World Financial Group

We're happy to report that the Junior World Cup in Luge has been completed in Cesana, Italy.  And US team members have medaled in various events.  Emily Sweeney, of Suffield, CT, slid to a bronze medal.  The USA Luge junior team composing of Trent Matheson, Kate Hanson, Jacob Hyrns and Andrew Sherk earned a collective silver medal.

Emily's overall time of 2:10.28 last Friday was enough to earn third place.  The first and second place finishers, from Russia and Italy, boasted times better by less than two seconds.  This is Emily's second bronze medal in her second year of international competition.  Congratulations, Emily!

The next day, the team event took place.  Teams from each country composed of one men's luger, one women's luger and one doubles team.  While Trent slid to a 52.976 second race, Kate finished the course in 53.201 seconds.  Doubles competition, however, was suspended due to a crash by the Italian team.  This allowed the US Luge team to win the silver behind Germany.  Way to go, team!

And the Luge season has only started.  In fact, World Cup racing will take place this weekend from Igls, Austria.  And coverage will be available free online coutesy Universal Sports.  If you are unable to tune into Universal Sports, click the link for instructions on how to watch online.

Do you remember “Calvin and Hobbes”?  This was a comic strip about Calvin, a six year old with a hyperactive imagination and absolutely no desire to live in the real world.  His constant companion is Hobbes, a stuffed tiger who became “alive” only when Calvin was around.  The two of them would share adventures and get on the nerves of Calvin’s parents, his teacher Miss Wormwood and his next door neighbor Susie.  Only his babysitter Rosalyn could keep Calvin in check, but Calvin never went down without a fight. 

During the winter months, Calvin and Hobbes would get on their trusty toboggan and sled down the steepest hills they could find.  Between avoiding trees and screaming for their lives, they would have very literate conversations about the world around them.  How Calvin could develop any ideas about life while barreling down a steep, snowy hills is beyond me, but Bill Watterson, the creator, made it work.  One of my favorite strips featured the title characters having a very bad day on the hill.  In the last panel, the two of them are sitting in front of the fireplace playing chess.  Calvin looks at us and says “I’ve decided to become an intellectual.”  We all doubt that’ll ever happen for Calvin.  But, should he ever grow up (and, of course, he was a real person), I think with his tobogganing skills he could be an excellent member of the USA Luge team. 

What is luge?  The word “luge” is the French word for “sled”.  And a competition luge sled is nothing like the toboggan Calvin and Hobbes used.  On this sled, you lie down on your back and keep your body parallel to an icy course (the same one a bobsled uses).  Two steel blades are at the bottom of the luge, which allow the rider to steer with his or her legs.  Propulsion comes from the 4 millimeter spikes found on the fingertips of the gloves a driver wears.  They can see through a fiberglass helmet that allows the head to be raised slightly.  Oh, and did I mention that you are the braking system on this thing?  Basically, at the end of the course, you sit up and dig your feet… 

Would Calvin make a good luge driver?  Maybe, if he didn’t think the sport was a team effort.  The current USA Luge team has five men, six women and five junior competitors.  These drivers have the spirit and the desire to barrel down the course at speeds close to 90mph and shoot for the fastest time to win.  USA team members have won silver and bronze medals in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics.     

World Financial Group is a proud sponsor of the USA Luge team and is excited to sponsor them through the 2008-09 season.  Upcoming events include the Nations Cup in Austria this November, the World Cup in Latvia this December and the 41^st World Luge Championships held in Lake Placid in February. 

So, would Calvin make a good luge driver?  I’d like to think so - if he could ever get past his refusal to play any team sport.  No matter the case, WFG is excited to see this season come to life as USA Luge drivers go for the gold!

I find these entries harder to write as the season winds down.  Yeah, I'm whining about the end of the 2008 college football season, but I think I have good reason to.  Sure, we've had twelve weeks of great football this year.  And I can always revisit those.  But the end of the season is when you find players at their pinnacle and the feeling that they can play forever starts to set in.  Then reality kicks in and we're reminded that bodies need to rest and all good things must come to an end.  But what a ride it has been.

