Latest news with #multisport
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pembrokeshire ALN pupils given chance to try new sports
The event was sponsored by Valero and supported by young ambassadors (Image: Pembrokeshire County Council) Pupils with additional learning needs have been given the opportunity to try new sports in a supportive environment. Two ALN multisport community events, organised by Sport Pembrokeshire, took place in June, offering taster sessions delivered by local clubs and organisations. Advertisement The first event was held at Pembroke Leisure Centre on Tuesday, June 24, with a second event hosted at Fishguard Leisure Centre two days later. Elgan Vittle of Sport Pembrokeshire said: "The aim of the events is to promote confidence, social interaction, and physical wellbeing, while encouraging participants to explore new activities in a safe and welcoming environment. "By working closely with schools and community partners, we strive to ensure that every young person—regardless of ability—has access to positive, meaningful sporting experiences that celebrate participation, effort, and fun." Schools in attendance included Tenby Primary, Monkton, and Portfield in the south, and Glannau Gwaun, Waldo Williams, Penrhyn Dewi, and Johnston in the north. Advertisement A total of 62 pupils took part in activities led by Clarbeston Warriors Football Club, Arts Care Dance, Fishguard and Goodwick Hockey, Scarlets, and Super 1s Disability & Haverfordwest Cricket Club. Mr Vittle said: "The feedback was fantastic from all the schools and pupils including the staff really had a great time and we're hoping that quite a few young people will now join some local clubs as a direct result of this event." The events were sponsored by Valero, with support from young ambassadors from Ysgol Harri Tudur and Ysgol Bro Gwaun.
New York Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The ‘First Celebrity Athlete,' a Century Before Social Media
Before Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson, there was Jim Thorpe. More than a century ago, Thorpe was a multisport star, excelling in football, baseball and lacrosse, and winning gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Games. But as a Native American, he faced what many historians considered racial bias when those medals were stripped because he had previously earned modest payment for playing baseball, which the International Olympic Committee said violated amateurism rules. The I.O.C. agreed to return Thorpe's medals in 1982, almost 30 years after his death, and last year President Joseph R. Biden Jr. awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was accepted by Thorpe's granddaughter. On Monday, a new project by the History Channel, 'Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning,' explores the triumphs and injustices of Thorpe's athletic career. The two-hour documentary was directed by Chris Eyre, a Native American filmmaker, and produced by Uninterrupted, a media company co-founded by LeBron James. In an interview with The New York Times, Eyre discussed the creative process and how he sees Thorpe's legacy playing out today. Excerpts from the conversation have been edited for length and clarity. Why was now a good time to do this project? I had heard about Jim Thorpe ever since I was a kid, and I felt like his name — I didn't want it to fade from the consciousness because he's one of the greatest Americans that ever lived and he's the greatest athlete ever. I jumped at getting to make something. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Gizmodo
06-07-2025
- Gizmodo
Garmin Fenix 7X Pro Solar Is 40% Off, Amazon's Giving Up Its Entire Margin for Prime Day
Garmin is the gold standard for smartwatches for athletes and the fēnix series is firmly at the top of their line. If you don't have to spend over $1,000 on the latest version, the Garmin fēnix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar is an amazing second choice and it's a team favorite in our editorial staff's athlete corps. For Prime Day early, Amazon is losing all its margin and pricing this watch at 40% off, and brings the cost down to a mere $599 from its usual $999. This is the all-time low for this model, and it's a fantastic chance to grab an upper-tier multisport GPS smartwatch for a price that's impossible to beat. See at Amazon This Garmin model features a large 1.4-inch display in a rugged 51 mm fiber-reinforced polymer case (42mm and 47mm models are also 40% off) finished with a titanium bezel and rear cover for extra durability without extra unnecessary weight. The rugged Power Sapphire lens harnesses solar power to deliver weeks of battery life in smartwatch mode which makes it perfect for long outdoor adventures where opportunities to charge are minimal. One of the most practical features is an LED flashlight that's integrated with variable intensities along with strobe modes. Whether you are jogging in the dark or need a handy source of light in the