TURIN, ITALY Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu collapsed on the ice with exhaustion among a sea of Winnie the Pooh toy bears thrown by his adoring fans after a stunning free skate at the Grand Prix Final before admitting he had nothing but jealousy and respect for rival and ISU Grand Prix Final champion Nathan Chen.

The American skater produced an incredible performance on Saturday in Turin, hitting two new world-record scores to beat the Japanese superstar and lift a third gold in the elite six-man final.

Hanyu had been hoping to mark his 25th birthday with a record fifth Grand Prix Final title in the Palavela, to overtake Yvegeny Plushenkos all-time mark.

His performance to Edvin Martons Art on Ice was a tribute to the Russian great, who won the 2006 Olympic gold in the same Turin rink.

Instead Hanyu lost out again to Chen after the world championships in Saitama last March, this time trailing by a thumping 43.87 points.

The 20-year-old Chens brilliance left the vanquished skater feeling a little jealous, but an emotional Hanyu explained that it was a rivalry he treasured.

I really love competing with him (Chen) because if Im skating alone, if Im the only one getting over 300 for the total score, I feel really lonely, I cant find motivation for skating, said Hanyu.

So here (Chen) is my motivation for skating.

Two-time world champion Chen scored an overall total of 335.30 points after nailing all his elements including five quadruple jumps to Elton Johns Rocket Man.

Hanyu had been trailing Chen by nearly 13 points after the short program.

The former world champion matched his rivals five quadruple jumps but lost points for under-rotating a triple flip and singling his final triple axel jump as he ran out of gas at the end of the program.

I was just tired, explained the skater from Sendai, who took silver with 291.43, below the personal best of 322.59 he aclieved on his way to gold in this seasons Skate Canada.

Hanyu won four Grand Prix Finals in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 but did not compete the last two years.

Of course I can say I have two Olympic gold medals but these are past things, he continued.

I want to live in the now. I want to compete more and more with Nathan and the other skaters. I wish with Javi (Javier Fernandez) too.

Nathan has everything, so many clean jumps, spins, and his music sense is good. He has so much experience in gymnastics and ballet.

Chen, who has been on a winning streak since finishing fifth at the 2018 Winter Olympics, also finds the rivalry stimulating, as he prepares for a third straight world title in Montreal next March.

Its an amazing honor to be able to compete against Yuzuru, Ive idolized him for years, said Chen.

He pushed quads and created a quad revolution. I remember watching in Sochi (Olympics) and thinking these guys are crazy, this is what I want to be when Im older.

And even now hes completely capable of doing everything Im doing and ever better.

Even now, hes still truly like a skating god to me.

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Rivals Yuzuru Hanyu, Nathan Chen motivating each other to compete at skating's top level - The Japan Times

Its Army week for Air Force, which means the inevitable flashback to a certain White House visit in May.

President Donald Trump honored the Black Knights and coach Jeff Monken for winning the Commander-in-Chiefs Trophy for a second straight time by beating Air Force and Navy.

Air Force is tough, Trump said to Monken. Theyve always been tough, coach.

Not that tough, Monken replied.

Falcons players were reminded of Monkens comments Saturday after lambasting Utah State.

I guess well see next week, defensive end Jordan Jackson said.

Of course, Air Force doesnt need extra motivation for this game.

After dominating Army with 24 victories in 27 contests from 1989 through 2016, the Falcons have seen the Black Knights win back-to-back meetings starting with a 21-0 victory at Falcon Stadium in 2017.

The Falcons cant win the Commander-in-Chiefs trophy this season after losing at Navy on Oct. 5, but they can exact some revenge on Army and continue their own climb with relation to national prominence. Air Force has received votes in the Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week and is up to No. 35 in the Sagarin computer rankings. Army is No. 101 according to that metric.

The final four matchups for Air Force (6-2) include just one opponent in the Top 100, and thats a home game vs. No. 65 Wyoming.

With four regular-season games left before a bowl game, this team thats riding a three-game streak of blowout victories could make a run at just the programs third season with more than 10 victories and could make a case for its first appearance in The Associated Press Top 25 since 2010.

