Latest news with #Spiders
The National
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
To play for the sake of playing in changing amateur scene
What a prospect. An additional five years of grumbling, cursing, muttering futility? Joie de bloomin' vivre, eh? This fascinating, flummoxing game, of course, remains a constant work in progress so perhaps a few more seasons spent clattering and thrashing away will finally lead to some sort of modest improvement? I very much doubt it. Despite being mired in this seemingly perpetual state of ineptitude, rarely does a week go by without me actually learning something new about my own golf. That means I was ignorant of about four things over the past month. Extend that process back over, say, 30 years, and that's a mightily impressive accumulation of complete and utter ignorance. They do say, of course, that ignorance is bliss. Well, that's what my playing partners sympathetically inform me after they've watched one of my tee-shots and chorus, 'where the hell did that go?' Anyway, we're rambling here. Which is not unusual in this column. Wandering through the grounds of Hampden Park the other day – nurse, I've gone from rambling to aimlessly wandering - I gave a passing nod to the old motto of Queen's Park fitba club, Ludere Causa Ludendi. 'Is that not the combative Italian midfielder Rangers have had their eye on?,' chirped the sports editor. Those of you who are well-versed in Latin will know that it means, 'to play for the sake of playing'. This maxim reflected the club's long-standing commitment to amateurism and the Corinthian ideal. Of course, the Spiders are a professional outfit now so that's gone out of the window. Rather like their finances. In the upper echelons of the amateur scene in golf, meanwhile, I was reminded of the changing face of the unpaid game recently when doing some work at the Women's Amateur Championship in Nairn. In an international field, which started with a line-up of 144 players and was whittled down to two finalists over the course of six days, the oldest player was Scotland's Jennifer Saxton. She was, wait for it, a venerable 28. If Saxton was considered the veteran in the draw, then it made this increasingly decrepit correspondent feel as ancient as the standing stones of Callanish. In an event packed, by and large, with full-time players who will, no doubt, have ambitions of turning professional, Saxton stood as a monument to the increasingly rare breed that is the career amateur. 'We all joke about it, but I sit at my desk every day at work then try to come out and compete with these young guns,' said Saxton, who can certainly still cut it at the top-level and proved it with victory in the prestigious St Rule Trophy a couple of seasons ago. To play for the sake of playing and all that. Back in 1981, the celebrated, decorated Belle Robertson won the Women's Amateur Championship title at the age of 45. A feat like that at such a vintage is unlikely to ever be repeated. Those, of course, were different golfing times. These days, the career amateur is something that's almost as charmingly antiquated as a thatched roof, as players hurtle off into the professional game on a rapidly birling conveyor belt. Saxton, a marketing manager with golf technology firm, Shot Scope, is well aware that she's in the minority. 'I wish more people would do the same,' she said of juggling the nine-to-five with the competitive cut-and-thrust. 'It would be good for the game if people were working in golf and trying to compete as well. 'My golf started getting better when I worked. Golf is a breakaway from that. I learned how to score without putting in the hours of practice.' The proof remains in the pudding. Yesterday, Saxton was named in the Scotland side again as she retained her place for the forthcoming European Women's Amateur Team Championship. She will be joined in that squad by Hannah Darling, the highly talented 21-year-old who is poised for her amateur swansong before making the pro plunge later in the season. Darling, who helped GB&I win the Vagliano Trophy for the first time in 20 years at the weekend, has stockpiled a vast haul of national and international silverware since bursting onto the scene and landing the Scottish Girls' Amateur Championship at the age of just 13. Amateur accomplishments and accolades, of course, do not guarantee professional prosperity. But nothing does in this predictably unpredictable pursuit of complex demands. Paul Lawrie, for instance, had very little amateur pedigree but, through drive, discipline, talent and that special undefined something that you can't bottle, became a major champion, multiple tour winner and Ryder Cup player. Others, eagerly championed and tipped for great things after glory-laden stints in the amateur ranks, disappeared off the face of the earth. There's no one-size-fits-all model for success and someone like Lawrie, as well as Scots like Catriona Mathew, Janice Moodie, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Sandy Lyle, Russell Knox, Martin Laird, Gemma Dryburgh or Robert MacIntyre, were and have been successful for very different reasons. Darling has ticked plenty of boxes along the way. Let's hope she ticks a few more when her inevitable move into the paid game arrives. Let's hope, too, that Saxton continues to thrive as a career amateur. And as for this correspondent? Well, let's hope that scientific research is right and I winkle out a few extra years on this earth, even if it merely prolongs the golfing incompetence. Ludere Causa Ludendi, indeed.
