For those interested in watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and other Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events streamed live online to your computer, there are a number of options from justin.tv and other websites. The problem is you have to deal with signals dropping suddenly, poor choppy feeds and sometimes lots of popups.

Here at sportaholik.com, we’ve found from first hand experience a better solution that is more stable and reliable. Just follow these simple steps and get ready for the next event!

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The 2009 Grey Cup is today (Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes), and since TSN has the broadcast rights those without cable cannot watch the game unless they head to their nearest bar. What are your options to watch the Grey Cup online? So far us at sportaholik.com have found one Web site that appears will be streaming the game starting a half hour before kick off (6pm Eastern): NewWorldChannel.net. Know of other online TSN Grey Cup streams? Please comment below.

As much as I’d like the game to be broadcast on an over-the-air channel, I can’t argue with TSN producing CFL games. They, far and away, put on the best CFL coverage. Far better than the CBC ever did. Enjoy the Grey Cup, Canada!

I was out playing squash over at the St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre (video above) over the weekend with a few other sportaholik squash players. There has been a huge debate over which squash ball to use. I’ve always used the “double yellow” and one of the guys insisted on the “blue dot” because it’s fast.  Not that I am anywhere near pro level but I’ve always been told that the “double yellow” was the ones that experienced players use and the “blue dot” is for beginners. It also seems to be the only ball that is used in recreational tournaments and games I’ve been involved with at any skill level.The simple reason that the blue dot ball is fast is because it’s extra bouncy to allow beginners to rally back and forth as it sits up better and gives the player enough time to return the ball anywhere on the court.Of course for the “double yellow” ball to be effective, one must warm the ball up by hitting it hard back and forth a number of times before actually playing. I find this works well and makes the ball pretty fast as well.  What do you sportaholik squash players play with? Feel free to comment and let us know! 

Some more information on squash can be found here:

• Squash on Wikipedia
• How to buy squash balls

This week the National Post had an article on recreational athletes getting back in the swing of things, mostly starting up sports again for the fall, after a lazy summer.

Basically, there are things you should always be doing during your off season that will help prevent an injury once you begin playing your sport again:

‘Essentially, off-season and pre-season conditioning should have both generalized and sport specific components. Five key elements of fitness are agility/ balance, strength, flexibility, aerobic capacity and anaerobic capacity, and it’s important to address all five.’

Building up incrementally is another important aspect, as is slowly gearing toward your sport:

‘Gradually trend your program toward the specific demands of your sport.’

Off season activities or training should replicate the movements of your regular sport as much as possible. The example given for a hockey player is that inline skating is a better summer option than something like swimming (although there’s nothing wrong with swimming obviously, just make sure you include something that reflects your sport more as well).

Keep that in mind when you start up your fall and winter recreational sports activities.

Biking in Toronto can be a bit of a life threatening affair sometimes but there are many online resources to help you make the most of your journey, whether getting from A to B or enjoying a leisurely bike ride on paths.

Getting Around Toronto on Bicycle

• Toronto Cycling Map: The official map put out by the City of Toronto. The online version (year 2007) is a bit painful (Acrobat PDF format) but you can download only the sections of the city that interest you, if you wish.  If you go to City Hall yourself you can pick up the 2008 version. Even during off-hours (nights, weekends, etc.) you should still be able to get a copy from the Security desk located right inside the main doors. Besides the map itself, there is a wealth of information included to get you started biking in Toronto, including:
  • Bicycle safety (including how to wear a bike helmet properly and hand signals to use - I’m pretty sure the middle finger isn’t one of them)
  • Toronto bike route signage
  • Bike locker locations in Toronto
  • Bike theft prevention tips
  • Information on taking your bike on the ferry, GO and TTC
  • … and more!
• Toronto Bike Lane Map: A nice Google Maps mashup done by BikingToronto. If you are looking for an easy to use online map of dedicated bike lanes and ’shared roadways’ (signed, on street routes) this is one to check out. Since it’s a Google Maps version you’ll find it much easier to use online compared to the City’s Acrobat version mentioned above.
• Toronto biking routes by Toronto cyclists at Bikely.com:If you want to find out what routes others in Toronto are biking, many people have inputted information on where they bike. New Toronto routes are added daily (really!) and include the travel distance and tags (e.g. low traffic, scenic, offroad, safe, difficult, etc.). Route maps are shown on Google Maps, with a step by step tour available. Of course, you can create your own as well! (Update: MapMyRide.com is similar service worth checking out)

