Kaka

Soccer Sensation: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Birthday: April 22, 1982
Place of Birth: Gama, Brazil
Nickname: Kaka

     Kaka is a Brazilian soccer player who is on the Brazilian national team, as well as AC Milan. He brilliantly plays attacking midfielder for his teams, and is a great soccer player that contributes to many of the wins on both his teams. His height of 6'1'' gives him the ability to win many headers, but also dribble fiercely around many of the other teams with his speedy touches on the ball.

     Kaka began to play soccer at the age of eight, on a local club team, that really gave him the motivation to pursue soccer as his true passion in life. As a teenager, he was also interested in tennis, so choosing soccer of it was a big decision for him. At the young age of 15 he moved to Sao Paulo and finally decided that soccer was the path to take and decided to start training seriously to try and get on a big team. At the age of 18 he was in a swimming pool accident and suffered a spinal fracture that could have paralyzed him, but he luckily made a full recovery. After recovering he began to train again working endless hours every day where he worked hard, and his hard work definitely paid off, and in 2003 he joined the team Milan. His time on that team really motivated him to get better, and was rewarded. He won the Ballon d'Or and was awarded the title FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007. He was then contracted to play with Real Madrid, but recently (last year) moved back to play with Milan again, where his heart was and is.

 

 

http://goo.gl/fCrPfJ

 

     Kaka is married to Caroline Celico, and has two children. There names are Luca, born in 2008, and Isabella, born in 2011. He is a religious Christian. Something new I learned was that he was a model for Armani, and used for advertising for Adidas. He was also on the cover of the FIFA game 2011.

     The most interesting fact I learned about Kaka was that he was the youngest ambassador for the UN World Food Programme. and he's pretty popular on Twitter. He was the first sportsperson to reach 10,000,000 followers on Twitter.

Why do warm-ups?

Warm-ups: Are they really beneficial?

 



 

     As I was browsing through the internet looking for some interesting information to post today, I came across an article from the L.A. Times concerning ACL injuries. Now, for some of you who don't know, ACL stands for anterior cruciate ligament, and is one of the four major ligaments found in our knees. It's main job is to keep the knee stable while we pivot, or plant our foot while cutting in. If your ACL is torn ,  many people prefer to get auto graft surgery done, where tissue is commonly taken from your hamstring and used to repair the ligament. Recovery for this is about 6 to 10 months and time going to a rehabilitation center, but at least you'd be able to still play.

 

http://goo.gl/Gur0Bk

 

      The article proved that warming up for 15 minutes before a practice or a fame could significantly lower your chances of any ACL injuries. A study done in San Francisco tested 4, 564 Swedish women who played soccer from the ages of 12-17. 2,479 of the girls were assigned to do a 15 minute neuromuscular warm up twice a week doing a range of 6 different exercises. The other 2, 085 girls were used as a control group for the experiment. The experiment was very conclusive. The girls who warmed up twice a week were 64% less likely to injure their ACL and it reduced their rate of severe knee problems.

 

     I 100% agree with this article because at my practices and games, we were taught at a young age to always warm up before actually doing any practice drills, reducing our chances of getting hurt. A torn ACL is never ideal, especially when training for a big upcoming game or competing for a starting spot on your team. Not taking the necessary precautions could end your chances of succeeding before you get far.  A efficient warm-up contains dynamic and static exercises, and you need to individually stretch anything that might feel tight or anything that might be hurting. stretching a couple times during the practice couldn't hurt either,, just to make sure you feel loose and flexible.

http://goo.gl/G25WI8



 

 

 

 



Ronaldo

Soccer Sensation: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Birthday: February 5, 1985
Place of Birth: Santo Antonio, Portugal
Nickname:CR7

     I thought Ronaldo would be the perfect person to start off this blog for 2014, especially because he started the year right by winning a Ballon d'Or. A Ballon d'Or is a awarded to the player who is considered to have the best performance of the previous year, and has been awarded to Messi for the past four years. Ronaldo ended his season with 69 goals scored for his team, not to mention his help in getting Portugal into the 2014 World Cup. He received 1,365 points from national team captains and coaches, while Messi had 1,205 and Ribery ending with 1,127.

     To start off, Ronaldo began playing professional soccer at a young age, but his career did not take off until his teen years. By the age of 18, he signed with Manchester United, where he triumphed and was a major advantage for the tea. While playing for MU, Ronaldo was great with Wayne Rooney as they defeated teams in the European league. His highlight with Manchester United was winning a Ballon d'Or in 2008, at the age of 23.

