Are you a high school athlete in the USA? Get into TAKKLE.com
June 9, 2008
Have you heard about TAKKLE the Ultimate Site for High School Sports? It is a great site that gives high school athletes a chance to showcase themselves to sporting scouts or fans of high school sports in the USA.
TAKKLE follows the social network model to allow you to post photos and videos, share schedules and stats. It is also a place to hangout for coaches, athletes and fans. It gives you an outlet to share your passion for sport.
TAKKLE was developed with the high school athlete in mind. It is a place to help you succeed. If you are looking to promote yourself to the scouts or college coaches this is the place for you. TAKKLE.com allows you to load pictures, videos and stats from all your games. It is a great place to showcase your abilities.
At the end of the season when it is time to get your name out to college coaches you can send the “TAKKLE Sheet”. This is a one-page snapshot of your stats and all your personal info. It can easily be sent to any college coach in the USA.
Are you a High School Coach?
If you are a coach TAKKLE makes your life easier as well. You can use the tools in the site to organize game and practice schedules and keep in touch with your players in a secure environment. You can even scout your upcoming opponents. Join FREE Today! TAKKLE also makes it easier to help you get your players in contact with college coaches.
TAKKLE is great for college recruiters also
To succeed as a college coach you need to find the best athletes and of course coach them well. Takkle can help you find athletes easier than before. Takkle will bring all the key information to you in an easy to search format. You can use just about any criteria you can think of to find the perfect fit for you team. The high school athletic world will be at your fingertips.
TAKKLE.com is also a great place for fans, friends and parents of high school athletes. The site will be one to keep up-to-date with all that is happening with your favorite athlete or team. There will be stats, photos and videos for you to view and comment on.
Another great thing with TAKKLE is that you can end up in Sports Illustrated. They have a faces in the crowd section which features athletes from TAKKLE.
Why not head over now and sign up! TAKKLE is the Ultimate Site for High School Sports. Join FREE Today!
D’Arcy contact ban lifted
June 8, 2008
Nick D’Arcy who had been dumped from the Australian Olympic swim team by John Coates had also been told to keep his distance from a handful of Australian swim team members. This came about in relation to the court case dealing with the alleged assault that D’Arcy was charged with in March this year.
This ban has now been lifted after a magistrate altered his bail conditions yesterday. D’Arcy’s status with the Olympic team is still up in the air. The full board of the AOC will meet next Wednesday to hear D’Arcy’s side of the story. It is then up to the full board to decide his fate.
Recently the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that John Coates as President of the AOC did not have the authorization to boot D’Arcy from the team.
D’Arcy will appear in court again on June 17 where he will be fighting the assault charge. He has said that he is innocent and was acting in self defence.
CAS has partially upheld D’Arcy appeal
May 29, 2008
Nicholas D’Arcy is still not in the clear to go to the Beijing as part of the Australian swim team. Following the Court of Arbitration for Sport Oceania Registry (CAS) ruling D’Arcy himself has said “I would say that I am a slim chance to go now, I am not by any means saying that I am confident about going”.
Technically D’Arcy is still a member of the Australian Olympic team for Beijing.
This comes following a press release from the CAS that stated that CAS has partially upheld the appeal by D’Arcy against the decision of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to terminate his membership with the Australian Olympic Team.
The court found that the conduct of D’Arcy in the early hours of March 30 was likely to and did bring himself into disrepute. As a result of his actions D’Arcy, according to the three-man panel, breached Clause 2.2(6) of the AOC Ethical Behaviour By-Law.
The status of D’Arcy is still not 100 per cent clear as the panel noted that the proper procedure to terminate an athlete’s membership of the Australian Olympic Team was not followed. John Coates in his personal role as President of the AOC had terminated D’Arcy’s membership when it should have been the AOC committee and not just John Coates who terminated the membership.
It now seems likely that the correct process will be followed and D’Arcy will officially have his membership terminated. He could then appeal once again.
D’Arcy is due to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on June 17 in relation to the assault charge.
You can go here to read the full Court of Arbitration for Sport press release.
Grant Hackett cops it at home (watch video)
May 6, 2008
In Australia people just love to put down a champion
Grant Hackett the two time 1500m Olympic swimming champion was trying to qualify for a historic pool and open water combo at the Beijing Olympics when he took to the water in Seville, Spain for the 10 km open water swim.
What has grabbed all the attention back in Australia is not his huge effort in competing in the swim, no it is bigger than that. See the video for more.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Grant can’t hack it in 10k swim
May 6, 2008
Australia’s Grant Hackett was hoping to add the 10k open water swim to his still water program for the Beijing Olympics. He has qualified for the 400m and 1500m swims as part of the Australian Olympic swimming team.
It is not enough that he is going for history as the first man to win three consecutive 1500m Olympic titles. He wanted more.
To reach the Olympics as an open water swimmer Hackett was required to place in the top 10 in the 10-kilometre event at the FINA World Open Water Championships in Seville, Spain.
The best Hackett could do in the rough and tumble world of open water swimming was finnish 15th. In the end the champion Australian swimmer was disqualified for swimming over a competitors legs. So the dream is over for Hackett.
Hackett has received some flack in the press in recent days due to an unflattering look as he emerged from the water at the end of the race. It appears that he has a bit of a bulging belly. I would like to see the journalists critical of Hackett try to squeeze into a swimsuit as he was wearing.
In good news for Australian swimming, Ty Hurst, the former iron man champion qualified for Beijing after placing 5th in the same race. It is the fulfillment of a 20 year dream for the 27 year old Australian.