Week twelve ended with one dominant offense.  California won The Big Game (and the Stanford Axe) against Stanford 37-16.  However, the other two games were much closer.  Oregon State defeated Arizona 19-17 by virtue of a last second field goal.  And The Apple Cup needed two overtime periods for Washington State to keep Washington winless by a score of 16-13.  Stanford's season is over, but the rest of the Pac-10 have unfinished business.  And that's good for us.

The day after Thanksgiving in the US is traditionally known as "Black Friday".  However, fans of UCLA and Arizona State will have to delay the start of their holiday shopping if they want to see the game that day in Sun Devil Stadium.  Both teams look to extend their current winning streaks.  The Bruins will be led by tailback Kahlil Bell, who in his last game rushed for 97 yards, a season high, and a pair of touchdowns.  The Sun Devils's quarterback, Rudy Carpenter, seeks to extend his 41 game streak to 42, making it the longest starting streak of any collegiate QB currently playing the game.  Memories are still lingering from last year's contest, as Arizona State squeaked by UCLA with a 24-20 victory in the Rose Bowl.  Look for this contest to start at 7:30 MT with national coverage on ESPN2.  Then again, maybe the Sun Devil and Bruin fans can go shopping early...

Saturday, the traditional day of college football, sees three games featuring Pac-10 teams.  The first is unquestionably the biggest in the state of Oregon.  That's when the Oregon Ducks travel to Reser Stadium in Corvallis to take on the Oregon State Beavers in what is known as The Civil War.  Both teams sport identical 8-3 records, and both teams are working on winning streaks.  Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week after his 298 yard passing performance, which contributed to five touchdowns against Arizona.  Beavers tailback James Rodgers (brother to RB Jacquizz Rodgers) was impressive with ten rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown in their last game against Arizona.  The previous Civil War required two overtime periods to decide a winner, which was Oregon State 38-31.  And did I mention that, if Oregon State wins this game, then they're bound for the Rose Bowl?  This Civil War will start at 4 PT with national coverage on Versus.

Next is a game that just screams heavyweight.  Two schools, long in football tradition, meet for the 80th time when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to Los Angeles to take on the University of Southern California Trojans.  USC returns from a week off while Notre Dame seeks a win after a one point loss against Syracuse last week.  Trojan middle linebacker Ray Magaluga has been named a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is given to the best defensive player in college football.  Senior Irish wide receiver David Grimes had seven catches against Syracuse for a personal best 83 yards.  Last year's game is still fresh in everyone's mind as USC shut out Notre Dame 38-0... in South Bend.  Look for the gridiorn to heat up in LA around 5 PT.  ESPN will provide the coverage.

Finally, Pac-10 football wraps up for the week as the Washington State Cougars travel across the Pacific to Honolulu, HI, to take on the Hawai'i Warriors.  The Cougars are fresh off their Apple Cup victory while the Warriors are triumphant after defeating Idaho last weekend.  Washington State wide receiver Brandon Gibson's 181 catches is good for second all time in Cougar history.  Hawai'i linebacker Solomon Elimimian is now the Warriors all time career tackles leader.  You have to go to 1999 to find the last time these two teams met, with the Cougars winning 22-14.  The action will start 8 PT with the game scheduled to be carried on Pay-Per-View.

Look for us again next week as six Pac-10 teams end their regular season.

Here's an unusual entry for today.  Before I post the Pac-10 week in review and week to come, I'd like to point out that Sports Illustrated has pictures of College Football's Most Unusual Trophies.  While all good college rivalries have something tangible to win between them, some Pac-10 trophies made it onto SI's list and photos have been made available. 

The Stanford Axe made the list.  This is what is won after The Big Game between Stanford and California.  Also making the list is the Platypus trophy.  This wooden prize is awarded to the winner of The Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State.  I guess the Apple Cup isn't unusual enough between Washington and Washington State.

Do you have a favorite college football trophy?