     In 2009, Ronaldo decided he wanted to play for Spain, and was signed for a world-record transfer fee of 80 million pounds. With his Spanish team, Ronaldo has managed to keep a steady record and win many award such as the Golden Boot.

     His current national team is Portugal and his club team is Real Madrid. He plays forward for his team and wears the jersey number 7.

Solo



Soccer Sensation: Hope Amelia Solo
Birthday: July 30, 1981
Place of birth: Richland, Washington
Nickname: Hope

     Hope Solo got most of her fame when she was selected as the starting goalie in the 2008 Summer Olympics and helped her team win the Gold Cup by not letting Brazil score any goals. After that, Hope started getting more and more publicity, but always stayed true to the game, and herself. Hope was also the goalie for the FIFA Womens Cup in 2011, where she saved a shot against Brazil during penalties leading her team to the semifinal game against France. Hope has always supported her team and stands behind each ones decisions, knowing that each of her teamates played with such determination and drive, that whatever they did was for the benefit of the team. During the Womens Cup, Hope received the Golden Glove award for best goalie and the Bronze Ball for her comittment and healthy attitude toward her team. Also, Solo was gracefully  featured in an All-Star team of the tournament, but I believe her gratest accomplshment was receiving the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year award. Hope is hapily married to Jerramy Stevens, a former American football player, and has an autobiography named Solo: A Memoir of Hope that talka a little about her soccer career and personal life. In conclusion, Hope Solo is the most inspiring female goalie that tought me to never give up.

Mia Hamm

Soccer Sensation: Mariel Margaret Hamm

Birthday: March 17,1972

Place of birth: Selma, Alabama

Nickname: Mia

    Mia Hamm was a insane soccer player during her career. Growing up as a regular girl she put in all the necessary effort and more to achieve the greatness she did. She played for the University of North Carolina and the American National college team, furthering her reputation as an aggressive forward. Overall, Mia Hamm received four gold medals, two in the FIFA Women's World Cup, and two in the Summer Olympics. She retired at the age of 32 to start a family. She married the shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, whose name is Normar Garciaparra. Together they had twin girls and a boy completing their happy family. She appeared in 275 international matches and held the record for most scored international goals, male and female. That recorded had only been recently beat in 2013 by another amazing soccer player Abby Wambach. Fun fact: Mia Hamm was named FIFA World Player of the Year two times during her career! She is also in the National  Soccer Hall of Fame, which must have been a dream come true for any dedicated soccer player. Did I mention she also founded the Mia Hamm Foundation and the Washington freedom? The Mia Hamm Foundation is dedicated to bone marrow research. She founded this after her brother died of aplastic anemia, hoping to extend further knowledge of what happened to him. The Washington Freedom is a soccer club Mia founded with three other ladies and has been a sensational addition to the world of soccer. As you can tell, Mia Hamm not only impacted the world on the field but she also made a change of the field making her a huge soccer sensation, and my one of my idols.

HDWallpapersArena. Hamm, Mia. 2013

http://www.hdwallpapersinn.com/mia-hamm 

pictures.html  22 Sep. 2013

Messi

Soccer Sensation: Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini
Birthday: June 24, 1987
Place of birth: Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
Nickname: La Pulga

     Messi is arguably the best soccer player in the world right now to ever play the sport. He began playing soccer at the age of five and started playing for FC Barcelona at the age of 17, which made him the third youngest to ever play for Barcelona at the time. Messi was praised by the Barcelona fans. Being originally from Argentina, he also played for the Argentina selection team and participated in the 2010 World Cup as number 10. He plays midfield and forward, making him a very dangerous player, especially because he is really good at using his left and right foot, a skill many soccer players lack. Over time, he has beaten some records, such as receiving 3 Ballons d'Or, 2 golden boots, and amazingly scoring 281 goals for Barcelona in official matches. Messi is only 26 years old but has accomplished as much or even more than any 80 year old and is capable of even more than anyone can imagine. He became a father to a healthy baby boy named Thiago on November 2, 2012. After his child was born, Messi decided to get a tattoo of his son's name and hands on his left calf. Life is looking pretty good for Messi at this point and everyone is expecting great things from him. This amazing soccer sensation is my absolute favorite and my idol. I love you Messi!

Lopez, Alfredo. Messi- Shooting. 2013. Photograph. www.gamerfitnation.com, LA West Coast. Web.
2 Sep 2013.