BUILDING YOUR BASICS :: Speed Vs. Acceleration

By Benjamin MartinSan Angelo TX Brandon Conder still has the 2018 MVP trophy hanging on his wall at his home in San Antonio. The hand painted goalie stick and puck homemade combo were presented to him last year for being the most prolific scorer in the tournament. The accolades were bittersweet following a somewhat disappointing showing in San Antonios third place finish. The tall skater with the heavy build doesnt look like a scoring leader, but dont let his appearance fool you.He is the most dangerous person on the rink with the puck at any given time.During his tournament appearances with San Antonio in both Houston and McAllen, Brandon led the Iguanas offense to tournament championships consistently and with flair. With the wind blowing through his reddish-brown beard, he likes to find the spots across the top cross bar to clank and score from a distance. He also likes to shoot low from the inside and leverage the defense to open up a teammate for a shot on goal. Second only to Brian Van Vlymen in assists for the tournament, Conder is the most complete player who hails from the nations 7th largest city and has no issue asserting his dominance across the state of Texas. Facing this offensive juggernaut that had so effectively demolished both the Bombers and the Jesters with relative ease, it was an uphill battle at best for the Wolfpack. It was the prowess of the goalie Trey Duncan and the scoring ability of the Wolfpacks offense that had kept them afloat to this point in the tournament. The Three Amigos in Laredo Williamson, Keanu Henson, and Austin Scroggs were fast and effective in scoring goals. But the Iguanas goalie Taylor Newton had only allowed 1 goal in the previous 2 games of the tournament and looked to be the most difficult challenge for the Wolfpack so far in the tournament.On the final round robin game of the opening day of the tournament, the San Antonio Iguanas were taking on the San Angelo Wolfpack to decide who would enter the tournament playoffs as the last undefeated team with the number one seed.The scoring started early for the Iguanas. At the 14-minute mark Brian Van Vlymen passed the puck across to the reigning MVP Brandon Conder for the first goal of the afternoon. Four and a half minutes later Gary Burdge would double the lead for the Iguanas with a goal off a pass from Brandon Conder. David Penn would join in off yet another assist by Conder 2 minutes later to make the score 30. The Wolfpack Defense was buckling under the onslaught of the Iguana passing game, unable to stop the bleeding. Two of the primary defense-men for the Wolfpack were scratches for the game, Allen Hotchkiss and Ben Martin, and the smaller offensive players were not getting any traction in stopping the brutal aim of Brandon Conder from the outside. Gary Burdge and David Penn both add to the already overwhelming score to bring the total to 50 before halftime. Laredo Williamson broke through and finally put the Wolfpack on the board with 6:50 left in the second half off a pass from Keanu Henson, but thats as far as the home team would get. The Iguanas goalie worked 17 saves around the single goal for the home team to keep the crowd quiet all game long. Iguanas forward David Penn would drive in the coffin nail to finish the scoring for San Antonio with 3:50 left to go in the game. The final score was San Antonio Iguanas 6 San Angelo Wolfpack 1, and the reigning MVP was making a decisive case for a second trophy to hang on his wall.Benjamin Martin is the Director of San Angelo Hockey club as well as an amateur journalist, professional hockey fan, and sub-par defender who is a complete liability in the rink.During these turbulent times the recap of the 2019 West Texas Shootout hockey tournament will be republished on a daily basis to bring a little hockey excitement back into our lives as we wait for life to start again.

Its no secret that virtual reality is entering more and more spheres of our lives: entertainment (movies, video games, roller-coasters), education (interactive screens, headsets, glasses and even rooms), military and engineering (e.g. flight or battle simulators), healthcare (anxiety disorder treatment, pain management, other therapies in the field of psychology).And, as we know, scientists from all over the world never neglect an opportunity to draw inspiration from futuristic books and movies. Luckily, there are plenty of epic ones on the market!Today, well take a look at 5 great movies dedicated to this subject and see how they make use of virtual reality, and whether something like this has already been achieved by modern technology.This action movie takes place in 2021. Johnny works as a mnemonic courier, who delivers classified information with the help of a data storage device implanted in his brain. The data he transports is too important to be sent through the Net, the virtual-reality equivalent of the Internet. A curious fact is that the film was shot in 1995, when the maximum hard disc capacity was only 2GB, while Johnnys chip could contain up to 80 GB. The downside is that this cybernetic brain implant deprived Johnny of all of his childhood memories!Speaking about modern scientific progress, we can say that storage devices do exist today and with much bigger memory capacities but they are still mostly used outside of the human body.Chip implantation has occasionally been used for device-controlling purposes (NFC Near Field Communication), medical treatment or corporate goals (using the chip instead of a key to clock in and out of work, open doors, and instead of a credit card to pay for meals). But this remains episodic and is far from becoming common practice.And would YOU be willing to try something like that? ;)Theres a lot going on in 2054. A special police department in Washington DC, the PreCrime police, stops murders before they even take place. Crimes are predicted by three mutated humans, otherwise known as Precogs, who receive visions from the future.These virtual visions are projected onto a special interactive screen, where Tom Cruises character Chief John Anderton can analyze the situation and draw conclusions.Nowadays interactive screens are widely used everywhere, from educational institutions (schools, museums) to entertainment venues and personal devices. The plot revolves around Qohen Leth, a prominent computer genius working on an extremely difficult formula and expecting a call from God to ask Him about the meaning of life.Plunges into virtual reality are achieved with the help of a VR suit. As for todays devices, we have VR glasses, headphones, and experiences such as roller coasters or 4D cinema that put you into virtual reality with the help of image, sound, movement and other sensual effects like water, a gust of air, or a smell. This world-famous science fiction action film, directed by the Wachowski Brothers, tells us that the world we live in is actually only a simulated reality and not the genuine one. Computer programmer by day and hacker by night, Neo learns the truth and joins those who know it too in a fight against evil machines that use people as energy sources.Heroes leap into virtual reality with the help of a wired connector, attached to a portal in their neck. Technologies exactly like this one are non-existent at the moment, but chips are starting to enter our lives, as mentioned during my discussion of the movie Sam Flynn, whose father Kevin mysteriously disappeared years ago, receives a strange pager message from an old video arcade. He enters a secret room behind a machine named Tron, and accidentally activates a laser that digitalizes and sends him into a virtual reality created by his father.At the moment, contemporary science doesnt have any mechanisms like this and even something remotely similar hasnt been created yet. Well, now we can see that the world of virtual reality is very diverse and is definitely becoming more advanced.Not everything is possible or has been implemented at this point, but science is definitely making daily progress so who knows what kind of news well wake up to tomorrow? .What are your favourite movies? Comment below! .

