Although a capitalist in every sense of the word, I do see
merit in the position put forward by Novak Djokovic that a fund be set up for
lower ranked players struggling financially during this pandemic. Tennis has
always had a pay grade system which has richly rewarded the top achievers while
paying first round losers a pittance comparatively. The thing about tennis is
that those first round losers are phenomenal tennis players and the game would
not be what it is today without them. Some move up and some move down. Few of
them have had much to say about the pay disparity because they aspire to win
and hope to move up the ranks.
These are not ordinary times and they are forced to the
sideline. Dominic Thiem doesn’t like the idea and makes a justifiable point
that nothing was handed to him as he fought his way to a number three ranking.
He’s young, has come into wealth recently, and has ego pumping through his
veins. I can’t blame him for his position.
Sport is social but it’s not socialist. The sought after
victory comes with reward. However; context and backdrop can never be fully
ignored because the human condition must be rational in its zeal.
Denis Shapovalov had an opportunity to become the first
Canadian male tennis player to win a Masters 1000 (most senior level
professional tournament equivalent to a Grand Slam) Series event today matched
up against the number one player in the world, Djokovic. BTW, we still call all
these athletes that leave Canada due to high taxation levels here Canadian in
spite of their departure to tax havens. They like to keep the warmth of our
country in their heart while paying tax abroad. Few really call this fact into
question with respect to any semblance of National allegiance. The athletes
certainly aren’t to blame but it is interesting how we still like to dress them
with the Maple Leaf and discount the lay of the land.
What if Canadian star athletes decided to stay in Canada?
Certainly, governments would benefit from a return of capital on any funding
awarded to athletes in lieu of their elite athletic status during years of
development. This is not to say that particular athletes don’t give back to
Canada upon capturing success in ways other than a direct return of such
government sponsored funding. Then there’s the direct taxation for domestic prize
pools associated with Canadian events such as the Rogers Cup. Residents are expected
to report their world wide income whereas non-residents to do not. In spite of
tax credits awarded to residents for foreign tax paid, the high tax rates in
Canada would most likely supersede tax credits.
Non-residents are expected to pay Canadian tax for earnings on Canadian
soil.
So, your game of the week got cancelled but you still want
to work on your strokes. Do visit the board at your local community centre but
practice with it the right way. The right way you ask? Since the set up is
crucial as a prefix for delivering a ground stroke, it makes no sense to be
scrambling with the board since the ball returns so quickly. Instead, feed the
ball to the board –make your stroke and only set up for another stroke if in
control and set up properly. The purpose of this practice is to develop
consistency without producing bad habits which can arise when chasing down
errant balls.
How important is this? It’s critical because the neural
pathways need to be developed without the impedence of experience associated
improper mechanics. Similar to golf, tennis is difficult to pick up without
basic fundamentals learned from somebody. The teaching of tennis has positively
evolved to incorporate larger more forgiving balls and smaller racquets for
youngsters. Becoming versant in
fundamentals is definitely a prerequisite before approaching a board without a
playing partner. There is also no
denying the strength in some of the youtube content. For those who have good
coordination and average athleticism but lack a playing partner, the board can
be a great resource having picked up fundamentals from youtube. Naturally, there’s good and bad content on the
net but it’s mostly good so fear not. You can always hire a tennis teacher
because it’s only in the one on one setting whereby your strokes can be
observed and corrected.
Yes, that’s right – I, Blair Sveinson, am a certified tennis instructor with Tennis Alberta and I invite adults to reach out if keen to take up this wonderful game. I can be reached at 403-397-3110. I’m in Calgary.
If a defending player makes a tag on an offensive player running the base paths but in the process loses control of the ball, so long as the base runner touches the bag or plate, the base runner will be considered “safe”. Hence; if it becomes apparent that if a base runner has made a poor decision to advance yet has committed to the play, within the rules of the came he can contrive a strategy to exert such force on the defender in order to produce a dropped ball. Without question, Mr. Marinich in the Angels Astros game on Saturday July 6th took such a strategy by deviating his path inside the baseline toward the presence of the catcher who was positioned inside the field of play to receive the inbound ball. Had this not been Mr. Marinich’s strategy, the logical path would have been outside the baseline thereby increasing his probability of success by stationing himself further from the ball.
Some MLB pundits are calling for suspension of Marinich
given that catcher Lucroy has sustained an injury. It was indeed a brutal
collision but I suspect Marinich was more motivated by achieving a “safe” call
at home as opposed to hurting Lucroy. It’s apparent to me that the rules of
baseball are more to blame that Marinich. This precise play should give cause
for a rule change.
Ski day at Nakiska and first foray into vlogging March 14, 2019. Busted out with a day off work after the schedule cleared. I’ve had a season pass here for the past five years. Definitely good value if you catch the early bird discount. It’s really the quickest trip from Calgary and need not occupy the full day.
Those learning to ski need an easy going comfortable setting with appropriate terrain. Nakiska fits the bill.
There’s never a snow issue here because of the well developed snow making infrastructure. The snow park is well equipped with ramps, jumps and rails. Downhill skiing not your thing? Just jump on a tube or snap into X country gear and tour the picturesque landscape of Kananaskis Country.