The Falcons put their most complete effort together Saturday, possessing the ball for more than 45 minutes in a 31-7 victory over Utah State.

Going into Army, regardless of the week before, is always a big one for us; a little extra momentum, a little bit of extra fire going into practice, Jackson said. But coming off a win like this is even better. We know how we can work; we know what we can do when were at our best, and thats what were trying to do next week.

Army (3-5), by contrast, is struggling after going 21-5 the past two seasons.

The Black Knights lost only at No. 7 Michigan (in a 24-21 thriller) during a 3-1 start, but have since lost four straight games.

They fell at home 34-29 to San Jose State on Saturday, the same Spartans squad the Falcons led by 31 points at the academy Sept. 27 before a few mop-up time touchdowns in the final 4 minutes made the final score 41-24.

Air Force is an early 14.5-point favorite in the game, which has its full attention for so many reasons.

Were focused on Army, quarterback Donald Hammond III said about 20 minutes after the Utah State game ended. Thats all we care about.

This performance made Air Force bowl eligible. It ought to make it dream about bigger things, too.

Revisiting three areas we identified as being keys or storylines worth tracking as Air Force hosted Utah State.

Air Force linebacker Demonte Meeks is the Falcons' player of the game for getting the job done and helping keep Utah State's offense off the field.

Facts and figures that tell more of the story of Air Force's 31-7 victory over Utah State on Saturday night.

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Air Force football finds plenty of motivation as it begins preparations for Army - Colorado Springs Gazette

Did you know that your brain circuits can actually change when you're feeling unmotivated?

Although it might take some time for this change to occur (thankfully, we're not talking a couple of slow Monday mornings), research has found what chronic lack of motivation could look like on a brain scan. This new study, published in the journal Neuron, has discovered how the brain changes in mice who experience lack of motivation, a common symptom of depression.

Past research on depression has used similar animal studies to categorize mice as either stressed (meaning depressed) or non-stressed (not depressed).

However, authors of the study Ignas Cerniauskas and Stephan Lammel, Ph.D., believed that this past research disregards the variability of the disease, as two people diagnosed with depression can experience completely different symptoms and respond to entirely different treatments.

That being said, they sought to find changes in the brain that were associated with each specific symptom rather than depression as a whole.

Mouse models have been used in depression research for the past 60 years, and scientists have been able to find that putting mice under constant stress produces at least three common symptoms of human depression: anxiety, lack of motivation, and loss of pleasure.

What's new about this study, in particular, is that researchers were able to discover the specific genes within a brain region that are associated with lack of motivation.

During the experiment, genes within a brain region called the lateral habenula were strongly turned on in mice that showcased reduced motivation as a result of chronic stress. Anxiety and loss of pleasure weren't associated with this brain region, suggesting that different symptoms of depression affect different areas of the brainand as a result, require unique modes of treatment.

"Our strategy, one we think all basic researchers should adopt, is to move away from considering depression as a single or homogeneous disease," Lammel says. "Many physicians already view depression this way, which shows that it is critical to have collaboration between basic and clinical researchers."

Once these researchers can figure out the brain markers for anxiety and loss of pleasure, maybe we can start to devise specific treatment plans for each symptom. After all, health care professionals are quickly becoming enamored with personalized medicine, and this new wave should go beyond physical health and include psychiatric disorders like depression as well.

Here's what that precision medicine would look like in a mental health setting, according to Lammel: "If we had a biomarker for specific symptoms of depression, we simply could do a blood test or image the brain and then identify the appropriate medication for that patient. We think that our study not only has the potential to transform how basic scientists study depression in animals, but the combination of anatomical, physiological and molecular biomarkers described could lay the foundation for guiding the development of the next generation of antidepressants that are tailored to specific depression symptoms."

While the next generation of antidepressants sounds promising, this new research can only lay the foundation for this future of personalized mental health care. Lammel says we have a long way to go before his vision can become a reality: "That would be the ideal case, but we are far away from that situation right now."

Either way, it sure is a hopeful start.

