Well, we just launched our Phase 3 page-widening project and gave the site a little makeover. Whaddya think?

We didn't stop with the new look and feel though. We also added some pretty cutting edge functionality with AJAX photo-viewing technology that you won't find on many websites. Just click on a photo and you'll see it in action! (Note: we'll be adjusting our resolution to enable quicker photo-loading very soon). Now is a good time to show us your pics. Let's get some cool skiing and snowboarding shots up on their respective Hub pages or on your own My Spot pages.

Be sure to post your feedback on the new look right here on FSP Blog. Naturally we accept negative feedback ("constructive criticism") -- that's how we improve your website.  After all, it's a work-in-progress and we never stop trying to improve.

And don't forget to send your friends a link! 

There's a brand new, hot off the presses ski site that we all might want to check out. It's called Skispace.com. Winter is "heating up" so don't waste too much time forming your Skiing Pal Group and uploading last years vids and pics. Any of you who've already been out on the slopes (you bastids!) can start posting this year's shots. We who haven't tasted this year's powder yet are dying to see them. And don't forget to write us a ski report on the Ski Hub Board. I'll pop a link to Skispace.com into the ski Hub links tab since the last time I tried writing an HTML link in my blog I flubbed it up (it accidentally sent users to Fidel Castro's home page, sending FBI agents to their doors.).

Anyway, tis the ski season and it's time to hit the slopes again. Otherwise, all this pain and drudgery of trudging thru slush in parking lots and shoveling driveways will have no upside. When it comes to snow, it's use it or lose it! BTW, on Skispace.com they have a pretty funny video of Bode Miller that it looks like they actually shot with his consent. I wonder how much they paid him for that -- or maybe it was a freebie. (Could he have stock in the company?)

Anyway, it's a cool idea to have Bode on your website since he has that rare combo of notoriety, charisma (although he's a little boring to listen to) and rebelliousness. He's both a skiing hero and anti-hero --depending on the year. Nice acquisition guys!

Maybe we need to get Brett? It might pick up the pace on our Football Hub...

For us Northerners it's time to shift our mindsets into a new gear. Winter sports are just around the corner with snowboarding, skiing - both downhill and cross country - ice hockey, skating, snowshoeing, ice fishing and snow-kiting. This is a good time to start thinking about -- if not actually making reservations for -- ski vacations out west (or back east). Europe anyone? They've had poor snow the last few years but it can't go on forever. Could this be the year for a trip to Val d'Isere, France or Verbier, Switzerland?  The exchange rate might make that an impossibility for most of us but hey, you lottery winners, call your travel agent.

Before you go on a ski or snowboarding trip, be sure to set up a Funspot Trip. You can do public or private trips and your friends can sign on to the site to let you know they're coming. You can put up most if not all the details of your trip. Everyone can e-mail or IM each other and you can set up a chat room for the trip. Then after you return, you can all share your photos, videos and memories with our Afterglow feature that appears in your My Activities section (on your My Spot page) after the date of your trip is past.

To post a trip just click on the Post Activities tab above, select "Trip" and start posting the details. You can upload last year's photos of the same ski trip. If this is a trip that you go on every year or it's to a Funspot that you are likely to enjoy again and again, why not make a dedicated page for the trip under Events/trips/parties or the Funspot (e.g. Vail, Colorado) using the Funspots tab above?

Of course, you don't have to go galavanting across the globe to do cross-country skiing. All you need is a trail, a pair of skis and some snow. And the latter is likely going to be falling in large quanties around these Northern climes very soon...

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are seeing people coming in from the Turkey Trot in Detroit. I wasn't able to get down there or we'd have a photo page. By the way, that's an excellent usage for this website -- any Pal can just head down to an event and take some pics, then click the Page Builder tab on the Hub for that event. If a Hub page for that event doesn't exist, they're pretty easy to create. Just click the Events/Trips/Parties Hub and follow the directions. We've done it before with triathlons and marathons. Of course, there's no limit on creating these dedicated Event Hub pages.