# NO REF NO GAMEMonsieur le Prsident de la FFRS, Monsieur le Prsident de la CSRH, Mesdames et Messieurs lu(e)s de notre fdration, amis joueurs, prsidents, entraneurs, bnvoles du roller hockey franais ! Lheure est au bilan.Le 19 septembre dernier, nous avons rdig une lettre ouverte pour vous avertir de la situation dsastreuse dans laquelle nous sommes et lurgence quil y a mettre en place un projet autour de larbitrage. Si nous navons eu aucune rponse officielle cette missive, nous avons pourtant entretenu un vague espoir avec un appel candidature pour deux postes destins la cration et la mise en uvre dune politique de dveloppement de larbitrage. Les candidatures ont t arrtes au 10 octobre. Et depuis ? Et bien nous avons la tristesse et le regret de vous annoncer quil ne sest rien pass, un grand vide sidral et la situation continue de saggraver.Aprs deux mois de comptition, voici quelques retours, non exhaustifs, qui vous permettront de comprendre la prcarit des conditions dans lesquelles nous essayons de remplir notre tche :dsignations extrmement tardives, parfois 3 jours avant les comptitions,toujours aucune notification sur les ventuelles modifications du rglement,pas dinterlocuteur fdral identifi qui nous adresser donc pas de hirarchie,pas de structure fdrale ddie larbitrage du roller hockey,pas de projet de dveloppement bauch pour la formation, le suivi et laccompagnement des arbitres,tches administratives annexes larbitrage trs complexes du fait du mauvais fonctionnement de Rolskanet,statut financier des arbitres extrmement prcaire, pas de barme officiel depuis 2 ans. Il en rsulte un dsintrt pour larbitrage. Les dsignations sont gres dans une urgence totale avec une mconnaissance du panel darbitres disponibles et des choix par dfaut rsultant des faibles possibilits.Aussi, devant une telle situation dabandon et surtout devant ce dsintrt fdral flagrant, nous arbitres nationaux du roller hockey franais, demandons que les points suivants soient rgls pour le 1er janvier 2019 :dsignation pour les matchs 3 semaines lavance (chacun comprendra que nous souhaitons aussi un minimum organiser nos vies de familles pour les weekends),identification dun interlocuteur fdral avec qui nous pouvons communiquer (y compris par tlphone) le weekend et la semaine,tude et choix des candidats ayant postul aux deux postes proposs,revalorisation des indemnits kilomtriques (geles depuis 2007) sur la base de linflation sur les transports depuis cette date ( 20 %),mise ltude et discussion autour dun systme de valorisation du dplacement pour rendre larbitrage plus attractif financirement (bas sur une prime octroye en fonction des kilomtres effectus),revalorisation des indemnits pour les phases finales trop faibles par rapport celles de la saison rgulire,revalorisation des indemnits de Coupe de France. Passe cette date, nous nous verrons contraints de ne plus nous rendre disponibles pour certaines journes de comptitions nationales. Nous lannoncerons 15 jours lavance, laissant ainsi le choix la fdration ou la commission sportive de tenter de maintenir ces journes au risque quelles ne puissent se tenir ou de revenir vers nous avec des propositions concrtes. Nous continuerons videmment dofficier sur les autres catgories seniors et jeunesses dont larbitrage ne relve pas du systme de dsignations fdrales. Le 15 dcembre aura lieu lassemble gnrale du roller hockey et nous estimons que nos lus devraient pouvoir commencer dici l rpondre et mettre en place les moyens ncessaires la satisfaction de nos revendications.Collectif Arbitres Roller Hockey France ()Signataires :Stphane ANGELIQUE Eric DO VAN NGOAN Bruno PLAZENE Emmanuel WIART Leo DE LEIRIS Lionel MENARD Olivier DEVOITINNE Sbastien MOINE Arnaud SANSONNY Pierrick GINET Pierre CATOUNAUD Nicolas GAGEAN Julien SAUVARD Gladys TEULIER Johan FOLLEREAU Xavier BIENVENUT Vincent DELECROIX Alexandre LABERGUE Sbastien MARPEAU Gael CHIGOT Graldine FISCHESSER Yohan CLEMENT Charly GILBERT Sylvain DUMONT Sylvain CLEMENT Maxime TSCHANTURIA Frdric MODAT Guillaume GAUCI Laurent MACHART Franck CHEMARIN Mokhtar GHARBI Cyril STEPANOFF Christophe CHAUVIN Eric LEPINOIT Jason CHESHIR Arthur VANDROMME Emeric DUPIN Sbastien GRASSET Vincent AUBERY Gordon CHASSERIAUD Yannick GOICOECHEA Frederick CORBEIL Yohann FATRAS Nicolas CHAPPELET Vincent NAELS Elise BESSON Erwann DOISY Xavier GAGNARD Eddy FRAYON Eric BELOT Vincent DELPEYROU Erick COUTURIER Fabrice GUILLAUME Benjamin ROUDSOVSKY Anthony HUGOT Florent MARTIN Jerme ROMPANT Julien DORIDAT Cdric PUGIN Kevin LEUBA Pierre LOYER Kvin GORKA Benot COUTANT Julien DELPECH William WERRY Laurent MACHART Marian RAUSCHER.