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Scientists Find What Lack Of Motivation Looks Like In The Brain - mindbodygreen.com

Though he didnt win the UFC middleweight championship in his last bout,Kelvin Gastelums performance in a narrow decision loss to Israel Adesanyain April in one of the great fights of the year proved that if nothing else, Gastelum is a legitimate BMF.

Now, its Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal who are going to meet on Saturday in the main event of UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, PPV) for the Diaz-inspired BMF, or Baddest Mother[expletive], belt.

Gastelum proved to be one of the scariest BMFs one may ever find during that loss to Adesanya. The proof positive, for those who somehow havent seen the compelling back-and-forth battle, is all the fighters who called Gastelum out in the aftermath of that bout.

The one who got him is Darren Till, who is moving up from welterweight after consecutive losses to Tyron Woodley and Masvidal to face Gastelum at middleweight in the co-main event.

The Till bout doesnt seem to do much for Gastelum, who is ranked fourth at middleweight. Till is ninth at welterweight and coming off back-to-back defeats.

But Gastelum has plenty of motivation to fight, not the least of which was his failure to so much as make it to the weigh-in at UFC 205 in New York when he was supposed to meet Donald Cowboy Cerrone in a welterweight bout.

That failure led to his move to middleweight, where hes carved a big reputation with a win over former champion and UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping as well as over Jacare Souza.

The loss to Adesanya in what will probably be the Fight of the Year did a lot for his reputation, as well. But Gastelum needs no extra motivation.

Ive come to New York with a lot on my mind, Gastelum said. A few years ago, I was supposed to fight Cowboy and I didnt make it. This is a place so many fighters want to come to to compete and I didnt do it. There are a lot of motivations for me. Im looking to go out and make a statement in this fight, both to give the New York fans a show they didnt get but also for my own, personal reasons.

Till is the guy and thats fine; its just too bad hes the guy in my way. When were locked in that cage, its going to be a real fight.

Kelvin Gastelum throws a punch at Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their interim middleweight championship bout during UFC 236 at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2019 in Atlanta. (Getty Images)

Gastelum is looking to put himself back into position for a rematch with Adesanya. Though his teammate, Henry Cejudo, told TMZ earlier this year that Gastelum had a staph infection and that he wasnt anywhere close to 100 percent when he fought Adesanya, Gastelum didnt want to go down that path with Yahoo Sports.

He said fighters are rarely at 100 percent when they compete and had nothing but compliments for Adesanya.

I was expecting a war, although I was thinking I was going to go in there and overwhelm him with my power, Gastelum said. But he was a lot more durable than Id given him credit for being before. Man, he gained my respect after that fight.

We both leveled up. He did just as I did. I feel like theres a bond that will never be broken and I have a lot of respect for him.

Gastelum said he has a lot of respect for both Diaz and Masvidal as fighters, but has mixed feelings about the belt.

UFC president Dana White created a belt specifically for this match that he and actor Dwayne The Rock Johnson will unveil Friday in New York. Johnson will put the belt around the waist of the winner on Saturday.

Though the BMF is supposed to be a one-off, even if its not, Gastelum isnt all that interested in fighting for it.

Before I was a UFC fighter, I was a UFC fan and I get the promotional side of it, he said. Its really cool from a fans standpoint, I think, and I love the promotion behind it. From a competitors standpoint, I just dont know. I go, So were making up belts now? You want to win a belt because of the history and the prestige it has and who had it before, and this is something that doesnt make sense. These are two guys who have over 20 losses combined and so its not a real thing.

I love it from a fans standpoint but I dont really think that much about it as an athlete. Im focused on winning my fights and getting myself back to a title shot.

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Kelvin Gastelum has added motivation to give New York fans a show at UFC 244 - Yahoo Sports

Shakib''s absence will act as a motivation for us: Mahmudullah

New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Ravaged by controversies, the most impactful being star player and regular Test and T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan being suspended by the ICC for failing to report corrupt approaches, stand-in skipper Mahmudullah Riyad said on Wednesday that they will not focus on what has happened and move ahead. He added that Shakib''s absence will act more as motivation.