dark, this flashlight adds another dimension of convenience and safety you will appreciate during unexpected situations. The watch also introduces new performance metrics like hill score which measures your running strength and stamina on uphill runs – and endurance score which takes data from all your sporting activities and gives you a true appreciation of your overall stamina. Health and wellness tracking is another area where the Garmin fēnix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar excels: It offers 24/7 tracking with features like HRV status and Pulse Ox, which enable you to track your body's response to training and even acclimatize to high altitudes. Improved sleep tracking lets you focus on recovery while the morning report and training readiness features consolidate your health and training metrics for ease of interpretation. For runners who want to take their performance to the next level, the watch includes wrist-based running power, strength training features, and improved pacing modes so you can gauge your effort on race day. You'll also enjoy multi-band GPS and SatIQ technology which deliver exactness and save battery life. Maps of thousands of golf courses and ski resorts worldwide are preloaded, and TopoActive maps allow you to navigate your adventures with ease. Now $599 for early Prime Day, this is a price you won't want to miss if it's time to upgrade your gear. See at Amazon
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Travel + Leisure
15-06-2025
- Travel + Leisure
Charging Ahead: How an E-bike Made My Portugal Vacation Amazing
'Have you guys heard of JOMO? It's the joy of missing out!' It was a reminder from guide Lander Crissman about the laid-back mindset we should be keeping on our e-biking adventure in southwestern Portugal organized by the outfitter Backroads. On this trip, there would be no time for work anxieties or type-A chasing of personal bests. Instead, our six-person group, along with two guides, would be spending six leisurely days biking through cork and olive groves, doing a touch of hiking, trying our hand at surfing, and kayaking the famous sea caves of the Algarve. We'd be staying at two beyond-luxurious hotels—each with a deluxe spa—and covering between 3½ and 27 miles a day. If that sounds like minimal mileage for a cycling tour, it is: Backroads calls this multisport itinerary a Dolce Tempo, or 'sweet time,' departure. We'd also get a boost in the form of custom-built pedal-assist e-bikes. From Left: The author on her e-bike adventure in Portugal; kayaking the sea caves of the Algarve. Kathy Roberson; Backroads I'm something of an overplanner when it comes to travel, so I was glad to leave all the decisions and logistics to the pros. What's more, the trip would be something of a callback to my younger days, when I took an annual bike trip for seven years straight. The desire not to be left behind was good motivation to hit the gym consistently throughout the year. But my idea of a workout is a low-impact yoga or Pilates class or, more often, pedaling an exercise bike while watching TV. With that kind of fitness routine, I'd always wind up underprepared (and the terrain would always have more hills than I'd thought). I'd find myself trailing behind, legs burning, feeling lonely and discouraged. I'd repeat a favorite saying of my yoga teacher: 'The body wants to move.' Well, it didn't. When, I would ask myself, would that support van be coming along? The physical stress of these trips was often accompanied by some social awkwardness, too. Most participants would be there with a partner, friend, or family member; I was always on my own. I would push myself to be more outgoing, but I found it hard to insert myself, particularly because I was usually the only person interested in taking it easy. One year, while cycling the Eastern Shore of Maryland—what must be some of the flattest terrain in the U.S.—I was not so much exhausted by the mileage as the monotony of the days. After pedaling for hours, I'd have only the time to shower, wash my sweaty outfit in the sink, and eat dinner before going to bed. My next group trips were out of the saddle: one was camping and kayaking in British Columbia; the other a week of rafting and hiking around Costa Rica. Still, there's a deep sigh of contentment and the sense of a completely empty mind that I can only find while on a bike. So I took another look at cycling trips, hoping to find a new (and flat) destination in which to pedal. Instead, I was encouraged to learn that e-bikes are commonly offered these days, particularly in Europe and the U.S., usually at no extra charge. Andy Levine, founder of the tour operator DuVine, says that e-bike demand has steadily grown, and that the technology has revolutionized cycling vacations. 'The fact is that e-bikes act as an equalizer,' Levine tells me. 