What if learning could be an enjoyable ride like a roller-coaster game? What if understanding concepts only took a few minutes? What if sharing knowledge with your friends could happen at the click of a button? The list is endless but we envision a better future for all those involved with experiencing a digital learning solutions.Learning should be Fun and Engaging! But how do we bring such an engagement?Building positive user experiences in e-learning is about creating a robust, engaging & intuitive platform that matches users needs with e-learning capabilities that are easy and pleasant to use.Todays digital users have higher expectations from their e-learning course provider than ever before. To be successful, e-learning companies need new and innovative approaches to attract and retain students through highly relevant and personalized experiences across multiple channels.Our priority must be to switch from a product centered to user centered thinkingMeanwhile, the trends we witnessed in 2016 will continue into 2017, driving the need for e-learning transformation. These trends, mixed with a flexible user experience, will provide a formula for success in 2017 and beyond. Heres the food for thoughts; our 5 pointers to help you vision the future.1. Personalized LearningCreating a me experience for the user is essential for e-learning driven by self service. The need is to create personalized experiences rather than boring and presenting same template based approaches to allow for user to get involved, evolved and get back to utilization of the knowledge garnered through the process in an easy and intuitive way. Yes, we understand you wont have the bandwidth to personalize your course content for everyone but what if you deliver the same content in different fashion to allow the user to consume the same with a more personalized sense to it.Imagine the same How Google Sheet works? is answered in 3 ways to appeal to a budding research analyst, a Sales enthusiast and an accountant allowing them to consume the same content but the start and end is changed to create personalized self learning scenarios. Scenarios hence created would have a direct appeal to the users mindset while challenging him to dig deeper every time as the content stays relevant and moves at the pace user wants to learn at. Lets understand your users and categorize them hence offering the most personalized experiences for one and all.2. GamificationGamification in e-learning is fast emerging as an effective technique to engage learners. Learners would be more motivated if learning is more like a play and by increased competition between students. In order to properly and effectively add gamification to your courses, the game elements need to be thoroughly thought out and well designed. It is very important to set up a relevant content in gaming simulation for higher retention and course completion.For example, if a person wants to learn any particular language, we can map this situation to a gaming scenario. Here an avatar based approach can be used where an avatar of the person is simulated. The avatar in the gaming scenario is presented with a series of questions which he needs to answer to reach to next level. The correct answers to a certain set of questions will take him to the next higher levels. For completion of each level the avatar gets badges or stars. This approach also features leaderboards making it more engrossing.By adding more elements of challenges (like bombs, competition), rewards (like stars, badges) and fun elements, the learning can be made interesting and interactive. This approach will enhance the learners engagement in any traditional e-learning course.3. Social LearningSocial media has become an ingrained part of our lives today. Learners are constantly on social media platforms like facebook, instagram, twitter, pinterest or snapchat. To integrate real world in e-learning, social media is a valuable tool.For example,On facebook, a group can be created for each class and the live video feature can be used by students to create course videos and share it on the group.On pinterest, a board can be created for each class and the useful resources like documents, images and videos can be pinned on that particular board. Learners can also create course material on their own and pin it on the board.Twitter which is a micro blogging portal can be extremely useful for sharing knowledge. A classroom hashtag can be created and teachers and students can tweet in 140 characters the actual essence of the message instead of posting long walls of text. Youtube channel can be created for a class and instead of watching videos created by others, students can create their own material and share it on the youtube channelIn short, since students are already on social media platforms integrating it with e-learning will offer an interesting new twist in their academics.4. MicrolearningWe all know that learners dont have patience to go through the entire course material. They need information in the form of small chunks which gives them a brief descriptionTeaching and delivering content to learners in small, very specific bursts is going to be the trend to watch out in 2017. Instead of presenting information in the form of long articles, it will be more engaging if we can provide information in the form of a short explainer video or a slide or a game video. This consumes less time and helps learners to quickly grasp concepts. Imagine a person wants to learn the basics of Photoshop, instead of writing loads of information, a short video explaining the basics with few examples or a single slide with bullet points will be more helpful for the user. This helps learners to manage their time and constantly learn on the go. Microlearning can also be used to provide personalized learning experience for learners by sharing personalized content.For example, Googles primer app is a micro-learning for marketing skills. The content can be in the form of a game, video, presentation or any other format from which someone learns. In the below example, the concept empathy is explained using a simple short explainer video.5. Immersive LearningImmersive learning is gaining momentum with the advances of AR and VR technologies. They give ability to improve the e-learning courses, custom tailor every e-learning activity, and completely transform the nature of online training where learning feels more like a play and everyone has access to impartial education. Learn more about how AR and VR is a booster for e-learning here.Final Thoughts:The efforts you put into e-learning will yield great results. You will see happy and enthusiastic faces taking up your courses, since your students will realize how fun learning can be. Start implementing the above trends in your e-learning business and you will soon notice you are making a big difference into the way your students perceive education.What kind of scenarios have you enjoyed that has helped you learn something? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section below. This post was originally published on our blog

By Benjamin MartinSan Angelo TX Ask anyone in the West Texas hockey community what the fiercest rivalry is in roller hockey and the answer will always be the same; the Jesters and the Iguanas. There have been 2 things in common with every jesters-iguanas match; the first is the fact that the Jesters had never lost to the Iguanas. The second thing is that a fight has broken out at every game they have played against each other. At last years tournament, the Jesters Mickey Provost got in a scrap that landed him in the penalty box during the playoff round. In April when the Jesters returned to San Angelo, again Mickey found himself inside the penalty box for roughing.The animosity reached a peak when San Antonio hockey club refused to play the Jesters if Mickey was even in the rink. It took excessive negotiation between San Angelo Hockey Club and San Antonio Roller Hockey to even get an Iguanas team to this years tournament. Needless to say, the anticipation was already at a boiling point when the teams took to the rink for warm-ups, the jesters in their blue and black across from the iguanas sporting their white and green jerseys. The Tension was palpable, the skates froze, and the sticks hung quivering in the thick air of a Texas winter. And all eyes were locked as the referee dropped the puck.The acceleration of the skaters was blinding, and the sticks clashed as they met in the battle for the puck. The two historically elite squads in West Texas roller hockey moved the puck with authority and challenged possession unceasingly. The lead official Jo Pa continuously leaped out of the way as the puck careened underneath of him along the boards, pulling himself up on the fence to get clear his skates from the furious game-play that surrounded him.The polarizing Mickey Provost, short salt and pepper beard grizzled over clenched teeth, had his eyes fixed on the goal beneath his weathered black helmet. The puck ran along the boards on the far side of the rink, but Mickey saw Stoney in pursuit, swiftly gliding in to take possession in the San Antonio zone. Stoney scooped up the puck and forced his way towards the goalie in advance of the outstretched stick of the San Antonio defender. Looking up Stoney spied Mickey coming down the opposite boards behind the defenders. Stoney ran behind the goal and passed across the crease to the only open spot on the far side of the net. The Iguanas goalie Taylor Newton turned his head just enough to see that past the San Antonio defenders standing in front of the crease. There was a blue and black jersey in his blind spot.The smile that crossed Mickeys face was broad under the scraggly beard. The puck clinked off the rear post before the goalie could even move. The horn blew, and with that his revenge was complete. The Jesters had taken the early lead 5 minutes into the first half 10. The half continued at the break neck pace. Back and forth the puck went, the new goalie for the Jesters Ryan Andrich was making superb saves, blocking all 12 shots in the first half without flinching. Yet as the second half of the game started, the stamina of the younger San Antonio players began to play to their advantage. While the familiarity between long standing teammates had given the Jesters a distinct advantage in the first half, the breakdowns would start to become apparent as San Antonio started their second half assault with a ferocity that could not be quelled by the Jesters.David Penn scored the tying goal at the 12:55 mark of the second half, followed by the go-ahead goal by Gary Burdge at the 10-minute mark. San Antonio was pressing on offense, out-shooting the Jesters by a two to one margin in the second half. The final shoe dropped when, at the 7-minute mark when reigning tournament MVP Brandon Conder sniped a goal from the left side of the rink to put San Antonio up three goals to one.The frustration was palpable on the Jesters bench. The upset that was transpiring in the rink would undoubtedly lead to animosity blossoming into yet another round of fisticuffs if history is any indication. At 3:30 left in the game, Stoney went face down hard into the boards and it looked as though violence might again erupt between the players on the rink. But amidst the shoving and the chirping of the burly men on skates, Jo Pa blew the whistle. Number seventy-eight green, two minutes for tripping, came the call from the tall referee with the broad white mustache. Gary Burdge skated to the penalty box, the power play was on and the outbreak of violence had been diverted-even if only for the time being.Taylor Newton, the goalie for the Iguanas, and the rest of the San Antonio defense proved to be too much for the exhausted Jesters. Shots were few, and the net stayed untouched as the clock finally struck zero. The San Antonio Iguanas had beaten a San Angelo team for the first time in club history, and for the first time without a scrum.What had been made certain was that over the winter was that San Antonio had turned themselves into competitors, and the rest of West Texas had been put on notice. The defending tournament champion San Angelo Jesters had found themselves in an 02 hole and were desperately seeking a spark to get them back on track. The Final Score was San Antonio Iguanas 3, San Angelo Jesters 1.Benjamin Martin is the Director of San Angelo Hockey club as well as an amateur journalist, professional hockey fan, and sub-par defender who is a complete liability in the rink.During these turbulent times the recap of the 2019 West Texas Shootout hockey tournament will be republished on a daily basis to bring a little hockey excitement back into our lives as we wait for life to start again.

