Continual Vigilance

Like many things in fly fishing you can ask 10 different fly anglers a single question and you’ll get 10 different answers. Asking what steelhead rod one should use for fly fishing is no different. Every circumstance is different. And the answer varies with each situation. However let’s try to get a generic answer so everyone can at least get started in this rewarding aspect of fly fishing.

RODS
Most steelheaders use at least a seven weight rod. And in fact that is my recommendation. There that would be the end of it, except for one thing. We, fly fishermen have a perpetual habit of complicating things. Choosing rods is no different. A seven weight, in my opinion is an ideal all around steelhead rod, that will work for any steelhead conditions. However if one is fishing out west in big water, under windy conditions, fighting bigger than average fish, then you will be cursing your seven weight rod in no time, as being too light. Therefore before you buy, think about the fishing you most plan to do. If your favorite river is large and the fish are big and the current is strong then seven weight will not be big enough, if the stream is smaller and the fish are in the six pound range than seven weight will be plenty. And some thrill seeking fly fisher’s will use six.

As for length, the absolute shortest rod I would use is 9 foot. With 9 and a half recommended, especially for weights over 7. Again think of the conditions and the same rules for weight, more or less work for length. Longer rods provide longer casts, and more control. Out west two-handed spey rods are becoming more and more popular for steelhead fishing. With roll casting often required. Two handed rods allow the longest casting and can lengthen the fishing season, when high waters would force one off the river, when using a single handed rod.

REELS
When playing a steelhead, the reel becomes much more than just a place to store your fly line. The reel needs to be reliable as steelhead switch directions instantly peeling off line. They need to be large enough to hold your fly line and 150 yards of backing. Large arbor reels are becoming popular as they pick line up in a hurry, when your prized steelie decides to run at you.

LINE
Erie steelheaders tend to use floating line as the rivers are smaller, they are perfect. If you would like a little boost in casting then get a weight forward line, marked by WF on the package. On big rivers one should carry a floating line and a sinking tip line, as the conditions change during the season. Getting the fly down to the fish is vital.

LEADERS
Most steelheaders actually make their own leaders. Using Maxima Chameleon more often then not. Tippets should be 0x or smaller, Erie steelheaders can go up to 4x on clear water days. But bigger river anglers should stay around 0x or .011 diameter to turn over the bigger flies, and to allow for strong arming the fish. For detailed leader recipes check our www.globalflyfisher.com.

Well that’s it if you have never tried steelhead fly fishing you are in for a treat. Use this guide as a starting spot for acquiring the proper gear, pick up a few flies from www.bigyflyco.com and just add water.

About the Author

Cameron Larsen is a retired commericial fly tier and guide. He now operates The Big Y Fly Co. at www.bigyflyco.com

Hall was frostbitten and severely disoriented due to altitude sickness. Andrew Brash returned a hero to Calgarians. Now that Bahadur Sherchan has successfully scaled the tallest mountain in the world, he is once again ready to focus on his family. Min Bahadur Sherchan and four climbing guides reached the 29,035-foot (8,850-meters) summit of the world’s highest mountain early Sunday, said Ramesh Chretri, an official with Nepal’s ministry of tourism.

“The Chinese weren’t allowing anybody on the Mount Everest. They ended up commandeering it for themselves, even though Mount Everest is shared by two countries. “Chomolungma or Mount Everest this year became a political pawn,” he said with some frustration.

Min Bahadur Sherchan last attempt resulted in the rescue of Lincoln Hall, an Australian climber who was left by his team in the “death zone.”

This year European mountaineer Anthony Loeff is reporting the scales for Mt Everest after he reached the summit of Mont Blanc in France earlier this season.

The 76-year-old man from Nepal is now the oldest person to have reached the top of Everest. Nevertheless, the decision to actualize a long-time personal goal left Andrew Brash with some internal uncertainties, he cited the political actions of China and Nepal as providing the greatest adversity he faced on his journey. His first found him within 203 metres of the peak when his team stopped to help a fellow mountaineer who was left for dead. Two years later, Min Bahadur Sherchan, a University of Calgary alumni, returned to Chomolungma to finish what he had started.

They flexed their muscles this year all the in name of the Olympic spirit, but it was hardly spirited at all.”

