combination of an intense, realistic wrestling style and the sheer lunacy of some of the falls he took including falling over 20 feet twice in one match (including one fall that knocked him out cold), and having to finish the bout with bruised kidneys and a dislocated shoulder.

Despite all his efforts, Mick was resigned to the fact that since he didn't look like a star, he'd never be given the chance to be champion. However, at the end of 1998, WWF decided to give him the title belt due to his efforts over the years. He retired from the ring in 2000 and wrote two autobiographies that shocked the world when they both entered the New York Times bestseller list at number one on the day of their releases.

His journey through life has been the inspiration for, not only wrestlers, but musicians and actors everywhere to follow their dreams - no matter how slim the chances of "making it" appear to be; evidenced by the "Foley Is God" signs that appear in wrestling arenas all over the world.

Ocean Kayaks

Time to get started on this topic of ocean kayaks. Take a few moments to read every aspect of this article that hopefully be of a great help.

If you think kayaking can be done on only quiet water of lake or river, then it is not probable that kayaking can be done on any water surface. Whitewater kayaking is more popular than ocean kayaking; ocean kayaking is also admired by many people. Ocean kayaking is great choice for surfing.

Usually kayaks are slim boats widely exploited for sailing on still lake waters. So to use such kayaks on ocean some modifications is required, they have to adopt to always ever-changing ocean's unpredictable weather condition and huge brute strength of ocean. Considering this many changes are done for normal rigorous kayak to transform it into ocean kayak. So it is well said about ocean kayak that "Ocean kayaks are bit dissimilar and some modifications and differences make them better".

Most important adjustment in ocean kayaks is that they are huge; means have longest length than convention kayaks. These ocean kayaks are about fifteen asset feet longer and about Twenty-six inches wider. Cockpit of ocean kayaks can be reinforced as per your spec if you want it large choose larger, if you want it small, take smaller.

Modern ocean kayaks can be made up of many variety types of materials, sizes and in many different designs. Two main types in ocean kayaks are strict kayaks and folding kayaks. There many different innovations are done with traditional craft and modern technology. Some new designs are recreational kayaks and sit on top kayaks, inflatable kayaks, surf kayaks or surf skies.

The most common sizing of an ocean kayaks is in between Twelve to Fifteen feet and commonly kayaks long lengths are built for two paddlers. Ocean kayaks normally 18" to 28" wide but some special case of kayaks like surf skies, which is particularly configured for wave surfing is very narrow. Longer length of ocean kayaks increases their power to navigation in straight line. And wider space allows more storage area.

Ocean kayaks can be made using many special types of material like rotomolded polyethylene, carbon Kevlar or more often Using fiberglass or even sometime local material like foam core or carbon fibers are exploited for building these kayaks. Hand-crafted kayaks are commonly made up of wood sometimes wood strips are covered by fiberglass. If ocean kayaks are of skin on frame then main frame of kayak is covered by canvas, Dacron or some other character of fabric.

Ocean kayaks sometimes have steering gear wheel in form or skegs or rudder. Ordinarily rudders are connected at stern and operated using wires from cockpit. For beach landing these rudders are retractable. Essentially skegs are straight blades which throw well in the stem of boat. These gearing are there for smoothen paddling when there is strong ocean wind.

Paddles exploited for ocean kayaks are different. There are three basic types of paddles for ocean kayaks are seen, European paddles, Greenland paddles and wing paddles.

Ocean kayaks are now used universal for marine journeys, does not matter for long low they are used from few hours to many weeks; they are becoming more popular with going years. For further data please check our net site

I hope this article provided you with the information you were looking for. I have many other articles online that may be of interest to you.

Dickies International Announces Event Programme for 2008

Dickies International have announced a list of the boat shows that they are confirmed to be exhibiting at across the UK for 2008.

With Dickies list of Beneteau, Silverton, Astondoa, Lagoon, Excite Catamaran and Sophie Power Catamaran ranges ever expanding, these events will give people the chance to explore these magnificent boats for themselves, at locations all over the country.

Dickies International are especially pleased to be able to announce the boat show dates as they have recently acquired the exclusive title of Astondoa boat dealership for the UK. As sole distributor for the UK and Ireland and the boat show events will give them a great opportunity to show case some of the boats in the Astondoa range as well as announce new yachts and boats in the Silverton and Beneteau ranges.

