Classical Athens

In 1974 a great organization was founded, the Universal Cheerleading Association. Then, what I call a copy-cat of an organization was formed, the Universal Dance Association or UDA. The UDA was formed in 1980, but I believe the UCA is more, popular, and well put together. In the beginning, UCA was founded by Jeff Webb, years later on it started to broaden and develop, into what it is now! UDA was also started by Jeff Webb. It was founded based on drill teams but, UCA is primarily based on,…

The Olympic Games is arguably the worlds largest sporting spectacle, with a long proud history. The first modern day games took place in Athens, Greece in 1896 then is repeatedly held once every four years in a chosen city. Viewed as an honor and privilege to be selected after years of arduous campaigning, cities open their doors to athletes across the globe to compete in front of millions on sports grand stage. However the games are not without controversy, behind the glitz and glamour lies a…

The City of Corinth In Acts 18:1 Luke provides an itinerary for Paul by writing "after these things (the events of Chapter 17) he left Athens, and went to Corinth." (All Scripture references are New American Standard Bible unless other wise noted). The cities of Athens and Corinth were only 50 miles apart but quite different. Athens was a city of culture and learning, Corinth was known for its commerce and profligacy. Corinth was located just south of the narrow isthmus which joined the…

Olympia, is a special part of Greece that is the site for the ancient Greek gods. The main part of Olympia was dominated by the people of Zeus. The games are part of a tradition which aimed to have good relations with the gods by showing the cities of Greece and gods that the youth has physical qualities of a god and the performances accomplished by the youth. The Olympic Games were held every four years which gives the people plenty of time to train, which still is till this day at the ancient…

them were revived in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and the International Olympic Committee at the International Athletic Congress. Enforcing amateurism was central to Pierre de Coubertin’s vision for the Olympics. Competitors at the first Olympics in Athens in 1896 were all wealthy, white, aristocratic men. It is important to look at the Olympics when researching the topic of amateurism as the Olympics are the largest international multi-sport competition in the world. This lead to the adoption of…

The History of The Marathon From Ancient Athens and the historic runner Pheidippides to Boston where young runners make their mark, the marathon has been a part of sporting history for millions of years. It has united countries together, and united different races together. Let’s take a tour through this magical event where we can witness The Birth of The Marathon with Pheidippides, The Barefoot Runner of Abebe Bikila, and The Rise of The Africans. This majestic event started in the year 490 B…

The ancient Olympics were first held in Olympia, Greece in the year 776 B.C. in order to honor the Greek gods. The games were a way for different Greek cities to compete to see who had the better athlete. After all these centuries, the ancient Olympics have been transformed into the modern version we know of today, but that does not mean they are without similarities. In 776 B.C., the first Olympic Games were held in honor of the Greek gods in Olympia, Greece. The ancient Olympics allowed…

games ceased to occur after A.D. 393, due to the Christian emperor Theodosius I, who deemed them pointless. Why celebrate a god you do not respect, nor believe in? The Olympics were later resurrected and reformed on April 6, 1896 and were held in Athens, Greece. Both versions of the Olympics, ancient and modern, are renowned forms of entertainment, used during different time periods. Though the modern Olympics is based off of the ancient Olympics, many details about the events contrast. During…

honours to the gods. These honours were paid in the form of sacrifices, offerings like works of art, money and other valuables to the gods’ sanctuaries, and festivals of songs, dances, prayers, and processions. For the first eight days of every month, Athens honoured the gods through a festival; on the third day Athena’s birthday was celebrated, Artemis’ birthday being celebrated on the sixth day, and her brother Apollo being honoured the next day. The Acropolis, which was reconstructed by…

It has always been a dream of mine to compete long distance races at the Olympic Games. With that in mind, I hadn’t thought about the origins of distance racing at a competitive level. Without the Greeks’ establishment for the Games, the modern Olympics may never had been created. Certainly the ancient Olympics, first foot races need far more attention than they receive. A large part of the Greek education was a healthy body and a competitive spirit and so that organized one of the first…