The Herald Scotland
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
To play for the sake of playing in changing amateur scene
This fascinating, flummoxing game, of course, remains a constant work in progress so perhaps a few more seasons spent clattering and thrashing away will finally lead to some sort of modest improvement? I very much doubt it. Despite being mired in this seemingly perpetual state of ineptitude, rarely does a week go by without me actually learning something new about my own golf. That means I was ignorant of about four things over the past month. Extend that process back over, say, 30 years, and that's a mightily impressive accumulation of complete and utter ignorance. They do say, of course, that ignorance is bliss. Well, that's what my playing partners sympathetically inform me after they've watched one of my tee-shots and chorus, 'where the hell did that go?' Anyway, we're rambling here. Which is not unusual in this column. Wandering through the grounds of Hampden Park the other day – nurse, I've gone from rambling to aimlessly wandering - I gave a passing nod to the old motto of Queen's Park fitba club, Ludere Causa Ludendi. 'Is that not the combative Italian midfielder Rangers have had their eye on?,' chirped the sports editor. Those of you who are well-versed in Latin will know that it means, 'to play for the sake of playing'. This maxim reflected the club's long-standing commitment to amateurism and the Corinthian ideal. Of course, the Spiders are a professional outfit now so that's gone out of the window. Rather like their finances. In the upper echelons of the amateur scene in golf, meanwhile, I was reminded of the changing face of the unpaid game recently when doing some work at the Women's Amateur Championship in Nairn. In an international field, which started with a line-up of 144 players and was whittled down to two finalists over the course of six days, the oldest player was Scotland's Jennifer Saxton. She was, wait for it, a venerable 28. If Saxton was considered the veteran in the draw, then it made this increasingly decrepit correspondent feel as ancient as the standing stones of Callanish. In an event packed, by and large, with full-time players who will, no doubt, have ambitions of turning professional, Saxton stood as a monument to the increasingly rare breed that is the career amateur. 'We all joke about it, but I sit at my desk every day at work then try to come out and compete with these young guns,' said Saxton, who can certainly still cut it at the top-level and proved it with victory in the prestigious St Rule Trophy a couple of seasons ago. To play for the sake of playing and all that. Back in 1981, the celebrated, decorated Belle Robertson won the Women's Amateur Championship title at the age of 45. A feat like that at such a vintage is unlikely to ever be repeated. Those, of course, were different golfing times. These days, the career amateur is something that's almost as charmingly antiquated as a thatched roof, as players hurtle off into the professional game on a rapidly birling conveyor belt. Saxton, a marketing manager with golf technology firm, Shot Scope, is well aware that she's in the minority. 'I wish more people would do the same,' she said of juggling the nine-to-five with the competitive cut-and-thrust. 'It would be good for the game if people were working in golf and trying to compete as well. 'My golf started getting better when I worked. Golf is a breakaway from that. I learned how to score without putting in the hours of practice.' The proof remains in the pudding. Yesterday, Saxton was named in the Scotland side again as she retained her place for the forthcoming European Women's Amateur Team Championship. She will be joined in that squad by Hannah Darling, the highly talented 21-year-old who is poised for her amateur swansong before making the pro plunge later in the season. Darling, who helped GB&I win the Vagliano Trophy for the first time in 20 years at the weekend, has stockpiled a vast haul of national and international silverware since bursting onto the scene and landing the Scottish Girls' Amateur Championship at the age of just 13. Amateur accomplishments and accolades, of course, do not guarantee professional prosperity. But nothing does in this predictably unpredictable pursuit of complex demands. Paul Lawrie, for instance, had very little amateur pedigree but, through drive, discipline, talent and that special undefined something that you can't bottle, became a major champion, multiple tour winner and Ryder Cup player. Others, eagerly championed and tipped for great things after glory-laden stints in the amateur ranks, disappeared off the face of the earth. There's no one-size-fits-all model for success and someone like Lawrie, as well as Scots like Catriona Mathew, Janice Moodie, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Sandy Lyle, Russell Knox, Martin Laird, Gemma Dryburgh or Robert MacIntyre, were and have been successful for very different reasons. Darling has ticked plenty of boxes along the way. Let's hope she ticks a few more when her inevitable move into the paid game arrives. Let's hope, too, that Saxton continues to thrive as a career amateur. And as for this correspondent? Well, let's hope that scientific research is right and I winkle out a few extra years on this earth, even if it merely prolongs the golfing incompetence. Ludere Causa Ludendi, indeed.