Dickies International will also be using some local events as a platform to demonstrate some of the used boats in stock and the boat chandlery available. If you would like more information on these events, then please contact your local branch of Dickies International by emailing info@dickies.co.uk

List of forthcoming boat show events

March
1st - International Paint Open Day at Bangor

April
1st - Bangor Site Open Day - Chandlery & Used Boat Sales
TBA - Plymouth Boat Show

May
TBC - Brighton Marina Boat Show
3rd - South Wales Boat Show
30th - Port Solent Festival of Power

June
6th - Pwllheli Beneteau Regatta
TBC - Portsmouth Multihull Show

July
25th - North Wales Boat Show
TBC - Swansea Marina Boat Show

August
TBA - Conwy Regatta
TBC - Chandlery Summer Sale

September
9th - Cannes International Boat Show
10th - La Rochelle International Boat Show
12th - Southampton International Boat Show

October
TBA - Silverton Demo Weekend

December
5th - Paris International Boat Show
29th - Earls Court International Boat Show

NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Sr. - From boy to Superstar

Dale Earnhardt Sr. was born on April 29^th, 1951 in Kannapolis, North Carolina and sadly died at aged 49 on February 18^th, 2001 as a result of massive head trauma from a crash in the final lap of 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt Sr. was also known as The Intimidator but those who knew him, would say differently. He was a philanthropist and never found the need for media coverage of his donations.

His father, Ralph Earnhardt, was one of the best known short-track drivers in North Carolina. He was not very encouraging of Earnhardt Sr's ambition of racing cars as well and even when Earnhardt Sr. dropped out of high school to race, Ralph Earnhardt was hard on his son. Ralph Earnhardt did teach Earnhardt Sr. everything he knew and set the stage to make him the driver he turned into. His father realized that his driving skill came naturally and as such made his son view his mistakes as open mindedly as possible. Earnhardt Sr. appreciated everything his father did for him and missed his presence sorely when Ralph Earnhardt died of a heart attack in 1973.

Although Earnhardt Sr. started racing professionally at age 23, he ran his first race at Metolina Fairgrounds in Charlotte in the 1970 season where he finished in 10^th place. In 1971, he finally won his first race which would then bring about 26 more wins while still racing at Metolina and Concord Motor Speedway. After he had quit school, he worked at several places like for an insulation company and he was also a welder who did brake jobs as well. Earnhardt Sr's decision to race for a career came about after his father's death. He bought an asphalt-track car while still competing at Metrolina. Although money was tight, Earnhardt Sr. always found away to get through it.

He began his Winston Cup career in 1975. In 1978, things took a turn for the better when he met Teresa Houston who then helped pave the way for Earnhardt Sr's path to NASCAR success. Once out of his rookie season, Earnhardt Sr. started the season off with a win in the Busch Clash. He became the first and only driver thus far to have won Rookie of the year and then winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. He eventually went on to race for Richard Childress Racing in 1981 and then joined Bud Moore during the 1982 and 1983 season. After that he went back to Richard Childress Racing and in that time, managed to secure victory 6 times at Talladega, Atlanta, Richmond, Bristol and Martinsville.

He went on to carve NASCAR history in the following two decades. It is talked about the bigger things that could have been achieved had Earnhardt Sr. survived the fatal crash that took away a NASCAR legend. His #3 car was retired by his team owner who has promised never to let another car on his team be designed similarly. Although he was both loved and hated in NASCAR, he has remained one of the sport's most popular drivers. Earnhardt Sr. made sure his private life was kept private. When he wasn't on the tracks, he was with his family, hunting, fishing, working on his farm and known as generous giver amongst his friends. In 2004, his life story was made into a television movie, titled "3: The Dale Earnhardt Story" and in 2007, a documentary-style movie was released into theaters. Even in death, many still remember the great things Earnhardt Sr. accomplished and tributes in song, movies and books have been dedicated to the passing to the brightest star of NASCAR.

NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr. - From boy to Superstar

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr., was born October 10^th, 1974 in Concord, North Carolina with the Earnhardt fire in his belly. Although his parents were separated when he was still a toddler, he is still very close to both his parents. A fire that burned down his mother's house forced him and his sister, Kelly, to live with Earnhardt Sr. and his new wife, Teresa, while his mother moved to Virginia. Earnhardt Jr. was a bit of a rascal in his younger days so when his father saw fit to send him to military school for two years although, by the time Earnhardt Jr. reached the age of 15, he decided to be like his father.

