Just a little thought of mine as a college sport fan (more like Penn State fan). BCS in college football is NOT WORKING!! The purpose of the BCS system is to pick top 2 teams to play for the national title and to avoid co-champions. First of all, there have been co-national champions since BCS was invented (when USC won the AP title). Next, no one seems to figure out who the top 2 teams are. Let's say the season ended today. Florida should be ranked number one. No justification necessary. But who's number two? It should come down to all the one loss teams and 3 undefeated teams outside the BCS conference (Utah, Ball State, Boise State). It's impossible. Third, the worst things is that teams like Utah will never get a chance to play for the national title after going 12-0.
So, here's my thought. 1)Pick 8 teams in the final ranking and do the play-offs. 2)Give automatic bids to teams who've won their own conference and who are ranked top 10 in the final ranking regardless of conferences that they are in. 3)At-large bids go to schools ranked high in the ranking.
Let's say there will be no upsets the rest of the season and Florida and Texas both win the conference title games. The final ranking will look like....1)Florida 2)Texas 3)Oklahoma 4)USC 5)Alabama 6)Utah 7)Texas Tech 8)Penn State 9)Boise State 10)Ohio State. The conference champions in the top 10 gets an automatic bid which includes 1)Florida 2)Texas 6)Utah 8)Penn State and 9)Boise State. This leaves 3 spots for at-large bids. If you pick the top 3 teams left out, it will be 3)Oklahoma 4)USC and 5)Alabama. There may still be an argument saying that Texas Tech deserves to be in it. But this way, almost all the undefeated and one loss teams will at least get a chance to play for the title. They can add 2 more bowl games for the semifinals or they can keep that withing the BCS bowls and play the semis, who cares. Plus, students do not have to take a month break from football. Even high schools have a play-off system. Why not in D-I A? D-I AA does it too.
How fun would this be?? It's a lot easier to pick top 8 than top 2, isn't it? There is too much money involved in this BCS thing. If this is all about money and not about student athletes, it is really really sad. I'd rather see traditional BigTen vs Pac10 champs Rose Bowl.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A Difference Between Ordinary And Extraordinary
'A difference between ordinary and extraordinary is nothing more than doing something extra.' I saw this on the back of someone's t-shirt and I fell in love with it. Because you don't have to turn the world upside down to be extraordinary, you don't have to save lives of 1000 people to be extraordinary. By doing a little thing, you can turn 'ordinary' into 'extraordinary'.
Have you heard of the name, Rachel Joy Scott? About 10 years ago, lives of more than 10 teenagers were taken away by the hands of two high school students. She was one of those who were killed. She was just an ordinary teenager just like anyone else. But she did something 'extra' in her life. So did her Dad. I learned a little about her life as a Christian from the books that her Dad wrote. She was not like a super girl with super powers or anything. But she did little things that not many people were willing to do or able to do. When she saw someone sitting alone at her high school cafeteria, she sat down with him/her and spent time with that person. When she saw someone who might need help, she asked if she could help. She committed herself to reaching out to others because she believed that what she did would affect others' heart. And it did. This may not sound very special thing to do. There are many people with kind heart like her. But, to the person that was reached out by her, what she did might have felt like the best thing that happened in her/his life. What if you were a high school kid who was new to the school? You were having trouble making friends and eating lunch alone everyday. That would be awful, at least to me. You would feel really lonely, wouldn't you? What if someone like her came to say hi to you and made friends with you. That would be awesome. She/he might feel like an angel to you.
You never know what is around you. There are so many opportunities that you can turn yourself into someone 'extraordinary'. Adding something extra into cheesecake that you are making can make it super good. It does not take much to be someone extraordinary.
She did what God called her to do; reaching out to the others. She thought she could make a huge difference and she did. And I believe everyone can.
Have you heard of the name, Rachel Joy Scott? About 10 years ago, lives of more than 10 teenagers were taken away by the hands of two high school students. She was one of those who were killed. She was just an ordinary teenager just like anyone else. But she did something 'extra' in her life. So did her Dad. I learned a little about her life as a Christian from the books that her Dad wrote. She was not like a super girl with super powers or anything. But she did little things that not many people were willing to do or able to do. When she saw someone sitting alone at her high school cafeteria, she sat down with him/her and spent time with that person. When she saw someone who might need help, she asked if she could help. She committed herself to reaching out to others because she believed that what she did would affect others' heart. And it did. This may not sound very special thing to do. There are many people with kind heart like her. But, to the person that was reached out by her, what she did might have felt like the best thing that happened in her/his life. What if you were a high school kid who was new to the school? You were having trouble making friends and eating lunch alone everyday. That would be awful, at least to me. You would feel really lonely, wouldn't you? What if someone like her came to say hi to you and made friends with you. That would be awesome. She/he might feel like an angel to you.
