April 11

History of the Olympics

 

                                                                              

The Olympic rings.

Olympic Rings

Imagine you are in the Olympics. You can be in the Summer or Winter Olympics, you choose. You have just won a gold medal and are standing up on the podium with a heavy medal around your neck and a bouquet of flowers in your hand. You are looking around the arena at all your fans clapping and cheering. Instead of thinking about your latest victory, you are thinking about how the Olympics started and how they got to be so big, and how they have changed                   

Ancient Olympics

The first recording of the Olympic Games dates all the way back, 2,800 years ago in ancient Greece. The early Olympic Games only had one competition, a short foot race. Over the years, they started to add more sporting events. The added events included chariot racing and a run wearing a full suit of armor. Men were the only participants. The law forbid women from competing in the games or even watching the games. Winners from the games were rewarded crowns of olive leaves instead of medals. The Olympic Games began to decline after the Romans conquered Greece. In the year 394, Theodosius I (the Roman Emperor) ordered the games to be stopped.

Modern Olympics

The Olympics returned in 1896, almost 3,000 years later. The modern Olympics began and were held in Athens, Greece. In 1900 the Olympics moved to Paris, France and for the first time in history, women were allowed to compete. In 1904 the Olympics were held in America in the city of St.Louis  A few of the cities where the summer games have been held are London, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Rome and Rio De Janeiro, the most recent location. The tradition of hosting the Summer Olympics in different cities every four years still continues to this day. In 1924 the Winter Olympics were held for the first time. They included cold weather sports. The winter games are also held every four years in different cities such as Chamonix, Lake Placid, Squaw Valley and Pyeongchang County, where the latest games were held.

Sports Played

Many sports are played in the Summer and Winter Olympics. There are 42 summer events and 15 winter events. Some of the cold weather sports played in the Winter Olympics now are Alpine skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, ski jumping, snowboarding and speed skating. Diving, volleyball, gymnastics, swimming, tennis and basketball are some of the many sports played in the Summer Olympics. More countries attend the Summer Olympics than the Winter Olympics. Also, worldwide, the Summer Olympic sports are more popular.

Many changes have been made to the Olympics of long ago. Women now play a major role in the Olympics. Also, the games are so big that almost every nation participates. Changes are still being made today. For example, in 2020 the Summer Olympics are expected to have bouldering and speed climbing, which are both rock climbing sports.

 

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April 11

San Diego Padres Then And Now

Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres

San Diego Padre, Trevor Hoffman.

The San Diego Padres started as the Pilots in 1936 at the Polo Grounds. The Padres have had a couple World Series appearances. The Padres have multiple Hall Of Famers, and they have six different retired numbers. Padres have the number one farm system in the MLB.

The San Diego Pilots were started in 1936 and won the PCL (Pacific Coast League) title in 1937 led by San Diegan Ted Williams. The original owner was C. Arnholt Smith, a San Diego businessman. They were drafted into the National league on May 27, 1968, for a fee of 12.5 million dollars. Buzzie Bavasi was hired as the owner after retiring from the Dodgers. The teams were chosen in the expansion because American Football was getting too popular. In addition to the Padres the Montreal Expos, Seattle Pilots, and the Kansas City Royals were added in 1969.

In Padres history, only one player has gotten the MVP (most valuable player) award and he is third baseman Ken Caminiti in 1996. Some Padres greats are Tony Gwynn, known for his career batting average of .336  and 3,000+ hits. Also, Trevor Hoffman leads the N.L. in saves with 601. He will go into the Hall Of Fame in July 2018. Also, Wil Myers and Matt Kemp are the only Padres ever to hit for the cycle. The ultimate honor is having your number retired by a team, some retired numbers are: Steve Garvey No. 6, Tony Gwynn No. 19, Dave Winfield No. 31, Randy Jones No. 35, and Trevor Hoffman No. 51.

Tony Gwynn's jersey number 19.

Tony Gwynn’s jersey number 19.

 

Padres made it to the World Series in 1984 against the Tigers and in 1998 against the Yankees.  Padres lost both of those series. In 1998, fireworks happened. In the fifth inning of the 1998 game, Tony Gwynn hit a home run, followed by a home run by Greg Vaughn.

Throughout Padres history, there have been many managers. Some of the recent managers are Bud Black, Pat Murphy, and Andy Green.  The current general manager is A.J Preller. A.J has created the best farm system that includes Fernando Tatis Jr and Mckenzie Gore.

The Padres have had a bright future for a long time, they have always had good prospects, but it’s never happened. 2018 has a great future and I can’t wait to see Trevor Hoffman get into the Hall Of Fame. See you in Cooperstown.

   

 

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April 11

Precious Pufferfish

Pufferfish

Pufferfish

If you think the octopus is the only animal in the ocean that can transform, think again. There are other amazingly deceptive sea creatures. At first glance, they are slow-moving, gentle and beautiful. But beware. When threatened, these fishes can transform themselves into weapons and turn into one of the deadliest creatures in the world. What are we talking about? Pufferfish, of course. Want to find out more about them, well keep reading.

Diet

The puffer fish is an omnivore so the diet of a puffer fish includes mostly invertebrates ( an animal without a backbone) and algae. Large puffer fish will even crack open clams, mussels, and shellfish with their hard beaks. Poisonous puffers are believed to synthesize their deadly toxin from the bacteria in the animals they eat.

Life and Reproduction

Although some baby puffer fish cannot be seen without a magnifying glass, their body shape resembles those of the adult animals. The average lifespan of the puffer fish is around ten years. There are more than 120 species of puffer fish which live mostly in the warm waters of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans, with only 30 species that are living in the freshwater. Some species move from marine to brackish or fresh water during the breeding season.  Did you know: After leaving the egg, young puffer fish swim toward the reef’s community.