Last week saw the start of the World Curling Tour in Waterloo, Ontario.  WFG's own Ferbey 4 competed in the Masters of Curling and made it into the quarter finals.  However, Jeff Stoughton and his crew had something to say about that and handed Randy, David, Scott and Marcel a 5-2 defeat last Saturday.  Stoughton, though, was defeated by eventual champion Glenn Howard and his team.

Coverage of the Masters of Curling brought out the world wide web in varied posts.  Here are some of them:

• The Canadian Broadcasting Company, which televised the event in Canada, contributes here.
• The Toronto Sun has their take on what happened.
• Alberta's own Edmonton Sun rounds up the Masters of Curling here.
• Canada's National Post contributes this.

And as always, you can visit www.ferbey4.com for all the latest with our favorite curlers!

Oh my goodness.  We've reached a dozen weeks of Pac-10 football.  This season has flew by so quickly I've hardly noticed that it'll all end sooner rather than later.  As a football fan, I have to admit that I find it a little sad.  Sure, we'll still have all the bowl games, more NFL games and AFL season to commence in March.  But college football is played for love of the game and love of the schools.  And that's something you just don't get in any professional league.

Before we look at week twelve, let's revisit what happened in week eleven.  All ten Pac-10 teams played each other.  Oregon State won a shootout against California 34-21.  Not to be outdone, Oregon shot it out with Arizona and emerged victorious 55-45.  Stanford fought valiantly opposite USC, but lost 45-23.  Meanwhile, the state of Washington went 0-2 as UCLA beat Washington 27-7 and Arizona State shut out Washington State 31-0.  If you stop to think about it, a total of 288 points were scored by Pac-10 teams last week.  That's a lot of points.

Week 12 only sees three contests in the Pac-10.  Two of them are intra-state rivalries in games so big, they have their own name.  The Apple Cup takes place in Washington and pits the Washington Huskies against the Washington State Cougars in Pullman.  Not to be outdone, California boasts The Big Game between the Stanford Cardinals and the California Golden Bears.  Last but certainly not least, the Oregon State Beavers travel to Tucson to take on the Arizona Wildcats.  All four states in the Pac-10 have something to contribute this week.

Let's begin with the 101st Apple Cup.  Both the Huskies and the Cougars seek a win after defeats against UCLA and Arizona State, respectively.  Washington remains one of the least penalized teams in the nation, only averaging 4.6 yellow hankies a game.  Washington State kick returner Chantz Staden last week became the new record holder for kickoff returns in a season, bringing the ball back  43 times for 970 yards.  Last year's Apple Cup was more of a shootout than an apple bob, with the Cougars taking a 42-35 victory in Seattle.  Look for the Cup to be decided with a noon PT kickoff covered nationally by FSN.

If you like the number one, then this year's Big Game is the 111th.  That's a lot of games.  Both Stanford and California put up a good number of points last week, but found themselves in the losing column to Oregon State and USC.  Cardinal running back Toby Gerhart rushed for 101 yards last week, marking his seventh 100+ yard rushing game in his career.  Golden Bear tailback Jahvid Best had 210 all-purpose yards last week against Oregon State.  In the last Big Game, Stanford won a rather defensive game by the score of 20-13.  This year's Big Game will be televisied on local ABC-TV with a kickoff of 12:30 PT.

In our only interstate Pac-10 game this week, the Oregon State Beavers hope to build a dam against the Arizona Wildcats offense in Tucson.  Oregon State is seeking to add their sixth game to their current win streak while Arizona is seeking a win after a thrilling shootout against Oregon.  Beaver special teams standout James Rodgers brought back the first Pac-10 kickoff return for a touchdown this season, earning him a Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week.  Wildcat tailback Keola Antolin had four rushing touchdowns against Oregon last week, which tied a school record.  Last year's contest in Corvallis is still fresh in the memory of the Wildcats as Oregon State won 31-16, with all of OSU's points scored by the end of the first half.  The gridiorn in the desert heats up at 5 MT with coverage on Versus.

We'd be amiss if we didn't name our other Pac-10 Players of the Week.  On offense, Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli takes those honors after accumulating 387 total offensive yards and five touchdowns.  Defense sees Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea contribue to only giving up one yard against California in the first quarter.  And sharing in Special Team honors is CJ Gable of USC, who also ran back a kickoff for a touchdown.  Excellent work!  And we'll see you in the stadium.   