Toronto Biking News

There are a number of online resources that you can read to keep up to date on Toronto biking news and events:

• I Bike T.O. blogs about cycling items of importance to Torontonians. You’ll also find events, a forum, and RideMatching. They have an RSS feed so keeping up to date with their posts is eeeeeeeeasy!
• BikingToronto aggregates Toronto biking news mostly from mainstream press organizations, and includes an RSS feed so you can keep up to date easier.They have an online community forum as well.
• bikeToronto posts very detailed Toronto biking news items, including key meeting announcements and details, biking trail changes and improvements, and more. If you’re into the nitty gritty details of cycling happenings in Toronto this site should be on your list. bikeToronto also has an RSS feed to help you keep up to date.
• Spacing Toronto: Cycling section contains news items of note to Toronto cyclists. Most posts are either unique content or highlight items discussed in the mainstream media. Unfortunately there is no RSS feed specific to the Cycling section.

Other Toronto Biking Resources

• Toronto Bicycling Network: For an annual membership fee you can join the Toronto Bicycling Network and thus participate in their many cycling events in and around Toronto (alternatively, you can pay per event, as a non-member). Events are run for various cycling levels, so there should be something on that meets your cycling style and abilities.Their Web site also hosts a buy and sell forum, bike dealer database, and more. It’s worth checking out if you are serious about biking in Toronto.
• sportaholik.com: Search or post for people to bike with. You can also create a profile so others can contact you at any time.
• Toronto Bike Shop Map: Another great Google Maps mashup by BikingToronto showing bike shops in Toronto.
• City of Toronto Bike Plan: The official plan. If you’re serious about making Toronto more bike friendly, or want to know what’s on the horizon for Toronto cyclists, this will likely interest you.
• Bike Train: Take the your bike on the train. The route is between Toronto and Niagara Falls.
• Bike Commute Tips Blog: It’s not Toronto-based but is a good read for general bicycling news, trends, and more (yep, RSS friendly).

Whew!… What did I forget? Please comment below with any additions or feedback. Thanks!

With the weather warming up, I am sure all you avid golfers are dusting off the clubs and getting ready to hit the range to fix that slice. As previously mentioned, golf has apparently taken over hockey as the most played sport in Canada. This is noticeable here in Toronto as I’ve seen the price of a round of golf skyrocketed over the last few years. The courses have also become more and more busy and many golfers are heading further outside of Toronto to find new golf courses to try. Don’t forget to check out sportaholik.com to find any golf leagues, players or golf games to join up with.

Here’s some quick resources to get you started:

• Toronto Driving Ranges
• City of Toronto Golf Courses
  
• The Bogeyman’s Top 10 as reviewed by the Toronto Star
• The Golf Guide provided by Toronto.com
• Interactive Map of Golf Courses in the GTA

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BlogTo has been running their series of “best lists in Toronto” for some time now including previously posted Top 10 Fitness Clubs in Toronto. Their list of the 5 Best Sneaker Shops in Toronto should help get the right footwear for whatever sport you play.

Learn more about finding the right kind of athletic shoe as something as simple as proper footwear can make all the difference in performance and injury prevention.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, time to get outside and be active.  You can find games, players and leagues at sportaholik.com.

Gyms tend to have a bad reputation when it comes to dealing with their customers. We’ve all heard the horror stories about trying to cancel a gym membership or discovering hidden fees. Did you know there is a 10 day cooling off period after you sign up for a gym membership? Yes, you have 10 days to change your mind and walk away from the contract. Also, Toronto gyms must provide the option of renewing your membership monthly (i.e. no long term contracts required). For more tips on your rights at Toronto gyms check out Jee-Yun Lee’s report for CityNews. Better yet, play a sport instead!

Further to the Brandon’s earlier post of online resources to help you get and stay fit, lifehacker has a few more listed, including making your resolutions specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Find specifics on SMART goal setting, and more online resources to help you stick with it, at lifehacker. Happy 2008 Toronto!

Here we are just about to welcome in the new year and we can all start to think about our New Year’s resolution. Contrary to popular belief, I actually heard that #1 New Year’s resolution is not to get into shape (or lose weight) but to get into financial shape. I think that goes without saying but personally as far as sports is concerned I hope to workout more consistently, play more squash and golf, and maybe even give snowboarding another shot.

Well here’s some pretty cool websites that will help you meet the #2 New Years resolution to shed a few pounds, brought to you by TechCrunch: Christmas Recover Web 2.0 Style