When he was 17, Earnhardt Jr. managed to pull together $500 after scrimping and saving to buy his first racecar from a junkyard. It was a 1979 Monte Carlo that needed a lot of work. Then he, his half-brother, Kerry, and father worked at fixing it up. His father was only determined to help with rebuilding the racecar and nothing more. Earnhardt Jr. was left on his own devices once he got behind the wheel to learn how to build up his own skills. Once high school was over, Earnhardt Jr. enrolled for a two year course at the Mitchell Community College in North Carolina. He signed up for a course in automotives and during that time, he worked as a mechanic with his father. Word got around quick about his oil changes.

With his co-owned racecar (Kerry had a say in it), Earnhardt Jr. went on to join the Late Model Stock Car division. It was then that he fine tuned his skills and gained more much needed knowledge on cars. One of his competitors then was his sister, Kelley. The only third generation NASCAR champion only began his racing career at age 17. He won the 1998 and 1999 Busch series titles over Matt Kenseth. In 2000, Earnhardt Jr., competed for his first Winston Cup victory. He also wrote a non-fiction book titled "DRIVER #8" which was primarily based on his rookie season.

The year after was one of the worst years for Earnhardt Jr. In 2001, he finished second in the 2001 Daytona 500 but his father had crashed in turn four and did not survive. Earnhardt Sr's death did visibly shake Earnhardt Jr's demeanor although he did race at Rockingham the following weekend. Eerily enough, he finished at the 43^rd place after a wreck that was very similar to the one that his father had perished in the week earlier. Earnhardt Jr. got back on his feet and won more races at Dover, Talladega and Daytona.

In 2002, Earnhardt Jr. had to suffer through a concussion at Fontana in April which resulted in finishing places that were no better than the 30^th spot. He did however bounce back and was able to get two more wins at Talladega as well as a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11-th place finish in the standings. In 2003, Earnhardt Jr. was really showing his true nettle when he was awarded the NMPA Most Popular Driver award as well as winning at Phoenix in October. He has gone on to win a great many more championships which, many agree, would have made Earnhardt Sr. proud.

Earnhardt Jr. is not just an excellent racer, he is also a business man. He owns Hammerhead Entertainment which is a media production company and he is also partners with the investors who are currently building the Alabama Motorsports Park, A Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speedway. He has also made several cameos on music video clips, on radio and several TV shoes and advertisements.

Ocean Kayaks

Time to get started on this topic of ocean kayaks. Take a few moments to read every aspect of this article that hopefully be of a great help.

If you think kayaking can be done on only quiet water of lake or river, then it is not probable that kayaking can be done on any water surface. Whitewater kayaking is more popular than ocean kayaking; ocean kayaking is also admired by many people. Ocean kayaking is great choice for surfing.

Usually kayaks are slim boats widely exploited for sailing on still lake waters. So to use such kayaks on ocean some modifications is required, they have to adopt to always ever-changing ocean's unpredictable weather condition and huge brute strength of ocean. Considering this many changes are done for normal rigorous kayak to transform it into ocean kayak. So it is well said about ocean kayak that "Ocean kayaks are bit dissimilar and some modifications and differences make them better".

Most important adjustment in ocean kayaks is that they are huge; means have longest length than convention kayaks. These ocean kayaks are about fifteen asset feet longer and about Twenty-six inches wider. Cockpit of ocean kayaks can be reinforced as per your spec if you want it large choose larger, if you want it small, take smaller.

Modern ocean kayaks can be made up of many variety types of materials, sizes and in many different designs. Two main types in ocean kayaks are strict kayaks and folding kayaks. There many different innovations are done with traditional craft and modern technology. Some new designs are recreational kayaks and sit on top kayaks, inflatable kayaks, surf kayaks or surf skies.

The most common sizing of an ocean kayaks is in between Twelve to Fifteen feet and commonly kayaks long lengths are built for two paddlers. Ocean kayaks normally 18" to 28" wide but some special case of kayaks like surf skies, which is particularly configured for wave surfing is very narrow. Longer length of ocean kayaks increases their power to navigation in straight line. And wider space allows more storage area.

Ocean kayaks can be made using many special types of material like rotomolded polyethylene, carbon Kevlar or more often Using fiberglass or even sometime local material like foam core or carbon fibers are exploited for building these kayaks. Hand-crafted kayaks are commonly made up of wood sometimes wood strips are covered by fiberglass. If ocean kayaks are of skin on frame then main frame of kayak is covered by canvas, Dacron or some other character of fabric.

