Posts Tagged ‘sports’

Inch by Inch – A Motivational Speech by Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
This motivational speech was delivered by Al Pacino to a fictional football team in a Hollywood movie, Any Given Sunday, directed by Oliver Stone. If you listen carefully, it's a speech about living life to it's fullest, giving your best and working as a team with those around you. Here are some highlights from the speech:
We are in hell right now, ....we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb out of hell. One inch, at a time. ....You know when you get old in life things get taken from you. That's, that's part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out that life is just a game of inches. So is football. Because in either game life or football the margin for error is so small. I mean one half step too late or too early you don't quite make it. One half second too slow or too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They are in every break of the game every minute, every second. ...when we add up all those inches that's going to make the fucking difference between WINNING and LOSING between LIVING and DYING. I'll tell you this in any fight it is the guy (ed. note: or gal) who is willing to die who is going to win that inch. And I know if I am going to have any life anymore it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch because that is what LIVING is. The six inches in front of your face.
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LA Derby Doll Fresh Meat Practice – June 8, 2008

Friday, June 13th, 2008
I injured my butt when I felt down hard on the "pink line" of the track a while back. Right now, walking is difficult and skating is out of the question. Nonetheless, I'm so addicted to roller derby that my husband and I went to Fresh Meat practice anyway. He is preparing to take some kick ass photos at the upcoming tournament on June 28 and 29. You can come to the track and join with other Fresh Meat on Tuesday and Sunday nights. You'll learn derby skills and meet some really cool people who will challenge you, yell at you to do better and believe in you when you don't believe in yourself. If you're interested, e-mail freshmeat [at] derbydolls.com That's what I did over a year ago and I've hung around ever since. Although I couldn't skate in this particular practice, that didn't stop me from cheering on the Fresh Meat, yelling things like: "use that ass" and "wooo hooo". Meanwhile Rinkrat toyed with the lighting in preparation for the next public event. Here are the results of the test photo shoot. If you've seen Rinkrat's previous photos, you will immediately notice the difference this new lighting technique makes. I can't wait to see it put to use at a live bout. Sheri Zampelli taking test photos on the LA Derby Doll track While Tara Armov tortures Freshies in the next room with her insane version of Russian-inspired plyometrics (aka Tarametrics), I stand on the track so Rinkrat can figure out the best place to position his flashes. For a moment, I feel like a star. Axels of Evil and Thomas Referson practice shoulder blocks LA Derby Doll Fresh Meat 6-8-08 Here is Tough Cookie, Axles of Evil practicing shoulder blocks with Thomas Referson. At one point, she almost knocked him down. Tara Armov yells, "I know Axels went easy on him" right before her mouth breaks out into a devilish, pirate-style grin. Tilda Whirl intimidates the camera man LA Derby Doll Fresh Meat 6-8-08 Tilda Whirl gets up close and personal with the camera and shows us her grin from behind the mouthgaurd. Roller Derby just brings a smile to all of our faces. LA Derby Doll Fresh Meat have fun beating each other up Fresh Meat have fun beating each other up. Buckingham Malice LA Derby Doll Fresh Meat 6-8-08 I'm so happy to see Zoe (soon to be Buckingham Malice) back on the track. She was out for 4 months with a knee injury. Her number will probably be the British Pound sign. You know, that fancy L looking thing with two lines through it. Tilda Whirl - LA Derby Doll Fresh Meat 6-8-08 I am so glad Kitten (middle person in the back) made it to Fresh Meat practice. I haven't seen her in forever. As soon as we made eye contact, I had to hug her. She is in graduate school and working very hard. (Freshies, I forgot what subject she's studying, can you remind me?) Remember, you can come to Fresh Meat practice too. Sundays 6-8 and Tuesdays 7:30-9:30 at the Doll Factory, 1910 Temple St., Los Angeles 90026. e-mail freshmeat [at] derbydolls.com for details.