It is hard to recognize when you are in an unhealthy relationship. It is especially difficult when that relationship cloaks its dark side under the aspirations of self-empowerment, inclusiveness and community.I had found a passion, challenge, and achievement in my sport and a community of athletes that I loved. I fully committed to working my ass off, dedicating my time and my money, to doing whatever it took to succeed. I pushed myself beyond the limit to please my team and the community leaders and to be seen in their eyes as a worthy member. I was confident that my derby league valued each members contribution as core to its success. What happened?I had been a true believer, a passionate convert, and blind to the signs of a corrosive dysfunction that existed. I was unaware of the danger signs and the jeopardy I had placed my own body, mind and spirit into voluntarily.I entered roller derby enthusiastically but then I felt degraded, demoralized, and defeated. What had I missed?Verbal, Physical, Relational, and Cyber are types of bullying. Each share common danger signs and can be found in any size group or organization. Bullying exists from the playground to the Oval Office. Being the direct target or being a silent bystander to the victimization causes damage to the individual victim and the witnesses. I have been both.This toxicity can be cooled but doing so begins with awareness that bullying exists and what roles each of us play in permitting it to flourish. Bullying does not improve outcomes or chances of winning, nor make an individual stronger for the suffering or torment of others. Bullying is about power and control through the application of six well-worn strategies. But understand very clearly, no bully can be successful without the acquiescing silence of others. The justification always displaces the fault onto the targets of the bullying. Six components that permit a bully culture to thrive:1.GroomingBullies cultivate power in relationships with those they can successfully manipulate.Any person with low status is at risk. A person who is new is at risk. People who are shy, insecure, or disenfranchised are at high risk. Once upon a time I spoke up: I spoke directly with my coach (in private) about how I felt she was treating me and a few others. I felt her behavior was disrespectful, cruel, and harmful both to the individuals and the team. In response, she threatened to take me to the leagues Mediation Committee turning the tables and making me the problem, ignoring the concern I expressed. After that incident, this same coach told me I would no longer be jamming, despite my years of jamming experience. She knew it was my goal to try out as a jammer on Travel Team so she had the leverage. The demotion hobbled my efforts by taking away my only opportunity to practice jamming before tryouts. She also stopped me from blocking during scrimmages that resulted in me having insufficient practice, so I would not be rostered. My thoughts were only of how I could please her in order to skate again to be seen as a worthy team member. I could not speak up about her behavior or else I would not reach my goals, so I was groomed to keep quiet. 2. BlameBullies are experts at convincing their victims that they are the ones at fault.Once upon a time it was my fault I couldnt be another person: I was told that because my body was different and my style of jamming was not their style of play. I was assigned to shadow and skate like a different skater, who was taller, bigger than me, and one with a background in football (while I have a background in dance). My natural body was unaccepted: I was told I was too small to be a good jammer. I was told my nutrition and workout regimes were sub-par. I looked gross, and that I should think about eating lots of potatoes in order to gain weight. The insults were personal. I believed what I was told. No matter my efforts the goalposts were always moving and it was always my fault.3.LoveIronically this is the ugliest intersection of the bullying situation because bullies do show love.They show love of team. They show love of the skills. They show love of the game. These passions are what fuel each skaters passion for the league. I loved the league and sacrificed willingly for the cause.Once Upon A Time I Believed: Loyalty to the league trumped any feelings of compassion towards others and myself. What is good for the league was good for me. My loyalty was expected even when it meant taking actions against my own best interest. Loyalty and silence pushed against me, wore me down, sent me beyond reasonable boundaries. Because ultimately, my identity was my league. 4. Fear/IntimidationFear and threats come from both the bully and your allies.Allies dont want you to get hurt by questioning the status quo or to directly confront the bully. Fear of retaliation and self-preservation creates avoidance and permits the dysfunctional culture to thrive. My moral code cracked: A team captain crashed a private dinner party and told me that I should not support a woman who was being bullied because it would be detrimental my goals. Nice ambition to join Travel Team; it would be a shame if something happened to it.I was afraid so I caved: I failed to help another woman who was suffering from bullying speak up about it in front of the leagues Mediation Committee. She wanted my support and with this support, she hoped she would be taken seriously by the Mediation Committee.I was told my status on the league would be in jeopardy if I supported her. So, I remained silent. She ultimately quit the league.Fear and intimidation works so effectively because we underestimate our own need for social connection and acceptance. This need for human connection is seen as a flaw to be exploited as a tool within a bully culture for the vilification of the victim by weaponizing the very reason the community exists in the first place.My loyalty was ridiculed. While on injury leave, I sent a note containing my best wishes for my home team. I included what I thought were heartfelt, personal messages. In return, I was sent a video showing several of the team members reading these aloud and laughing about them.My joy was denied:, I was routinely told not to smile while skating. My smile was faulted for making the team lose the game. -Absolutely ridiculous!5. Dismissal/CondoningThe organization often knows that the bullying has been happening for years. Too often there have been no repercussions.Members have silently endured and watched bullies eliminate the complainers with focused effort. The message is clear that any individuals unwanted effort to change these behaviors will likely place a target on their own back. The silence of the majority normalizes the negative behaviors and condones the actions of the bullies and can become the accepted structure and culture.My ideas were attacked: I was invited to present a new strategy to the league. It was suggested that I present my ideas to my home team before the travel team. During my presentation, two veteran skaters heckled me continuously which disrupted practice so intensely that it was called off early. This incredibly embarrassing episode happened in front of the whole team and not a single person spoke up about it. The disruptive people had the tacit approval and authority to belittle me and humiliate me in front of the entire team. Those same women went on to take my strategy, spin it as if they came up with it, and then implemented it during practice without giving me credit.I realized I was on my own; I had to understand my place. I didnt know who I could trust. 