EAST LANSING, Mich. — The sight was a common one for Andrew Kolpacki. For many a Sunday, he would watch NFL games on TV and see quarterbacks putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed at the tops of their lungs. When the NCAA's playing rules oversight committee this past spring approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season, Kolpacki, Michigan State's head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans' QBs and linebackers were going to have a problem. "There had to be some sort of solution," he said. As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street. Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school's Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder. People are also reading... Kolpacki "showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, 'Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?" Bush said. "And I said, 'Oh, absolutely.'" Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style. Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise. DuBois attended the game, sitting in the student section. "I felt such a strong sense of accomplishment and pride," DuBois said. "And I told all my friends around me about how I designed what they were wearing on the field." All told, Bush and DuBois have produced around 180 sets of the inserts, a number that grew in part due to the variety of helmet designs and colors that are available to be worn by Spartan players any given Saturday. Plus, the engineering folks have been fine-tuning their design throughout the season. Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they're getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables. The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its version of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development. XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works. "We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn't forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football," Klosterman said. "We've now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend." The rules state that only one player for each team is permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field. For the Spartans, it's typically Chiles on offense and Turner on defense. Turner prefers to have an insert in both earholes, but Chiles has asked that the insert be used in only one on his helmet. Chiles "likes to be able to feel like he has some sort of outward exposure," Kolpacki said. Exposure is something the sophomore signal-caller from Long Beach, California, had in away games against Michigan and Oregon this season. Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup between the in-state rivals. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks' 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. "The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues," Kolpacki said. "It can be just deafening," he said. "That's what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off." Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a "win-win-win" for everyone. "It's exciting for me to work with athletics and the football team," she said. "I think it's really exciting for our students as well to take what they've learned and develop and design something and see it being used and executed." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Winners and losers from CFP, bowl selections: The Big Ten’s smooth ride, SEC angst, cold-weather dreams, letdowns for UW, USC and moreInside ‘Wicked’s’ Marketing Blitz: How Universal Courted 400 Brands and Spent Big to Guarantee the Musical Was ‘Everywhere’KORE Announces NYSE Acceptance of Plan to Regain Listing Compliance
Aptorum Group Limited Reports Financial Results and Business Update for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2024TORONTO — Never mind the words he spoke more than three years ago, it was the actions of Mark Scheifele on the ice on this December afternoon that people will be talking about for the foreseeable future. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * TORONTO — Never mind the words he spoke more than three years ago, it was the actions of Mark Scheifele on the ice on this December afternoon that people will be talking about for the foreseeable future. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? TORONTO — Never mind the words he spoke more than three years ago, it was the actions of Mark Scheifele on the ice on this December afternoon that people will be talking about for the foreseeable future. The Winnipeg Jets top centre had a game for the ages, notching his 10th career hat trick and adding an assist as his team cruised to a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday before plenty of friends and family members at Scotiabank Arena. Just one day earlier, Scheifele was reminded the Jets hadn’t won in six meetings with the Maple Leafs since he asked during a post-game celebration in the dressing room that aired on the team’s social media account: “Is there anything better than better the Leafs?” NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS Jets centre Mark Scheifele digs out the puck to score his second goal of the game from behind the net Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Scheifele wasn’t accidentally handing out bulletin-board material after this game, but he gave folks in attendance or watching elsewhere plenty to talk about with this virtuoso performance. Scheifele had five shots on goal, nine shot attempts and his pass to Kyle Connor on a two-on-one rush for his second goal of the contest was a thing of beauty. “Oh, yeah. Obviously, I know how much it means for him to come in here. He’s just a local kid that wants to do well,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “That whole line, I thought they did lots of good things and yeah, for Scheif, that will make for a nice Christmas present.” The Jets were eager to return the favour to the Maple Leafs after they snapped their season-opening eight-game winning streak in late October. “We were excited to get another crack at them and show them the game that we can play,” said Scheifele. “All in all, it’s a big win for us and that’s pretty much it.” Several hats were tossed onto the ice when Scheifele sealed the game with his empty-netter with 20.9 seconds to go. “I was hoping I was going to see a couple right away,” said Scheifele. “Maybe the Jets fans couldn’t get the seats closer to the ice.” Since it was his first time in Toronto since Canada named its 4 Nations Face-Off roster, Scheifele was asked about being left off the team and he gave a diplomatic answer — saying he was disappointed but just wants to play well for the Jets and control what he can control. Connor, his longtime linemate, was also asked whether or not Scheifele has been playing with additional motivation since the announcement. “Whether it is or not, his play has been great all year. He’ll be on that Olympic team, I’ve got