A 15-member squad arrived in the national capital a day after Shakib was suspended from all cricket for two years, with one year of that suspended, after he accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code on Tuesday.

Bangladesh will be playing three T20 Internationals in New Delhi (November 3), Rajkot (November 7) and Nagpur (November 10) and two Tests in Indore (November 14-18) and Kolkata (November 22-26).

"We have to play with our heart for the country," Mahmudullah was quoted as saying by the ESPNCricinfo.

"I think this (Shakib''s absence) will work as motivation for us. I think there''s no greater honour than playing for the country. The responsibility to lead the side lies with me, so I will try to give it my all," said the T20 skipper and a veteran of many battles.

India will start as overwhelming favourites and Mahmudullah admitted that it will be a tough ask.

"The statistics don''t lie. It is a tough ask, but it is not impossible. We have to perform as a team, and ensure we take advantage of every opportunity."

Bangladesh will be without opener Tamim Iqbal also who opted out of the tour in the aftermath of the players'' strike.

Senior player Mushfiqur Rahim said the team will without doubt miss Shakib but at the same time it is an opening for a youngster to stake a claim.

"Definitely, I will miss him (Shakib), since we have played together for so long," Mushfiqur said.

"It is tough to play without him as he is the No. 1 player. If someone was injured for a year, which could have been anyone, then it would have been an opening for the younger players. It is a challenge to beat India in their home turf but a challenge also means an opportunity," he added.

Bangladesh T20I squad: Mahmudullah (c), Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Mushfiqur Rahim, Atif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Aminul Islam, Arafat Sunny, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam, Abu Hider Rony.

--IANS

dm/bbh

Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: IANS

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Shakib''s absence will act as a motivation for us: Mahmudullah - Outlook India

Eddie Pepperell isn't a complex man. He's not a starving artist nor an enigma wrapped inside a riddle. He is not an international man of mystery nor a trafficker of life's philosophical highways and bi-ways. Instead he enjoys a hot meal, a good laugh, and, most of all, making his nearest and dearest friends' lives an absolute living nightmare. Just ask Martin Kaymer.

On Friday at the Portugal Masters, Pepperell revealed that his chief motivation this week isn't, in fact, winning a golf tournament, but instead traumatizing his friend on national television per the conditions of a little round two wager. Friends, can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em.

In case you're watching this without volume in the stall at work, Pepperell and Kaymer agreed to a bet stating that if Pepperell beat Kaymer's score on Friday, he would apply for the two-time major champ to appear on First Dates, a reality dating show in England where participants go on a first date at London's Paternoster Chop House and, at the end of the episode, have to decide if they would like to see each other again. The goal, as Pepperell states, is to find Kaymer his life partner, which he alleges his dear friend so desperately needs. What a guy that Eddie Pepperell.

The bad news for Kaymer? While he shot a respectable one-under on Friday, Pepperell, driven by his romantic designs, fired a five-under 66, and now sits atop the leaderboard alongside Brandon Stone. The good news? At least he'll get a good steak out of it...

RELATED: Eddie Pepperell cant stop, wont stop roasting Bryson DeChambeau for slow play

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Eddie Pepperell's primary motivation at the Portugal Masters is finding love for Martin Kaymer - Golf Digest

Andy Ruiz Jr says he will envisage Anthony Joshua trying to take his kids cereal to motivate him ahead of their crucial heavyweight rematch on December 7.

The Mexican produced one of the greatest upsets in boxing history back in June, stopping Joshua in seven rounds at Madison Square Garden to become the unified heavyweight champion of the world.

After stepping in as a last-minute replacement for drug-shamed Jarrell Miller, Ruiz made a mockery of the pre-fight odds when he climbed off the canvas to knock the overwhelming favourite down four times and deliver his first professional defeat.

AJ has the chance to reclaim his WBA Super, IBF and WBO titles when he locks horns with Ruiz again in a pivotal Saudi Arabia rematch labelled Clash on the Dunes.

But the new champion isn't planning on handing the belts back to Joshua, revealing his extraordinary motivation technique on the Hotboxin with Mike Tyson podcast.

