COLUMBIA The Rock Bridge boys soccer team did not get off to a encouraging start when it begins its season with back-to-back losses last weekend at the Midwest Soccer Classic in Quincy, Ill.

“Every season starts with a clean slate,Atletico Madrid shirt,” Bruins coach Kyle Austin said. “We were disappointed after losing the first two games. Nobody likes to lose. But we know were young and we know at times we will suffer.”

Not pushing too hard seems to be working. The Bruins won their final game of the tournament to go 1-2, then they won their home opener Tuesday. Matt Kelly scored the lone goal in Rock Bridge’s 1-0 win over Rolla that evened the Bruins’ record at 2-2.

“It was the best game of the season so far,Juventus shirt,” Austin said. “We dont have any season expectations yet. Right now,AS Roma shirt, were just trying to improve every game.”

Rock Bridges next game is set for 5 p.m. Friday against Moberly at the Moberly Shootout.

Austin lost a lot of experience from last years team, which had 12 seniors. This year,Paris Saint Germain shirt, the Bruins have seven seniors, only two of which were starters last year, making this years squad much younger than last years.

This years captains are Brady Wulff, Ryan Taylor and Danny Baird and other key players include Kelly and Sam Stoeckl.

COLUMBIA The Missouri men’s basketball team is a happy bunch.

After the Tigers’ 70-47 win Saturday against Nebraska, players stuck around afterward to sign autographs, give hugs and take photos with fans.

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Players took pictures with members of Zou Crew, the student cheering group,AS Roma shirt, who had made Valentine’s Day posters. The signs read, “Kiss Me Kimmie,” “Love Me Lyons” and “DeMarry Me Carroll.”

Coach Mike Anderson and forward Leo Lyons, who was suspended earlier in the season, shared a laugh and a smile outside the locker room after the game.

Lyons had nagged Anderson earlier in the season about letting the senior shoot a pair of technical free throws. Anderson gave in Saturday, and Lyons made both shots.

“I thought Leo played well,” Anderson said. “You notice he had a little smirk when he looked at me when he made those free throws.”

After off-court incidents and egos defined last season, the current Tigers have developed a strong unity. Anderson has called his squad “the ultimate team.”

“I think they like one another,” Anderson said. “They want to represent Missouri in a first-class way on and off the floor.”

On the court, the No. 17 Tigers share the ball unselfishly, ranking second in the country in assists per game. Saturday, Missouri had 18 assists on its 25 baskets.

The Tigers used a team effort on defense to hold Nebraska to 29 percent shooting. Nine different Tigers had at least one steal.

For the second time this season, Nebraska crammed its defense into the paint to take away Lyons’ scoring. In the first meeting, the Tigers tried for force the ball into the post anyway. They were too reliant on Lyons and forward DeMarre Carroll.

Saturday was different. Nearly every player on the Tigers roster made a positive contribution. Rather than try to force the action, Lyons focused on other aspects of the game. He finished with his third double-digit rebounding game of the season.

Freshman guard Kim English said the Tigers’ team play on the floor is a result of their close bond away from basketball.

“Our friendships off the court, I always say, translates to unselfish play on the court because we always want to see our guy, our friend, get a block or a dunk or a steal,Napoli shirt,” English said. “It’s just fun to play with your friends. We’re just a bunch of college friends playing basketball.”

Lawrence says this is the closest he has been with a group of teammates during his four years on campus.

“We’re buddy-buddy in the locker room, outside of the court, but in practice we get after it every day,” Lawrence said.

Good chemistry on this year’s team was far from a guarantee when the Tigers entered the season with seven new players.

Early season trips to Canada and Puerto Rico helped the team bond. Spending eight weeks together before school started brought players together as well.

“We just kind of jelled automatically,” English said.

According to Lawrence, the winning attitude of the young players immediately earned the older players’ respect.

“I think these guys are just great guys. They’re great character guys. We knew we didn’t have to worry about them getting in trouble outside of basketball,” Lawrence said. “They want to be here. They want to be Missouri Tigers.”

The team’s shared goal,Juventus shirt, of winning a national championship, also brings players together.