Last week, I mentioned that all ten teams in the Pac-10 would be playing, and against each other.  The action did not disappoint.  Offensive and defensive struggles were fought on the gridiron a few days after Election Day.  Some contests were close, as Oregon eked out a victory over Stanford by a touchdown and California only held USC to 17 points (but lost by the score of 17-3).  Others were not as close.  Oregon State defeated UCLA by a score of 34-6.  Arizona State upended Washington 39-19.  And Washington State was able to put up 28 points opposite Arizona’s 59.

In week eleven, all ten Pac-10 teams will be playing again.  And, as an added bonus, all ten teams will play against each other for the second week in a row.  What more could a football fan, especially a Pac-10 fan, ask for?  At least one game will be played in California, Arizona and Washington.  Two games will be played in Beaver State of Oregon.  If you live near Corvallis or Eugene, why not take in a game?

Let’s lead off with the contest in Corvallis.  The Oregon State Beavers will host the California Golden Bears at 12:30 PT.  Oregon State looks to add to its four game winning streak while California hopes to regroup after its loss to USC.  Once again, Beaver tailback Jacquizz Rodgers looks to make it three weeks in a row as the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week.  His 144 yard, two touchdown performance will be hard to top.  Golden Bear quarterback Nate Longshore only needs one more touchdown pass to reach 50 career touchdown passes.  Once that happens, he’ll join the ranks of such luminaries as Kyle Boller and Troy Taylor to reach that half-century mark.  And if last year’s game is still in these player’s minds, a 31-28 squeaker by OSU, then we can expect a very exciting game.  Look for the game to be played on ABC.

A little later in the day, the Washington State Huskies travel to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe to take on Arizona State.  Arizona State is fresh off their victory over Washington while Washington State is still seeking that first Pac-10 win.  Sun Devil place kicker Thomas Weber has made seven of his last eight field goals, earning him the Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week award.  Cougar middle linebacker Greg Trent saw a strong performance against Arizona with ten tackles.  That makes his college career total at an even 300 tackles.   And believe me when I say that last year’s game is still fresh in everyone’s mind, especially when ASU won by a mere three points (23-20).  The gridiron heats up at 3:30 MT (TV still TBD).

The second contest held in Oregon features the Oregon Ducks hosting the Arizona Wildcats in Eugene.  Both teams seek to add a second game to their one game win streaks.  Wildcat running back Nic Grigsby rushed last week for a career high 189 yards on 27 carries.  Duck tailback Jeremiah Johnson has ran back-to-back 100 yard rushing games and seeks to add his third in a row.  And Oregon certainly hasn’t forgotten their last meeting, where Arizona removed any hope of a national title in a 34-24 defeat on the Thursday national TV game.  Look for the fur and the feathers to start flying at 3:30 PT with coverage provided by FSN Arizona and Comcast NW.

Our lone California hosted game will have the visiting Unviersity of Southern California Trojans traveling to Stanford to face the Cardinals.  USC will bring their impressive six game win streak to a Stanford team seeking to bounce back from a one touchdown loss last week.  Trojan head coach Pete Carroll will be coaching his 100^th game for the Trojans.  Stanford, though, has not lost at home yet this season.  But USC wants to end that streak after losing to Stanford at home by the thinnest of margins (24-23).  50,003 spectators will see the game start at 4 PT and many more will see it at home on Versus.

Finally, the Washington Huskies will play host to the UCLA Bruins in the confines of Husky Stadium.  UCLA hopes to end their two game losing streak while Washington is still seeking their first victory of 2008.  Husky tailback Terrance Dailey leads the team in rushing despite only playing five games this season.  Bruin Special Team standout Terrence Austin averages 169 all-purpose yards per game on kickoff and punt returns.  Their last contest was evenly matched at halftime, but became explosive as UCLA won 44-31.  Look for the action to start at 7:15 PT with national coverage provided by FSN.