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| Sunday, 5 June 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Hockey - a popular group sport
Hockey is one such group sport that is played all around the world, by both adults and children. In hockey, two teams of 11 players compete against each other using their 'hooked' sticks to hit, push, pass and dribble a small, hard, usually white ball, with one aim in mind - to score by getting the ball into the opponents' goal. To do that, they have to get the ball past the other team's goalkeeper, who protects the goal, and logically, tries to keep the ball out. Every team must have a goalkeeper. The other 10 players are referred to as 'field players', and are dispersed over the field of play. The field players can be put into three general categories - attackers, defenders and midfielders. While no player (other than the goalkeeper) has an exclusively defined role, the attackers are generally on attack, the defenders are generally on defence, and the midfielders do a bit of both. An essential skill necessary for playing hockey is the ability to control, pass, push, stop and shoot the ball with your hockey stick. This is known as stick work, or stick handling. It may seem like common sense, but it is worth mentioning that in hockey, field players are not allowed to use their feet to control the ball. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to use stick, hands and feet to stop the ball when defending in his or her own circle. Scoring a goal in hockey is very interesting. There are only certain ways it can be done: from a Field Goal, from a Penalty Corner, and from a Penalty Stroke. A penalty stroke is a shot taken on goal by a chosen player and defended only by the goalkeeper. (All other players must stand outside the circle). A penalty stroke may be awarded for a few reasons, the most common being an offence by a defender in the circle to prevent the probable scoring of a goal. A field goal is a goal scored from open, continuous play. Field goals may only be taken from the 'shooting circle', a roughly semi-circular area in front of the opponents' goal. If a ball is hit from outside the 'shooting circle' and goes into the goal, it does not count as a score. If a defending team breaks certain rules, the other team may be awarded a 'penalty corner'. Often penalty corners are awarded because a team breaks a rule while defending in their 'shooting circle'.
Up to five defenders (including the goalkeeper) position themselves behind the back-line (either inside or outside of the goal) to defend against the penalty corner. The rest of the defenders must stay behind the centre line until the 'push out' has been taken. The ball is 'pushed out' to the attacker waiting to receive it. Before a shot on goal can be taken, the ball must first be stopped outside the circle. After it is stopped, the receiver usually pushes it back into the circle for the first shot at goal. If the first shot is a hit, the ball must enter into the goal at a height of no more than 460mm (or about 18 inches). It is usually pretty easy to tell if the ball is at the right height since the board at the back of the goal is the same height. When a goal is successfully scored, there is a familiar sound of the ball hitting the board, usually followed by players celebrating. If the first shot is a 'scoop' or a 'flick' - shots that are lifted into the air and thus usually a little slower than a hit - then the ball can cross the goal-line at any height, as long as it is not dangerous play. Once the attacker on the back-line begins to push the ball out, the defenders on the back line may move into the circle, and do their best to keep the other team from scoring. It's a long explanation, but in practice, it all happens very quickly, and is exciting to watch. ######### Olympic torch on Mount Everest? We all know that several foreign countries competed with each other to gain eligibility to host the 2008 Olympic Games, and China won. Guess what China is planning to do when they host the next Olympic Games? Beijing is currently studying how to haul the Olympic torch to the peak of Mount Everest and broadcast the event live during the pre-Games torch relay. The country has organised a research team and according to the Beijing Organising Committee they are assessing it. "However, it depends on the weather at the time and the date it will happen," said Liu, who is also vice mayor of Beijing. China was scheduled to submit a route plan for the relay to the International Olympic Committee by the end of 2006. The relay of the "flame of peace" has become a spectacle. Ahead of the Athens games in 2004, it circled the world on a six-week tour under tight security, flying from country to country in a specially chartered jumbo jet, dubbed Zeus.Logistically, taking the flame to the highest point on Earth is not a big problem. "But the whole thing will be very complex," a spokesman for Beijing said. In 1999, China took a ceremonial flame to the top of Everest, which straddles the China-Nepal border, during a sports competition among China's ethnic minorities. That torch was outfitted with a special oxygen tank to keep it burning in the thin air and an igniter to re-light the flame when gusting winds blew it out, but the experience showed it could be done. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
Most of us love sports, but, some of us may not be good at it. We
should admit that everyone does not have the skills for track and field
events. But, don't get discouraged, because there are many group sports
that you could choose from, and display your skills... 
To take a penalty corner, play is stopped to allow the teams to take
their positions in attack and defence. One attacker stands with the ball
on a designated spot on the back-line. (It's the line that marks the
shorter boundary of the field of play and on which the goal is placed.)
This player will 'push out' the ball to other attackers, waiting to take a
shot at goal. The other attackers usually wait at the top of the shooting
circle to receive the ball. But in any case, all attackers have to be
outside the shooting circle until the penalty corner begins. 