“It would be stupid to want to have 20 wins,Bayern Munich shirt,” English said, “We want to win the national championship. That’s why we lace them up every day.”

The Hickman baseball team’s five graduating seniors took a knee in left field to listen to their coach after their 13-4 loss to Fort Zumwalt South in Class 4 sectionals Thursday at Hickman.

Casey McIntosh,Wales football shirt, Dillan Henke, Roderick Williams, Jeff Johanningmeier, and Jonathan Haas listened intently to coach Dave Wilson, only breaking eye contact to wipe their face of either sweat or tears.

“I just told them I cared about them,Birmingham shirt,” Wilson said. “They taught me a lot this year. Going into a season where their aren’t a lot of expectations they never quit. They supported the young guys. They got better as players. I learned to never give in no matter what because those guys are quality people.”

The coach stood and hugged each one like a father would hug a son. The underclassman followed in their coach’s footsteps as they said goodbye to their teammates.

Members of Hickman’s 2005 state championship team looked on from the bleachers.

“It feels like a family atmosphere,” said Wilson seeing his former players. “That’s the way it should be.”

This year’s Kewpies had lost 17 players from last year’s championship team. Hickman struggled early in the season but managed to win districts May 18 against Helias 10-2 in Jefferson City.

“The team has really matured,” former pitcher Zach Heath said. “We came out to support them.”

Hickman (13-11) gave McIntosh, the starting pitcher,Santos shirt, an early 1-0 lead, but a pair of failed pickoff moves and a fielding error by shortstop Colin Kemble allowed the Bulldogs (21-6) to move ahead 2-1 in the third inning.

McIntosh pitched five complete innings before moving to first. Jeff Johanningmeier replaced him and Greg Kanuckle finished the game.

The turning point came on a Bulldogs grand slam in the sixth to increase the lead to 11-4. The Kewpies allowed five runs in the inning.

Hickman was unable to answer.

Although the season may be over for Hickman and those five seniors, Wilson looks forward to seeing his graduating players again soon.

“We’ll see all these guys out here supporting our young men,” Wilson said. “That’s why Hickman’s a great school.”

After seven straight wins, the Columbia College men’s basketball team is ranked in the NAIA Division I poll for the first time since the preseason.

The Cougars (18-10, 7-1) learned Tuesday that they reentered the Top 25 at No. 19, the highest ranking among American Midwest Conference teams.

“It is important,” coach Bob Burchard said. “There are two ways to get in the (NAIA) national tournament. One is to win your conference tournament, the other one is to be in the top 25. Typically, all the (at-large bids) come right out of the top 25. So it’s huge.”

The Cougars, who were ranked No. 23 in preseason poll, started the season 4-7 and did not receive another vote until appearing in Tuesday’s poll.

“(The ranking) is a blessing,AS Roma shirt,” senior guard Aaron Edwards said. “From where we came from as a team to where we are now, that’s just really impressive.”

The national recognition comes days after the Cougars won at then-No. 10 McKendree 63-57.

After losing two of five, McKendree (21-6, 7-2) dropped out of the top 25.

“It just goes to show you that it’s about the end of the season,” Edwards said. “A lot of teams start out with a great pace. But it’s a long race.”

Columbia College controls its own destiny in the quest for the AMC championship. The Cougars are tied with unranked Missouri Baptist (18-8, 7-1) for the conference lead. The two teams play Feb. 24 at Missouri Baptist.

The Cougars were ranked last in an AMC pre-conference poll. The perceived slight is something that continues to motivate the Cougars.

“When I started practicing,” said junior guard Justin Falker,Peru football shirt, who was added to the roster at midseason, “(my teammates) told me that (the rankings) put us at No. 7, at the bottom, last. So we still have something to prove.

“If they started us at No. 7 and we end up at No. 5,Football shirts, then we didn’t really prove nothing. If we prove that we’re No. 1,Dortmund shirt, then they just messed up. They shouldn’t have put us No. 7 and never again should they put us at No. 7. Because we’re better than that.”

The Cougars’ next game is Thursday at Williams Baptist.