no doubts,” said Connor, who had a four-point effort of his own with two goals and two assists. “He’ll take this motivation and he’s the type of player that can ramp it up like that. It’s too bad he didn’t make the team, but it is what it is. Obviously you’ve seen what he’s done since.” The Jets enter the holiday break with a record of 25-10-1 and 51 points, which is tops in the NHL. “Well, it’s a good start. It’s a race,” said Arniel. “Obviously you’ve got to get out of the gate good and we did. Now you’re hitting close to that halfway mark, Christmas break, obviously we’re really happy with our accomplishment but there’s a lot of games to go. “We’ll have a couple of days to recognize what we’ve done and then we’ll turn the page and move on.” The Jets are back in action on Saturday when they host the Ottawa Senators. Let’s take a closer look at this one. – Along with the one Scheifele made to Connor for the backhand redirection, there were several other beautiful passes made by the Jets that led to goals, including a backhand saucer from Gabe Vilardi to Scheifele that made it a 3-1 game early in the second period. Josh Morrissey also found Scheifele alone with a backhand pass in the third period and while Joseph Woll made the initial save, Scheifele stuck with it and somehow poked the puck across the goal line. “Yeah, I saw it from where I was that it was just under his skate blade,” said Scheifele. “That’s kind of why I kept fighting and I really don’t know how it ended up in the net but... you don’t ask.” With Scheifele and Connor each scoring their 21st goals on Monday, the Jets became the first team with a pair of 20-goal scorers — an impressive number through 36 games — and the third member of the line (Vilardi) already has 14. “It’s one area where we’ve kind of had it spread out a little bit there. We’ve got contributions from everybody. But when your top guys can do that, it gets the opposition on their heels a little bit,” said Arniel. “They have to be aware of when they’re on the ice at all times. And when you can go out on the road and your top line can do that, it certainly leads to lots of success.” – The Jets lost D-man Haydn Fleury in the final minute of the second period after he appeared to suffer a knee injury. Fleury, who has stepped into a role on the second pairing with Dylan Samberg sidelined with a broken foot, was engaged with a Maple Leafs player in the corner of the defensive zone when his right knee buckled after it appeared his skate might have been caught in a rut. With Fleury out, the Jets were left to play the third period with five blue-liners — which meant the minutes went up for everyone and the pairings were a bit jumbled. “At the end of the day, they just dug in and we put a lot of emphasis on our forwards to do the work to help our D-men, don’t put them in situations where they get stuck in their end,” said Arniel. “At the end of the day, we did a pretty good job managing that puck in the third.” Following the game, Arniel said that Fleury is officially day-to-day. He will be re-evaluated after the holiday break. “We’ll see how he is when we get home,” said Arniel. “Just kind of tweaked the lower body there.” – Vilardi’s beautiful backhand pass to Scheifele at 3:27 of the third period restored a two-goal cushion and proved to be the game-winner. – Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves as he recorded his league-leading 22nd victory in his 28th start of the campaign. David Gustafsson was in the lineup as the fourth-line centre for a second consecutive game, bringing him up to five for the season. That left Rasmus Kupari as a healthy scratch. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Defenceman Simon Lundmark was recalled as insurance from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League but was scratched, so he’ll continue to wait to make his NHL debut. If Fleury (lower body) is unable to go in the next game, either Lundmark will stay up or Dylan Coghlan could be recalled from the Moose after suiting up in a pair of AHL games over the weekend. The Maple Leafs were without defenceman Chris Tanev, as the former Moose blue-liner sat out with a lower-body injury after taking the warmup. Auston Matthews also missed a second game in a row with an undisclosed ailment. ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the , with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the , , Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the in 1999 and returned to the in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. . Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the , with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the , , Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the in 1999 and returned to the in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. . Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Advertisement AdvertisementDow ends at fresh record as oil prices pull back on ceasefire hopes
NEW YORK — There's a Christmas Day basketball game at Walt Disney World, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Wemby. An animated game, anyway. The real game takes place at Madison Square Garden, where Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs face the New York Knicks in a game televised on ABC and ESPN and streamed on Disney+ and ESPN+. The special alt-cast, the first animated presentation of an NBA game, will be shown on ESPN2 and also stream on Disney+ and ESPN+. Madison Square Garden is a staple of the NBA's Christmas schedule. Now it merges with a bigger home of the holidays, because the "Dunk the Halls" game will be staged at Disney, on a court set up right smack in the middle of where countless families have posed for vacation photos. Why that location? Because it was Mickey Mouse's Christmas wish. People are also reading... "Basketball courts often have the ability to make a normal environment look special, but in Disney it can only turn out incredible," Wembanyama said in an ESPN video promoting his Christmas debut. The story — this is Disney, after all — begins with Mickey penning a letter to Santa Claus, asking if he and his pals can host a basketball game. They'll not only get to watch one with NBA players, but some of them will even get to play. Goofy and Donald Duck will sub in for a couple Knicks players, while Mickey and Minnie Mouse will come on to play for the Spurs. "It looks to me like Goofy and Jalen Brunson have a really good pick-and-roll at the elite level," said Phil Orlins, an ESPN vice president of production. Walt Disney World hosted real NBA games in 2020, when the league set up there to complete its season that had been suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those games were played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. The setting for the Christmas game will be Main Street USA, at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Viewers will recognize Cinderella's castle behind one baseline and the