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The Beijing Olympics Games have finally come to a close and the national media is clamouring to secure interviews with those successful British athletes. But for how much longer?

As they bask in the limelight of their victories, it is a sad state of affairs that in the coming weeks, months and years, those athletes we so readily praise in victory and are so en vogue will soon slip from our radars. Instead, the next four years will see attention turned to promising athletes in more mainstream events who will inevitably underachieve in London 2012, or whose success will promptly catapult them into upper echelons of Olympic greatness with just one victory.

Sad as it is to say, the Olympic fad has passed - at least for now - and many of the less appealing sports will disappear into the obscurity from whence they came. There is no taking away from the achievements of the athletes during their time in Beijing, but can any of us really say we will be scouring the internet in search of the latest keelboat sailing results? Or perhaps trawling through the satellite channels looking for the latest coverage of taekwondo?

Of course not. And is a shame that these successful exponents of their sport will go largely ignored. It is a certainty, however, that there will be plenty of publicity and coverage for those less successful athletes in the more ‘appealing’ disciplines. Sure, Britain may have won only four medals - and just one gold - in the events of track and field, but you can be certain that these will be the athletes that secure the greatest column inches and, no doubt, the highest level of funding.

Look, for example, at the amount of coverage 100 metre sprinter Dwain Chambers achieved in the run up to Beijing - and he wasn’t even competing! As a keen sports fan myself, I can honestly say that of the Great British athletes who achieved gold at the summer games, I am familiar with only around half the names. Instead, I could probably reel off twice as many names of those British track and field athletes that either failed to qualify or failed to medal.

Quite clearly this should not be the case and for too long we have pandered to the mentality of the ‘plucky Brit’. Yes we would all dearly like to see Paula Radcliffe go home with gold, but whenever it comes to the important races all confidence seems to go out the window in both spectator and athlete alike. Perhaps withdrawing such media attention to a select few or dispersing the responsibility more evenly will enable athletes to rediscover that missing component necessary for victory.

I am sure I am not alone in this belief, so I am delighted that those athletes that achieved great success in Beijing are enjoying their time in the limelight. For once the fuss dies down and attention to the Olympic Games dwindles, it will not be until 2012 that their names are the centre of attention once again.

In the meantime, sports fans will undoubtedly turn their focus to the overpaid and underachieving athlete that is the modern footballer.

Max Clarke is a copywriter for holiday services company, Holiday Extras, currently writing about Gatwick airport parking, Manchester airport hotels and Heathrow airport parking.

Like any other sports, golf requires that you are geared up correctly to be able to properly play the game. This article will give you an idea of basic golf equipment one requires to be able to learn and play golf.

For starters, the basic golf equipment is a golf ball. Golf balls are dimpled tiny balls, use in to play golf. They are dimpled to reach farther length when driven by golf clubs.

Important golf equipment is a golf club or golf driver. Golf drivers come in different varieties. This is because a golf course has different landscapes and different golf clubs are required to make the proper drive. Depending on the landscape, either sand, grass or cement, a golf club is essential to make the perfect drive. Professional golfers usually have a bag or two of golf clubs to cater to their golf needs. Most golf stores and sports equipment store sell golf clubs. Some golf clubs are sold in sets while other are sold individually.

To protect your golf equipment, such as your golf club, a golf bag golf club cover is essential. A golf bag will, of course, hold your golf club in one place and will make it easier for your caddy to bring your many golf clubs. Golf bags can also hold golf balls and other golf equipment like water bottle to quench your thirst while under the sun or extra shirt or your regular shoes. On the other hand, a golf club cover covers the edge of your golf club. This is done so to protect your golf club from unwanted scratches and dents. Dents can cause your drive to go from ok to bad. Dents in golf clubs can affect the drive of your golf ball. With this golf equipment, you can take care of the state of your club and your game.

Golf equipment that you need to invest on is a good pair of golf shoes. Golf shoes are different from usual rubber shoes or walking shoes. Golf shoes are created to walk on greens - the type where the sport is played. Golf shoes usually have pointed rubber under the soles to grip the earth and sand under your feet. This way, unnecessary shaking or moving is avoided. This is important because shaking can cause you to not hit the golf ball or to hit the golf ball in the wrong direction. If you plan to play professional golf a good pair of golf shoes is a necessary golf equipment to add up to your list. Choose one that is sturdy yet comfortable enough for you to walk into. Golf is a sport that requires walking from one hole to another or to where your ball landed (you can not use golf carts on the greens) and thus, if your golf shoes are uncomfortable, you would have a hard time concentrating on your game.