Japan Forward
27-05-2025
- Japan Forward
Spider Deployed for Disaster Relief Efforts
このページを 日本語 で読む On May 21, the Noto Reconstruction Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) unveiled the "Spider" to the press. The reconstruction team is now using this specialized type of heavy machinery to rebuild roads in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, following the devastating 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake and record-breaking torrential rains. Equipped with four agile spider-like legs, the machine can navigate sloped terrain. During the demonstration, it climbed over large rocks and even cut and carried fallen trees. "We aim to make full use of the Spider's superior capabilities to accelerate reconstruction," said Tatsuya Minamitani, Section 3 engineering manager at the Noto Reconstruction office. The Spider climbs over large rocks in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The Spider is unveiled to the press in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, on May 21. According to MLIT, there are around 20 Spiders in Japan. That includes units owned by private companies. Their interchangeable arms allow for various tasks, such as excavation and piling. They also came in handy for clearing tangerine orchards buried by landslides in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture, after heavy rains hit western Japan in November 2024. The Spider can also transport fallen trees. Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, on May 21. Author: The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Maryland football accused of tampering to add transfer kicker
Former Richmond kicker Sean O'Haire headlines Maryland football's under-the-radar transfer portal additions this offseason. The Ireland native went 12-for-12 on field goal attempts this past season, only playing in four regular-season games as a true freshman to preserve eligibility, meaning he can play four seasons for the Terps. O'Haire is a quality addition for coach Michael Locksley's squad, but Richmond coach Russ Huesman isn't pleased with how he says the recruiting process transpired. Advertisement 'Maryland tampered with our kicker and gave him $50,000,' Huesman told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 'They came in, they tampered. The kid had zero interest in transferring, they offered him money. It happens all over the country, and there's nothing the NCAA's going to do about it.' Huesman says there was no previous inclination that O'Haire planned to transfer. He believes Maryland reached out while O'Haire was still on Richmond's roster in hopes of luring him into the portal, which would break NCAA rules. 'He's got an unbelievable future,' Huesman said. 'This was not on him. This was on Maryland. This was on [O'Haire's] handlers. It was on a lot of other people that I'm not real happy with.' Maryland's athletic department declined to comment on Huesman's statements when asked by The Baltimore Sun. Advertisement This isn't the first time Huesman has teed off on the transfer portal this offseason. In December, Huesman bemoaned the current state of college football. His starting quarterback Camden Coleman and his top two receivers (former Terp Nick DeGennaro and Landon Ellis) left the Spiders for in-state program James Madison. Star safety Matthew Traynor joined Wisconsin, and running back Zach Palmer-Smith left for the University of Louisiana Monroe. Offensive lineman Keith Gouveia will play for Pittsburgh in 2025. 'There's no loyalty anywhere in the country,' Huesman said. 'It's absolutely ridiculous with what's going on out there in college football. I'm disappointed that loyalty doesn't play a part of it. 'Every one of these kids we recruited said the Richmond degree was a big reason why they came here. And so now it's not quite as big a deal. We sign them. We develop them.' Advertisement It's not a major shock to see Richmond have defections within its football program, especially to schools like Maryland. The players left the program as the Spiders are set to move from the Coastal Athletic Association to the Patriot League. The CAA is regarded as a more prominent Football Championship Subdivision, receiving four bids into the 2024 postseason. The Patriot League was just a one-bid league. Related Articles Traynor and Gouveia left Richmond for Power Four programs, while the three James Madison commits joined a program that's 28-9 in three seasons since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision. Their new destinations offer increased name, image and likeness opportunities. Maryland opted into the proposed House settlement, with plans to share revenue annually with football players. Richmond also opted into the settlement, but outlined that it plans to share revenues with the men's and women's basketball programs, rather than prioritizing football. Advertisement The higher level programs also offer more exposure than Richmond, which rarely appears on national TV. Maryland's 2025 schedule includes notable games against Wisconsin, Nebraska, Indiana and Michigan. With a strong Big Ten career, O'Haire could potentially propel himself into the NFL. Before O'Haire, kicker Chad Ryland transferred to Maryland after four seasons at Eastern Michigan and was drafted in the 2023 fourth round. Since 2021, all 10 kickers taken in the NFL draft played at a Power Conference school. O'Haire's situation is not unique to college football, either. In 2024, former Alabama coach Nick Saban acknowledged on ESPN's 'College GameDay' that he tried to get Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell to join his program despite the future first-round draft pick never entering his name in the transfer portal. Still, Huesman has been miffed by the transfer portal's negative impact on his program. The Spiders added freshman kicker Jackson Bonser after O'Haire's transfer, and the coach made a tongue-in-cheek comment that his new kicker could soon be on his way out the door, too. 'We got to see him in the spring, signed him, and probably in a year or two, Maryland will come back and cheat and steal him,' Huesman said of Bonser. 'That's the way it goes out there. Advertisement 'It's not just Maryland. It's everybody.' Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@ 410-332-6200 and
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Ukraine approves domestically made Spider ground robot for military use
The Ministry of Defence has codified and approved the Spider ground-based robotic system for use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Source: Main Directorate for Support of the Life Cycle of Weapons and Military Equipment Details: The Spider was developed by a team of Ukrainian engineers, taking into account the practical combat experience of Ukrainian defenders. The system has modifications for performing various tasks such as logistical support and specific engineering tasks. The developers also found a technological solution to increase the control range of such systems. The ground robot is compact in size – two of them can fit in the back of a military pickup truck. The platform weighs just over 50 kg and can carry up to a hundred kilogrammes of payload. According to the report, the robots have four engines, which increases the mobility and the system's endurance in combat conditions. "The robotic platforms are distinguished by their manoeuvrability and ease of control, their ability to operate in areas affected by enemy electronic warfare, and to perform complex manoeuvres in confined spaces. The Spiders dynamically overcome steep slopes and can move at an angle. The battery charge is sufficient for several hours of continuous movement," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Background: Earlier, the Ministry of Defence codified and approved the Ukrainian-made ground-based robotic system Visliuk for use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The platform fits into the body of a minibus or trailer. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
