Posted by: Joe Nuss
on Mar 26, 2009
Story By Joe Nuss & Cover Photo by Tamara Lackey
Side by side and shoulder to shoulder two young brothers holding basketballs lean casually against a bluish green playground wall in old photo. The camera-generated time stamp gives away the year as 1996, shortly before the Sain family received the earth-shattering diagnosis that their oldest son Aaron, wearing the white sweat-shirt in the photo, had a brain tumor.
Several years later, in another photo, Aaron stands ankle-deep in foamy surf while his younger brother Brian, now a bit taller than him, holds a fishing pole with the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean and most of Aaron's life now behind them. In 2005, Aaron died from the brain tumor that he battled for seven years - the full life-expectancy given to someone with his type of cancer.
Posted by: Joe Nuss
on Mar 26, 2009
By Michelle Joshua
I used to be an avid tennis player back in my high school days. And I like to think that I was pretty good. The sport came easily and brought me pleasure and accolades. That is, until I traded in my tennis racket for a crew oar when I went to college. As a Division I athlete, I pushed my body to physical levels I had never before achieved and was at my fittest and strongest when I graduated.
So you can imagine my surprise when I returned to tennis in my early 20s and realized that my physical gains seemed to have no positive effect on my tennis game. Actually, my stroke felt awkward, my footwork was sloppy, and I felt embarrassed to be out on the court displaying a level of play that cut to the heart of my identity as a solid tennis player. I gave up tennis for the second time in five years. Every few years I would pick up a racket and try to mount a comeback, but after incredible frustration, my returns would be short-lived.
Posted by: Joe Nuss
on Mar 26, 2009
In his book It's Not About the Bike Lance Armstrong wrote about his post-cancer ride up North Carolina's Beech Mountain, a crucial stage in his two Tour du Pont victories. As he neared the summit, the words Go Armstrong in faded paint still visible from the old race, passed beneath his pedaling feet. It marked the beginning of one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Now, cycling fans across the world debate whether he has what it takes to come back one more time and win the world's greatest cycling event. While Armstrong says his comeback is not so much about winning the Tour de France as it is about increasing cancer awareness around the world, we all know that winning is hard-wired into his genetic code. It's hard not to imagine him winning.
Some of us however, have never won. I've never won. It's a sore point with my competitive five-year-old and many of the neighborhood children who see me ride my bike down the street every Saturday morning. Five year olds... they're always needling me with their stream-of-consciousness questions:
Posted by: Joe Nuss
on Mar 26, 2009
By Derek Powers
I read somewhere once that if you pay a couple thousand dollars you can play Augusta National golf course the day after the Masters Golf tournament is finished. This allows a couple hundred or more mediocre dreamers with thick wallets the opportunity to experience the course in the same condition it was in when the pros walked it the day before. Of course, there are no gasping masses clad solely in green, no merchandise vendors, and no journalists wagering on when you'll implode. It's just you, your friends, and your swing flaws flailing away all over the lot.
Posted by: Joe Nuss
on Mar 25, 2009
What better way to bring a family together than to train for a marathon?
hat's exactly what Bob and Peggy Jackson thought when they registered their family of five for last year's Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco. On October 19, 2007, the proud parents watched as their daughters Melissa, Margie, and Mary crossed the finish line in the first race the entire family completed together.
"I started running marathons in my late 20s when the kids were young. My wife and the girls would follow me in the car when I was training and bring me drinks and snacks," Bob said.
Posted by: Joe Nuss
on Mar 03, 2009
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On February 17th Raleigh City Council authorized the Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan for public hearing on March 3rd. As such, the hearing will be held on March 3rd at 7pm at the Raleigh Municipal Building located at 222 W. Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh. The public hearing will include a presentation highlighting the infrastructure and policy recommendations of the bicycle plan. There will also be an opportunity for public comment. If you are interested in the future of bicycle facilities in Raleigh please take the opportunity to review the bicycle plan and share your comments in person or in writing.
Link to Bike Plan Here