Golf equipment usually provided by most golf courses (aside from the golf ball) is the tee. The tee is the tiny pin like thing that you punch to the ground to stand your ball into. The tee is use in teeing off (the start of your first drive) thus the name.

The most amazing golf equipment ever created (for me, that is) is the golf cart. Golf carts can take you from one hole to the other, though as I said earlier they are not allowed on the greens, they still lessen the burden of having to walk under the hot sun. This golf equipment can be acquired from golf courses. Golf players are usually made to use golf equipment such as this to give them a better and easier time playing the sport.

Many specialty shops and sport shops offer golf equipment. The internet is also a good source of golf equipment. Second hand golf equipment is even auctioned off the internet, if you are on a tight budget. Check out your local golf shop, sports shop, and specialty shops, E-bay or Yahoo! for your golf equipment needs.

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs

For more information and resource links on golf accessories visit: Golf Keyring

Olympic athletes, professional athletes and even college athletes know that treating their bodies right, not only through diet and exercise but also skin care and health can yield improved results on and off the playing field.

Weekend warriors can be a lot like Olympic athletes, too. They’re acutely aware of their bodies and want to know the latest trends in products, gear and services that can improve their performance.

Many Olympic swimmers shave most of the hair from their bodies to prevent drag. Walking around on a college campus, you might find a group of men with shaved heads - not necessarily members of some underground society, they are probably part of the college swim team getting ready for their next big competition.

Gymnasts and runners also are keenly aware of the effect that body hair has on their performance. Any efforts to increase speed and positioning are highly valued, and the latest advances in technology can help athletes fine tune their efforts while at the same time enhance their physical appearance.

All across the country, athletes have found a way to take advantage of new ways to look healthier and increase performance without enduring the pain associated with other methods, nor the surgery that once offered the only means of improvement.

Hair removal was one of the earliest applications of laser technology; and improved treatment protocol from national laser center chains have deemed it more effective than ever before, succeeding even with the darker skin tones or light-colored hair that were not amenable to treatment by more conventional lasers.

The most effective laser hair removal process combines pulsed, high-intensity light with precisely controlled radiofrequency waves to damage follicles. The result of permanent hair reduction can often mean: no more shaving, waxing or bleaching of the treated areas.

Laser hair removal is not limited to just women who no longer want to shave regularly. An increasing number of men are getting the treatments to remove unwanted back hair, and hair on other parts of the body that can impede athletic performance.

According to recent data, the nation’s largest laser hair removal chain saw a 337 percent increase between 2003 and 2007 in the number of men who received laser hair removal.

The main concerns for men usually include the stigma and their falsely-perceived fear of discomfort that they expect to endure during the treatment. The reality is, laser hair removal is safe, comfortableand most clients experience no side effects at all and are able to resume their normal day-to-day activities immediately. Depending on where the process is to take place, men may find it comforting to know that the type of laser being used is not harmful to the region that it is being applied to, and there are no long term effects to worry about (aside from the lack of hair, of course!).

To understand how laser hair removal works, it is important to understand hair and how it grows. Human hairs are made up of three parts: the bulb at the base of the hair follicle (which produces hair), the shaft and the hair. The bulb and the shaft are embedded beneath the surface of the skin, therefore the hair is the only part visible to the naked eye. The hair growth cycle is comprised of three stages: telogen, catagen and anagen. At any given time, approximately 30 percent of your hair is in its anagen growth stage, which is the only time the hair is susceptible to laser hair removal treatments. Each laser hair reduction session will permanently damage 30 percent of the hair follicles in the treatment area.

Essentially, laser hair removal works by destroying the hair follicle. The only way to permanently reduce the amount of unwanted hair is to damage the hair follicle to a point where is unable to produce hairs. The hairs that are destroyed with each treatment are destroyed permanently. While patient protocol is determined on a case-by-case basis, on average our center recommends a minimum of six treatments, spread about two months apart per treatment.

Even more comforting to know is the idea that the stigma that surrounds laser hair removal is also being eroded as more and more men listen to the scorn of an angry society and begin taking notice of their hairy-selves - an added benefit to the increased athletic performance.

While companies that sell razors, shaving lotions and self-waxing kits have long targeted athletes, laser hair removal is a process that can eliminate unwanted hair and get athletes back on the field - and in the swim - much more quickly.