When asked by Iron Mike what goes through his head before a fight, Ruiz said: Im just like damn man, the guy in front of me, hes trying to rip my head off, hes trying to take my kids Cheerios away from the kitchen, their Cornflakes.

Im mostly just thinking about them, because I dont wanna lose and I dont want them to be disappointed.

At the end of the day, I just fight for my kids and my family.

Tyson then asked what his childrens friends at school say about his monumental success.

Im like a superhero, especially to my kids, Ruiz replied.

At least they can say my Daddy can beat your Daddy up or something.

So yeah, theyre really happy man. Theyre really blessed.

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Tyson was recently critical of Ruiz, who was ridiculed for his chubby physique prior to the win over Joshua.

There have been rumours he has lost weight. I dont like that, he told Parimatch.

I believe losing the weight can affect power sometimes.

If its not broken, dont fix it. He did well at that weight, so he should stay at that weight.

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Andy Ruiz imagines Anthony Joshua stealing his kids' cereal as motivation for rematch - Daily Star

CEDAR FALLS Taylor Lujan captured a special moment on his phone.

Occasionally, he will glance at the picture of Northern Iowas Drew Foster lifted into the air by Panthers assistant Randy Pugh after winning the 184-pound championship in March. The notable accomplishment ended a 19-year title drought.

Emotions resurface for the three-time national qualifier from Carrollton, Ga., including the excitement he had for his teammate and the disappointment of not achieving his own objective.

The goal is to be a national champion, said Lujan, a senior who is fifth in trackwrestling.coms preseason national rankings. You put months together and the burn hurts a little less.

It reminds me we can do it here. It brings back old feelings.

Fosters run to the top of the podium provided proof of the possible in the UNI wrestling room, transforming an aspiration into a tangible feat. Now, the bar has been raised for this years Panthers team, which opens the season ranked 12th with three All-Americans and six wrestlers with national tournament experience.

For me, its hard not to think about how last season ended, having a national champion and how I feel like weve used that momentum moving forward, said Doug Schwab, who enters his 10th season as UNI head coach. We have a great senior class that I think has raised the level of our program. We had a great senior class last year that raised the level of our program.

Being a national champion isnt just coach speak or a tagline. The Panthers witnessed one of their own do it. Someone they may have taken down or beaten in practice.

I still remember in the tunnel all those guys kind of crowding around him and hugging him and you could see it in their eyes, Schwab said. There was a difference. Not that they think its going to be easy or handed to them, but we can win a national title at UNI. You can do that.

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It will not be 19 years again. I know that. I know what I see in the room. I know the work guys are putting in. I know the belief they have in their preparation, in themselves, in their teammates and the program.

Three-time national qualifier and 2017 All-American Max Thomsen said Foster elevated the program to a new level. UNI is more visible, becoming one of just seven NCAA Division I programs with an individual champion in 2019.

Thomsen has pictured his name being added to the list of titlists below Foster and expects more to come.

Its a little bit of extra motivation to see a 2019, Thomsen said. There was kind of a big gap in there, which you dont want for a program. Its time to start making that a tradition and getting a 2020 champ, a 2021 champ, 2022 champ and so on.

UNI tied for 13th at the NCAA meet, posting a 7-5 dual mark and going 7-1 in the Big 12.

Bryce Steiert joins Lujan and Thomsen as a three-time national qualifier. He is the lone returning All-American from last season, placing eighth at 165. Lujan has reached the 174 quarterfinals each of the last two seasons, finishing one victory shy of the podium. Both are bumping up a weight class this season.

Thomsen placed fifth as a freshmen, but didnt place as a sophomore or junior. Fellow Union Community prep Jacob Holschlag is returning from a knee injury that kept him out all of last year. He earned All-America honors in 2018, placing fifth at 197.

Jay Schwarm (125) is a two-time national qualifier and transfer Keegan Moore qualified at 184 for Oklahoma State in 2018.

The level of the program has been raised and it has to continue to raise, said Schwab, adding he is waiting for someone to emerge as the top wrestler at 157 and 165. There will be no drop off.

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We have a group of guys in there that are ready to load that chamber back up and fire back out.