Since our national attention last month in the Amercian Medical News we've had quite a response across the nation. We're beginning to see some little Pal "outposts" in places other than Southeastern Michigan. That's exciting! Of course, if you're a Pal in Florida, Colorado or California you may feel a little lonely without the bevy of Pals we have here in the Great Lakes State. Not to worry. Just tell your friends and/or use our "Send to Friend" link (on the Home page, top right) to alert the folks on your e-mail list. You'll be the founder of a Funspot "colony" whereever you are! This applies to our Pals outside the U.S. too. You could be the first of many in Spain, The Phillippines, Japan -- whereever!

Yep, the whole concept of "sports networking" is a new one on the web. There are a myriad of social networking sites but how many are using web 2.0 for participatory sports and outdoor recreation? Yes, a few come to mind, but none are household words.

It could be because most of the really popular social sites focus on My Space-style idle chatter and the kind of arms length, fleeting online relationships that we're all too familiar with. The info-sharing generally involves things that are a click away (e.g. "check out this cool site aggregator called Bahboo" or this or that interesting article). In other words, you don't have to get up and go somewhere after you connect online. You can remain in your underwear or pyjamas the entire time!

I'll be the first to admit that the link-up online and meet offline concept has only really taken hold in the dating world. This site is oriented toward sports and getting outside and staying fit (although what better setting to meet members of the opposite sex than on a bike tour or kayak outing?)

One potential game changer in all this is the ability to go mobile with the use of text messages sent back to the "mother website" with short "blips" to let people know what you're doing at a given time such as Twitter.com. now offers. Thus, when the P.C. is no longer an essential part of the equation, we may see a rapid expansion of the number of sports participants connecting at the trail, park, slopes, rink or lake.

As they say, if you can conceive it, you can acheive it and rest assured we're working hard at the conception aspect of "Mobile FunspotPals", so stay tuned...

Every now and then you have an experience that just puts everything into perspective. Unfortunately, this is the second time it's happened in as many months. In Chicago last month we had the death of a young Michigan runner nearing the end of a grueling, 90 degree plus event that sent dozens of other runners to the hospital. He was later found to have a heart condition and, although he was in excellent shape, he was not considered to be an "elite" marathoner.

On Saturday, one of the top marathoners in the country, Ryan Shay, also hailing from Michigan, collapsed during his 5th mile and could not be resuscitated. The weather conditions were not a factor and he had no reported medical issues at race time. However, initial reports reveal that he had been diagnosed with an enlarged heart at the age of 14. His father, Joe Shay, said that doctors in San Diego told him last spring that he may need a pacemaker. He had a resting pulse rate of only 25. The senior Shay told the Detroit Free Press, "what made him such a great runner was probably what killed him".

The 2003 US Marathon Champion was, according to his friend and fellow Trials runner, Clint Verran, "the leanest I had ever seen him, which was a good sign heading into the marathon." Photos at the start line show a steely-eyed Shay, wearing red gloves and exuding energy and zest. He was known for tough, even brutal workouts and a punishing dedication to training. He had recently completed a 23 mile run at 7,000 feet telling a reporter, "I figure if my body can take that, I should be ready to run a marathon with no problem". During one training run during his college years at Notre Dame, he was run over by a car with the tires crossing over both shins. He got up and finished the run.

Early Saturday morning I was exasperated with the failed NBC web feed for the race. I was frustrated and infuriated by the fact that I had needlessly gotten up early on a weekend morning after a tough work shift to watch the Trials. There was the embarrassment that the link on our website sent Pals to a feed that didn't work. There was the disappointment in not being able to watch Michigan's Hansons Team in it's bid to send a runner to the Olympics. Then, a few hours later, all these concerns, which had dominated my morning, shrunk to insignificance by the sad, stunning news flash from New York.

I set my alarm for 7:00 am on a Saturday, eager to watch the U.S. Olympic Trials, Men's Marathon on the NBC/Mediazone live feed, which we created a link for on the home page. First I found out it didn't support my Mac. That's disappointing but marginally acceptible these days. So, quick as a rattlesnake, I powered down my Mac and switched the wiring over to my old PC. I then came here to FSP.com and clicked the ready-made link and thought I was minutes away from live Marathon coverage! Wrong. After clicking the "Listen Live FREE" button a couple of dozen times I began to realize my strategy wasn't working.