The Chinese were flying their airplanes over Mt Everest and had Chinese officials in Kathmandu. As he planned for the climb, Sherchan told reporters he wanted to inspire fellow senior citizens. He also said many Nepalese have established records on Chomolungma, so it was only fitting that the record for the oldest climber to reach the summit should also belong to a Nepali. Therefore, he was all too aware of the potential dangers Everest could bring. Certain parts of the climb are more dangerous than others and it is important for climbers to remain focused Sherchan just 25 days away from his 77th birthday beat the age record set last year by 71-year-old Japanese teacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa.

With the Chinese preparing for the impending summer Olympic Games, Bahadur Sherchan noted that the government’s actions hardly reflected the Olympic spirit. More than 3044 people have climbed to the summit since it was first conquered in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary, who died in January, and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay.

They basically coerced the Nepali government to not allow any climbers past camp two on the Nepali side. Andrew Brash returned this week from Nepal after successfully climbing to the summit of Mount Everest.

Once the basic open water scuba diving certification has been successfully completed by new divers, there should be some consideration to taking the next training level up which is the advanced open water course. Prior to that, it is probably a good idea to get some more experience as a new scuba diver right after the basic certification by doing several easy beginner level dives to further sharpen the basic skills and to appreciate the new underwater world. This can be easily done with a week of scuba diving at a destination where there are plenty of easier dive sites such as the Florida Keys. There’s no rush to do the more difficult dives for now.

Although it is quite possible to do deeper and more advance level dives as one gets more experience in diving without taking another course, it is much more ideal to get introduced to more difficult dives with an instructor. Deep dives, night dives, drift dives and dive sites with moderate currents can be too challenging for new divers. Even though many advanced dives are very exciting and rewarding, doing them without proper training can be dangerous. There’s no such thing as getting too much education and training in scuba diving.

The advanced scuba diver course was designed to help divers get the proper training for advanced dives as well as developing further skills including underwater navigation, safety, search and recovery. The advanced open water is also a very fun course to take. It does require some reading with a manual that will be supplied by the dive instructor but unlike the basic open water certification course, no written exam is required. The advanced course is mostly practical as it consists of several open water dives with a dive instructor over two days. Each open water dive during the advanced course will feature different types of dive skills. One will work on improving navigation while another will involve a deep dive. Other dives may include diving on wrecks, night diving and some basic rescue techniques.

All major scuba diving training certification agencies such as NAUI, PADI and SSI will have an advanced scuba diver course. All dive schools and operators that have scuba training will have the advanced course available. At many dive destinations, some dive operators will insist upon a minimum of advanced open water certification in order to take charter dive trips which involve higher level dive sites. For example, the deeper shipwreck dives of the Spiegel Grove, Duane and the Bibb located off Key Largo all require advanced or higher certification cards before the local dive operators will allow divers on those particular dives.

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear (www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com) , an online retailer/designer specializing in premium quality scuba diving activewear. Free Spirit Activewear has numerous information resource articles on scuba diving as well as free eCards.

Skydiving takes place all over the world but it can be difficult finding a base near you. Not only this, but then choosing a base can be a decision that could change your life. Below are some skydiving bases and helpful skydiving resources.

I do not recommend or guarantee any skydiving bases below.

SKYDIVING->WESTERN CANADA

CANADA->ALBERTA->EDMONTON

Location: Weslock Airport
Email: info@edmontonskydive.com
Phone: 780-444-JUMP
Aircraft: C182, C206
Training: AFF, Tandem
AAD: Required
USPA Membership: Required

CANADA->ALBERTA->BEISEKER

Location: Beiseker
Email: dz@albertaskydivers.com
Phone: 403-777-5867
Aircraft: C-182, C-206
Training: AFF, S/L, Tandem
AAD: Not Required
USPA Membership: Not Required

CANADA->BRITISH COLUMBIA->VACOUVER

Location: 5112 Gladwin rd, Abbotsford, B.C.
Email: info@vancouver-skydiving.bc.ca
Phone: 1-604-854-3255
Aircraft: Pilatus Porter, Cesna 206, 182, 180, 170
Training: AFF, Tandem
AAD: Not Required
USPA Membership: Required

CANADA->BRITISH COLUMBIA->OKANAGAN

Location:6260 Tronson Road, Vernon.
Email: okskydive@telus.net
Phone: 250-542-4487
Aircraft: C182
Training: AFF, S/L, Tandem
AAD: Not Required
USPA Membership: Required

CANADA->SASKATCHEWAN->MOOSE JAW

Location: Moose Jaw Muni - Regina Sask.
Email: info@skydivesouthsask.ca
Phone: 306-569-5867
Aircraft: c-182
Training: , S/L, Tandem
AAD: Not Required
USPA Membership: Required

Four important things to remember before skydiving;

1. Always research the establishment and its employees, being aware of any lawsuits, deaths,

injuries or complaints.