AmericanLaser.com is the largest and most successful laser hair removal, skin rejuvenation and cellulite reduction therapy company, with more than 220 locations in the United States. For more information, please visit AmericanLaser.com.

The age old debate on which rod is better, fiberglass or graphite, has been going on since both materials were used to make fishing rods. The truth is, each has it’s own strengths and weaknesses.

If you’re looking for a new rod and can’t decide on which rod material to go with, this article will help you decide. We’ll tell you the difference between graphite and fiberglass and which applications are best for each.

Graphite Rods

Graphite is a light rod material. It’s best used in applications such as Bass, Walleye, Trout and Panfish fishing.

Graphite rods are great for fishing applications where you’ll be casting a lot. Graphite is also an excellent choice when you need to feel the lightest of bites. Graphite transmits light bites very well due to its sensitive nature.

While its a tough material, it’s not nearly as tough as fiberglass, which is the reason you won’t see Graphite Marlin rods.

Graphite rods are generally more expensive than fiberglass rods but technology has made graphite rods affordable in recent years. It’s now possible to pick up inexpensive graphite rods in the $20 to $30 dollar range at discount stores. Of course, the quality may suffer. Don’t expect them to be as durable or sensitive as a Fenwick rod!

Fiberglass Rods

Fiberglass rods are the ones most people start out with. They are less inexpensive than graphite rods, tough and long lasting.

Fiberglass rods are also used in rods designed to take on hard fighting or fish that tend to grow large like Catfish, Stripers or in Offshore Big Game fishing situations.

If your looking for a fiberglass rod for tough fighting fish, look into e-glass rods. These rods are generally the toughest of the toughest rods made.

Another tough rod on the market is the Ugly Stik rods by Shakespear. Remember the old commercials of a man holding a Ugly Stik bent double? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can bend them double! I seems to me I remember them having a lifetime warranty against breakage, but not any longer.

Some rod manufacturers combine both graphite and fiberglass. Many of these have a graphite core blank that runs through the handle to give it sensitivity. The graphite blank is then surrounded by fiberglass to give it strength. These hybrid rods are sensitive and tough and are a good general purpose rods.

Another nice feature of fiberglass rods is that they are inexpensive. You can get fiberglass rods for the kids and not blink an eye when they step on one!

Whether you’re looking for a fiberglass rod or a graphite rod, make sure you match the rod material to the type of fishing you’ll be doing. While a fiberglass catfish rod can be used on Crappie, it’s not ideal and you’ll be more successful when matching rod material to the type of fish you’re fishing for.

If you’ll be fishing offshore, make sure that you take enough rod. One common mistake that many new offshore anglers make is that they take their freshwater rods offshore. Generally offshore fish are bigger and tougher than their freshwater cousins. You’ll need a rod that is built to take on the screaming runs of Kingfish or the bull dog tugs of Grouper. Don’t try making your freshwater rod take on these monsters.

Deals on Fishing Reels brought you this article. Deals on Fishing Reels is an auction site featuring auctions on name brand fishing reels, fishing rods and fishing tackle. Stop by today and get yourself a bargain on a fishing reel or rod.

Crappie and Walley are generally caught with either minnows or jigs. This guide will give you the basics of the most popular fishing jigs on the market and tips to catch more fish with jigs.

The Road Runner Jig

This is an old favorite of many fishermen. I have to be honest with you, I normally use this type of jig for White Bass, Hybrids and other fish more than I do for Crappie or Walleye.

The times when I do use the Road Runner Jig, it’s normally in a stream or in muddy water where I want a little sound or vibration to help the fish find my jig. This is also a good choice when fishing for schooling Crappie in deep water.

Beetle Spin

The Beetle Spin has been around for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I’ve used the Beetle Spin with great results in old strip mines and ponds. As with the Road Runner, hang on because you never know what will eat these things!

I primarily use Beetle Spins for remote streams when I’m fishing for Bass, Bluegill or other fish. When fishing the Beetle Spin and the Road Runner for Crappie, I use a slow retrieve. Just enough to make the blades spin. Crappie are not real aggressive fish unless it’s spawning season and they won’t normally chase a lure very far.

Slider Weedless Jig

The Slider Weedless Jig is a jig that I use when when I’m fishing heavy grass areas, timber or lily pads. I’ll also use this jig in timber depending on how thick and nasty it is. Although the name says “Weedless”, you will get hung up once in a while on grass and other debris. This is a great jib for spawning Bass and Walleye in thick cover.

