Football
Penn State football adds long snapper as preferred walk-on in 2017
6'1", 260lb Joe Calcagno committed to Penn State this week after receiving an offer to join the team as a preferred walk-on this past weekend. He will join the Nittany Lions as a part of the 2017 class, after finishing up his senior season at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois. We're looking forward to seeing Joe on the sidelines for Penn State next season.
Penn State Football 2016 Preview: OL Brendan Mahon
Victory Bell Rings are running a 2016 player preview series, and Brendan Mahon is the latest to be profiled. Everyone is aware of the offensive line struggles in the past few years, and it is clear that redshirt junior Brandon Mahon will be called upon to protect McSorely this season. He played in all 13 games, starting in 11, and playing primarily at left guard. He's got some competition this year, as Ryan Bates appears to be the choice to start at Left Guard, and Mahon will have Derek Dowrey and Steven Gonzalez to compete with for playing time at Right Guard. Comptetition to start on the offensive line is a good sign for Penn State, who will have more depth on the O-line than they have in the past two seasons.
Penn State Football: Saquon Barkley, The Best Of What College Football Can Offer
Ben Jones had a discussion with Saquon Barkley this past weekend, and writes about Saquon's journey during his stellar freshman year that lead to a meteoric rise, reaching the point where the sophomore star is now the Heisman Trophy discussion. If you're interesting in learning about Saquon, how he approaches the game, and how good he believes he is, this is a must-read.
Olympics
School record 20 Penn Staters participating in Rio Olympic Games
The university announced on Tuesday that for the will be sending athletes to the Olympic Games for the 17th consecutive time (not including the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow). This year, a record 20 Penn Staters will head to Rio. The number includes 18 athletes, and two coaches. For a complete breakdown of the current and former Penn State students that will be competing in the Olympics, follow the link above.
English Heritage 'deadly serious' about bid to get jousting into Olympics
How could I not share this? A British organization is lobbying the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to add jousting to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
"We are being deadly serious," said Lucy Hutchings, English Heritage's head of projects. "It is an incredible spectator sport, a really fascinating thing to watch. The skill of the knight and the horses make it a great thing to witness... we absolutely believe it deserves its place at the Olympic table."
I didn't realize jousting still occurred outside of Renaissance Fair's, but English Heritage claims it is popular outside of the UK, with tournaments held in Belgium and New Zealand. Curiously, jousting in the official sport of Maryland. If someone tries to tell you otherwise, Lacrosse, is the State Team sport.