Koga

Each year the Sydney University Football Club selects a group of players for its Elite Development Squad to prepare for the next season. For 2005 a squad of 50 was chosen which did not include any of the Club's seven Wallabies nor any of the players on Super 12 contracts. Players committed themselves to around fourteen weeks of intensive training involving six to seven sessions per week of weights, skills and fitness work despite either being full time students or working full time.

At the conclusion of the season the Club's doctor, Katherine Rae, and physiotherapist, Keiran Cleary, jointly issued a Medical Report analysing the injury experience of the Club's eight teams. They particularly highlighted the members of the Elite Development Squad, noting that during the season "the EDS squad suffered only two non contact injuries, both muscle strains, which resulted in only four games lost to injury."

More specifically, among the 36 players who completed the full EDS program there was "only one calf strain and one hamstring strain ... . They had no back pain or groin pain necessitating loss of game time." By contrast, for the Club as a whole, there were 28 instances of low back pain, 27 hamstring injuries, 27 groin injuries and 6 quadriceps strains.

Two non contact injuries in over 1000 hours of playing time is an extraordinarily low figure in itself, and certainly by comparison with the Club's other players who accumulated over 80 comparable injuries. The injury incidence for the Club as a whole seems to be broadly in line with that reported in various scientific studies including those focussed on professional players.

It is obviously unwise to attach too much significance to the experience of one club over a single season. However the disparity in injury rates between those in the EDS group and their team mates is so great that it is very unlikely to be attributable to mere chance. Therefore it is necessary to explore possible reasons for this very favorable outcome. I believe that there were three relevant factors at work:

Duration and intensity of the training program

An off-season involving around 90 uninterrupted training sessions creates a near ideal opportunity for players to enhance their basic strength and fitness for rugby.Very few non-professional players would have the commitment and dedication to stick to such an exacting schedule. And very few professional players would have such a large block of time available. For example, Australian full-time players normally participate in at least two of the three tiers of club, provincial and international rugby and are therefore playing through most of the year.

The EDS squad also had on-campus access to physiotherapists, doctors and nutritionists plus regular dietary supplementation. Thus, even though the squad members were not paid, they were training in a very professional environment.

Emphasis on basic strength development

Strength and conditioning in the EDS program was structured and administered by Martin Harland, a sports scientist who had previously worked with professional rugby league, Australian football and basketball teams. His programs for rugby players place a high degree of emphasis on basic strength development and rugby-specific fitness. A distinguishing feature of his approach is a concentration on heavy lower body work through exercises such as squats, deadlifts and cleans.

Use of the ScrumTruk

In addition to their free weights exercises the group regularly used the rugby specific MyoQuip ScrumTruk as a core component of their leg strength work. Certain unique attributes of this apparatus might be relevant to protection against injury. Although it works basically the same muscle groups as the barbell squat, the fact that the resistance is in the horizontal rather than the vertical plane means that there is no adverse loading on the lumbar spine. It is also more quadriceps specific than the squat and exercises effectively the muscles of the calf.

But its main benefit in injury minimization may be in relation to the hamstrings. The ScrumTruk specifically works this muscle group as well as adjacent areas such as the glutes, quadriceps and core stabilizers. But the most important effect might relate to the frequently observed importance of eccentric loading in developing the hamstrings. Both the barbell squat and the conventional leg press deliver constant resistance. When performing these movements concentrically the muscles involved are only under very partial load as the hip and knee joints move to full extension. By contrast the ScrumTruk's operation provides continually increasing resistance throughout the exercise movement. Because of this, the muscles involved are strongly activated over the full exercise range and most critically are working at close to full load at the conclusion of the movement. It would seem to follow logically that the more that muscles are being activated concentrically, the greater the eccentric load when the movement is reversed. Thus there is heavy eccentric loading on the hamstrings when they are near fully extension.

The low injury incidence by Sydney University's elite training squad seems to suggest that other teams might benefit similarly by implementing a long and intensive off-season training program concentrating on the development of basic lower body strength through complex free weight movements and the use of the ScrumTruk. The potential improved injury outcomes are additional to the very substantial strength gains from such a program.