2. Pay attention to skydiving news and keep track of what types of mistakes cause injuries and

deaths. For example, sharp low turns cause more deaths then malfunctioning parachutes.

3. People with heart conditions and some other types of medical conditions should not skydive.

4. Assess the risk - Is it worth it?

SKYDIVING RESOURCES

Get ready, Get set, Jump!
Sky Diving Information

The Drop Zone
Drop Zone

Tyler D King

Power golf exercises are a unique set of exercises that you do
not do in a gym on machines, nor do you lift heavy weights. For
that matter, you can do simple power golf exercises right in
your home with minimal equipment.

You see…to improve the power in your golf swing, you need to
look at the mechanics that create the power.

It’s not your arms swinging the club as hard as you can! It’s
not your legs driving your body through the swing! And it’s not
swinging some funky 50 inch shaft with a 600cc titanium head
either.

It’s quite simple!

The power in your golf swing is your CORE!

Your core is the engine to your swing. If your core is weak or
inflexible, you will never be able to hit a powerful tee shot.
This is harsh…but very true!

The modern power golf swing is one of being “connected” with
your upper body. Not letting your letting your arms get
separated from your body. Rotating your upper body as a whole,
over a somewhat stable lower body will produce maximum power at
impact.

So the perfect power golf exercises involve rotational movements
with resistance in your core area. The are many exercises you
can do that will dramatically improve your driving distance and
power…and no gym required!

A simple power golf exercise for your core is my Seated Twist
w/Dumbbell: * Sit upright in your chair. * Hold single dumbbell
straight out from chest with arms fully extended. * While
keeping your head focused straight ahead, rotate your arms to
the right, then to the left as far as you can go both ways. * Do
this non-stop for 20 total rotations. * Pause for 15 seconds and
repeat 2 more times.

At first you will feel very restricted in your midsection.
That’s a sign of how limited your rotational flexibility really
is. But do this exercise daily and you will see improvement
quickly.

The next time you step out onto the course, you’ll blast your
drives up to 20 yards further!

As you can see above…the key is ROTATIONAL exercises with
resistance, whether it be a single dumbbell, exercise tubing or
even a weighted golf club.

Doesn’t matter what you use, as long as it is up to 5 pounds in
weight and you can handle it easily in both hands. If you’re
already in good shape go for 10-15 pounds and increase your rate
of speed. This will both improve your “fast-twitch” core muscles
and also your range of motion for a bigger backswing and a
complete follow through.

So you see…I wasn’t fibbing! It doesn’t take a gym or fancy
equipment to do effective and proven power golf exercises!

In home golf fitness can be more effective than belonging to a gym, paying monthly dues, and dealing with all the “muscle-heads”. Many golfers think they need fancy golf fitness equipment or a gym membership to be successful with their golf improvement program.

Not so!

I have designed all the programs in my membership sites, dvds, manual and ebook to utilize minimal equipment in the convenience of your home. Many of my customers and members have been shocked at their results with in home golf fitness equipment as simple as exercise tubing, a stability ball and hand weights.

That’s it!

For all of a “one-time” cost of under $60 you can have your total “in home” golf fitness gym. I’ve now eliminated the reason (excuse) that you need to belong to a gym or spend hundreds of dollars in equipment.

I’ve also eliminated the reason (excuse) that you have no time. All the programs I’m referring to are to be done in the convenience of your home saving you hours per week. This includes the time it takes to commute the gym; getting showered; and the time it takes to get back to where you need to be.

Coming up with golf fitness programs using just the above equipment can be fun, challenging and reduce boredom. The programs I design incorporate both strength and stretching within the same program, saving you even more time and killing two birds with one stone.

More and more golfers are realizing they can do almost as much with in home golf fitness programs as they can in a crowded gym…with all the privacy they want.

I have always said that exercises done on a machine in a gym that isolate one muscle group while sitting is the farthest thing from a golf-specific exercise. Golf utilizes every major muscle group in the body, and in a sequential movement pattern. Sitting in a machine will not improve your body for golf.

The beauty of hand weights, tubing and balls is the ability to put your body in the exact same positions you’re in for your golf swing. The more exercises you can do that simulate your golf swing, the bigger the benefit will be.

You will also be more apt to stick with it when you realize it will definitely improve your golf swing power and distance. Linking golf and fitness creates a commitment level that’s not there with general (gym) fitness programs. Knowing your in home golf fitness program will help you play better and also feel better is a motivating factor.