Ocean kayaks sometimes have steering gear wheel in form or skegs or rudder. Ordinarily rudders are connected at stern and operated using wires from cockpit. For beach landing these rudders are retractable. Essentially skegs are straight blades which throw well in the stem of boat. These gearing are there for smoothen paddling when there is strong ocean wind.

Paddles exploited for ocean kayaks are different. There are three basic types of paddles for ocean kayaks are seen, European paddles, Greenland paddles and wing paddles.

Ocean kayaks are now used universal for marine journeys, does not matter for long low they are used from few hours to many weeks; they are becoming more popular with going years. For further data please check our net site

I hope this article provided you with the information you were looking for. I have many other articles online that may be of interest to you.

Scuba Equipment

Scuba diving as an activity is popular among many, for its challenging yet calming effects in being able to explore the beauty of life under the sea. But, the sport, with its numerous soothing benefits, has an enormous responsibility for divers. One wrong move, the enjoyable event could become a diver's most terrible experience that could very well be his last. With its fame, scuba diving has also become notorious for unforeseen accidents or fatalities caused by unnecessary neglect. The keys to deriving hard-earned enjoyment from the activity are good training, presence of mind, and dependable scuba diving equipment.

Aside from the basic checklist of scuba diving gears - such as, wet suit, regulator, oxygen tank, mask, and fins - and the vital scuba diving equipment - like diving computer, compass, and gauges -, are other set of tools that can be used to fully make the most out of every experience are underwater cameras and lights. These gadgets can document every trip and dive into various sites. These are designed to capture details of the various colors and activities of marine life. To make sure of the quality and performance, it would be better to go the known brands available in the market. Another way to make sure of a wise purchase is to research and gather a consensus among experienced divers and their recommendations.

What is most important is for a diver to be knowledgeable of his sport and his scuba equipment. No amount of modern technology can assuage human errors causes by different factors. But, having a unruffled demeanor in times of accidents, could mean the life of a companion of one's own. But, for whatever cost, may it be monetary or one's life, the most important is being able to enjoy one's self in whatever endeavor he may be in, but particularly in the art and science of scuba diving.

How to start a camp fire

How To Start A Fire - A Few More Tips
- Collect twice as much firewood as you think you'll need for the night.
- Blow vigorously on the hot coals to restart the flames of a dying fire (and add fuel).
- Spray kindling with insect repellent or other flammable liquids to make it burn more easily.
- Use a large piece of birch bark to shelter a fire if starting it in the rain.
- Wood on the ground is usually wet. Look for standing dead wood or trees and branches that are leaning against other trees or rocks.
- You can break a long piece of wood by inserting the end between two close trees and pushing on the far end. Be careful not to fall when the wood breaks.
- Don't break wood over your knee or by jumping on it. Lean it up on a rock and step on the middle of the piece.
- Unbreakable pieces can be burnt in half in the fire.
- Use a base of green logs or sticks for a fire on the snow.
- If firewood is scarce, use as small a fire as possible, to extend your fuel supply.
- Collect and carry dry tinder in your pocket, in case it is raining when you need to start a fire.
Key Points
1. The best way to learn how to start a fire is to practice.
2. A fire requires tinder, kindling and fuel.
3. A balance of air, heat and fuel is necessary for a fire to burn well.
4. Fire starting without matches or a lighter is very difficult - bring a lighter and matches.

Lighting The Fire
One match or flame should be all that is needed to start the initial fire. Start the fire on the side the wind is blowing from. Protect the flame from the wind with your body and hand. Blow gently on the flames once they are strong, to help them spread to all the kindling. have more tinder and kindling ready, in case the fire threatens to die out. Feed small twigs and other kindling into the fire until it is large enough to take logs or other fuel.
Starting a fire with anything other than a match or lighter is very difficult, by the way. There are many survival techniques for creating a spark, and capturing that spark in tinder, and blowing it into a flame. You may have heard of the "fire plow," bow and drill," and "rock and metal" methods. Try one sometime. Doing so will convince you to always carry matches and a lighter.Camping and backing tips.

The Best Parks of Lakeway Texas

The Lakeway Parks and Recreation Department aims to provide excellent parks, facilities and services to the Lakeway community. There are so many beautiful sceneries plus a variety of activities for the whole family to enjoy. People are guaranteed to have a very relaxing and comfortable time with great year-round weather and park personnel constantly willing to assist.