So, you were pleasantly surprised to learn that you are getting a refund on your taxes. Congratulations! The question for most taxpayers expecting a return is, "Where is my refund?"

Check Your Refund Status Online

The easiest way to check on your refund is to ask the IRS through IRS.gov. On the home page of the site, you will see a "Where's My Refund?" link. Using the service is fairly easy. You will need a copy of your tax return to provide the necessary information to get the status of your refund. Specifically, you need to provide your social security number, you tax filing status and the exact amount of your refund. The reason the IRS requires all of this information is purely for security purposes, to wit, the agency wants to make sure it is giving access only to the taxpayer. Again, all of this information should be on your return. If it is not, something is very wrong!

Once you submit the required information, the IRS will provide online results typically showing:

1. That the return was received and is in processing;

2. The expected mailing date or direct deposit date of your refund; or

3. Whether your refund could not be issued because of a delivery problem.

In some cases, the results may alert you to the fact that the IRS is reviewing your tax return because of errors or questionable entries. In such a case, it is highly advised that you review your return with a qualified tax professional and make absolutely sure that the return will stand up to scrutiny.

How Long Do You Have To Wait Before Checking?

If you filed your tax return electronically, you should be able to access the status of your refund within 48 to 72 hours. Since the return is coming into the database electronically, it should be assimilated into the system fairly quickly. If you do not file your return electronically, you are going to have to wait three weeks or more before the status of your return can be checked. As you can imagine, the IRS is receiving an enormous amount of paper tax returns and it takes time to organize and enter the returns into the system.

How Long Should It Take To Receive Your Tax Refund?

If you are expecting a refund, the time to issue the refund will depend upon how you filed your return. If you filed a paper return via regular mail, you refund should be issued in six to eight weeks from the date it was received by the IRS. Alternatively, if you filed your return electronically, you should expect to receive your refund in three to four weeks. If you elected to have your refund directly deposited in your banking account, you should take one week off of the above estimates.

Of the biggest NBA clichs to come out the last couple years is that Dallas can get to the NBA Finals if only theyd play a little defense. But to trade for defensive players theyd have to get rid of their offensive ones, and that has happened to a point. Daniels, Howard and Dampier play decent defense, but is it good enough to get Dallas anywhere other than semi-finals exit?

One thing that hasnt changed is their offense. This is still a score-first heavy team, and is at the top-10 in scoring, assists and field goal%. Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard arent on the court to score, but they still contribute in areas that Finley and Keith Van Horn dont. At 97.5 PPG, they havent reached the century mark yet but you can expect it soon. Injuries to Stackhouse and Terry havent hurt them as badly as we thought. Devin Harris and Darrell Armstrong have both done an excellent job replacing him, and Armstrong is one of the best PG defenders in the NBA.

Still, the biggest problem remains the same. They are 9th in Points Allowed, a huge improvement from some of the other Mavs teams in the past. Yet when the 4th quarter comes around, they have serious problems stopping people. They have the aggressiveness down, but Dallas is still weak in several positions. At Center, Dampier is off-and-on on both sides of the floor. Nowitzki is poor guarding people face-to-face, and commonly Daniels and Howard are injured.

While the Mavericks still score, its not without slight concern. Michael Finley and Steve Nash are gone, so Dirk Nowitzki needs to score big throughout the season. Hes done it so far with 26.0 PPG, but even he slows down once in awhile. Dirks shot attempts are often forced and still attempts too many 3-pointers for a Power Forward. Dallas isnt going to provide much support off the bench. DeSagna Diop, Devin Harris and Jerry Powell are getting playing time. Its far too inexperienced to trump powerhouses like San Antonio.

When Stackhouse, Howard and Terry return their bench will be deeper and Dallas scoring will go up. Avery Johnson expresses a defensive emphasis that Don Nelson never did, and its benefiting. Johnson is 30-7 since taking over and Dallas will need that kind record to take control of the division. The Spurs wont relinquish the lead in this lifetime so its 4th place or worse for the Mavs.

