Cheerleading's Brave New World Raises Safety Worries

US Open tirade seems to not have influenced editors

(AP) - Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women's tennis in 2009 and was the landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of the AP. She received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors; no other candidate got more than 18 votes in the tally. Williams also won the AP award in 2002. "I'm just happy and blessed to even be playing 7 years later," she says. "All this is a bonus, really." More»

Billionaire bankrolls effort to increase medal haul in 2012

(NEWSER) - India is not a nation known for its Olympic prowess—it's never even won more than two medals in one Games—but Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal wants to change all that, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Mittal Champions Trust is spending millions to train and prepare India's elite—often dissuaded from seriously pursuing sports in the past—for the 2012 Olympic Games. More»

Pointers on what it takes to go for the gold

(NEWSER) - Before you clear a spot on the mantle for that gold medal, you may need a quick reality check: Forbes runs down the numbers behind the blood, sweat, and tears of an Olympic athlete's training.

1. Training: 4 to 8 years to maximize lung capacity and heart strength
2. Sessions: up to 3 a day, 6 days a week
3. Goal setting: beyond annual benchmarks, some athletes plan 4 years out

US champion can't let anything distract her in Olympic trials

(NEWSER) - When storms inundated Shawn Johnson's hometown of West Des Moines, they also left a foot of water in her gym. But the 16-year-old couldn't use that as an excuse to take a break from workouts: The reigning world champion gymnast was preparing for this week’s Olympic trials, the Houston Chronicle reports. More»

Youth sports social site has big-time friends

(NEWSER) - Want to see Peyton Manning’s Pop Warner games? Derek Jeter playing Little League? They’ll be on WePlay.com, alongside some game film from a lot of other not-yet-famous players. WePlay, which is launching today, is a youth sports social-networking site—a kind of little league Facebook. Athletes, coaches, and parents will all be able to network, coordinate schedules, and share game videos. More»