The NBC page that heralds the live feed had a chat on it and it seems the Live Feed organizers were discriminating against certain groups: foreigners -- including some pissed off Canadian runners -- Mac users and.....Americans! Yes, according to the chat people were being shut out of the feed in droves. Oh well. But I can't suppress my disappointment and want to apologize to the Pals who set their alarm to get this link -- for naught. Running a website, I'm no stranger to technical difficulties -- and I'll admit we've had plenty. Nevertheless, when the stakes are this high and the "Pros" are running the show, we all expect better.

It's 10:06 Eastern right now. Does anyone know who won?

Just a word about the vision thing. Our image of the future of FSP.com is of a web resource open to all, that people can use as their online recreation "Hub".

So, FunspotPals.com is a place where people can share not only their videos, photos and experiences but their experience and knowledge as well. Thus, you can be a skier named "MountainMan " who lives near Steamboat Springs, Colorado and another skier in New York, who's heading out there, can spot MountainMan on our map and then IM or e-mail him to get the latest conditions or the name of the best ski rental store in the area, etc. He could also go to the Steamboat Hub under our Funspot Tab and maybe get that same info.

The only problem right now is that there is no "Steamboat Hub" on our site. There are simply too many funspots and events and activities out there for us to build Hubs for. But that's not a problem. In fact, we designed this site so that Pals could collaborate (using the principles made famous by Wikipedia) and build the Hubs with their own knowledge of the activity, funspot or event in question.

In other words, we could go out and pay someone to build these Hubs (actually, we couldn't -- not enough coin!) and come up with a so-so product, but it would never be as useful as one that's been built piece-by-piece by the folks who are active skiers, kiteboarders and kayakers or the folks who frequent a given Funspot or have participated in a given event like the Detroit Marathon. These people have been there and done that and they are the Pals who can educate the rest of us about all those pesky little details that we otherwise have to learn by trail and error.

So, not only will FSP.com be a great place to show us your stuff in terms of photos, videos and the like, its also ready for use as a handy information resource from the "boots on the ground". See you on the Hubs!

That's our vision, and we're sticking to it.

Diver Dave

That's right. The American Medical Association has a feature article on FunspotPals.com in this week's edition. Appearing in the Health and Science edition of their October 22nd, 2007 issue, the article is entitled "Doctors' Web site offers connections for fun and exercise" [http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/10/22/hlsc1022.htm]. That's a reference to the fact that Kevin and I are practicing physicians with more than a passing interest in the link between regular, physical activity and general health and wellness.

Here's a quote from the article: This [website] is part of an overall trend of physicians attempting to affect their local communities to address the obesity epidemic. The American Medical Association has long been concerned with the number of people who are overweight or obese." Owing to our medical backgrounds, when we began this site one of our goals was (and still is) to bring a wide variety of exciting and unique forms of sport and physical activity to those who find traditional "working out" to be boring. 

The piece continues: "Social networks influence weight, and this physician-created effort aims to eliminate one excuse for a sedentary lifestyle." This is a reference to the findings that the obesity epidemic seems to be "feeding on" social networks that support overeating and inactivity. Why not create social networks that spread positive, healthful lifestyles and enable vigorous, fun activities?

Staying fit through standard workouts performed alone just isn't doing it for a large number of Americans. We think that doing a sport or recreation involving vigorous activity and an element of fun is the best way to keep people active. Variety in these pursuits makes it even more appealing -- and to a broad age range.

One local fitness expert who keeps your workouts interesting is Jennifer Gray of BodybyJenn, founder of the wildly original (and successful) Bootcamps for Brides and related fitness programs (including Bootcamps for Men). One of the most popular and respected personal trainers in Southeastern Michigan, Ms. Gray can be reached via our secure e-mail on her BodybyJenn My Spot page on The Hub!

Well, we're down to just a few weeks until the gun sounds at the U.S. Mens Marathon Olympic trials. On November 3rd at Rockefeller Plaza, Michigan runner, Clint Verran of Lake Orion will be there in the thick of it along with his mates from the Hansons Running Team of Rochester, MI. Led by Keith and Kevin Hanson, this extraordinary training group will field one of every ten entrants in the marathon Olympic Trials this year. [Be sure to check out our Running Hub, which Clint edits (although he's likely a little too busy training to Blog right now!). His My Spot page is featured top left on The Hub main page].