Top Parks
In midtown Lakeway just at the end of Porpoise Street, people will find Porpoise Park. The park features playgrounds where kids can get to play soccer, Frisbee and walk their dogs. The park is also great for afternoon picnics where families can simply lay a blanket and watch the sunset.

The Canyonlands is the newest park in the city. The park got its name for the beautiful canyon running through the area. The landscape is one of the best traits of the Canyonlands especially during autumn when everything turns gold, orange and red. Spring is a great time to visit as well wherein everything comes to life with beautiful flowers and a barrage of green foliage. The department intends to keep the park as natural as possible with only minor renovations like benches and no other developments in the tract.

Individuals get to enjoy the Rim Trail in Canyonlands. Canyon Trail is better suited for the experienced ones looking for more challenge. Dogs are allowed with leashes and there's really no need to invest in special hiking gear except for comfortable and tough walking shoes.

For picnicking families and individuals, City Park is a great place featuring 64 acres of breathtaking area. The park is at 502 Hurst Creek Road accessible via water as well from Hurst Creek Cove on Lake Travis. The park can be accessed freely by Lakeway residents but visitors need to pay for entrance. City Park is open daily from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. Fun activities in the park include two miles of trails, bike and skate paths, a butterfly garden, playgrounds for toddlers and preschoolers and a dog park.

More Fun Parks
Dragon Park is located on Dragon Street just past the Village Square Shopping Center. The park is open daily from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. It is a great place for picnics and sports. There is a basketball court, volleyball court and an athletic field for soccer and Frisbee enthusiasts. Young children can play in the swing set and playscape as parents can watch among laid blankets on green comfortable grass spots nearby. A few simple rules include no picking of vegetation, no unleashed animals, no fireworks, no loud music and no alcoholic drinks.

Smith Greenbelt is another great place to enjoy hiking and walks. The area measures 4.5 acres and is accessible at two points. Parking facilities are available at the main entrance. The trails are well-maintained to provide the ultimate hiking experience. There are also bike trails available for avid off-road riders. Dogs are allowed but require a leash.

There are a number of centers in the city of Lakeway as well like the Swim Center, Heritage Center and Activity Center. People who own lakeway real estate and homes in lakeway get to enjoy activities that let them know more about culture, tradition and environmental awareness. Some activities are coordinated and monitored by park personnel. The activities follow a certain daily schedule as well so visitors may need to ask for information first before going.

POWERFUL HOMEMADE CARP BAITS - EASY to use Amino Acids for BIG CATCHES

The immense nutritional and carp bait attraction implications and effects of: 'first limiting' amino acids!

There are about 25 amino acids found in proteins, but the most important to carp are the 'essential amino acids' for carp.

These are not made in the carp's body, and must be consumed in the diet; via e.g. your baits, so using protein providing ingredients in your baits helps their attraction!

Carp are always deficient in one amino acid more than any other, and this definitely drives their dietary feeding behaviour and bait preferences.

Mixing whole food ingredients, like milk protein derivatives and fish meals together in your bait counteracts the carp's main amino acid deficiency! Doing this makes your bait extremely desirable.

In my research, the most common 'essential amino acids' in individual carp foods, have been:

* Lysine.

* Methionine.

* Threonine.

* Valine.

* Isoleucine.

* Leucine.

* Phenylalanine.

* Histidine.

* Arginine.

* Tryptophan.

Cystine and tyrosine are synthesized in the carp body, but only if the essential amino acids methionine and phenylalanine are consumed in sufficient amounts.

You may have been confused about the most important levels and ratios of ingredients to use in nutritional baits, to maximize nutritional carp bait attraction. The following points might help:

* A carp is deficient in one amino acid more than any other at any one time, depending on its personal diet.

* The amino acid that is most deficient in the carp, limits the digestive level of all the others, in the proteins in the bait.

* Each protein ingredient in your bait is most deficient in one particular amino acid, called the 'first limiting amino acid' and prevents any further digestion of other amino acids in that protein ingredient; no matter how abundant they are in your bait!

* Conversely, a different bait ingredient may have a different essential amino acid 'profile'. However, it could have an abundance of the 'first limiting' amino acid in the other ingredient in your bait.

* The two ingredients together will therefore counteract each other's 'limiting' digestion effect.

Therefore it is essential to mix food ingredients that have different weaknesses in their essential amino acid distribution. This produces a 'balanced amino acid profile' in your bait. An individual bait will have a totally different combination of types of ingredients to another 'balanced amino acid profile' style bait, but still have a balanced beneficial protein content.