“We’re not done yet,” Edwards said. “We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. We just come out and play hard, play scrappy every night. As long as we keep doing that, playing hard and keep being intense, we’ll be just fine.”

Burchard agreed there is work to be done before the final rankings are released March 1.

“I’m personally excited about (the ranking),” Burchard said. “But I’d be more excited about it in two weeks.”

Former five-star recruit Sheldon Richardson will not practice with Missouri during the first week of fall camp,Real Madrid shirt, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

According to the Post’s Ben Frederickson, Richardson checked into camp Wednesday and has been accepted to MU, but will not practice until the NCAA finalizes his clearance of eligibility.

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The 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman originally signed with the Tigers out of high school but was forced to enroll first at a junior college in California,AS Roma shirt, The College of the Sequoias.

Missouri’s fall camp opens Thursday, with a 3:45 p.m. practice.

A television station in Dallas is reporting that Tony Mitchell,Atletico Madrid shirt, one of the
University of Missouris prize basketball recruits for next season, will not be
graduating with his high school class this weekend.

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WFAA-TV (Dallas/Fort Worth) broadcast the report and also
posted the video and story on its website.

Dave Reiter, associate director of media relations in the
Missouri athletic department, refused to comment on the report Wednesday.

Mitchell, considered one of the top high school forwards in
the country, transferred to the Dallas Independent School Districts Pinkston
High School last summer from the Center of Life Academy in Miami. He
was a star basketball player for both schools.

A dispute,Inter Milan shirt, according to the report, has arisen
regarding Mitchells transferred credits and make-up exams that he took
last fall before enrolling at Pinkston.

Mitchells mother, when contacted by the television station,AS Roma shirt, said
that problems have been resolved and her son will graduate as planned.

COLUMBIA The Missouri womens basketball team isnt taking too kindly to being picked to finish last in the Big 12 Conference for the third consecutive season.

“Its an insult,” Missouri coach Cindy Stein said at the Tigers’ media day Monday at Mizzou Arena. “And were taking it as an insult. I dont know if thats going to put an extra chip,Glasgow Rangers shirt, we already have a chip on our shoulders from last year.”

Last season, the Tigers finished 13-17, winning only four of their 16 conference games. Missouri has other plans for this year.

“I feel great about the team,Valencia shirt,” senior Jessra Johnson said. “I think were going to have a good, exciting season. I cant wait to start it.”

Missouri does have a lot to be excited about. With four starters returning and a roster that includes four seniors, experience is on the Tigers side.

“That helps tremendously because we have a lot of leadership,” junior Shakara Jones said. “Those four starters have played and thats what we have to do. We have to teach these freshman and teach everybody else that we have to play throughout the game in order to get a win.”

This luxury makes Steins job much easier.

“Theyre helping each other out there,” Stein said. Theyre coaching each other a lot. You have coaches on the floor and that helps in every situation.”

But the Tigers lost a lot when Alyssa Hollins graduated. Hollins led Missouri in scoring last season with 13.1 points per game. She also left Missouri as the programs all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 226.

“You cant replace Alyssa Hollins,” Johnson said. “Shes a great player. You just gotta find someone, whoever they may be.”

Stein said she is unsure of who will step up to replace Hollins, but is excited about several players that would be more than capable of excelling in a starting position.

The Tigers will rely heavily on the only two returning double-digit scorers from last season in Johnson (13 points per game) and Jones (10.3). Johnson, a 6-foot-1 forward from Fayette, led the team in double-doubles, rebounds per game, and blocks last season. Jones,Lyon shirt, a forward from St. Charles, led the team in field goal percentage and contributed more than four rebounds a game.

RaeShara Brown, who led the conference in steals and the team in assists last season, and Bekah Mills will also see plenty of court time. The Tigers have a deep bench, returning more than 90 percent of last years squad, Johnson said.

“We gotta lot of returners, so we go through practice a lot easier because were only teaching two people,” Johnson said. “Its a lot of fun whenever youve been playing with each other for so long.”

Incoming freshmen Sydney Crafton of Jefferson City and Trenee Thornton of Kansas City are the Tigers’ only new players.