When you get that itch to improve your game through fitness, don’t think you need to join a gym. All you need is a little bit of space in your living room to start your in home golf fitness program.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf performance experts in the country. He is Golf Magazines golf performance expert; author, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf performance membership sites. Take a look at his just released golf dvds and manual at his golf fitness training site - Perform Better Golf.

You may have noticed lately that at some golf courses the starter and will a point of asking, or sometimes even suggesting which tee box golfers will be using during their round. With the growing popularity of golf and more golfers on many Niagara courses, you should soon expect to be advised about hitting from the proper tee boxes, But there is more to this trend than accommodating the masses.

Because slow play has become a concern for course managers and players alike, it only makes sense to take practical steps to speed up play and shorten the time it takes for a round of golf. There are many proven ways to speed up play, but enforcing the use of the skills- appropriate tee boxes - be they red, white, blue, gold or black - mightverywell be the simplest and most effective.

Slow play is not the only reason that every golfer should play the course at a length in keeping with their own abilities. Shorter hitters teeing oft from markers too far back will necessarily take more shots, encounter more hazards, incur more penalties, lose more balls, spend more time searching for balls, and require more time to complete their rounds. How much fun can that be? Scores balloon, handicaps soar and sandbaggers are born.

Here’s the thing - many players automatically play the white tees, for example, without giving a thought to the length of the white course. That’s a mistake. Here in Niagara, for instance, the white yardages range from 6,494 yards at International (R&B nines) to 6,181 yards at the Links of Niagara at Willodell (about the Niagara average), and down to 5,312 yards at Water Park. A mid-handicapper might struggle with the length of one course off the whites but master a shorter course playing from the same set of tees.

Instead, each player should play from the tees that most closely correspond to their comfort zone. That may very well mean playing the whites at course A, the blues at course B, maybe even the blacks or reds at course C. Although it seems a good idea, there is no standardization of tee colours with corresponding course lengths. Course handicap and slope ratings are calculations intended to equalize courses based on their length, contours, hazards, greens, trees, etc. - on a scorecard or in a computer, not on the course!

Working at stretching your game a bit by playing somewhat longer, more challenging courses or from tees a bit further back should not come at the expense of golfers playing behind you. While real improvements can only come en the course, the place to practice is the driving range. Choose a golf course that is in, keeping with your handicap, length off the tee, and the pace at which you play. By doing so, the game will be more enloyable. more clubs and shots will come into play, course management skills will improve, a round of golf will take a little less time, and friendly competitions and handicap play can be more fairly conducted.

Bill Rivers is an accomplished writer on outdoor subjects such as golf and fishing. Bill has many articles and course profiles on his Golf Tourism website - http://www.teeingitup.com

Long before you can enter into triathalon racing, you will need
to prepare.

You will need to prepare your mind and your body for the
competition and the fight.

It will not be easy, but if you stick to it, you can overcome
all the obstacles in your way.

Triathalon racing is a complex sport that just looks easy. What
you don’t know is that there was a lot of preparation for the
average triathalete

The run. The swim. And, the biking.

These three aspects of triathalon racing will need to be
carefully understood and developed.

You will need to first prepare your mind for the struggle that
lies ahead.

You will then need to prepare your body and make it as
nutritiously sound as can be.

Then, you will need to condition it to the elements that you
will test it on. How do you do all of these things?

Training and coaching. Be prepared to spend a lot of energy and
time if your goal is to be competitive, but even if your desire
is just to take part in triathalons and stay healthy this still
is true.

It starts at the beginning. You will need to shed those extra
pounds and become a lean, muscled body.

Get the proper coaching. If not a physical trainer
there are clubs to join and books to read that will assist your
training.

You will need to learn how to eat the right foods to fuel your
body when you need it the most.

Knowing when to eat the carbs and when to eat the protein is
important, ie. Consuming the proper nutritution to help you train and
race.

The good news is that triathalon racing is a sport in which you
can constantly push yourself and training for, plus you end up
in great shape and you generate some great friendships.

You can find outstanding training programs and even the be
st triathlon gear right online.

You can also learn how to purchase the best tri
athalon apparel, where to get it from, and how to get the
best price.

What does it take to reproduce the perfect golf swing? Precise coordination of muscle contraction and relaxation, muscle balance and body awareness are all required to recreate a good swing. A prerequisite to these necessary components is good posture.