6. SecrecyIt is in the bullys best interest for you to be quiet.You have to keep your mouth shut about the bullying whether the target is you or someone else. Speaking up will achieve nothing except getting yourself in trouble. If you want to be part of the group, you must keep the secrets.I couldnt live with the secrets anymore and was compelled to speak up. So, I had to go.I was asked not to write this: I was told that it would only diminish the leagues image. However, the facts are that I and others tried to make a positive impact from the inside and it simply didnt work. Now its time I tell my story, and I hope that by speaking my truth it sheds a light that may help others. I have a voice and I dont have to be a silent bystander. The aftermath of surviving social abuse and bullying is all too tangible for so many of us who were disregarded and brushed under the rug or even utilized to perpetuate control by those wielding power.I came to the Bay Area Derby Girls enthusiastic and optimistic, going above and beyond to volunteer and skate. What I witnessed and experienced was an atmosphere of a blatant and tacit acceptance of abusive social dynamics. This toxic mix will naturally produce a powder keg of sorts when unchecked by a league.The voices rising up now are those of teammates, officials, all volunteers all the wheels and cogs of a functioning league. How did we get here? I can only speak for myself, and now I have come to learn that I am no longer alone. Once upon a time my voice was silenced: but now it is free

By Benjamin MartinSan Angelo TX The San Antonio Iguanas were no strangers to the Kirby Park Rink. It was only a year ago that they made their first appearance as a unified roller hockey club on the north side of San Angelo. They lost last year in the playoffs to the Jesters and had to settle for third place in the tournament. Since then they have built a South Texas hockey institution with a city-wide league that leveraged tournament wins in McAllen, Houston, and Round Rock. Their trophy case had begun to fill by the time they returned to the place where it all began a short year ago. Now they were back in San Angelo for another shot at the West Texas title. The San Angelo Wolfpack were right back in the thick of a championship game much like the previous year, when they were again the underdog to an undefeated team. The sweat from the semifinal match was still dripping down their face shields as they sat on the visitors bench preparing themselves for the Sanley Cup Finals. The team captain Scott Talley encouraged the timekeepers to forego warm-ups and start the match early, so that the Wolfpack could take advantage of the adrenaline rush they were still feeling from vanquishing their bitter rivals only half hour earlier. The Wolfpack goalie took one last drag from his cigarette before flicking it towards the already full trash can. Trey Duncan pulling his goalie helmet back over his messy hair, remnants of the long day of hockey that had brought them full circle into the annual championship game.It was the dynasty of the metropolitan juggernaut against the destiny of the cow-town hockey club that wouldnt say die. It had been a long year of practicing in the hot sun, staying late to shoot around, and skating sprints on a makeshift tennis court that had brought each of the 16 players onto the rink that day.There were other tournaments in the state of Texas, but only one of them was born out of the red dirt of West Texas. It was time to play for the Sanley Cup, and a glimpse of small-town hockey immortality. The puck dropped and the Iguanas took control. They skated with a smooth serenity that exuded confidence by a group that knew what their strategy would be. The Wolfpack by contrast played aggressively and with purpose, strung along by the exhilaration of the finals while also aware of the fatigue that lay in wait in playing a back to back game to end a long day of hockey. If San Angelo was going to win, they knew they had to get out to a fast start.There was a three on one advance by the Wolfpack at the 13-minute mark, but while crossing the zone, Scott Talley of the Wolfpack lost the handle on the puck. It was then scooped up by David Penn who drove into the San Angelo zone with a three on one San Antonio attack. But at the last moment, the puck skipped off the stick of the San Antonio forward and bounced toward the Wolfpack goalie who swatted it away with contempt, diffusing what could have been an early disaster.The Iguanas would own the point on the fore-check, constantly blocking and recycling the puck into the Wolfpack zone. The Iguanas defense was effectively corralling the Wolfpack into their own zone while letting 2 skaters at a time to rotate attacks on the Wolfpack goal. It was an effective tactic that forced the Wolfpack shooters to work defensively.There were flashes of attack from the home team. Wolfpack captain Scott Talley launched a long pass across the rink, barely missing the stick of Austin Scroggs as he broke free into the Iguanas zone, gone what could have been a crucial scoring opportunity for the Wolfpack. The Iguanas were isolating the Wolfpack offensive push by bottle-necking the offense with the players at the top of the zone. The Wolfpack would get a breakaway that would be stymied by the goalie, then the puck would be controlled by the Iguanas in sustained attacks down the middle with their star forwards like Brandon Conder, Brian van Vlymen, or Gary Burdge before being buried in a corner and passing it back out to the top to start all over again.Cycling the puck was working, it had begun to wear out the Wolfpack defense as they found it hard to substitute when the puck stayed in their zone constantly. The pressure was mounting, and the frustration was building for the San Angelo team until their worst fears were realized, and San Antonio Iguanas forward Brian van Vlymen passed the puck to Gary Burdge across the face of the Wolfpack goalie who put a wrist shot up, over and into the net.The whistle blew, the goal horn sounded, and the Iguanas had taken a one goal lead at the 6:30 mark of the first half.The Wolfpack responded with a frenzy of shots for the next 2 puck possessions, flooding the zone with all the red jerseys, trying to flip the strategy back on the visitors. But the fatigue was beginning to set in and passes were deflected, shots went wide, and even a magnificent performance from their goalie couldnt stop what was about to happen next. Iguanas forward Gary Burdge brought the puck into the zone and crossed it to Brandon Condor who immediately sent it back to Dan Ryan directly in front of the goal. The Wolfpack goalie didnt even see the puck as he frantically kicked his left leg outward. It was the second goal of the half at the 3-minute mark, and the Iguanas were building momentum.With a little more than a minute to go in the first half, the Wolfpack cleared the puck out of the zone. The gravity of the cycling San Antonio strategy saw the puck fall right back in and make its way toward the San Angelo goal yet again. There, a slap-shot by Brandon Conder ricochet off the blocker of Trey Duncan, who managed to fall on the puck stifling the play. The face-off in the Wolfpack zone saw the puck taken again immediately by Brandon Conder who skated out of the zone and back in with the puck. This effectively took 2 of the Wolfpack defenders out of the play before taking a shot 