The Panthers also have an influx of young talent that could make an impact. Freshmen Drew Bennett (133) and Michael Blockhus (141) are coming off strong redshirt seasons and could contend for spots. Kyle Biscoglia had a strong campaign and could push Schwarm at 125.

We have the deepest team that Ive had, Schwab said. When you start to look at matchups a little bit, you start to look at weight classes, you start to look at battles youre going to have within the room, it gets exciting.

You start to see the level of ability that guys have you get excited. You start to see the things we talk about and preach, being selfless, giving back to one another, leaving the program at a better place, I see that happening with all of our guys.

Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@thegazette.com

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UNI wrestlers motivated by Drew Foster's national championship - The Gazette

Join driver Conor Daly and host Jim Ayello as they wrap up the 2019 IndyCar season. Clark Wade, Clark.Wade@Indystar.com

INDIANAPOLIS Ed Carpenter has made a living out of seeing what others dont.

Standing in front of dozens of strangers, wearing his blue and white Preferred Freezer Services fire suit, the IndyCar veteran plays a short clip from the camera in his car of the opening lap at Pocono Raceway. Eyes are glued on the cockpit of Carpenters No. 20 machine as the video watches him weave and jockey for position on the backstretch.

And all of asudden, the ringing of Carpenters car dulls to low roar. He weaves down onto the grass and smoke blurs the feed.

The present-day Carpenter pauses the video and turns back to the crowd of buttoned-up business types who have spent their day at Thursdays TEDxIndianapolis speaker series event listening to a climate scientist, an investigative journalist, a criminal detective, a disability rights attorney and others detailing the world from their point of view.

As drivers, were trained to look as far ahead down-track as we can, he explains. So Im guessing when you all were watching that, you didnt realize there was an accident happening until you heard the car slowing down.

But for me, I see a little puff of smoke (in frontof me on the track), and my eyes are trained to know that shouldnt be happening on a straight-away during the first lap. That tells you something is wrong, and that puts me into survival mode. I have to find a way to get myself and my car through the incident.

Ed Carpenter (20) of Ed Carpenter Racing during the Indy 500 Drivers Meeting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 25, 2019.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

He rewinds the video, and the crowd, almost in unison, sighs as they notice this time a blue car nearly climbing the fence, seconds from the initial spark of the crash. On race day, of course, Carpenter cant be allowed any such hindsight.

His talk, the final one of the series on Sight was designed to be instructive to diehard race fans and fringe observers alike an exclusive look into how one of the states most famous homegrown racing veterans, a stepson in the sports most famous family, reached his level of acclaim, while so many other drivers come and go.

But his 13-minute monologue and Carpenters details provide a deeper look into the inner-workings of one of IndyCars unique personalities.

Its not typically something Id agree to do, he explained afterward. They just caught me on the right day, I guess. Its something different, and I knew it would be outside my comfort zone.

Its Carpenters way of saying that the prospect of speaking in front of a small auditorium of people is what gets the steely racing veterans blood pumping. His hair was perfectly coifed as he strutted onto the stage and broke into tales of growing up in Illinois, moving to Indiana and first racing on tracks that could fit inside his teams headquarters in Indianapolis, but Carpenter was nervous.

In a car, youre in there alone with your helmet on. In a way, were performing, but were in our own element, he said. The people in attendance, though, arent right in front of you. Thats a different type of performing.

I was sitting in the green room beforehand, and I dont know if its because I had the racing suit on or not, but my wife said, Youre acting like you do before the start of a race.

Carpenter was always wired a little differently. He explains how, growing up at school, he had to weather the constant bullying of kids who participated in more traditional sports and would make the whirring noises of a racecar at the lunch table whenever hewalked by.

And that disdain for what he felt for so long would be his future followed him to college, a slight he holds onto still to this day.

Early in my time at Butler in the business school in an intro class for all majors, this professor gave us an assignment called our five-year success plan. There werent many guidelines, he tells the crowd. It was simple: Where do you see yourself in five years, and how are you going to get there?