You never know what is around you. There are so many opportunities that you can turn yourself into someone 'extraordinary'. Adding something extra into cheesecake that you are making can make it super good. It does not take much to be someone extraordinary.
She did what God called her to do; reaching out to the others. She thought she could make a huge difference and she did. And I believe everyone can.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Joe Paterno
When people talk about good college football coaches, they talk about how many wins they have, how well they can run their offense and defense, etc. Of course, it is their job to make a good football team, but I don't think that should be their only thing to worry about. College football players are college students who are playing football for school, not the other way around.
Everyone knows that Penn State coach, Joe Paterno, is the winningest coach in college football I-A history.(it's called something else by the way) People wonder when he will retire. He always says that he doesn't know to the question. I think he likes to coach and he wants to keep coaching. What I like about him the most is that he not only coaches football but he teaches life to the students. He always puts school first before football. That is why he does not leave for away games until the students get out of classroom on Friday unless they have to go early. It's been 'classroom first, then football.' He sees this coaching job as an opportunity to reach out to those students and teach them what kinda person they will be. He helps them grow and become a person who can do the same to the others. He turned down the New England Patriots job for this reason and he donated lots of money to the school. He does not get paid millions of dallors like some other football coaches down south. But he keeps coaching because he likes it.
He's built a great football program. But he also is a great person that loves to reach out to the others. He cares about his students. And he likes to help them out any way he can. When he is gone, we will find out what we miss. I really hope that he will keep coaching as long as he likes to.
We Are.......Penn State!!
Everyone knows that Penn State coach, Joe Paterno, is the winningest coach in college football I-A history.(it's called something else by the way) People wonder when he will retire. He always says that he doesn't know to the question. I think he likes to coach and he wants to keep coaching. What I like about him the most is that he not only coaches football but he teaches life to the students. He always puts school first before football. That is why he does not leave for away games until the students get out of classroom on Friday unless they have to go early. It's been 'classroom first, then football.' He sees this coaching job as an opportunity to reach out to those students and teach them what kinda person they will be. He helps them grow and become a person who can do the same to the others. He turned down the New England Patriots job for this reason and he donated lots of money to the school. He does not get paid millions of dallors like some other football coaches down south. But he keeps coaching because he likes it.
He's built a great football program. But he also is a great person that loves to reach out to the others. He cares about his students. And he likes to help them out any way he can. When he is gone, we will find out what we miss. I really hope that he will keep coaching as long as he likes to.
We Are.......Penn State!!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
TCD #1
TCD is short for Ted's Chocolate Diet. There are so many products on how to lose weight, loose body fat, and get slim. But do you really want to give up your favorite food? Because I would not!!! If you are so superly obese that your life is in danger, you will have to do something and may have to give up something you love. But you do not have to if you just want to lose 10lb or get in a better shape. Here's how my diet works.
1) Eat what you want.
Yes, eat what you want to eat. If you like chocolate like me, why don't you? If you love cookies, you can have them. The key is to keep it balanced. If your calorie intake is 2,000kcal/day, you just need to burn that much calories a day in order to maintain your current body weight. If you want to lose weight, then, you just need to burn more calories than what you eat.
Don't get me wrong, though. You do need to take required nutrients. After that, what you eat is all up to you.
2) Eat when you want.
Right, we are all supposed to eat 3 meals a day. 'Snacks are not good for you' is what your Mom and Dad say, right? But the reality is that many people skip breakfast and snack between meals. I think it is important to have regular meals, one in the morning, one around noon, and one in the evening. But who said that it is wrong to snack? Again, the key is to keep it balanced. You can have 2 meals and 3 snacks, or 3 meals and 4 snacks. What matters is how much calories you take and how much of that you spend. What I would recommend is that you probably should not eat late at night or right before you go to bed.
I eat ice cream in the morning. I am kind of a person who likes to eat deserts before eating meals. And I eat chocolate everyday because I love it. I still wear a pair of jeans that I bought when I was in high school. My body weight has been about the same after I stopped growing. I am healthy. Life is too short not to eat what you like. Just remember....Keep it balanced.
