Olympic Assignment

I chose an article discussing some of the venues and facilities that were constructed for the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. The reason I searched for an article on this particular event was partly due to it being the very first Olympics I followed closely as well as my passion for the sport of Ice Hockey. I think Nagano benefited a great deal from hosting the Winter Games in 1998 because it brought alot of people out of the city both tourists and locals from Tokyo who were not familiar with the countryside. Tokyo being the economic center of the country of Japan as well as a Global city for business and tourism, draws people from all over the world, but most of these visitors would not travel to the highly elevated city of Nagano on any day. The Nagano games also left facilties in the region for use by Japanese club hockey and figure skating teams as well as speed skating rink which today houses the Archives and National Museum for Japanese Athletics. This museum is a very large attraction for both tourists as well as citizens and sports teams from around the country. Below is a link to the Olympic Games held in 2004 in Athens, Greece; a site where venues did not fair well after the completion of the games. Stray dogs, military guards, tent cities being formed, graffitti, and abandonded buildings left for ruins are all apart of the scene in Athens today.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1036373/Abandoned-derelict-covered-graffiti-rubbish-What-left-Athens-9billion-Olympic-glory.html 

 The Olympic Games in Athen had a small influence zone and unfortunately did not plateau in terms of popularity or financial support. Things might not even be back to normal (BTN) in Greece after the 2004 games, but slowly declined in terms of poverty rates in the cities district. Being the original host city for Olympic Games, Athens has had a legacy effect among voters and bidders of host cities and the Olympic committee but upon these situations, there might not be an Olympic Games held here for quite some time, if not ever again.

Here is a video of the Czech Republic Team winning the Ice Hockey Tournament… notice the really long “GGGGOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL” by the announcer. Haha awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa0gvq9d054

Current Research Critique Assignment

Michael Davis

Research Critique Assignment

Abstract: Covering the article Outdoor Recreation and Family Cohesiveness: A Research Approach, this text covers a study implemented in the summer of 1967 to identify the correlation of outdoor activities in a family setting and there impact on the cohesive levels experienced by those family members tested.

The study was done at St. Croix State Park in Minnesota located about 100 miles north of St. Paul, Minnesota. Using the social interaction by families camping and partaking in other outdoor recreation activities in the park, the researchers wanted to observe the and question the participants about how they felt and bonded with one another in such a setting. Once the summer was over they would send out a questionnaire in the mail to families to then again talk about the special experiences they might have had over the summer and if it still had an effect on them going into the fall season. The researchers wanted to further prove the point that outdoor recreation/activities directly impacts family bonding in positive manner.  To find out these results, the summer questionnaire was designed to identify the family members willingness to have intimate communication on troubles, secrets, and mood change.

The researchers knew full well that other factors besides leisure time and being outdoors have a great effect on family cohesiveness, but wanted to identify the impact that these factors particularly had on the theory. Based on a study done in 1962 by Charles Horton Cooley, outdoor recreation and overnight camping fosters an environment that forces families to seek the strengths in each individual. The primitive nature of the events brings out a level of intimacy not typically known at home. The authors of this article Patrick C. West and L.C. Merriam Jr. were inspired by Cooley’s findings and created 6 characteristics of outdoor recreation and their meaning to human beings.

Data suggested before the study done in Minnesota that 69% of people felt that after outdoor recreation as a family they had felt some level of unity amongst each other. To keep data collected accurate, the researchers only interviewed those families who had camped at the park overnight for one day. They also only interviewed the husband, wife, and any child over the age of 12 to keep responses logical to the studies parameters. The questionnaire sent in the mail in October was    designed the same way as the summers but had slightly different questions geared to the longevity of the unity and bonding feeling into later months now that camping was over. Of the questionnaires sent out in the fall, 91% of them were filled out and returned to the researchers which was an astonishing response for in the mail surveys. Other responses were measured to see similarities and differences in the attitudes of the husband and wife. The results showed that those families that had low levels of cohesiveness in the spring, had a great increase of bonding in the summer and fall, feeling closer intimately to the other family members.