Stein, Johnson and Jones all agree that this year seems different.

“This years squad has a lot of energy,” Jones said. “Everybodys moving. Were cohesive.”

There seems to be a renewed passion for the team as well.

“I though last years was a really solid work ethic but these guys are putting in even more extra time right now, and thats what you ask for as a coach,” Stein said.

Even with the struggles of the past few seasons, morale and expectations remain high for the Tigers.

“We set the bar where we want to win every game,” Jones said.

Johnson reiterated this lofty goal.

“Come out and win,” Johnson said. “Only thing you can do when youre picked last.”

Stein was even more upbeat.

“We want to finish in the top four (in the Big 12),” Stein said. We want a Big 12 championship.”

Then her message got even more powerful.

“You guys bring your friends because it is going to be an exciting season,AS Roma shirt,” Stein said. “Were going to be the sports story of the year.”

So you think you’ve got what it takes to be a bodybuilder? Can you go through grueling workouts with almost no glycogen storage? Can you avoid all simple sugars for nearly two months? Can you get down to below 5% body fat?

If you are one of the few, dedicated individuals who think they can become a bodybuilder, ask yourself this question. “Can I stop drinking all fluids for nearly 24 hours?” If you answered no to the last question, I don’t think any less of you. In fact, the last 24 hours before a competition are perhaps the most miserable for most bodybuilders. In my case, I can honestly say the hardest part was the carbohydrate depletion. As an author and a Personal Trainer, I found it extremely difficult to function without the primary source of energy– carbs. That being said, my experience as a bodybuilder has molded me into the strongest person I have ever been. I’m going to illustrate my latest experience at the Border States Classic in October 2008, in the hopes of inspiring and educating those who are interested in the sport of bodybuilding to compete.

First and foremost, I should tell everyone that bodybuilding is truly a competition against one’s self. This means that one must constantly be battling their urges to consume junk food, overeat and skip on workouts. No one else can make you do this. Even a Personal Trainer can only give you a roadmap, but you must follow the path. I knew that I could keep myself from indulging in the non-essentials so I decided to try my hand at the Border States. Ten weeks before the show I weighed in at 168 pounds and around 11% body fat. I figured that I couldn’t make bantamweight (up to 143lbs.), but I knew my muscular development was good, so I began to go through a journey of fat burning.

Supplements:

The edge I had over many of my competitors was my knowledge of supplementation. I knew that the right combination of supps could fine tune my body and allow me to go on stage super tight. I was right! I was very, very tight. Below is the list of supplements that I used during pre-competition:

Green Tea Extract, 600 mg daily

7-Keto, 300 mg daily

CLA, 8 grams a day (4 before bed)

Tribulus, 3000 mg daily

Gaspari Novedex, 3 capsules at bedtime

Fish Oil, 30 grams a day

Max Nitro L-Arginine, 10 grams a day on empty stomach

L-Glutamine, 30 grams a day (10 at night)

Controlled Labs Purple Wrath

AST GABA, 5 Grams before bedtime

Alpha Lipoic Acid/ L Carnitine/ Co Q 10 compound, 4 capsules a day

Milk Thistle

Probolic-SR (not the last week before the show)

BSN Lean Dessert (not the last week)

Nature’s Best- Whey Isolate (not the last week)

MHP-XPEL water loss (8 capsules daily for the last week)

This may seem like a lot of supplements, and it is! Remember, a bodybuilder cannot deprive his or her body of the nutrients it needs to repair itself. Actually,Napoli shirt, no one should deprive their body. All we have in life is time and health. It is important to make both of these as good and enjoyable as possible.

Training: High Volume

I used a routine that consisted of hitting every body part twice a week, taking Sunday off. I hit legs and deltoids three times a week. My training was very high volume and looked similar to this:

Shoulders:

Lateral Raise– 4 sets of 15-20 reps, superset with 4 sets of Front Raises 15-20 reps

Overhead dumbbell press– (35 lbs) 4 sets of 25 reps

Wide Grip Upright Rows– 4 sets of 20 reps

Shrugs with light weight– 20 reps, superset with Lateral Raises to finish

My cardio increased significantly the last 3 weeks. I did one half-hour session of cardio on the recumbent bike first thing in the morning, after a shake with Purple Wrath.?I did this again at night after my last meal to ensure that I would deplete my glycogen stores.