Oh, and one more thing. A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands. Just eat what you want and have some fun!!
1) Eat what you want.
Yes, eat what you want to eat. If you like chocolate like me, why don't you? If you love cookies, you can have them. The key is to keep it balanced. If your calorie intake is 2,000kcal/day, you just need to burn that much calories a day in order to maintain your current body weight. If you want to lose weight, then, you just need to burn more calories than what you eat.
Don't get me wrong, though. You do need to take required nutrients. After that, what you eat is all up to you.
2) Eat when you want.
Right, we are all supposed to eat 3 meals a day. 'Snacks are not good for you' is what your Mom and Dad say, right? But the reality is that many people skip breakfast and snack between meals. I think it is important to have regular meals, one in the morning, one around noon, and one in the evening. But who said that it is wrong to snack? Again, the key is to keep it balanced. You can have 2 meals and 3 snacks, or 3 meals and 4 snacks. What matters is how much calories you take and how much of that you spend. What I would recommend is that you probably should not eat late at night or right before you go to bed.
I eat ice cream in the morning. I am kind of a person who likes to eat deserts before eating meals. And I eat chocolate everyday because I love it. I still wear a pair of jeans that I bought when I was in high school. My body weight has been about the same after I stopped growing. I am healthy. Life is too short not to eat what you like. Just remember....Keep it balanced.
Oh, and one more thing. A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands. Just eat what you want and have some fun!!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Only A Prelude
Wow, the last few week have been amazing! Not that I have done anything special. But to watch those athletes competing one another at the Olympic Trials was amazing. It began with gymnastics. There was one gymnast that everyone would expect to win the gold medal just like Carly Patterson did 4 years ago. And there were a couple of oldies who had to face disappointing results 4 years ago. And they should be on their way to the first Olympics and possible medals. But only 6 of those training at the training center in Texas will get to go to Beijing this summer. For many of those, this is the only chance. After all the training and practices that they have to go through even to get to this point, they all deserve a bunch of respects.
Then, at the Track and Field trials, there was a 16 year-old girl who made the final in 1500m. She also set a high school American record and is on her way to Poland to compete at the Junior Worlds. The crowd loved her chanting 'Come to Oregon, Come to Oregon!!' Personally, I hope she will go somewhere else. But it's up to her to decide. Or she may not compete at college level like Allyson Felix. Lots of congrats to Breaux, Dwight, Lisa, Trevell for all the success that they have had in their career regardless of the results of the trials.
In the swimming trials, again a 15 year-old girl made the team. In the same event that Katie Hoff competed when she was 15 4 years ago. Not to mention, she is the youngest one on the team. On the other hand, this 41 year-old woman not only made the team but won 2 events, in one of which she set an American record. It's almost impossible to think that someone can compete at that level at the age of 41 and she is at her best that age. The most of the top swimmers are teenagers or in their early 20s. This is just amazing. How in the world did she do that?!
And the conclusion of this amazing week full of sports was the Wimbledon final. That went far beyond my expectation. I expected it to be somewhat competitive and fun. But that was undescribable! What a match they played. Amazing shot after shot after shot from crazy position.
Sporting events are wonderful. But there are always someone who lose their once in a life time chance. In Track and Field, top 3 goes to Beijing with Olympic A standard time. In swimming, top 2 advance. There is no free pass even for the athletes who have an American record. If they are not on top of their game and lose, they are done. There is no second chance. This makes it even more dramatic.
After all this great moments and performances, this is only a prelude. You can expect the even better when top athletes from all over the world gather in Beijing on August 8, 2008. More than once I dreamed about being an Olympian. Now that dream is shattered. But I'd love to be a part of it sometime, maybe as a member of the medical team.
Then, at the Track and Field trials, there was a 16 year-old girl who made the final in 1500m. She also set a high school American record and is on her way to Poland to compete at the Junior Worlds. The crowd loved her chanting 'Come to Oregon, Come to Oregon!!' Personally, I hope she will go somewhere else. But it's up to her to decide. Or she may not compete at college level like Allyson Felix. Lots of congrats to Breaux, Dwight, Lisa, Trevell for all the success that they have had in their career regardless of the results of the trials.
In the swimming trials, again a 15 year-old girl made the team. In the same event that Katie Hoff competed when she was 15 4 years ago. Not to mention, she is the youngest one on the team. On the other hand, this 41 year-old woman not only made the team but won 2 events, in one of which she set an American record. It's almost impossible to think that someone can compete at that level at the age of 41 and she is at her best that age. The most of the top swimmers are teenagers or in their early 20s. This is just amazing. How in the world did she do that?!