20 feet from the net. The puck was blocked but rebounded onto the stick of Brian Van Vlymen who backhanded the puck across the face of the goalie to land another blow to the Wolfpack.Wolfpack goalie Trey Duncan stayed crouched on his knees for a moment after the players cleared the crease. He was playing his heart out for his city arresting 20 shots alone in the first half. But for the first time he was feeling the exhaustion of a long day of hockey start to creep in.The score at the break was San Antonio Iguanas 3 San Angelo Wolfpack 0.Halftime had come not a moment too soon, and the home team that was denied a year before was desperately trying not to let another championship opportunity slip away. The frustration and fatigue of the home team could be felt during the five minute break, as the determined face of Kurt Beuker barked strategy at a San Angelo team that was reeling from the oncoming tide of the opposition. Weve got to be more aggressive, we have to make better decisions, we cant get caught playing their game! spittle was flying from his lips as he tried in vain to bring his team back into the fight. The game wasnt over, but the energetic optimism that had existed 15 minutes before had long since evaporated into the hot Texas sun. On the opposing bench the calm demeanor of the visiting Iguanas felt completely different. The players were talking and smiling, passing around water bottles while they verbally relived the glory of the previous half of game play. It was clear that the Iguanas had worked for this moment, and they were no longer the slapdash amateurs who shared a tennis court on the weekends in downtown San Antonio. They had come with a purpose, and it was being realized by their domination on the rink.The second half started much the same way the first half ended, with the Iguanas attacking the Wolfpack zone. A kick save saw Austin Scroggs make a dash down the boards before he was cut off by two defenders, effectively emasculating the fastest player in the city and ending the threat. It happened again a short moment later, almost in an act of desperation, as the San Angelo star forward was again cut off by the San Antonio defense before he could get a shot off.The Iguanas used their defense to control the flow of the game, as the San Antonio Goalie would only see two shots on goal for the remainder of play.At the 8-minute mark the frustration for the Wolfpack began to boil over as Lenny Christo put his hips into Dan Ryan and shoved him over. It was roughing on San Angelo, and the Iguanas would go onto the power play. San Antonio played the puck back and forth along the top of the zone as they waited for the Wolfpack defense to break, but the 3-man penalty kill team in red jerseys didnt give an inch.Moments later play was bogged down in the corner as Wolfpack defense-man Kurt Beuker and Iguanas forward Brian Van Vlymen fought over the puck on the boards. The ferocity of swinging elbows and shoulder blows echoed off the hot cement as if in this very moment the game hung in the balance. It was Van Vlymen that skated out of the corner with the puck, behind the Wolfpack goal, and took a shot back across his body. The deaf player from San Antonio couldnt hear it, but the puck clinked bar down for what would be the final goal of the afternoon. The Iguanas lead had extended to a commanding four goals, and the Wolfpack could not respond.The remaining time was controlled by the consistent offensive push of San Antonio punctuated with random offensive charges from the now exhausted San Angelo squad. The Wolfpack had been outplayed, and it hadnt been particularly close. The man who had become the San Angelo enforcer, Lenny Christo, was called for another penalty at the one-minute mark of the second half. Gary Burdge skated quickly toward the crease and Lenny swung his stick hard in what was an obvious tripping penalty. The remaining minute of the power play for the Iguanas was uneventful for all intents and purposes, as they cruised to the title when the final buzzer sounded. The game was over after the first goal, and the Iguanas had staked their claim to the Sanley Cup for the 2019 season.Finals MVP was awarded to Brian Van Vlymen of the San Antonio Iguanas who was involved in 3 of the 4 goals scored in the championship match. The reigning MVP Brandon Conder was again awarded Tournament MVP as he outscored every opponent with 10 goals for the day, followed by Austin Scroggs at 7 goals. Most Valuable Goalie award went to San Antonio Iguanas goalie Taylor Newton, who gave up just a single goal over the 5 games played in the tournament. Finally, the Iguanas team captain David Penn raised the cut steel trophy high over his head, as the San Antonio squad would for the first time in club history raise the Sanley Cup in celebration.The 2019 season was over, it had come to yet another unceremonious end as the San Angelo Wolfpack players shook hands with the victors and made their way back to the bench as the runner-up. Some of them mulled about to watch the trophy presentation, others just sat quietly on the bench with their eyes closed in quiet defeat. For the second straight year, the up and coming San Angelo team had entered the championship match only to be unceremoniously turned away. The only hardware of their hard-fought victory over their heated rivals lay in the sprinkling of Jesters players gathered around the fence to watch the championship match. To be on the doorstep of greatness and to fall short was a difficult pill to swallow for the few who waited so long for the opportunity.Such is life in the tight-knit community of West Texas hockey. One day your competing for a championship, the next day youre rebuilding an amateur squad while other teams are passing you by. But there is hope in what lies ahead, bringing new players into the game, and spreading the love of hockey even deeper into the heart of Texas.People who dont understand hockey have never played the sport. Because when you strap those skates on and take a shot with that puck, it changes you. People who experience hockey grow to love hockey and are welcomed with open arms into the small but growing guild of the Texas hockey community. The great thing is anyone can give it a shot, anyone can be a part of the hockey family here in West Texas.It all starts on Sunday Morning a little after 8 oclock. The one time every week when hockey players head to Kirby park on the north side of San Angelo, where we bring our gear and enjoy one more day on this earth God has given us to be hockey players. There is still time to hit the 11:30 service at PaulAnn, but for the hockey players of the great city of San Angelo, Sunday morning is when they lace up their skates and go to church. And the best part is everyone is invited. Hope to see you there. Benjamin Martin is the Director of San Angelo Hockey Club, a professional hockey fan, and an absolute liability for the San Angelo Wolfpack on defense.Live video of hockey games can be found on the San Angelo Hockey Club Ltd. Facebook page.If you want to get involved in the squad, feel free to join the San Angelo Roller Hockey page on Facebook. Practices are Sunday Mornings at Kirby park and there is spare equipment available for anyone with a pair of skates who wants to try it out.Special thanks to San Angelo Roller Girls for their help in the development of the club and volunteering to put on the annual tournament.Check the Facebook sites for upcoming 2020 games against Abilene, San Antonio, Round Rock, and McAllen.

