What is fantasy football and how do you play?Written by Kevin Marshall
Fantasy football is growing more and more popular by second. It seems like everywhere you look you see another ad for a fantasy football related product or service and everyone is talking about this great game. But what is fantasy football, and more importantly, how do you play?At most basic level, fantasy football is a statistic-based game. You select real-world NFL players that will make up your fantasy team roster and score points based on how they perform in real-world NFL games. If your fantasy team scores more points than other fantasy teams in your league, you win. With just this basic idea, there's an unlimited amount of variations on how to play fantasy football, and many fanatics have spent countless hours creating their own specific and detailed rules. Sound interesting? Then here are some general steps and advice to starting your own fantasy football league. Pick a commissioner The first and most important step in starting your own fantasy football league is to pick a league commissioner. The commissioner will be leader of your league. They'll be responsible for defining and enforcing your league rules. The commissioner is also in charge of organizing league events, calculating team scores, and keeping all teams informed and involved throughout season. As you can see, this is a very important decision. A good commissioner can make for a great fantasy football experience but a weak commissioner will quickly sap all fun out of your league. Make sure to select someone who is willing to put in required work, who is diplomatic and fair with others, and who is detailed oriented. Note: For more information about selecting a commissioner and what's involved in job I recommend you read article The Army had Patton ... You Have a Fantasy League Commissioner by Joseph Legler at http://www.draftwizard.com . Get a group of people to play Once you've got a quality commissioner in place, your next step is to get a group of people together who want to play. Most leagues are made up of 12 teams, but with a little creativity in your scheduling, you can play with just about any number of people. Fantasy football may be a statistic-based game, but real addiction behind game is community that it's played around so try to find other players that enjoy football at or around same level that you do. Statistic lovers will enjoy fantasy football more if they are playing against other statistic lovers, casual NFL fans will enjoy playing with other casual NFL fans more than any other level of player. If you're a hardcore NFL fan that knows everything there is to know about football, you can easily crush casual NFL fan in a fantasy football league, but chances are you won't have much fun doing it. Set up your rules So you've got a commissioner and a group of players, now it's time to set up your rules. It's important to set up strict and well-defined rules for your league, but try not to sap all fun out of game with restricting rules. Your rules should be used more as guidelines than as laws. Be flexible enough to allow for change when a rule is shown to be inaccurate or majority of your league demands such. Your rules are there to add structure to game play. Remember that in end, game is supposed to be about fun.
| | The Gorilla Times Vol.4Written by Edward hunt
In this issue, we discuss how one would benefit from a little planning before a weekend trip as well as proper selection of Sleeping bags, Backpacks and Binoculars available at Weekender Gear Planning What things may a person need for day to be safe and fun during an outdoor adventure? That actually depends on a few conditions as to how, where and when you are going to be enjoying Mother Nature. For example, if you were going to climb in Rocky Mountains in month of January on a seven-day expedition, you will need a bigger list of things to aid in your survival, Whereas if you were taking a day hike with your child in his/her day camp in month of July, list of necessities shrink. Now suppose you were planning on going on a camping trip that may last a few days for first time and you are not quite sure as to what you’ll need. We suggest that before your trip, you acquire some basic information will definitely come in handy in deciding on what things you should be putting into your pack. What will relative temperature be on day (or days) of adventure? How many hours (or days) will experience last? How many miles will be covered while hiking with your gear? Are there some established usable facilities? Some things that you may want to have on your wish list may include: ____A comfortable hiking pack for your gear ____A comfortable pair of boots ____First aid kit ____Compass (Magnetic compasses are recommended.) ____Food (nutritious meals and snacks provide needed energy) ____Map of area ____Drinking water ____Pocket knife ____Toilet paper ____Insect Repellent If trip is going to last more than one day, you might want to take along ____Sleeping bag (have one that is appropriate to your relative night temperature) ____Tarp ____Camp stove (With extra fuel) ____Trash bags ____Comb or Hairbrush ____Deodorant ____Complete change of clothes for each day of hike ____Two pairs of comfortable, clean socks for each day of hike ____Extra food and water ____Gloves ____Camera (Plus batteries and rolls of film) ____A Global positioning system (GPS) ____A cellular phone (Check with your service provider to ensure hiking area is within their coverage range) Sleeping Bag This is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is know relative temperature of your surroundings in which you plan to sleep, then shop for a bag accordingly. The materials that higher end sleeping bags use is called “Down” and is generally rated by fill power. The higher fill power, longer bag insulation will last. The breakdown is as follows Fill power is measurement of space of one ounce of down occupying in each cubic inch.Weekender Gear carries mummy-sleeping bags that offer high fill power that usually display a rating of 700-750-fill power. Premium goose down and High fill power goose down material that is composed of natural fiber. While highly variable in nature, it does provide more warmth per ounce than anything else around. The Down fill's unique structure is responsible for it's tremendous ability to trap warm air. Its filaments are divided and sub-divided to reach out into its surroundings to create dead air space that slows movement of warm air. Because of this, sleeping bags made with down material are about 35% lighter than synthetic bags. It is also much more compressible than synthetic insulation, therefore allowing it to provide most warmth with least bulk. Although down may be a little more expensive, it is definitely worth it in long run to seasoned sleeping bag enthusiasts. Backpacks Have you thought about how you are going to handle weight of your gear, both on and off trail? When you have all things that you need for any overnighter (And a few things that are just fun to bring along), Your pack is going to have some weight to it. Naturally, you are going to need a pack that is capable of efficient weight management. Depending on amount of items you are taking with you (sleeping bags, tarps, portable stoves, clothes, Etc.) will determine what kind of hiking bag you want to pack all of your equipment into. When considering purchasing a backpack, ask yourself What type of pack do I need?
|