'They make it easier to tackle climbs, ride longer distances, or simply keep pace with the group—especially if your heart is set on a tour with more advanced terrain.' On my Portugal trip, the bikes were perhaps too effective: at the close of each day's ride, I would find myself thinking, 'Is that it?' My outfit was never sweaty enough to need washing out. One day, we finished our activities at 3:30 p.m., with dinner 'at your leisure.' Both of our hotels, Praia do Canal Nature Retreat and Quinta da Comporta, were gloriously isolated from civilization. But that meant there was nowhere to go nearby. I hit the steam room to soothe my muscles, but the only thing that hurt was my backside. It turns out that JOMO isn't for me—though I'm still happy about this e-bike thing. Next year I'll book a more intense itinerary in some hilly place that I can brag about having 'biked across.' (I found that my pedal-assist bike could turn a hill into such an insignificant obstacle that it felt almost immoral.) Though I'm not single, I'll opt for a 'solos' departure, so I'll have an easier time mixing in with the group. And I might even go so far as to bring my own more comfortable bike seat. ALTITUDE SEEKERS E-bikes are a welcome boost on this six-day Butterfield & Robinson trip on which travelers ascend to 4,777 feet by way of Col du Pillon, in the Swiss Alps, and visit two cheese capitals: Gruyères and Emmental. CYCLE SAFARI Guests of andBeyond in the Phinda Private Game Reserve, in South Africa, can e-bike through the Sand Forest with a guide, spotting interesting birds like the Lebombo wattle. THE MICHELIN STARS In 2026, travelers can join Basque chef Mikel Olaizola on a DuVine tour of northern Spain's culinary hot spots, including pintxo bars and restaurants such as Akelaŕe, which has three Michelin stars, in San Sebastián. WHEELING THROUGH WINE COUNTRY On a Backroads trip in northern California, cyclists start near San Francisco, ride along the Russian River, and stop at tasting rooms in Napa and Sonoma counties.— Parker Wright A version of this story first appeared in the July 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline 'Charging Ahead.'
Fast Company
09-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Tennis star Andre Agassi leads $20 million investment in Ballers, a multisport members' club
Ballers, a social multisport venue and members' club, just received a $20 million Series A investment led by tennis star Andre Agassi ahead of its Philadelphia flagship opening in July. With the location, Ballers aims to combine competition with culture. It will include courts where members can play pickleball, squash, and padel. There will also be a golf practice area with real sand traps and a large turf field where members can play soccer. 'These are all social sports,' cofounder David Gutstadt tells Fast Company. 'They're cool, relevant, elevated, but most importantly social.' Courting crosscourt players Pickleball, specifically, is America's fastest growing sport; participation has increased by 311% in the last three years, according to data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). But almost half of racket sports players are 'crosscourt consumers,' meaning they enjoy playing more than one of these sports, according to research by RacquetX. And racket sports as a whole are in a growth phase, with five out of seven increasing their year-over-year participation totals, according to SFIA. By creating a dedicated space for these sports, Gutstadt says he hopes to 'bring country club sports to the city.' 'As consumers seek richer social interactions, competition has evolved from pastime to platform,' Lloyd Danzig, a managing partner at Sharp Alpha, a firm that co-led the investment, wrote to Fast Company. More locations on the horizon Founders Gutstadt and Amanda Potter say that Ballers is the first of its kind: a multisport venue with a focus on hospitality and creating a culture. Outside of just offering sports practice and competition areas, the Ballers space also includes a full bar, a restaurant, and social activations like DJs or art installation pop-ups. The Ballers space has been constructed from the shell of an old power plant, giving the club a unique but 'grand and majestic' look, Potter says. Throughout the rest of 2025 and 2026, expect to see Ballers locations pop up in Boston, Downtown Los Angeles, and Miami. Ballers has amassed a group of celebrity and athlete investors that represent the venue's array of sports offerings. These investors include tennis stars Agassi, Kim Clijsters, and Sloane Stephens; pickleballer Connor Garnett; and soccer player/padel aficionado Maarten Paes. As lifelong tennis lovers, Gutstadt and Potter told Fast Company that working with Agassi was a 'dream come true.' Agassi was the 'obvious first pick' to represent Ballers, says Potter, because he represents a shift in racket sports' fashion and culture. 'Andre Agassi came into a sport that was pretty buttoned up and proper—you know, white collar shirts and Wimbledon mentality,' Potter says. 'He came in with a bit of an attitude and shook things up. And that's what we want for Ballers.'