And the conclusion of this amazing week full of sports was the Wimbledon final. That went far beyond my expectation. I expected it to be somewhat competitive and fun. But that was undescribable! What a match they played. Amazing shot after shot after shot from crazy position.
Sporting events are wonderful. But there are always someone who lose their once in a life time chance. In Track and Field, top 3 goes to Beijing with Olympic A standard time. In swimming, top 2 advance. There is no free pass even for the athletes who have an American record. If they are not on top of their game and lose, they are done. There is no second chance. This makes it even more dramatic.
After all this great moments and performances, this is only a prelude. You can expect the even better when top athletes from all over the world gather in Beijing on August 8, 2008. More than once I dreamed about being an Olympian. Now that dream is shattered. But I'd love to be a part of it sometime, maybe as a member of the medical team.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
AZ Soccer Camp
It's summer time again! This means summer camp time! I just got back from soccer camp in Prescott, AZ, where it's a little bit cooler than here in Phoenix area. I did this camp for 2 or 3 days last July, but this time, I was there for 2 weeks. To be honest, it was very tiring. But at the same time, it was fun!! Being around about 150 kids was FUN!! The youngest kids were 8 and the oldests were 13 or 14. There were some trouble makers, some crazy, some funny, but they were all good kids and fun kids.
This year, unlike last year's camp in Wisconsin, was a little easier and less crazier. There were not many kids who got hurt and they did not keep me too busy. Yeah, they did give me enough to do though. I had to deal with some homesick kids who were crying in the middle of night. I had to take care of kids who really got sick and had a fever. I had to take care of injured kids as well. Again this year just like last year, it was sometimes hard to get to know all of the kids. I did get to know some of them who came to me almost everyday. And I really enjoyed spending time with them.
To me, it is not so hard to take care of injuries. Most of the times, I can find out what may be wrong with it and do what needs to be done. But each kid is different. They react differently and they express differently. Some may easily get traumatised even when the injury is not so serious. I need to be careful what I say. Some kids are more sensitive than others. I think taking care of children as a child kind of requires you to be back as a child. You need that heart and mind that children have to understand them. Sometimes, I feel like as an adult we have lost lots of things that we used to have when we were kids. That really makes me sad. As we grew up, we left pieces of childness behind. Everytime I work with kids, I wish that they would not lose that. Look at their smile, for example, their smile has something that we don't have in it. It seems so much brighter and purer and more transparent. They all come from different backgrounds, different family, etc. But when they smile, that means one thing, happiness.
I am going to say this one more time, I know there is no perfection that exists in this world. But I truly think that kids' smile is perfect because it is a perfect gift from God. And everytime I get a chance to work with kids, I re-realize that I LOVE kids!! I can't wait to go back there again for one more camp session in July.
This year, unlike last year's camp in Wisconsin, was a little easier and less crazier. There were not many kids who got hurt and they did not keep me too busy. Yeah, they did give me enough to do though. I had to deal with some homesick kids who were crying in the middle of night. I had to take care of kids who really got sick and had a fever. I had to take care of injured kids as well. Again this year just like last year, it was sometimes hard to get to know all of the kids. I did get to know some of them who came to me almost everyday. And I really enjoyed spending time with them.
To me, it is not so hard to take care of injuries. Most of the times, I can find out what may be wrong with it and do what needs to be done. But each kid is different. They react differently and they express differently. Some may easily get traumatised even when the injury is not so serious. I need to be careful what I say. Some kids are more sensitive than others. I think taking care of children as a child kind of requires you to be back as a child. You need that heart and mind that children have to understand them. Sometimes, I feel like as an adult we have lost lots of things that we used to have when we were kids. That really makes me sad. As we grew up, we left pieces of childness behind. Everytime I work with kids, I wish that they would not lose that. Look at their smile, for example, their smile has something that we don't have in it. It seems so much brighter and purer and more transparent. They all come from different backgrounds, different family, etc. But when they smile, that means one thing, happiness.
I am going to say this one more time, I know there is no perfection that exists in this world. But I truly think that kids' smile is perfect because it is a perfect gift from God. And everytime I get a chance to work with kids, I re-realize that I LOVE kids!! I can't wait to go back there again for one more camp session in July.
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