Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2007)
Clackamas Print Sports 5 Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007 All pictures taken by Ben Caldwell Clackamas Print Riley Lundgren The Clackamas Print Last weekend Clackamas hosted the Easter Seals ’ Tell Rounded Sports event |Wheelchair athletes from across the states came the college to help kids who face physical chal- ■s get involved in sports. Athletes included professional tennis player Dave 'agner. basketball star Scott Law and PGA golfer Gammet. Each taught his area of expertise. “We want kids to have the opportunity to come id see that they can do things, like play basketball play tennis,” said Easter Seals volunteer Peggy 'alters. AS stated on their Web site, the Easter Seals aid jWaduals with disabilities and special needs, and aBamilics” via an assortment of services. Watters and others from the Easter Seals program Oregon assisted in running Well Rounded Sports. “Having it at the college worked out great,” id Easter Seals Special Project Coordinator Mike 'atters. husband of Peggy. ‘It was easy for every- le to get to.” Throughout the day, the kids took part in demon- ations regarding how to become a better athlete in tl^oftball, basketball and tennis. I Bove playing sports,” said 16-year-old Vancouver student aleb Kallappa. “Since eighth grade, I have been involved iti^ports. There’s no season where I’m not doing a sport” Kai lappa, who has been in a wheelchair his whole life, was Kg the many participants. “It’s great to have a program like this,” said Scott Law of ell Rounded Sports. Law lives in Ohio, where he plays for the Cleveland fliers Wheelchair Basketball Team. He is also sponsored by a company called Invacare, which ^■buted to the day’s activities as well. Invacare is a com ity that makes and distributes healthcare products, such as heelchairs. oxygen systems and beds. I “To have things like the Easter Seals and Invacare to be here ABOVE: Wheelchair basketball star Scott Law gives athletes instructions at the beginning of the event. LEFT: Two participants help each other balance a tennis ball on a racquet in the Easter Seals’ Well Rounded Sports event. BELOW: Law joins paticipant Steven on the court. to help sponsor this event helps a lot,” Law said. The program was not just based on developing skills on the court, but also in life. “I used to be shy and [didn’t] go or do any thing,” Kallappa said, “but I went to an event like this one, and that all changed ... Here I can connect with kids who are going through the same things I am going through. 1 can share my life with them, and they understand.” Peggy Watters said, “To have an event where they can come and play and learn and be around people just like them makes it so much better.” Mike Watters said, “People always ask, ‘Well, what happens when they fall down?’ They get back up.” ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ yan-tasy leagues bring interactive hobby to sport fans Dale Balbi The Clackamas Print A fantasy sport isn’t necessarily what :ople think. It’p not getting on the playing field ith popular athletes or playing full- mtact sports with the person you’ve d a crush on since third grade. I Fantasy sports are about forming a ana by either drafting players or sign- g them using the salary cap. The object to collectively have the best number her week-to-week or for the entire ason, depending upon the league. It all started in 1980, when sports •iter Daniel Okrent invented rotisserie iseball. As a result, the first-ever fan- sy draft took place. This particular league only used play ers from the National League rather than those from both the national and American leagues. Okrent and his fellow sports writers kept track of certain stats for batting and pitching categories. Rotisserie leagues aren’t just picking stats out of a magazine anymore. For example, in a 10-team team league when a team is first in a specific category, 10 points are awarded. Second place in that category receives nine points, and the person who is last gets only one point. Some of the categories a person would see in fantasy basketball would be points scored, rebounds, assists, three-pointers made, steals, blocks and the percentage categories. Whoever has the most points at the end of the season wins. Head-to-head leagues are another option on the Internet. Teams play a different team each week and try to win more categories than their opponent. In the playoffs, the teams with the best records play each other, much like a regular post season. A consolation bracket gives most that don’t qualify something to play for instead of having their season cut short. Fantasy sports can help someone learn more about the individual players. For example, in the NBA, people know about superstars like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, but are unfamiliar with players like Danny Granger and Chris Kaman. Today, fantasy sports grow more popular than ever as thousands upon thousands log on to the Internet, browse their teams’ recent performances and participate in online drafts. On Yahoo sports, someone would find leagues for all kinds of sports, such as baseball, basketball, football, hockey, NASCAR and golf, just to name a few. The ESPNEWS show Fantasy Insider discusses fantasy football every Sunday from 8 to 9 a.m. Each Sunday, a radio show called Fantasy Focus covers fantasy football and baseball from 4 to 6 a.m. Daily fantasy basketball program Fantasy Hoops airs from 10 to 11 p.m. on NBA TV. Listeners can call in on all shows mentioned, but the Fantasy Insider asks for advice from someone’s own team. In the end, fantasy sports are a game of numbers, so maybe a numbers game can be a fantasy.