Boom, easy. Ive got this. Naturally, I wrote about racing. I know what I want to do, and I know what my goals are, and I ended up getting a D on the paper, and the professor puts a note on the paper: Its nice to have dreams, but you need to be more realistic.

Maybe he was a bit off. He reached the IndyCar series in four years instead of five.

Ed Carpenter (20) of Ed Carpenter Racing during Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 24, 2019.(Photo: Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar)

From here, Carpenters presentation takes off. He starts to rattle off the numbers that illustrate the strength of his career as a driver and team owner, one built on longevity. There have been 777 different drivers in the 500, he explains. 65 have won a pole, 18 of them twice and just 10 three or more.

He's one of those 10 but he's also one of two in that group who've never come away a champion. Carpenter calls going the rest of his career without a victory in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing one of his two biggest fears.

Not winning the 500 and not making my family proud, he lists. I dont fear what could happen in a racecar. What we do is dangerous and risky. People can lose their lives, but I love what I do, and that makes it all worthwhile.

Before he finishes, Carpenter asks audience membersto close their eyes and take a slow, deep breath in and out.

In the time it took for that little exercise, I lost the Indy 500. That three seconds or so is the difference between me standing here today as an Indy 500 champion and being a second-place finisher, he says. But Im not done fighting.

And its that unique vision, the ability to dissect the flashing lights inches from his face and the action taking place a quarter-mile down the road from him, that propels Carpenter nowadays. As a driver and owner, his schedules are finely tuned with a half-dozen managers who have been with him since the beginning of his team to work as a buffer when necessary. He balances his kids hockey practices and a speaking project like TEDx with meetings about signing prospective drivers for his namesake team, which can have a lasting impact on the next decade of Ed Carpenter Racing.

The ability to keep a finger on those things in the present and whats far, far down the road is a juggling act hes mastered, and it all comes from his thousands of hours spent in a racecar.

In the car, youre constantly looking at stuff on the steering wheel while also keeping an eye on everything around us. Theyre fluttering around all the time, but you know whats supposed to be happening, if something ever does thats abnormal, youre going to see it instinctively, he said. I never look at the flag stand over the course of a race, but I always see the white flag waiving. Any time something is different than 90% of the time you go by something, you notice that change.

Perhaps one Memorial Day weekend, hell catch a checkered-flag waving out of the corner of his eye.

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Ed Carpenter's unique vision created an IndyCar veteran. Now, he's driven by one thing: a 500 win - IndyStar

News Latest > Pepperell finds motivation in Portugal! Oct 26th, 2019 Words: GolfPunk Photography: Getty Images

Eddie Pepperell must have mixed memories of Portugal Masters after missing the cut and losing his card in 2016. However, this year he appears to have found an innovativeway to motivate himself, wagering Martin Kaymer about appearingon the Television Show First Dates.

I wonder what Kaymer will wear for his date?

Pepperells record at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course is actually more up than down. Admittedly, losing your card after missing the cut by double bogeying the 36th hole must hurt but he regained his playing privileges at the first time of asking, has claimed two European victories and finished third here in 2017 before coming second last season.

After a bogey free 66 on Friday, he is right in the mix again. "I felt a little more comfortable with my swing so it's a solid round, to be honest, and I'm continuing a nice run of form at this place," he said.

Why, oh why, did I get Pepperell?

Pepperell who is tied for 5th on 9 under and ever the joker in the pack, came up with an innovative way to keep himself motivated. Playing alongside Martin Kaymer the Englishman offered his Major winning playing partner a wager, if Pepperell went lower than Kaymer, he would apply for the German to go on the television show First Dates. Pepperell went four shots better than Kaymer, who is tied in 19th on 5 under. And Eddie took no time holding the former World Number One to the bet.

For those who are not familiar, First Dates and its sister show First Dates Hotel pair up a couple on a blind date, over dinner, and then viewers voyeuristically watch the impending cringefest, particularly when it comes to choosing who pays the bill!

One of the team at GolfPunk Towers offered up this as anexample of the participants. Enjoy!

And another thing...

GolfPorn: Coeur DAlene Golf Resort, Idaho

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Pepperell finds motivation in Portugal! - Golf Punk