Diet: Carbohydrate Cycling

This is truly the hardest part of bodybuilding. I opted to cycle my carb intake; taking in only 40 grams of carbs from oatmeal for 4 days. On the fifth day, I would take in about 200 grams of carbs from oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and brown rice. All of my meals contained about 6 ounces of fish (no salmon), chicken or ground turkey. These are very lean meats, which allowed me to maintain an adequate protein intake. All meals contained 2 cups of green beans, spinach, or bok choy. I would take in 5 meals every day, or the equivalent of 1 meal every 3 hours. I made sure to supplement with plenty of fish oil and Branched Chain Amino Acids?to maintain energy levels and muscle tissue. In essence, I tried to focus on lean protein and veggies.

Note: The last week before competition, I ate only 30 grams of carbs per day until the day before the show. I also drank only 2 gallons of water until two days before (Thursday); that day I drank only a ? gallon of water. Friday I only drank 8 oz. of water. Saturday morning I only had black coffee. I was very thirsty to say the least.

Posing and Tanning: Contest Prep is Vital,Benfica shirt!

A few weeks before the competition I began to tan. This is one of my least favorite parts of my experience. In addition to the regular tanning,Fulham shirt, I applied 6 coats of Pro-Tan, a tanning liquid that is painted on the skin. Now, I have the unfortunate disposition of having body hair, so my stubble was somewhat noticeable. Therefore, before the night show, I applied one more coat to hide the stubble. Tanning is a pain, but it is necessary and very aesthetically pleasing. The lights on stage are white, which makes the competitors look pale. Pale white skin would wash away like sand on the beach. Remember, this sport is about how good you look!

Posing is perhaps the most important part of bodybuilding shows. Flexing each muscle is a form of isometric exercise and helps etch in the definition between muscles. A competitor should be used to flexing for at least 60 seconds to build up endurance. Judges do not like to see competitors shake on stage from lack of muscular endurance. I think I posed for at least 30 minutes every day starting from two weeks prior to the show. The last two days,AS Roma shirt, flexing and posing were my only forms of exercise.

Conclusion: Although it was a challenge, my bodybuilding experience was one of the greatest times of my life. It was a blast being onstage with my fellow athletes. It was even more fun standing right in front of the biggest guy onstage and posing down with him. I suggest that if you are interested in Bodybuilding Competition, you should go to a show to see what the atmosphere is like. See the competitors in person and decide if you have the discipline to transform your body with the necessary strategies.

Keep the Fire Burning!

-Sean Covell

BestSupplementGuide.com

ST. LOUIS — Belatedly, the future has arrived for the St. Louis Rams’ running game.

They’ve just got to hope rookie Steven Jackson, a young, fast,Porto shirt, physical alternative to the aging Marshall Faulk,Newcastle United shirt, can stay on the field.

Jackson ran for a career-best 148 yards before bruising his right knee in the fourth quarter of Monday’s 20-7 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, a game that kept his team’s playoff hopes alive. He can get through holes that close before Faulk gets to them.

Jackson, who was healthy but didn’t play in last week’s loss to the Cardinals, averaged 6.2 yards per carry against the Eagles. Philadelphia went with reserves much of the game, having clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Still, he was every bit as effective on the game’s first drive when the Eagles starters were in the game, rushing six times for 46 yards.

“He’s terrific,” coach Mike Martz said. “He looks like a great runner to me.”

Jackson’s play helped the Rams (7-8) ease quarterback Marc Bulger back into the mix after he had missed two games with a bruised right shoulder. St. Louis rushed for a season-best 209 yards on 44 carries, with Faulk contributing 54.

While Bulger was out, instead of taking the burden off backup Chris Chandler by emphasizing ball control, the Rams went the other way and totaled 88 yards rushing on 31 attempts in a pair of losses.