The study was a really informational but I feel like it was definitely outdated. The sample size was fairly small and limited as well. Some people in Minnesota might respond differently than those in California, Maine, or Florida. I also feel that a few hundred people does not accurately measure the attitude of the American People. Other studies show that 60% of American Families participate in no more than two outdoor activities a year. This could mean that more people around larger cities elsewhere in the United States or urban families should be examined as well to keep up with this overall integrity of the study. It would be interesting to see the results of a newly designed research encompassing the entire U.S.

Dog Parks!

I have a Great Pyrennes at home. Its the second largest dog in the world in terms of overall size not mass. She is very friendly and wouldn’t hurt anyone. She unfortunately does not get to go to the local dog park because she tried to bight another female dog close to her size who she didn’t like sniffing her rear end. I take her to the county park where the dog park is located to walk some of the nature trails but I can’t take her into the dog park anymore. Everytime she gets out of my car, all of the dog owners and their dogs leave the dog park to head home assuming we are going to join them. This incident happened 6 years ago when she was a puppy still, it can be intimidating seeing such a large dog if you are not used to it. Below is a picture of what my dog looks like:

Perry Field House Reflection

Mr. Sehmann gave a great tour of the Perry Field House last week and addressed a few issues which relate to material we discussed in our text. In chapter 12, the issue of regulation bleachers was brought to our attention. The style of bleachers at the indoor track at the Field House would be considered portable or moveable. Although they are of regulation, they are not quite the most beneficial bleachers for the viewer as Scott had mentioned. The bleachers can only fit in the center of the track and disables the fans from viewing the runners all the way around the track.

Chapter 6 addresses the issues of overlooking the planning process for constructing storage space. In the Perry Field House, storage room for all clubs and recreation organizations seems to be very disorganized in terms of proper labeling and separation between the organizations. I know that the Outdoor Program is pushed for space and has equipment in multiple locations. It would be ideal to have a central location for everything.

In Chicago this year a new set of Field Houses were opened with exceptional “green” features. This might be a glimpse into what the future of Field House construction might be:

Technology Assignment

With the advancement of technology happening so fast in all markets, the impact can be for the best or worst when looking at the ability of the tools help your clients as an event planner. When you look at theme parks like Cedar Point, they have a new invention of “ride passes”, which the visitor can pick up ahead of time from a machine for a particular time later in the day to return. They then get access to a line that is much shorter than the average line, shortening their wait time for that roller coaster. Another benefit would be the rental car industry for frequent travelers using brands like Lexus who have warning systems for distance behind other automobiles or cars in the other lane in the drivers blind spot to avoid an accident. The rental car driver will have advance notification that they are drifting into the other lane or are too close to another vehicle.

Staying on the same idea of traveling issues would be the desire to multi-task with cell phones while we travel by car. Texting and driving has caused thousands of automobile accidents and deaths in the United States every year since the invention of the cell phone. Cellular technology with these new applications have created a new idea of leisure through your phone, but is it safe to travel for fun and be on your phone for fun at the same time? Probably not. Technology has succumbed the human race entirely by a computer programming system. We feel that we cannot organize thoughts, plan events, and research hotels. Most all educational assignments seem tough to overcome without the aide of the internet. Humans are in a self dependent cyber world that may have many unhealthy side effects on our bodies. These are issues we are still exploring with time and psychological research.

Microsoft Excel is a software tool which we use as business owners to budget events, record sales, create risk management matrixes, which are all benefits to us. Some weaknesses maybe that those who do not attend college may not gain the exposure to this software technology. Without the knowledge of the benefits of Excel, many people won’t attempt to open their own business, not knowing how to manage revenue or financial statements using any software at all. This gap in society will divide the lower and middle to upper classes. New business plans are so essential to the expansion of tourism as a business itself. We must find ways to increase the access of a college education to high school students.

The following is a video about the changing technology from the old version of Microsoft Excel to the 2007 edition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jws0RjPYy2M