Sunday, August 5, 2012
Basque pelota, anyone? Racquets, perhaps?
Swimming, gymnastics, rowing, track — Everyone knows what sports to expect and anticipates the events of the Summer Olympics. Before the Olympics became what we know today, a variety of sports were tried and removed from the official list. At the Summer Games in 1900, basque pelota was an official sport. Basque pelota is a game similar to racquetball. It is played with a bat or a racket, against a wall or between two teams over a net or line dividing the two. This sport was only ever officially played in the Olympics in 1900 and then was removed from the list. Although no longer an Olympic event, the game has been shorted to “Pelota” and there is a United States Federation of Pelota. There are no local courts, but there are U.S. clubs in …
Saturday, July 28, 2012
The Smithsonian's American Indian Museum and the White House join forces as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative to fight childhood obesity.
Native Americans have been an important part of the Olympic Games over the years. From Jim Thorpe to Billy Mills, American Indians have broken boundaries and brought home gold and silver medals in the world's greatest sporting competition. The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian joined forces with the White House Saturday as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initative to combat childhood obesity. The two groups hosted an Olympic Fun Day to get kids moving while learning the history of Native Americans in the Olympic Games. Children also had the chance to participate in a Let's Move scavenger hunt Saturday in the Enid A. Haupt Garden behind the Smithsonian Castle. Do you have photos from either event? Click "…
Monday, July 23, 2012
Julie Zetlin will represent United States in rhythmic gymnastics.
Julie Zetlin has been chasing a dream since she was four — and she caught it. Zetlin, a 22-year-old rhythmic gymnast, is representing the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Though she's known for a while, Zetlin said the feeling is surreal and that she's likely to act like a schoolgirl once she gets to London and starts meeting all of the "sexy athletes" from around the globe. "It's been incredible," she told a crowd of more than 100 family, friends and well-wishers Sunday in Arlington. "It hasn't kicked in yet. It doesn't feel real. But when I get there, it will. And being an Olympian is something I can carry with me — something I achieved in the first quarter of my life. I just can't believe it." Zetlin's story is one …
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