Maribou Jigs

Tried and true maribou jigs. The old favorite. They’re not as popular as they should be. Crappie fishermen being like other types of Fishermen, are easily attracted to flashy lures and jigs that are designed more to catch your eye and wallet than to catch fish.

I use maribou jigs mostly around boat docks and other man made structures. The maribou hair gives the jigs a life like action that Crappie, and any other type of fish, can’t resist. Sometimes, simpler is better!

Tube Jigs

Tube jigs are my all time favorite. I don’t know why any fish love these jigs as well as they do, but they just can’t seem to get enough of them. Perhaps is the soft body that feels like food, or the the little bit of movement the tail ads to the the jig. Whatever the reason, Bass, Walleye and Crappie love these “do nothing” jigs.

My favorite tactic for using tube jigs is to either pitch them along timber and weeds or delicately drop them into small openings in weeds or timber. My second favorite method is to drift them below a slip cork. I like this method when I’m working bridge pilings or submerged brush piles. If you know the depth of the brush, you can set the slip cork to carry the tube jig slightly above the brush pile. Most predator fish feed up an if you’re close enough, they’ll dart out and gobble the jig down.

Another trick I like to use is simply take a split shot and mash it onto a Tru-Turn 1/0 Crappie hook, then pull the tube jig over the hook and split shot. The Tru Turn hooks are great for any fish that comes along.

If you wanting to expand your fish catching methods, these 5 jigs and the tips to catch crappie will increase your numbers of fish caught.

Need the latest fishing tips? Join Bill as he writes about one of his favorite fish, the Crappie. You can find Bills Crappie Fishing Tips and Guide at his blog. While you’re there, check out his popular article on Crappie Jigs.

If you are looking for a true surfer’s paradise, you need to jog on round to New Zealand. This remote island is blessed with all the things that make for the perfect surf. Strong winds, the force of the Pacific Ocean, currents to liven things up a little and surf shops in abundance supplying every type of wetsuit, surf board, sex wax and surfing paraphernalia you could possibly wish for.

New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries you could possibly wish to live in or visit. Life is as laid back as any surfer could possibly dream for. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and every road leads to a beach with breaks that will challenge you and beg to be conquered.

However, underlying the serenity of New Zealand there still simmers a debate about land ownership between New Zealanders that originate from the West and Maoris. This will still come up from time to time and surfers have encountered this exact thing. Donned with wetsuits and boards, they have recently found themselves turned away from two of the favourite surfing beaches, Sky Williams and Mangahume at Taranaki. This, some say, is because the Maoris want to reclaim this land but even the surfers themselves believe it is not so.

The land is privately owned and is home to three cemeteries that restricted access is protecting. Maoris hold a lot of store by their ancestors and even by Western standards it is only right to respect burial grounds. Taranaki is on the Western coast of New Zealand, near New Plymouth, and surfers from all over the world will head there in the summer to catch a few waves. There is concern that shutting two of the favourite hotspots will affect the tourist industry but having been there myself, I doubt this very much. New Zealand has vast amounts of coastline, all ideal for surfers to dip their wetsuits.

Next best surfing opportunities after New Zealand have to be Hawaii, the true home of surfing. World famous competitions are held here due to the perfect waves. Any new producer of wetsuits would do well to have their product showcased in Hawaii, that’s one thing that will propel them straight into main stream surfing circles.

Originally, surfing was considered a sport of royalty who could afford to move around the world throughout the year, always having access to the best waves. It has now become a sport for all and is one that will keep you fit and strong and tanned.

For Hawaiian surfing, you are best to pack up your wetsuit and board and head north between November and March. Waves generated from Alaskan winter storms head into Hawaii creating a surfers paradise. The make-up of the ocean floor on Oahu’s north beaches are perfect for riding monster waves and endless barrels. For wind surfing, Hookipa Beach at Maui is where you need to be.

You would be wasting your time trying to surf north Hawaii during the summer months as the sea is as smooth as glass. It’s tropical storms in the south Pacific that send their shock waves in the form of surfing waves to the south of the island during summer months. Waikiki Beach at Oahu and Poipu Beach at Kauai are where you need to be for surfing and boogie boarding conditions.

There are surfing possibilities around the world all year round. True dedicated surfers will follow the waves and compete to be the best. For the rest of us it’s a seasonal past time that requires a dust off of the old surf board that’s been propped in the garage for the last six months and a deodorizing spray of the stinky wetsuit.

Watersports expert Catherine Harvey looks at the best place to don a wetsuit and mount your surfboard.