The roller coaster ride that is Destiny 2 has once again been fairly active this past week. On one hand, the game received another influx of content thanks in large part to the annual Destiny winter event known as The Dawning. In addition to giving the Tower social space a festive look and feel, Mayhem, the fan-favorite Crucible mode, made its grand return. Not only that, players can participate in ice hockey matches at The Farm, utilize snowballs against enemies, and collect a vast array of new Dawning-inspired loot.Unfortunately, The Dawning also kicked off more fan unrest over what many are seeing as predatory microtransaction policies with regards to Eververse and the new Dawning gear. Much of the loot is locked behind the Eververse paywall, either requiring that players spend large amounts of Bright Dust currency or purchase premium currency to unlock it faster. Things got so bad that the community took over the forums on the official Bungie website posting messages saying that Eververse should be removed.Not even Christmas or the New Year can stop a Destiny 2 weekly reset. With the Dawning still in full effect for another seven days, Guardians also have a brand new slate of milestones to conquer before the week is up. Heres the complete guide to all of the new content for this week including the Nightfall, Flashpoint, and everything else for the week of December 26, 2017.Weekly Nightfall StrikeThis week in the Nightfall, players are heading to Io to take on the Brakion inside of the Pyramidion. Perhaps its due to The Dawning still being active, but the modifiers for this week remain the same from last week. So that means players should be mindful of the clock as the timer cannot be extended. Thankfully, Torrent is also active which means players can access their abilities much faster than normal, which should help thin out the enemies quickly.This strike is one of the more technical one available in the game as it requires players to work together and utilize some platforming skills as well. This can be seen in the first sections of the strike where players need to activate two plates while holding off waves of enemies. The quickest method would be to split the group in order to activate both plates to open the main door, while grenade spamming enemies thanks to Torrent. Once completed, players will navigate between rooms of enemies, followed by hallways with insta-death laser beams, which players should obviously be careful to avoid at all costs. After navigating through a number of laser hallways and battles with Taken and Vex, Brakion awaits in the large room at the end. Like most bosses in Destiny 2, Brakions fight occurs in multiple parts. Phase one has Brakion sticking to one location shooting at the players, then moving behind shields when his health hits halfway. Disable his protection by standing on a nearby plate, which causes him to teleport away as Vex reinforcements continue to flood in to the room. At 25% health, his head will pop off giving him enhanced speed and aggression like most Vex. Finish the fight to claim victory.Here are the modifier and challenge details:Torrent: Player abilities recharge much faster than normal. Timewarp: Zero Hour: Mission timer cannot be extended.The player challenges for this week are:Speed of Dark requires the fireteam to finish the Nightfall with at least 5 minutes remaining on the clock.To earn Unbroken, the fireteam needs to complete the Nightfall with fewer than three deaths. Siege Engine can be completed if players prevent Brakion from being shield for more than 40 seconds before defeating it.Flashpoint Location and Treasure MapsThe Flashpoint for this week has moved to the planetoid known as Nessus. As its been since release, participating in Public Events on the chosen planet go towards completing this quest. This weeks treasure caches can also be found on Nessus as well. Players will need to make sure to visit Cayde before embarking on this task as the maps themselves will first need to be purchased before the icons appear on the world map.Heres where to find all five chests this week on Nessus:Chest number one can be grabbed at the Exodus Black landing zone. Turn around after loading in, and head towards the entrance of the zone back towards the Glade of Echoes. The chest can be found on top of metal ship structures on the right side just before leaving the zone after going through the small doorway from Exodus Black.Next, head to The Cistern fast travel point and immediately go to the right along the path. The second chest can be found inside the first Servitor husk to the left of the path.Fast travel to Artifacts Edge and immediately head down either by jumping (watch the landing!) or taking the warp spire down. Head in the opposite direction from the public event location, following the path until a massive downed tree acts as a natural bridge over the road. Head to the left, follow the back wall around the downed tree and the chest can be found sitting in a small alcove.For chest 4, either continue heading forward into The Tangle or head back to Artifacts Edge and once again follow the path to The Tangle. Continue following the path through the zone until a small pool of Vex fluid is found off to the right side. The fourth chest is located in the center of it.Finally for chest 5 this week, fast travel to Watchers Grave and follow the path to Xurs tree towards the back of the zone. Climb up the huge branches to find the chest hanging out on a limb. Leviathan Raid Encounter Order/Weekly ChallengeAs expected each and every week, the Leviathan Raid encounter order has updated alongside the weekly reset. While this not only helps to keep the experience fresh for veteran players, it also helps players new to the experience get used to the Raid while also giving them an opportunity to play each part even if struggling.Those who want an added challenge this week can find it within the Gauntlet. This week, the order is as follows:Pleasure GardensBaths (Royal Pools)GauntletEmperor CalusHeroic Strike MilestoneFor players looking for more of a challenge when playing strikes, Bungie has only recently added Heroic Strikes to Destiny 2. Even with a bigger minimum recommended power level of 270, players have an opportunity to score better loot at the end of the mission. Complete three of these this week to earn a powerful loot engram. Heroic Strikes Complete 3 heroic strikes.Lord Shaxx Crucible MilestoneCall to Arms Win glory by participating, getting kills, and finishing PvP matches from either the Quickplay or Competitive playlists. Finish the milestone and return to Shaxx to earn his weekly engram. And thats all for this week, Guardians. Enjoy!Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

The cryptocurrency market has seen a never-ending boom since past year. As a result, a handful of virtual tokens have been through a roller coaster ride.One such cryptocurrency, Ripple, has constantly made the headlines owing to its third largest market cap, high transactional speed, and low transaction costs. This has indeed been the result of constant toiling to come up with some revolutionary payment products like xCurrent, xVia, and xRapid.But while Ripple planned to overhaul the payments market through the XRP token, current market conditions have motivated partner institutions to opt for non-XRP products. Hence, this has made Ripple a victim of its own offerings and has given rise to a lack of correlation between the Ripple Blockchain and XRP. This is now posing as an unintended issue for XRP investors.Moreover, the decentralized nature of the currency adds to the problem. While Ripple clearly aimed for greater liquidity at their end by owning 60% of the markets XRP to better serve their clients, they have encountered criticism for the same. How Liger is a New Game ChangerLigercoin is the hottest entry in the crypto market that seems to have taken relevant learnings from Ripples affair and is disrupting the Casino industry as we know it.Liger or Ligercoin essentially caters to the enormous markets of Online and Offline Casinos, along with Fantasy Sports Portals and Live Betting Websites to help users anonymously transact anywhere in the world from and the comfort of their homes.Both the capabilities and the ecosystem of Liger makes it a highly lucrative option. For starters, Liger makes use of the already established and highly secure Ethereum ecosystem by empowering itself with the EC20 token standard. This binds transactions with smart contracts which will execute only when the underlying conditions are met and cannot be intercepted in any way.Moreover, increased adoption of Ligercoin will make it exponentially stronger. Liger makes use of a unique staking mechanism that allows token-holders to stake their tokens to Liger and essentially play against other casino players. This always places them on the winning end and qualifies them to receive a portion of the earnings in the proportion of their stakes. And every time this happens, Liger burns 1% of the earnings that are generated from the staked tokens. Firstly, through this unique staking mechanism, the token holder gets the opportunity to play for the casino and be on the winning side while Liger plays on his/her behalf. Secondly, the burning mechanism always keeps the demand vs supply ratio in check where the supply is always lesser than the demand. This adds to the price increase.The decentralized nature of the currency makes sure that the maximum benefit of this burning protocol is passed onto the token holders, since Liger owns no Ligercoins. The company has been extremely transparent about the structure of ownership. 