Clint also runs a physical therapy clinic (Clint Verran Sports Medicine in Lake Orion, MI) dedicated to helping runners and specializing in foot and ankle orthotics. So, Michigan runners: if you have a foot/ankle running problem, who better to help you than a physicial therapist who's also a professional marathoner?

Let's all support this highly accomplished athlete and wish him well at the Trials! We're also saluting a health care professional who is helping people to safely get out and get active. There's nothing quite like dedication to competition, whether it's at the pinnacle like Clint and The Hansons or at the level of a sedentary person who's made the choice to get out and run for a healthier future.

We at FSP.com always hoped the web site could bring the very best individuals from many different sports together with the eager-to-learn amateur in one interactive community. Kudos to Clint Verran for bringing to our website his unique insight and experience --  and more importantly -- his ability to inspire not only the novice runner but the person trying to find a way back to a healthy lifestyle.

That's our vision, and we're sticking to it! 

Well, a one month long redesign of the home and main Hub pages is underway. We've been listening to your feedback and chipping in with some of our own observations from using this site. We think the home page needs to be more open, so we'll be moving some of the more popular page elements to the front (like The Buzz) and we're also going to put in some spiffy "gradients" and color fades.

In terms of functionality, more upgrades are on the way but they'll have to wait for the page widening to be completed. Of course, you can never get it all, but we're trying! We're also contemplating moving the flash photo slide show off the main page to make room for a large array of photos of Pals, activities, Funspots and events that appear based on ratings by you, the Pals. If you move the mouse over the photo it will pop up to full size. Move the mouse off it and it shrinks back down instantly. I've seen the demos and it's really cool!

Question for the peanut gallery: do we keep the girl in the logo above? Or stick in an action shot? "But I've become attached to her," you say. Now you see how hard it is designing web pages!

But seriously, we welcome your input on this project since you're the folks who'll be using it.

Thanks, 

Diver Dave

This is normally a happy, upbeat space and I enjoy blogging on this site. In fact, we even have a goofy typo that we've never gotten around to removing -- perhaps because it's oddly appropriate: The term "Fun fact", appearing on our e-mailed blogs, has somehow evaded deletion for months. Well, we're sorry that for this entry it doesn't fit and sounds more than a bit ridiculous. The death of a Midland, Michigan man in yesterday's Chicago Marathon and the heat prostration of hundreds of others is a very sobering event that demands a note of seriousness from FSP Blog.

I went out for a run yesterday here in Bloomfield, MI and, although it was only 5 miles and flat, I found the high 80's temperature and humid air to be very challenging. I probably lost a few pounds of water and felt exhausted -- despite adequate hydration beforehand and my being in decent shape. As an ER doc by trade, I'm well aware of the dangers of heat illness in this unseasonably warm period we in the midwest have enjoyed this Fall. I'm sure the race organizers considered this risk prior to the race, but there are allegations that there was inadequate hydration along the way. 

There will doubtless be a lot of finger-pointing and even legal actions arising from this tragedy. Of course, no foot race is worth dying for and no race organizers can plan for everything. However, as we reflect on what went wrong, we should also pause to ponder what went right, and continues to go right, in countless races and events nationwide -- year in, year out. From the hundreds of triathlons and 10K runs to the myriad other events in hundreds of sports, a lot is going right in the world of amateur sports and outdoor recreation.

I'm a firm believer in the importance of exercise in keeping healthy and maintaining a good quality of life. FSP.com grew in part out of an earlier concept of ours that involves doctors prescribing exercise to patients. This would be a therapeutic and, as national research has shown, effective means of getting our obese and unhealthy patient populations up and active. The concept is still growing as doctors attempt to enlist their patients in countering the dangerous obesity epidemic. 

In May of this year, the Centers for Disease Control reported 52% of US adults do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity. The agency recommended that doctors tell their adult patients to "strive to engage in moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes on five or more days each week for at least 20 minutes per occasion." They added a second option: "... engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity 3 or more days per week for 20 or more minutes per occasion." The CDC evidently has been reading our own FSP.com playbook: "There is no need to think of strenuous exercise or boring workouts. Instead, imagine doing fun physical activities you enjoy and watch the health benefits follow!" Nothing boring about kite-boarding and mountain biking! And workouts can still be fun if you've got a Funspot Pal to do them with.

