Adriana Lima Smolders for Kia and FIFA

In my country [Brazil], this is fùtbol.

Sure, Adriana Lima can barge in on my football practice any time, and even kick a soccer ball right into my gut.  I may not be able to breathe, but it's only oxygen.

Fùtbol.

Sure, Adriana Lima can drape herself all over me, grab the remote and change the channel, then ruin my hairstyle.  Except I don't have hair (bummer).

Fùtbol.

I don't know how much Adriana Lima made just for walking in, saying one word, and blowing a kiss.  But, no problem, whatever she asks for, I will pay it, for my next ad campaign.

Speaking of ads, this is a campaign for the new Kia Sorrento, ahead of the FIFA World Cup, beginning tomorrow, Thursday, June 12th.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

Maria Sharapova Smokes Tennis, Bombs Fashion

Image credits: PHOTOS DU JOUR: SHARAPOVA & THE TROPHY and 'Now for Wimbledon': Maria Sharapova sets her sights on more glory as she poses in Paris.

In her 13-year pro career so far, Maria Sharapova has proven herself to be a determined, accomplished athlete on the tennis court.  Only 27 years old, she has nailed down 32 WTA titles, including five Grand Slams: Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006), Australian Open (2008), and French Open (2012, 2014).  She has had to battle injury in recent years, but amazingly she rose to the challenge of coming back and grabbed 10 titles in three years.  

A very tall (6-feet, 2-inches), very attractive and fit lady, she bombs, however, as a fashion plate in this recent post-French Open photo shoot.  That dress is not stunning; it's terrible for her body.  Yes, it shows off her amazing legs, but that short skirt literally makes her hips flare.  I love how the black motif angles down her side, but while the top looks very athletic and sporty from the back, it's an awkward, unflattering cut in the front.  The colors are wonderfully understated glamour, especially for a daytime event.  But on the whole I give it a B-.    

Sharapova is not exactly consistently fashionable in front of the paparazzi.

That's more like it

Uhm, no

Oh, God, spare me

Yes, geometric and elegant

There is of course no telling Sharapova what she ought to wear.  She is a successful, confident and wealthy lady, who can do a lot of whatever she wants.  I imagine, though I may be wrong, some of her fashion decisions have to do with endorsement deals.  Perhaps other decisions are based off her own quirky sense, which I imagine, too, few in her inner circle are willing to question or criticize.  

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

Inviting Over the Filipino Boys

I had hoped to do more for these Filipino boys from Wolfi's Bike Shop.  I made a good salary in Dubai, and I had funds to invest in small projects having to do with the Filipino community.  I never pulled together any working plan, but the idea was to support their entry into races.  It wasn't a priority, however, because my focus was on philanthropy, not sports or recreation.  Still I tried, and I did help them, as they helped me, too.  On their one half-day off in the week, August 17th 2007, I had them over for lunch for a load of Filipino food.    

Jebel Hafeet Ride with the Filipino Boys

It was May 9th 2008, and the Filipino Boys from Wolfi's Bike Shop and I were back in Jebel Hafeet.  This time, we were just riding, not racing.  My legs are thick and strong, and my body is stocky.  So I wasn't necessarily made for mountain climbing.  But my friendships with Julio and Janice, soon after my arrival in Dubai, back in 2006, drew me into it.  

I braved that Jebel Hafeet climb in February 2008, on my own, and did decently.  I clawed 9.5 of the 12 kilometers up to the summit, then took a break.  Unfortunately, my groin and my hamstring locked up, and I could hardly walk, let alone get back on the bike.  I didn't pay much attention to mountain climbing, however, so when were back three months later, I could ride only 3 or 4 kilometers.  In fact, if I remember correctly, I started climbing, then headed back down to warm up my legs further.  That helped only so much.

Come summer 2009, I learned to stick to the flats, and for the six months between August that year and February 2010, I was in a zone with my cycling.

Jebel Hafeet Race with the Filipino Boys

The date was January 18th 2008, and we were milling about in Al Ain, ahead of a race up Jebel Hafeet.  I befriended a group of Filipino boys, who worked at Wolfi's Bike Shop in Dubai, and together we managed to pack their six bicycles, plus them and a couple more friends, in my Nissan X-Trail.  Three of us were their "sag" support during the race.  They were skinny, they were small, and they were fast.  

I had designs on racing, too. But while I'd have awesome training sessions during the week, I'd often hit the wall during those fast and furious Friday morning rides with Wolfi and had to drag my body and bike alone back to the starting point.  But summer of 2009, though, was magical.  I somehow gained insight into how to train more effectively and prepare my body more wisely.  From August 2009 to February 2010, I was flying.  I consistently kept up with the lead group, even as they lifted the speed in the second half of the ride.    

The Filipino boys and I drifted, but they were always so kind to help take care of me, whenever they could.  For example, I had a flat on one ride, and they graciously and quickly fix it for me.

Heather Dorniden Wins an Inspired Race

I stumbled on to this video on Google+, and I was, like, O.M.G. and Un.Be.Lie.Va.Ble.  

It was the Big 10 Indoor Track & Field Championship, and University of Minnesota student Heather Dorniden ran a race for the ages. I was curious to know who she was and what happened, so I was glad to have found this post-race interview by Down the Backstrech - Heather Dorniden's Big Ten Adventure: You Can't Keep a Great Runner Down - posted on March 4th 2008:

DtB: What happened that caused the fall? 