For example, bait consisting of milk proteins, or made of fish and shellfish meals, or one made from poultry meals, or one made from bean and nut meals. Each has a balanced amino acid profile, but different ingredients. Each bait is limited by a different amino acid. And each bait may be most abundant in a different amino acid too, depending on individual ingredients used and their quantities used in the bait.

The key therefore is not to favour the individual ingredients that have produced catches historically, but rather, the effect of those ingredients in different combinations, as part of an attractive balanced 'food' type carp bait. The 'biological availability of proteins in a bait is key here...

The author has many more fishing and bait 'edges' up his sleeve. Every single one can have a huge impact on catches.

By Tim Richardson.

How To Find A Dating Partner Through Online Classified Sites

Finding the right people to date could really be a frustrating task. People say that there are four main processes in a dating lifecycle. And all of those processes are important so that everybody gets the most suitable partner for him or herself. However, the processes are almost the same as the marketing techniques employed by top businesspeople. This only means that you have to be a good seller in order to find your perfect match.

Lead finding is the very first step of finding your lifetime partner. You have to get hold of leads, or the list of potential people whom you can be with. It is a list that you work on, like exclude a person or pursue another later on. Mobile dating sites could be a good help for you. But then again, their service is very limited. In order to find a good match, that person should be subscribed to the exact same service and on the same location that you are in. Now if the number of people subscribed to it is not many, you will have a big problem. But don't worry. With this article, I'll show you how you can use the most effective tools and resources to generate leads for dating partners. If you're a woman, these processes could be more useful for you.

I am going to show you a method that will generate a good number of potential candidates that you can select from. And it is way effective than your regular mobile dating service. Do you know that you could make use the most popular online classified site in your city to find your perfect match? You might think that this strategy is more frustrating than it is rewarding. However, it could really work for you if you only know how to use these sites to your full advantage.

Classified sites would work for you in two ways - as the advertiser and as the responder. For the sake of this article, I'll talk in a female's point of interest. Being a woman gives you better chances of generating more candidates for a partner if you choose to be an advertiser rather a responder.

So for you to do it right, you have to visualize that person you're looking for. What does he look like? What are his main assets? What are his abilities? These are the things you should focus on when writing about the words you'll use to describe your man. Prioritize each trait. Write more than five qualities. This will give responders a fairly good idea if he is qualified or not. Anything less than five would only show that you're not so decided about your man yet or that you don't really care how he is. After creating your man, the next important step is to select a picture to go with your ad.

Classified sites have many users. Therefore, you will have many competitors. That should be okay, as you can't do anything about that at all. What you should do instead is to try to find something that would put you above your competitors. You have to be different from the rest of the women putting up their own ads. When it comes to this detail, you really should not look any further. A good picture would do the trick. It could distinguish you from the rest of the women on the site. And if you're using Craiglist, a picture is definitely a good pull because it would show the word 'pic' right beside of your ad. For your information, only a good 15% of all the ads on Craiglist does.

After selecting a nice picture of yourself, the next think you should focus on is your title. As a rule of thumb, you have to create a title that is eye catching yet clear, concise, and descriptive. Eye-catching titles are a good idea. But if you were to choose, always go for clarity and description. These two qualities of your title would provide you with more good candidates.

At this point, you should be ready to write your ad. The content of your ad is its most important aspect. It includes your photo, your title, your own description, and your man's description. Of these four elements, your photo still proves to be the most powerful one. Again, select a photo that looks presentable and clear. Blurry, crowded, and small pictures are a no-no, as they will just turn-off your respondents. Use your best solo picture taken in a well-lighted environment. It should also be uploaded as clear and as crisp as possible.

On the other hand, when it comes to writing the actual advertisement content, you have to write a few lines about yourself in the first part of the whole content. Don't jump into the qualities of the person you want to date right on. This could be another cause of turn-offs for you. Present yourself in the most interesting way possible without lying about anything.

After doing all these, you should be able to place your advertisement up the classified ads section of your choice. How, when, and where you will put up your ad is a big factor. For starters, placing it during the weekends may produce the best results because there are a lot of viewers during those times. However, you've got lots of competition as well.

These are all the things you should do and you should be all set. You might not find the man of your dreams outright through them, though. In fact, you might need to experiment some. But after a few tries and a few errors, you will eventually get things right. Don't be afraid to experiment. Just keep in mind you will find your lifetime partner just by doing all these easy and helpful steps.