Sunday, July 3, 2016

Brandon Smith - Shot Put

Early in the trip in Amsterdam, I have seen many new things and many things that are different exploring throughout the city. Taking advantage of the free time we have and the ability to travel around before the time to work and volunteer for the games comes around. Getting off the plane in Amsterdam, my first thought was “wow, this is different” and having never been out of the country before and now being around so many people who do not speak English it is a big change that I did not expect to be so different. Having been here for a couple days now and getting used to the atmosphere I am beginning to understand how this culture here it one of its own. I have noticed the general population I much more active and the way they get around the city isn’t just driving a car. They have trains, subways, trams, and a lot of bicycles. There are bicycle paths almost everywhere throughout the city in which they have the right away over anyone traveling on foot. In just these few days we have been here we have done a walking tour, boat tour and a canal vaulting training session, which have given a good impression of the city so far.  


As shot put started back in the Middle Ages as soldiers throwing canon balls which then turned into the Ancient Greek soldiers throwing stones as a sport. The men’s shot put later became part of the modern Olympics in 1896 and women’s in 1948. The sport is performed by having a metal ball in one hand weighing 16 pounds for men and 8.8 pounds for women and the goal is to throw as far as possible from a 7 foot diameter circle in a 35 degree sector. The ball must not drop below the shoulder when throwing. A typical thrower will throw four to six times per competition to get their best effort. And that sums up our adventure for now and looking forward to much more experiences in this next week and a couple days left.



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