Escape Artist

Pufferfish can inflate into a ball shape to evade predators. Also known as blowfish, these clumsy swimmers fill their elastic stomachs with huge amounts of water (and sometimes air) and blow themselves up to several times their normal size.

Fun facts

Almost all species of puffer fish contain a toxin (called tetrodotoxin) that can be 1200 times stronger than poison. One puffer fish contains enough toxin to kill 30 adult men. The toxin is not located in all parts of the puffer fish, and certain cultures prepare puffer fish as a delicacy. Also, did you know that about 100 diners die each year after eating puffer fish?

Pufferfish are amazing creatures and have plenty of tricks up their sleeves, other than puffing up to scare away predators. To most people, they are some of the most fascinating creatures on this planet. They can do many other cool tricks like turn sand into symmetrical artwork, but unfortunately the current will still wash away its beautiful artwork in minutes. Now I hope you love these amazing creatures as much as I do.

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April 11

The Amazing Life of a Butterfly

Image result for butterflies

Have you ever wondered how a butterfly egg stays on the leaf without falling? Well did you know butterflies attach their eggs with a special glue? Birds and butterflies are the same because they both have eggs. The way they are different is that birds put their eggs in a nest and butterflies on a leaf.  Another way they are different is that butterflies attach their eggs while birds place their eggs. Butterflies glue their eggs on the leaf so if there’s a storm, they will not fall off and break. The birds are different because their eggs are in a nest where it’s cozy and keeps the wind from blowing them off. Imagine you’re a butterfly attaching your eggs to a leaf.

 Have you ever wondered what butterflies eat? Did you know butterflies don’t actually eat? Instead, they drink nectar out of flowers. Butterflies are like hummingbirds because they don’t eat but drink out of flowers. They’re different because hummingbirds fly fast and butterflies don’t. Imagine you’re a butterfly flying to a flower and drinking nectar.  

  Did you ever wonder if butterflies are cold blooded or warm blooded? Well did you know butterflies are cold blooded!!! Butterflies and lizards are the same because they are both cold-blooded. They are different because butterflies stand on a leaf and lizards lay on the ground/rock to warm themselves in the sun. Imagine your a butterfly, you are cold-blooded and stand on a leaf to warm yourself up in the sun. You warm yourself up so you can fly to a flower and drink nectar etc..

Butterflies are beautiful because of their color, shapes, and sizes. It’s important to learn about them because we share the same world and they help carry pollen and control bugs from hurting the plants. I think butterflies are important because it gives more beauty to the world.

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April 11

The Heart of a Champion

 

Ezra Shaw/Getty

Laurie Hernandez in action!

Have you ever thought what it would be like to go to the Olympics? In Rio 2016 Laurie Hernandez won a couple of gold medals and one silver on beam. Laurie Hernandez is not the kind of person who gives up on their first try. She is the kind of person who works hard and tries to succeed! Imagine you are Laurie tumbling on the floor, taking step by step on beam, and reaching out for the bars.

Family comes first              

Laurie’s family has always counted on her to do things. She had very supportive parents and siblings, Marcus Hernandez and Jelysa Hernandez are her siblings. Her family is always there to cheer her on and bring joy when she is competing. She always believed with the support of her family she could do it.                                                             

Keeping it fit

By doing gymnastics Laurie has to keep track of her fitness. Laurie goes to the gym to train six days a week. Since the 2016 summer Olympics Laurie said that she would have a break from gymnastics, but keep on working out at the regular gym.

Practice makes perfect

How can anybody succeed if they don’t practice? Laurie Hernandez is not a quitter. If she has a task to complete she practices and tries to complete that task. When Laurie gets hurt and it is best to just sit out, she still practices the skills she can and does a lot of conditioning. She tries to improve each time she practices her skills.

Are you ever going to succeed in life if when you run into a problem you just give up and forget about it? Laurie Hernandez is training really hard to become a USA champion which she already is! “ I hope my story inspires you to gold and beyond.”

 

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April 11

Ocean Pollution

Most of the ocean pollution begins on land. When large pieces of land are plowed, the exposed soil erodes during rainstorms and runs off. Much of this runoff flows into the sea carrying agricultural fertilizers and pesticides. Eighty percent of pollution to the marine environment comes from land.

Plastics

The great pacific ocean garbage!

Plastics in our environment has reached a crisis proportions. It is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic enter our ocean each year. Plastics of every size choke and clog the stomachs of marine animals who mistake it for food. Plastics are now entering every level of the ocean food chain and is ending up in the seafood on our plates.

Oil

Oil spills have devastating effects. Oil spills are caused by tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, drilling rigs, and storage facilities. Oil spills can also be caused by people who did a mistake or being careless. Oil is so toxic that it can cause a wipeout of marine animals. Marine animals that live on shores are mostly affected by oil spills. Animals who drink the oil will get choked by the oil to death. There is a pipe which holds the oil so the oil doesn’t get into the ocean The pipe is located at the bottom of the ocean. Sometimes the pipe breaks which allows oil to go into the ocean.         

Interesting facts about the pollution

  1. More than 80 percent of plastics waste in the ocean comes land.
  2. It is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic.
  3. In China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines were identified as the top five countries that do plastic pollution.The ocean conservancy report this in 2015.

You now know that pollution is bad to the ocean so next time uses less plastic and don’t throw trash on beaches. The trash can get into the ocean and maybe into a marine animal stomach! The marine animals who ate the trash or plastic will die! It would be sad to have all the marine animals die from plastic clogging their stomachs.  

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