Since the move to St. Louis in 1995, the Rams are 39-0 when they have a 100-yard rusher. That includes four games this year.

“I don’t call the plays, so I don’t know,” Bulger said. “But when you’re getting 6, 7, 8 yards a play, why change?”

Against the Eagles, the Rams’ opening 10-play drive was all running. The 11th play was a run, too, before Bulger completed a 12-yard pass to Torry Holt near the end of the first quarter to break the streak.

“You keep completing them,Sevilla shirt, you keep throwing them, you keep moving the chains running you keep handing it off,” Martz said. “It wasn’t that hard to do.”

Jackson said after the game that he should be ready for the season finale against the Jets on Sunday, but he missed a game two weeks ago with a similar injury. He underwent an MRI exam on Tuesday that revealed a soft-tissue bruise, but that also showed what Martz described as “significant healing” of Jackson’s earlier injury.

Martz said Jackson “probably” would be ready for the finale, but he said it was prudent to see how Jackson feels on Thursday when the team resumes practicing.

“This stuff changes over the course of a few days,” Martz said. “So I think it’s better for everybody if we just wait.”

Both injuries are believed to have been caused by the rock-hard artificial turf in the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams have a more forgiving FieldTurf surface at their practice facility and would like to have that type of field installed at the dome.

“It’s just a shame that you have to have guys that make all this kind of money, that are such great athletes, playing on a horrible surface like that,” Martz said. “It’s just awful, It’s disgraceful,AS Roma shirt, really.”

After both injuries, Jackson said it was like taking two hits on the same play, one from the tackler and the second from the field.

“The turf is pretty bad,” Jackson said.

On the season, Jackson has 644 yards rushing and a 5.2-yard average compared with 759 yards and a 4.0-yard average for Faulk.

It was the play that could have ended Missouri’s losing streak,AS Roma shirt, redeemed a tough night from the field and regain the trust of some fans.

Instead it was the play that turned jubilation into frustration.

With seconds left, Missouri’s Kevin Young made a basket that would have tied the game and was fouled, meaning a successful free throw would have given the Tigers the lead.

A traveling violation negated both as Houston hung to beat Missouri 57-55 and win the consolation championship of the Guardians Classic on Wednesday night at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

It was Missouri’s third straight loss. The Tigers’ most recent win came against Houston Nov. 16 at Paige Arena in the regional championship.

“I for one was celebrating at one point,” Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. “I thought we tied the score and were going up one, but that wasn’t the way it happened.”

Young’s traveling violation came with 16.2 seconds left and Missouri trailing 55-53. Young received the ball in the left block, turned toward the basket, made a tough shot and was fouled. As Missouri started to celebrate, referee Karl Hess blew his whistle and called Young for traveling.

“I thought it was a good point,” Missouri’s Jason Conley said. “I thought Cap went up and scored,Dortmund shirt, but then I saw the ref say, ‘No, no, no,’ and I just knew it was a travel.

“It was a tough play, but you can’t blame the whole entire game on that one play. There were a whole bunch of things that went on in the game that we have to see the film and change.”

With one second left, Missouri’s Linas Kleiza had the opportunity to make up for earlier struggles and send the game into overtime.

His last-second try in the lane rolled out.

“We got Linas the ball right where we wanted to and it’s just a tough break,” Thomas Gardner said. “The shot rolled in and out, but that’s the shot we wanted.”

Kleiza, the team’s leading scorer this season, finished with nine points on 2-for-15 shooting. Part of his struggles could have stemmed from an elbow he took to his right eye with 14:20 left in the second half.

Not long after, he missed 3-pointers on three straight possessions. He shot air balls on the first two.

“We were in his face,Bordeaux shirt,” Houston coach Tom Penders said. “He didn’t get too many open looks. We were hoping he’d stay on the perimeter most of the night and we did a good job of staying on him, hand in the face.

“We wanted other people to beat us. If Horton was going to go off, he was gong to go off. If the big fella was going to score inside, he was going to score inside. But we were going to try and not let Kleiza, Conley and their shooter,Santos shirt, Thomas Gardner, beat us.”