Hurst in the past starred on the iron man circuit. Something he walked away from to chase his Olympic dream.
Nick D’Arcy Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing to be held ASAP
May 2, 2008
ABC News in Australia have reported that the hearing for Australian Olympic team swimmer Nick D’Arcy will be held asap.
Last month D’Arcy was booted from the Australian Beijing Olympic Swim Team by the President of the AOC, John Coates for bringing the sport into disrepute.
On April 21 D’Arcy appeared in court in relation to the assault charges which came from the alleged assault on former Australian swim team member Simon Cowley. At the court case Nick D’Arcy’s bail was continued until his next hearing in June.
D’Arcy booted from Australian Beijing Olympic Swim Team
April 18, 2008
This morning a statement was released by Australian Olympic Committee President, John Coates advising that Nick D’Arcy has had his membership of the Australian Olympic team terminated.
The statement said that D’Arcy was advised of the decision this morning by a private and confidential letter.
In late March D’Arcy had qualified to represent Australia as part of the swimming team to compete in Beijing in August 2008. In the celebrations that followed the Australian Olympic Swim Team selection meet it is alleged that D’Arcy assaulted Simon Cowley. D’Arcy was later charged with assault.
Coates said D’Arcy was removed from the team as he had brought the team into disrepute. He acknowled D’Arcy is entitled to the presumption of innocence and the charges must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Despite this it was decided not to await the outcome of the court case when making the decision to remove him from the team.
D’Arcy is able to appeal John Coates’s decision to the Australian Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In an article on the Sydney Morning Herald website, D’Arcy’s coach Brian Stehr said the decision was unfair. “I think it amounts to a penalty that basically affects him for the rest of his life, and that’s not fair,” Stehr said.
Swimming greats have different views over D’Arcy
April 1, 2008
Australian swim greats Grant Hackett and Keiren Perkins have different oppinions about what should happen to Nick D’Arcy following his nightclub incident in the early hours of Sunday morning. Grant Hackett is the current Australian swim team captain. Perkins is a two time 1500m Olympic champion and multiple world record holder.
Hackett was talking about the incident on the Sunrise program yesterday morning. He said it would be a huge penalty if he was also dumped from the Olympic swim team for Beijing. Hackett was on air before D’Arcy had been arrested and charged with assaulting Simon Cowley.
Keiren Perkins speaking on ABC radio this morning said if D’Arcy is found guilty of assault he should be dropped from the Olympic team. He also did say that if it was up to him personally he would allow D’Arcy to go to the Olympics in Beijing. The interviewer asked Perkins what he thought about how footballers are quite often involved in bar brawls and might only miss a game of footy and isn’t a bit harsh to lose his spot on the Olympic team for this incident.
Perkins does not think that it is appropriate for swimmers to be allowed to behave like footballers and the high standards swimmers have lived up to in the past need to be maintained.
Another Australian Olympic great Dawn Fraser also thinks D’Arcy should be allowed to keep his place in the Australian Olympic swimming team. It his her opinion that he should be allowed his chance to compete and then deal with the matter once he returns to Australia.
The situation with D’Arcy has created a few headaches for the Australian Olympic committee. It could get into a messy legal affair if D’Arcy is banned and then appeals to the court of arbitration. April 21 is when D’Arcy is due to appear in court. It is possible that he could plead not guilty and then have the court proceedings put off until after the Olympics.
Nick D’Arcy appeared on the Nine Network tonight and said “It’s pretty bad and I’m sorry about how it turned out but…that all I’ve got to say.” D’Arcy also said that he is assisting police with the investigation.
Australian swimmer Nick D’Arcy charged with assault
March 31, 2008
A media release on the NSW Police website has announced that a man has been arrested and charged following allegations of a serious assault in the King Street Wharf area about 2.30am on Sunday.
The man charged with the assault is believed to be Australian Swim Team member Nick D’Arcy. The media release goes onto say that as a result of the incident a 27-year old man from Sylvania suffered injuries including a number of facial fractures.
It has been widely reported today that the victim of the assault is former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Simon Cowley.
D’Arcy was arrested today at 11am at City Central Police Station. Following an interview he was charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and assault.
Having been granted conditional bail D’Arcy is due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on April 21.
Also today the President of the AOC, John Coates released a statement which announced that there would be a joint investigation by the Australian Olympic Committee and Swimming Australia into the night club incident.
Has drinking ended Olympic dream for swimmer?
March 31, 2008
Just last week Nick D’Arcy was on top of the world having achieved his dream of being selected in the Australian Olympic swimming team for Beijing. Now in news that has come out today this dream could turn into a nightmare.
This comes as stories of an alleged bar brawl between Nick D’Arcy and another swimmer are making news.
In a statement on the Swimming Australia website they say they are aware of an incident involving Queensland swimmer Nick D’Arcy early on Sunday morning and the matter is now subject of a NSW Police investigation.
The statement says that no other member of the Australian swim team was involved. A report on the ABC website says it is alleged that Commonwealth Games medallist Simon Cowley was hit by D’Arcy. The report mentions that Cowley is suffering a suspected broken nose.
I don’t know if excessive alcohol is to blame for this incident, but if it is it will be a lesson to other athletes and the general population. It is good to enjoy a drink or two to celebrate but you need to know when to stop.
D’Arcy’s future is now uncertain. After the Police complete their investigation the picture should be clearer.
There is the possibility that D’Arcy could be dropped from the Australian swim team. This will be up to the Australian Olympic Committee who has the power to drop the 20 year old if they find the swimmer has brought the team into disrepute.
I must point out that I am assuming alcohol was involved, however that has not been confirmed.