75% of the coins will be distributed to the public during the ICO, 15% will be held by the Liger management, 5% will be retained for the bounty community (which will eventually reach users), and the remaining 5% will go to the advisors.This makes sure that 80% of the market is driven by the everyday populace. To sum it up, Liger is an excellent holder of value. As the adoption of the coin increases and more users are added to the ecosystem, both staking and transactional values increase. More staking leads to more turnover, which leads to more burning amounts and profits for the users. This, in turn, leads to even more staking and transactions at the users end. Eventually, a larger amount of coins go out of circulation, hence remarkably increasing the value of the remaining coins in the market.The whole process seems nothing short of ingenious and proves that Ligercoin has the potential to be the next leader in the crypto market. Follow Liger Journey here:Website: Telegram: @TheLigerCoinTwitter: @TheLigerCoinReddit: /r/ligercoinYouTube:

Get your skin in the gameThe Stock market can seem like an intimidating place: expert investors bidding up prices in anticipation of new trends, market analysts flaunting around their indecipherable jargon, important people making even more important calls. It all seems very complex and reserved to insiders. But it doesnt have to be.Potential investors are all shackled by anxiety: Only one in three millennials is currently investing in the stock market, according to Bankrate, a financial advice website. Fear takes many shapes and forms. For many its the possibility of a collapse; for some, its the lack of professionals they could entrust their savings with; for many others, its the simple question: How do I begin?And thats the pivotal point: many want to get their skin in the game, but just dont know how. Thats why in this article well cover the basic two ways of investing and, later on, trading strategies to help the newcomers out.Passive vs Active trading strategiesBefore you spend all of your savings on a Warren Buffet outfit and go storm the NASDAQ stock exchange, you have to sit down and choose the appropriate strategy. Everyone knows to buy low, sell high but theres more to it.Broadly speaking, there are two types: Passive and Active investing.Passive investingPassive investors hold on to their assets despite the up-and-down price rollercoaster its all about the long-term outcome for them. They usually invest in mutual funds or index funds and are not full-time occupied with trading throughout the day.Also known as a buy-and-hold strategy, passive investing means that investors do not seek to time the market perfectly or profit from short-term price fluctuations the assumption is that the market will generally deliver positive returns over a long time horizon.Lets look at an example. The Standard & Poors 500 index one of the most widely known of its kind has been jumping up and down throughout the year (see graph above). But its overall value has nevertheless grown by 8.65% since the beginning of the year.Passive investors have a relatively low risk-tolerance, and think they are unlikely to out-smart the market. Their profits are thus moderate, but so are their potential losses. They seek to avoid the broker fees associated with constant buying and selling. Some collect dividends from firms. Most spread their risk across multiple industries.Active investingActive investors are more risk tolerant. They buy and sell securities in a time frame of a few hours for quick profits by exploiting short-term price fluctuations. In other words, theyre the ones that jump on the ship when the prices go up, and they jump out once they begin to plummet.The potential returns are high some investors bring home six-digit earnings. But equally large is the possibility of burning all of your savings because of a few mistakes.Because the fees for buying/selling are relatively high and the stock prices usually dont swing much active traders rely on a large volume of trades to make a buck.That also means the assets they invest into must be liquid (quickly exchangeable back to hard currency). Thats why you wont see day-traders buying up works of 19th century French photographers they simply couldnt sell them on the market quickly enough.In the past, active trading strategies were reserved to professional traders, who had and in-house brokerage (to lower commission fee) and could cope with high-frequency trading.But with real-time market data available to everyone there is a whole plethora of online tools that offer opportunities for any individual to become an active trader. Active trading strategiesActive trading is speculative in nature. Investors thus depend on some sort of market strategy a type of active trading they believe will help them beat the market.Some are indeed superstitious:In one of the episodes of a famous American sitcom Friends, Monica, one of the main characters, notices a stock with her initials (MEG) and decides to try her luck as an active trader. Her strategy, obviously, doesnt hold. Other methods are built on rigorous technical analysis and predictive methods. The following are only the most common ones.Trading on the NewsMarkets rally up and down constantly for a number of reasons. It might be a corporate scandal, an announcement that central bank is raising interest rates or a speech delivered by a countrys leader. As the name implies, traders seek to exploit these news.Day tradingNow synonymous with the definition of Active trading, Day trading is essentially a strategy to only trade securities on the same day. The stocks you bought are sold within the same day, and no position is held overnight.Positions tradingPositions trading is the method of riding the trend. By using longer term charts in combination with other predictive methods, position traders seek to jump on the wave and benefit from both the up and down of market movements. Swing TradingSwing traders are the scramblers that get in once some trend breaks. At that point, there is some volatility in the market the ups and downs become far more likely. Swing trading is a form of art that seeks to capture profits from those small short-term swings. ScalpingScalping is a method of profiting from thousands of tiny movements in price based on tick charts and one-minute charts. The strategy involves exploitation of various price gaps usually caused by bid-ask spreads.Short selling (Shorting)Excluding the technical element of how it is actually done, shorting is essentially an investment on the premise that a stock or a whole market will go down. Numerous movies have been made about it it is perhaps the most sinister way to invest, but, in a crisis period, potentially the most profitable.Other notable mentions that didnt make it into the list are range trading, pairs trading and momentum trading.A few final wordsTime is your friend in the stock market. The earlier you get started, the earlier you figure things out the better your returns will be.The amount of money in the market can seem way above your pay grade New York Stock Exchange alone had a market capitalization of US$21.3 trillion in June 2017 but, in reality, you can begin passive investing into index funds with as little as $5. You dont have to take your whole savings on a roller coaster ride, but it is important to put a portion of your income into stock market. Youre better off guarding against money-eroding inflation and to saving up for your retirement. Arm yourself with knowledge and storm the market. Find more useful tips and comments on new and improved ORCA Telegram group. We always ready to answer your questions!