Good posture is a state of musculoskeletal balance that allows the body to move efficiently in a stress free range of motion. Faulty posture sets the body into a state of neuromuscular imbalance where flexibility and range of motion are limited (loss of power), neuromuscular pathways are disrupted (loss of control and consistency) and detrimental forces are placed on the spine and joints (increased chance of injury).

The cause of poor posture and muscle imbalance is a persistent use of certain muscles with inadequate activation or exercise of their opposing and / or supporting muscles.

Common muscle imbalances negatively affecting the golfer:

Throughout life we are constantly exposed to situations that place us in poor postural patterns. We grew up sitting in school hunched over a desk for most of our young lives. We finish school and begin our careers. Many of us now find ourselves sitting in poorly designed chairs hunched in front of a computer. Those of us who spend excessive time in our cars are often conditioned toward a slumped over lazy posture.

Lower Body Implications

Commonly poor posture leads to a forward tilt of the pelvis, usually from tight hip flexors. This causes the abdominal wall to lengthen and weaken. As a result of the forward pelvic tilt, there is an excess curvature of the lumbar spine (lordosis) causing the spinal extensors to chronically shorten and weaken. Another detrimental effect of this forward tilt is a weakening of the gluteals. The glutes play a major role in hip extension and stabilization of the pelvis and lumbar spine. Without optimal strength and flexibility through the low back and hips it is impossible to get full rotation through the golf swing. To make up for less then optimal hip strength and flexibility many golfers subconsciously tend to over-swing. This over-swinging combined with tight muscles increase the chance of injury not only in the low back, but also the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.

Upper Body Implications

In the upper body poor posture usually presents with rounded shoulders and a forward head. This chronically shortens the pectorals, neck extensors, upper trapezius, and shoulder internal rotators. This leads to a weakness in the upper back, neck flexors, and shoulder external rotators. This causes a constant strain on the ligaments of the shoulder and neck leading to dysfunction and increased chance of injury. Throughout the golf swing there is an intricate kinetic chain of events. These events include cervical and thoracic rotation and lateral flexion, as well as opposing scapular adduction / abduction and retraction / protraction. This type of muscle imbalances severely restricts movement through the neck and shoulders. This makes it nearly impossible to be in position to make a consistently good swing, but makes it very likely a golfer will develop injuries in the upper extremities and cervical spine.

So where does the golfer begin? Start by establishing and maintaining core strength, muscle balance and flexibility by participating in a well developed integrated exercise program. Increased muscular efficiency and flexibility allow you to increase power and consistency while drastically reducing chances of pain and injury. You will not only be playing better, but you will be playing better longer!

Keys to gaining and maintaining good posture:

• Stand up straight

• If your job requires prolonged sitting or travel, get up and stretch frequently

• Make sure computers monitors are centered and set at eye level.

• Maintain good core strength, muscle balance, and flexibility by participating in a well developed integrated exercise program.

Bill Scibetta, RN, NSCA-CPT

Bill is the founder and President of Precision Fitness - Personal Training Centers in the Charlotte, NC area and co-author of the book “Play Better Longer!” - Peak Performance and Injury Prevention for Golf. Bill is a licensed Registered Nurse as well as a National Strength and Conditioning Association - Certified Personal Trainer. After spending years practicing in the specialty of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Bill has dedicated his career to helping individuals identify and overcome obstacles that stand in the way of optimal wellness and peak physical performance.

There’s something weird that happens to ballplayers when they strap on their spikes at Dodger Stadium.

Maybe, it’s the glitter and glamour that gets to them.

Or it could be the balmy weather, even in April.

Possibly it is because there are such gorgeous babes in the stands, in various states of undress.

Within a year or two of arrival, they kick back, or nurse injuries, or just lose all the starch that was in their caps when they played for the Marlins, or Braves, or Toronto.

Look at Brian Jordan, Shawn Green, Gary Sheffield, and then that litany of pitchers gone badDarren Dreifort and Kevin Brown, to name a few of the vastly overpaid.

Now, we have a new regime in town, a new General Manager from the archrival Giants, Mr. Coletti, and a team of hastily assembled veterans, with questionable health credentials.

Can this team make a credible run at the division championship?

It can, if only because its peer group is mediocre, at best. The Padres topped the division in ‘05 by winning slightly more than half of their games. So, hobbled and knarled veterans could patch together a better record, simply by showing up.

But don’t expect them to get into the second round of the postseason. By then, the only man left standing may be Jeff Kent.

That’s no surprise: he’s the only gamer among them, who Hollywood hasn’t been able to seduce.

Yet.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.