Champoli’s Blog

For those of you that don’t know who Matt Cassell is, he is the current starting quarterback for the New England Patriots.  He stepped into play when Tom Brady was lost for the season due to a knee injury.  Prior to Brady’s knee injury Matt had not started a football game since high school.  He attended USC but was the back-up to two heisman trophy winners.  Matt lost his father last week leading up to the Patriots game against the Oakland Raiders.

Through some different challenges this year, whether professionally or personally, what have you learned about yourself?
“I’ve overcome a lot of adversities, and I think it’s just to keep pushing forward and keep moving on, and don’t listen to people who are negative and work against you. Continue to surround yourself with people that are positive and can help you, and things will turn around for you.”

Starting today, anyone who submits a story to Champoli.com will be sent a complimentary tin of Green Tea Mints from Trader Joe’s.   Of course, the content needs to fall within the guidelines of the Champoli Terms of Service and reflect the positive and inspirational message of the champoli community.

Eligibility:
* Continental US only
* Limit one per household

** Valid through November 2008

Drew Brees put up some fantastic numbers this past weekend but his image may live on forever with one of the best pre-game yell’s of all time.

I can’t get enough of this clip.  Please send a better link to a high quality clip than the one currently posted on Youtube.

A good clip and a proper translation of the beginning of the yell will make for a nice post on the main site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNeVx1r_He0

Champoli grew substantially in September in both functionality and audience.  I’d like to thank every person that has visited the site and tell you that we have an exciting roadmap of new functions coming.

In terms of new functions the most substantial was the new layout which has more of a magazine feel with more pictures and the “featured” story, hero and video at the top of the page.

You’ll be happy to hear that Champoli is now being read in 42 countries.  As our user base increases we hope to have more user submitted stories and local heroes nominated to make sure there is regional content of interest.

What’s coming in October?

Certainly more visibility.  Now that Champoli has moved out of private beta you will start to see more announcements.  Champoli has started a Facebook page and we plan to invest more in this area to bring positive channels into people’s preferred portals and networks.  You will see an email subscription launch later in the month so you can receive a summary update of recent stories and activity on the site.

Finally, we’d love to get your feedback on the site and any ideas you have on how we can improve the site, content, or audience reach and participation.  You can find a feedback option under the About menu option or at the link at the bottom of each page.

Thank you,
Mark

It was great to see sports coverage of the Houston Rockets pitching in to help Hurricane Ike victims, not that it slowed down the current focus and top NBA story of a certain Dallas Mavericks forward that will go unnamed here.  Thanks to Jason Friedman at Rockets.com for the fantastic story and in keeping us informed of all the community activities that are being performed by the Houston Rockets.

Jason has stated his personal goal to make Rockets.com the premier NBA team site.  Go for it Jason!

You can see the Jason’s story on Champoli.com under the headline Houston Rockets buy supplies for Hurricane Ike victims along with links to other articles covering this topic.

It wasn’t exactly Billy Chapel meets Jane Aubrey but you’ll enjoy Randy Galloway’s article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Last week while driving home after getting off the team plane Tony Romo pulled over around midnight to help a couple fix a flat tire.

Sharon White recognized Romo, even with the bandage covering 13 stitches in his chin, and waited until the tire was changed before “I screamed real loud, and then jumped up and hugged him.”   Bill White asked Romo not to reveal the score as he had recorded it at home and planned to watch it later that night.

The story was posted on Sept 11.

We couldn’t get permission from the Daytona Beach News-Journal to post the article but I would recommend reading their recent story Parents report progress with kids in new autism program.

The article delves into an intensive program that helps children with autism relate to their families and develop social skills.

Easter Seals has offered the program, called P.L.A.Y. (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters), where therapists teach parents techniques that are fun and useful in day-to-day interactions with their child.

This Sunday, September 7 thousands of the women will be taking part in the 2008 adidas Women’s 5K Challenge across the UK.   The 2008 adidas Women’s 5K Challenge is a fun run for women of all ages taking place in Hyde Park, London; the City Centre, Birmingham; and Sefton Park, Liverpool.  Last year 30,000 women entered the race, and even more will run this year.

The amazing part of this race is not just all the miles logged but the amount of money raised for charities.   There are 49 charities listed on the race site as participating in the event.

One motivated team of over 200 ladies be using their feet to raise money for the National Autism Society of the UK will be the team of Autism Angels.  Included in this team are five celebrity angels: actress and model Emma Noble; former London Tonight presenter Fiona Farrell; CBeeBies presenter Sarah-Jane Honeywell; model Sarah Bosnich; and Channel 4’s and E4’s Sarah-Jane Crawford.

Good luck to everyone taking part.  Whether your goal is a new PR, better health, time with friends or raising awareness this is a great event for participation.  In all these facets you are making a better world.

Tune in September 5th at 8pm on ABC, NBC and CBS!

On Friday evening over 50 of the most renowned personalities in TV, film, sports and music will come together to make history. In an unprecedented television event, NBC, ABC, and CBS will simultaneously devote 1 hour of commercial-free prime time to raise funds for the fight against cancer.

In advance of the show go to the Stand Up to Cancer website.  Donate, Launch a Star, and visit all the great forums on the site.  Spread the word and host a viewing party (Evite invitation).

A spectacular line up of talent including Jennifer Aniston, James Taylor, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, David Cook, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Jack Black, Kirsten Dunst, Charles Barkley, America Ferrera, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, Forrest Whitaker, Jimmy Fallon, Keanu Reeves * will make personal appearances on the show. These celebrities and more will educate you, move you and entertain you. They will also be on hand to answer your calls in the celebrity phone bank.

ONE NIGHT ONE STAGE
The premiere TV performance of “Just Stand Up” – the star studded charitable single in support of Stand Up To Cancer will be performed by legendary recording artists Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood.

Don’t miss out!

Our friend Dean Karnazes was interviewed recently on KQED in advance of his new book 50/50.  This book is the story of Dean’s 2007 successful effort of running 50 Marathons in 50 Days.

You’ll enjoy the interview as he talks about many of the people that ran with him during his 50 marathon project and the feedback and encouragement he received from them.

Dean is famous for his book Ultramarathon Man that chronicled his early entry into extreme distance running and his many exploits in pushing the limits of running around the world (and on the bottom of it).

With all the coverage of Michael Phelps’ incredible diet and caloric intake (reported to be 12,000 calories per day) Ultramarathon Man included his Food Log from running The Relay, which is a 199 mile relay race from Calistoga to Santa Cruz, CA.   Dean’s total consumption during the race - 27, 934 calories.

He is referred to Team Dean every year in The Relay .  All the other teams are made up of 12 members that each run 3 legs; usually 10k for each leg.  Teams come from all over the United States and include teams from the Navy Seals, elite running clubs, and just groups of friends.  Team Dean refers to everyone’s name for Dean Karnaze that runs this race on his own, often starting almost two days earlier when he adds on extra miles Dean times his departure to ensure he crosses the finish line with the projected finish of the rest of the teams.