train station at the other end, and perhaps some shops they have visited in between. Previous alternate animated broadcasts included an NFL game taking place in Andy's room from "Toy Story;" the "NHL Big City Greens Classic" during a game between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers; and earlier this month, another NFL matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys also taking place at Springfield's Atoms Stadium as part of "The Simpsons Funday Football." Unlike basketball, the players are helmeted in those sports. So, this telecast required an extra level of detail and cooperation with players and teams to create accurate appearances of their faces and hairstyles. "So, this is a level of detail that we've never gone, that we've never done on any other broadcast," said David Sparrgrove, the senior director of creative animation for ESPN. Wembanyama, the 7-foot-3 phenom from France who was last season's NBA Rookie of the Year, looks huge even among most NBA players. The creators of the alternate telecast had to design how he'd look not only among his teammates and rivals, but among mice, ducks and chipmunks. "Like, Victor Wembanyama, seeing him in person is insane. It's like seeing an alien descend on a basketball court, and I think we kind of captured that in his animated character," said Drew Carter, who will again handle play-by-play duties, as he had in the previous animated telecasts, and will get an assist from sideline reporter Daisy Duck. Wembanyama's presence is one reason the Spurs-Knicks matchup, the leadoff to the NBA's five-game Christmas slate, was the obvious choice to do the animated telecast. The noon EST start means it will begin in the early evening in France and should draw well there. Also, it comes after ABC televises the "Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade" for the previous two hours, providing more time to hype the broadcast. Recognizing that some viewers who then switch over to the animated game may be Disney experts but NBA novices, there will be 10 educational explainers to help with basketball lingo and rules. Beyond Sports' visualization technology and Sony's Hawk-Eye tracking allow the animated players to make the same movements and plays made moments earlier by the real ones at MSG. Carter and analyst Monica McNutt will be animated in the style of the telecast, donning VR headsets to experience the game from Main Street, USA. Other animated faces recognizable to some viewers include NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who will judge a halftime dunk contest among Mickey and his friends, and Santa himself, who will operate ESPN's "SkyCam" during the game. The players are curious how the production — and themselves — will look. "It's going to be so crazy to see the game animated," Spurs veteran Chris Paul said. "I think what's dope about it is it will give kids another opportunity to watch a game and to see us, basically, as characters." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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ABUJA – A pro-democracy and public interest organization, The Citizens, has commended President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges through robust measures. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja today, the group commended the Federal Government and the judiciary for their roles in strengthening democracy, particularly through recent rulings on the financial autonomy of local governments. They also lauded the affirmation of the legal status of key anti-corruption institutions, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU). They, however, expressed strong disapproval of the relentless efforts by certain paid agents to tarnish the reputation of key officers in the current administration. The group commended the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, for his unwavering diligence in service and steadfast loyalty to President Bola Tinubu. In a press release, they stated: “We call on the federal government to consider amending existing laws to address the spread of false information, cyberbullying, and criminal defamation of character through electronic, print, and social media platforms. Such acts pose a serious threat to public peace and must be tackled decisively.” He firmly resisted all offers and courageously led the “2007 Movement” in the House of Representatives, which successfully thwarted the infamous Third Term Agenda. These actions are a testament to his unwavering integrity and impeccable character, the release noted. A man of enviable qualities, he stands out for his good character, refined personality, and exceptional spirit. His contributions to the legislature have earned him a place among the finest lawmakers ever produced by the Nigerian Parliament. While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his courage and political will to push through the financial autonomy of the Local Governments, they urged him to ensure effective implementation of the policy so that the desired development gets to the grassroots. We make bold to state our readiness as Nigerian Citizens to support Government at all levels to making Nigeria better for us all, the release concluded. Also lending his voice, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of The Citizens, Nnanna Raphael Igbokwe, expressed his dismay at the activities of certain individuals he described as “mercantile agents.” According to Igbokwe, these agents are merely acting out a script handed down by their masters, targeting Femi Gbajabiamila for refusing to bow to pressure aimed at frustrating the passage of the 2022 Electoral Act. Igbokwe noted that these detractors were vehemently opposed to the inclusion of a clear definition of “consensus candidate” in the Act. He alleged that their ultimate goal was to manipulate the process in favor of a weak candidate emerging from the All Progressives Congress (APC). Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on his part reiterated his commitment to upholding democratic principles, emphasizing that the qualifications or disqualifications of any candidate must strictly adhere to the provisions outlined in the Constitution. He stressed that candidates should emerge through transparent and democratic processes, such as party primaries, rather than being imposed by a select few under the pretext of a consensus arrangement. According to him, this approach ensures fairness and respects the will of the people. “Democracy thrives when the people have a voice in determining their leaders, not when decisions are made arbitrarily in the guise of consensus,” Gbajabiamila declared. The press conference, held under the auspices of The Citizen, also had in attendance notable members of its Board of Trustees, including Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa, Hon. Lawal Abubakar, Hon. Matthew Omeghara, and Dr. Elijah Auta.
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