HD: My original hopes were to cut to the inside of the track before I got to the curve for that final lap, and I obviously underestimated my stride length and cut in a bit too close. I remember feeling my elbow come into contact with the other runner and that was my first clue that I was closer than I thought. I certainly didn't intend to impede her motion, so my apologies go out to her and to Penn State. My parent's watched their video footage of the race in slow motion today and told me it looked like my leg's back-swing got caught up on her foot coming down in front. My mom said it looked like she 'brushed my hair with her spikes' when I was down, so I'm very thankful for everyone's quick reaction to get over me!! 

DtB: What went through your mind as you went down, got right back up and into the race and saw that you were catching everyone? 

HD: For some reason, I told the announcer yesterday that when something like that happens, a lot of four letter words come to mind, but in truth all I got out was a "Oh no!" on the way down. One beautiful thing about racing is you can have a million things running through your head on the starting line, but as soon as the gun goes off, it becomes pretty instinctual. I try to tell myself before the start of every race that all things are possible through Christ, and first and foremost I have to send the credit his way, because I certainly didn't feel like I did that all by myself. Immediately after the fall, I told myself, you have to get up to at least get a time that will score-- the team points were very close and I know everyone was counting on some points in that event. I think anyone else would have done the same thing if they found themselves in my position. Luckily, I am a native Minnesota girl (and pretty darn clumsy) and have had my fair share of falls on ice in the winter where I've tried to get up really fast...(thinking maybe no one saw me??) One thing I can say with certainty is I am so grateful we were hosting this meet. My team, coaches, family, and tons of fans were going crazy around the whole track, and I felt like their energy just filled me up. I heard everyone cheering for my freshman teammate, Jaime Dittmar, who was doing an AMAZING job of taking the race where I left off, and told myself I can get back in there. Coming around the final curve, I heard the announcer saying "And watch out for Heather Dorniden!", which also got me pretty pumped...and the rest is history. 

DtB: Any bumps and bruises from the fall? Did you feel them later? You still had the four by 400 to run, and the adrenaline doesn't stick around that long, did you feel the fall during the relay or just block it out? 

HD: I got just a little scrape on my left knee, which is only appropriate because I had a pretty nasty scrape on my right knee from falling off my bike last Friday (I told you I was clumsy!!). I figure at least now I am symmetrical. If I were to kneel on both of them it probably wouldn't feel the greatest but other than that, I am blessed with major damage done. The adrenaline from the fall was certainly down a bit by the time we ran the four by four, but at that point I think a whole new batch of it was brewing, knowing this was the last event of the day and we may have just barely won a Big Ten title. Coach Wilson prefaced the race by saying, "Just stay on your feet Dorni!" and we just need to get the baton around the track, and I was fairly confident I could do that. :) 

DtB: It was a busy day with the mile, the 600, and the relay, how did you approach the triple? How do you manage your energy, motivation, or does the the team element take care of much of that? 

HD: Thinking about all three races at once is a pretty daunting task, and after doing the same triple last year, I knew it was best to take it one race at a time. After each race you quickly erase it from your legs' memory and tell yourself you are fresh and ready to go for the next one. Basically, the key word I tell myself is TRUST. Trust that you will be capable of sticking up there in each race, and trust you still have one more race in you. In all reality, you should be asking this question to Jamie Cheever, who ran the mile prelims and 3K on Saturday and came back to run an amazing mile final and 5K on Sunday. In fact, I think she ran NCAA provisionally qualifying times in all three events- simply phenomenal. I was hoping if I ran well in the 600m she wouldn't have to run the 5K, but the meet was so close that we didn't want to chance it. Another person who would probably give some good insight on this is Liz Roehrig, who WON the pent, and did high and long jump with a lingering injury in her ankle. Those girls are my heroes, along with the rest of the team who made our team championship possible. I feel like the excitement of my crazy race is taking the glory away from my amazing teammates, so I hope everyone can recognize their accomplishments as well! 

DtB: What's next? NCAA Champs? What event/events? 

HD: For the NCAA's, we are planning on our provisionally-qualified DMR to make it, and I plan on running the 800m. The team is ranked pretty high for us, so hopefully we'll all recover well from this exciting weekend to be fired up for the big finale. As far as what will happen at the NCAAs, certainly I cannot predict, but like I said, I believe anything can happen if you keep the faith. Thanks for the opportunity to shed a little light on what went down (besides me!) yesterday!!!

Heather Dorniden

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

Blackhawks Need to Shore Up Team Defense

Jonathan Quick makes a save on Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews 

The Chicago Blackhawks have often leaned on their offensive depth to get them past opponents, particularly in the playoffs.

The Blackhawks have relied upon everyone from their stars to their role players, and from their first to their fourth lines to give them production in the past.

The Blackhawks aren’t getting that across-the-board help through three games against the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference finals, and that is part of the reason why they’re facing a 2-1 series deficit.

Reference: Blackhawks not finding offensive balance.

I was curious about the premise of Scott Powers' article on ESPN.com, and offered an alternative viewpoint in the Chicago Blackhawks community on Google+:

I think, in general, the Hawks have had good offensive balance in this series: two defensemen, a 3rd liner and a 4th liner, plus big guns like Toews and Sharp have all scored. Also, I saw more shots on net in Game 3, instead of waiting for the perfect pass or perfect shooting lane.

The main issue has been on the (team) defensive end, including goal tending. A loss of focus resulted in the 3rd period massacre in Game 2. Some loose play in the neutral zone and below the goal line, especially in the 2nd period of Game 3, did them in. Not to mention those penalties: Kings have poked holes in our vaunted PK!

With these defensive breakdowns, three goals are not enough to win the match. So talk about offensive balance and production comes up. But tighten up the neutral zone, protect the puck in our zone, look to make the stretch pass, and the offense should come along nicely (rf. Leddy's and Smith's goals in Game 2).

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD