13 strides - inspiring participation in sport

EVENT OF THE WEEK
English football's first big occasion of the 2009-10 season takes place this weekend, when Manchester United face Aston Villa in the Carling Cup final at Wembley.
Both sides are in great form right now - United in second place in the Premier League with Villa back in seventh - and so we should be in for an intriguing match.
United, going well in the European Champions' League, did suffer a surprise 3-1 reverse at Everton last weekend but hit back with a convincing 3-0 demolition of improving West Ham United three days later at Old Trafford
The amazing Wayne Rooney seemed pretty subdued at his old club on Saturday but was certainly back to his best against the Hammers with another brace of goals to take his season's tally to a remarkable 23.
By contrast, Villa are also hitting top form and were equally clinical in their 5-2 drubbing of Burnley in the league at the weekend as they step up their fight for fourth place (and the final Champions' League qualifying place).

EVENT OF THE WEEK
It comes to something when there’s not enough snow for the Winter Olympics, which get underway in Vancouver, Canada this week.
Uunseasonally high temperatures on the Canadian west coast have meant insufficient snow at the Cypress Mountain venue, which is due to stage the freestyle and snowboarding events, and so the organisers have had to take drastic action.
Remarkably, they’ve transported snow in from the Allison Pass 93 miles away.
The Games look like being a pretty impressive if the promotional video and theme song are anything to go by – the graphics and action are spectacular.
And interestingly, the Games will also – as is becoming the norm now at big events with a global audience – be subjected to rigorous dope testing and it’s to be hoped that there are no big instances of cheating.
But what of British hopes? This poor nation, normally bereft of the white stuff most winters, has had a deluge of snow in recent months and so it’s somewhat ironic that the UK team is hoping for its best-ever showing at a Winter Games.
There’s even talk of medals in some quarters, though it’s worth noting that Team GB won just one medal at the last Winter Olympics in Turin – courtesy of Shelley Rudman’s silver in the skeleton bobsleigh, while Britain was a lowly 21st overall in the medals table.

EVENT OF THE WEEK
Rugby league has never been one of the most glamorous sports around.
But you can't deny the skill involved or the courage of the players - though it's certainly nowhere near as brutal as rugby union as rucks and mauls are not part of the game.
Beyond rugby league's Lancashire-Yorkshire axis, the sport has never really captured the public imagination despite being widely televised - always the main factor in deciding a particular sport's position in the hierarchy beneath football - and SKY do it with some style and aplomb.
The broadcaster will be there all the way as the 15th Super League season, which starts on Friday, unfolds though the next eight months or so.
However, there already seem to be concerns about the long-term future of several of the 14 member clubs.
Welsh outfit Crusaders, who play champions Leeds in the first game of the 2010 campaign on Friday night, would seem to be most in danger after a poor debut season last year when they won only three matches, had six Australian players deported because of visa irregularities (a bigger deal Down Under than here!), and then had to relocate from South Wales to Wrexham in the north (it seems the Welsh are more than happy with their rugby union, which is the national sport after all!).

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
The little known Mark Selby produced a stunning performance to shock the world's best snooker player, Ronnie O'Sullivan, in the final of the Masters event at Wembley.
Whatever the debate here at 13strides about whether snooker is even a proper sport, it can't be denied that Selby defied the odds to fight back brilliantly against the Rocket and clinch the title 10-9.
O'Sullivan, the defending champion, looked to be heading for another major crown when he went 4-1 ahead in the afternoon session, but Selby refused to give in without a fight and reduced the lead to 5-3.
But the writing seemed to be on the wall for Selby when his rival engineered a 9-6 advantage in the evening session - putting himself just one frame away from victory.
Selby responded magnificently however to claim the next four frames and capture his second title in three years.
The event has helped Selby climb up the world rankings and has confirmed his status as one of the game's rising young stars.

EVENT OF THE WEEK
The England cricket team have had a few ups and downs in recent years since the Ashes win over Australia in 2005 suggested they would go on to rule the world.
But Andrew Strauss's team are on the verge of pulling off a remarkable series win in South Africa - if they can avoid defeat in the final Test in Johannesburg, which starts on January 14.
Ironically Johannesburg is where Strauss was born before he came to live in the UK at the age of 6 - and no doubt he will be itching to do well in the city of his birth with England surprisingly 1-0 up in the four-match series.
It was a great team performance that has been sandwiched between two magnificent rearguard actions to save the first and third Tests.
However, the pressure seems to be all on England as they attempt to keep their momentum going following last year's success over the Aussies and with Bangladesh and Pakistan the next opponents back home this summer.
The Aussies, who will host England in another Ashes shoot-out next winter, are still ranked as the best in the world with England a lowly fifth - though they are sure to move up the ICC table if they can secure that series win in South Africa.

EVENT OF THE WEEK
The world's best distance runners will be braving the elements to take part in the annual Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country races this weekend.
The event will be run on the same day and same course - around the Scottish capital's stunning Holyrood Park - as the Bupa Great Winter Run and be screened live on BBC television and online.
World champion Gebre Gebremariam will be attempting to win the Edinburgh race for the first time, having been runner-up last year.
If he does win the 8.9km senior race, he will add his name to an illustrious list of past winners that includes Ethiopian legends Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba, though snowy and cold conditions are expected to prevail on the day.
Young British runner Steph Twell has gone close in the women's race in the last couple of years while another talented Brit, Andy Baddeley, has won the men's 4km race for the past two years.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
As good northern lads, we at 13strides are strong supporters of our town and region - and it goes against the grain for us to applaud the efforts of southern football teams.
But you have to hand it to Chelsea, who have moved up a gear or two this season after a couple of years of near-misses in both the Premier and Champions' leagues.
The way they systematically took apart Arsenal in the capital derby on Sunday was remarkable, numbing the Gunners' admittedly diminished attack and then cracking three goals past them without reply.
New boss Carlo Ancelotti has taken a fair amount of stick for reducing Cheslea's attacking options with his diamond midfield system but a slight rearrangement has paid massive dividends and Didier Drogba suddenly looks to be the best striker in world football.

EVENT OF THE WEEK
England's rugby league team will get thje chance to revenge their earlier defeat to Australia in this weekend's inaugural Four Nations final at Elland Road in Leeds.
England earned their place in the final against the traditionally strongest side in the sport by beating New Zealand in their final group game, following the initial win over France and then defeat to the Aussies in their second game.
England produced a great performance against the Kiwis and will go into the final full of hope, particularly as coach Tony Smith's bold squad selection seems to be paying dividends.
And they will need to be at their best after being humbled 26-0 in the first half of the group game against the Aussies though their second half fight back is some consolation,
On the whole, the tournament seems to have proved a hit, and if England can produce a super-human effort this weekend, it will no doubt be remembered - at least in this country - as a mammoth success.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Britain again proved that it really does rule the world when it comes to track cycling.
The sport's World Cup was held in the Manchester velodrome over the weekend and produced a glut of great performances from the home team.
Sir Chris Hoy, after his three gold medals at last year's Olympics, for once had to play second fiddle as the British team ran riot to scoop 10 gold medals from the 17 events.
In his first international meet since injuring a hip in a crash eight months ago, Hoy won a couple of golds including the keirin while Teessider Chris Newton won the points race and Victoria Pendleton took sprint gold.
It's an amazing medal haul that again proves Britain's position at the top of the world tree.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
While Jenson Button was limping to a deserved if rather anti-climactic Formula 1 world title - Britain's second in consecutive years after Lewis Hamilton's 2008 success - the remarkable Beth Tweddle was winning a gold medal at the artistic gymnastics world championships in London.
The Liverpool girl was world champion in 2006 on uneven bars and seemed almost as surprised as the partisan 02 Arena crowd when she stole the show yesterday with a stunning display in the floor event.
At 24 Tweddle is something of a veteran in the world of gymnastics but this stunning victory may now persuade her to press on towards the London Olympics in 2012, where a repeat performance would clearly catapult her to mega-stardom.
Tweddle seems a very genuine sportswoman and, in the great British tradition, was slightly overwhelmed by her success and reported that she was determined to bounce back from disappointment earlier in the week for an adoring band of youngsters.