So if I was you, I would not go rushing to my online sportsbook to bet on the Mavericks winning a title this year.

Lawrence Jackson is everything NFL personnel people look for size (6'5, 265 lbs), speed (4.5/4.6) strength, leadership qualities and he has a tireless work ethic. Did I mention he is also productive?! Lo-Jack had 24 tackles for loss and 16 sacks entering the 2006 season.

But it all started in "The Wood"..Inglewood California. Jackson earned 2002 Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, Student Sports All-American first team, Tom Lemming All-American, CNNSI.com All-American first team, The Insiders.com All-American first team, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star Top 100 Dream Team, The Sporting News Hot 100 honors (and countless others).

He had 142 tackles, with 11 sacks, plus 4 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions in 2002 while playing defensive line and middle linebacker. As a junior in 2001, he made the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass first team, All-CIF Division X first team, Los Angeles times All-Star first team, Los Angeles Times All-South Bay Lineman of the Year, South Bay Daily Breeze All-South Bay first team and All-Ocean League Defensive MVP. He had 134 tackles, including 22 sacks, plus 2 interceptions (1 returned for a TD), 7 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and 3 blocked kicks in 2001. Inglewood made it to the 2001 CIF Division X semifinals. During his 2000 sophomore season, Inglewood advanced to the CIF Division X finals. In his career, he had 57 sacks. He also was on Inglewood's track team.

Jackson choose USC over UCLA, ASU and other Pac 10 schools in one of Pete Carroll's famous recruiting classes. Jackson redshirted as a freshman defensive end in 2003, his first year at USC. He won USC's Service Team Defensive Player of the Year award. After the season, he had arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle to remove debris.

In his RS Frosh year, Lo-Jack started at defensive end and did a commendable job. Overall in 2004 while appearing in all 13 games (he started all but BYU), he had 32 tackles, including 11 for losses of 41 yards (with 6 sacks for 31 yards), plus a deflection and an interception (against Arizona, which he returned 19 yards to set up a TD). He made the 2004 Collegefootballnews.com Freshman All-American first team, The Sporting News and Rivals.com Freshman All-American second teams and The Sporting News Freshman All-Pac-10 first team. He had 5 tackles against Oregon State (1.5 for losses) and Notre Dame (2 for losses) and 4 stops against Arizona State.

Lo-Jack's sopmore year was his coming out party to the national media. Overall in 2005 while starting all 13 games, he had 46 tackles, including 13 for losses of 76 yards (with a team-best 10 sacks for minus 60 yards), plus 6 deflections, a team-best 2 fumble recoveries, a team-best 4 forced fumbles and a blocked PAT. He made the 2005 All-Pac-10 first team and he made the 2005 ESPN.com All-Pac-10 team. He won USC's Defensive Lineman of the Year and Co-Player of the Game versus UCLA Awards. He had 4 tackles (including 2 sacks and a deflection) at Hawaii, 4 tackles each against Arkansas and Oregon, a team-high 7 tackles (including 2.5 for losses, with 1.5 sacks) at Arizona State, 2 stops and 2 deflections against Arizona, and 4 tackles (1 for a loss) at Notre Dame). He added 2 tackles (with a sack) and a deflection at Washington, then 3 tackles (1 for a loss), a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the same play that led to a USC TD and also a blocked PAT against Washington State. He had 3 stops (with a sack), a fumble recovery (to set up a USC TD) and 2 deflections against Stanford, a tackle at California and then 7 tackles (with a sack) and a forced fumble that USC recovered to set up a field goal against Fresno State. He had 5 tackles, including 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles (USC recovered the second one).

The philosophy major has a brother, Keith, was a offensive tackle at Arizona and entered the 2006 season on the Lombardi Award watch list.

Jackson has all the tools to be a special player in the NFL and I see him as a player was has the tools to be even better on the pro level.