Of course, the death of just one young runner in a marathon rightly makes us all pause and reflect on whether the cure is worse than the disease. Are some people pushing so hard to stay fit, in shape and at the pinnacle of health that they actually endanger their health? Naturally, I don't know the facts of this case and am speaking in general terms. But, we Americans are a competitive lot. We have always taken things near the limits of endurance and achievement and our sports are no exception. Normally, that's not a problem, but as in all endeavors, accidents, errors and a confluence of unfavorable events can end in disaster despite preparation and prudence. 

The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon may have been all of the above, but it should not deter us from the overall goal of health, well-being and yes, fun. Rather, it should reinforce the need to keep things in perspective and to play and train safely. 

Let's all have a safe and healthy Fall season.

Diver Dave

That's right. This website is going to get a new look. We've already started on a page-widening project and we guarantee it will not take as long as the average road-widening project! And, unlike road construction, this work is all being done offline -- so it won't disturb your use of FunspotPals.com at all.

Along with the wider page you'll see a more open home page with an "open door" policy to most Pals. Even if you're not signed in as a Pal you'll have wider access to many of the pages. There'll still be plenty of site functions that are open only to registered Pals, but the average web surfer will be able to see more of our site. (We think they'll be more likely to want to join).

So, it's a wider page and wider access. Both are coming soon in our never-ending quest to make FSP.com THE online Hub for all your sports and recreational activiites!

Hey Pals,

Okay, I've signed on as a Pal on FSP.com. Smart move. What next?

You might want to read our Help/FAQ (on the bottom of the page) and go over the details on how to use the site. If you get the picture on how things work but just need some prompting, I would suggest showing us your PICTURE if you haven't already. That's super easy: just browse thru the photos on your hard disc and when you've found the one you want, note the folder it's in. Then go to your FSP.com My Spot page and click on Page Builder (far right, lower tab row). Then just click on Browse, spot your photo and double click it.

Next order of business is to check out the Map to view Pals and Funspots in your area (if there aren't too many then you can: A. bring in your friends (recommended) and/or B. Show us YOUR Funspots (also recommended). Then send the Pals a message by e-mail, or -- if they're online -- Instant Messaging. Both of these options will be in that Pal's Talks Spot box in the middle of their page. You should also take a look at the calendar for upcoming events, trips or parties and show up to the events and meet some new Pals!

Speaking of events, if you want to post an upcoming activity (could be tomorrow or next Spring) just go to The Hub and click Post Activities in the lower tab row. Then decide if this is a local activity like a bike ride a few miles away, or a trip (like a dive trip to Belize), a special event (e.g. Race for the Cure or the Free Press Marathon) or a Funspot Party (make sure you invite us!). Once you've made that choice, just enter the Who, What, Where, How and When info. Pick whatever you like -- leave most of it blank if you like. It only takes a minute to post a quick local activity! Special Events are more involved (you can even upload sponsors' logos) but they look great.

If you're tired after all that work, why not just browse lazily thru the dedicated Hub pages for 170 activities, a growing list of Funspots and Events, Groups and the photos and videos people are uploading on The Hub's Buzz (move mouse over The Buzz circle).

Well, that's enough for now. I'll have more tips in a few...

Diver Dave

Here in the Midwest, we enjoy the four seasons. The end of summer is always tough but Fall can be a great time to get out and get some fresh air with a myriad of activities. Mountain biking, sailing, backpacking, running are great fall pursuits when the crisp air gives you that invigorating rush.

In a few weeks we'll have the Fall colors to add to the healthful mix. Even if you're not into slapping on a wetsuit and going kiteboarding at Metro Beach, simply walking is a healthy way to take in the leafy woods ambience of the Great Lakes states. And don't forget the purely seasonal activities like going thru a corn maze -- followed by a Haunted hay ride! (Try the Amusing Corn Maze in Leonard, MI to try them both! [(248) 628-4014]

We'd like to welcome American Cycle and Fitness Stores (username: acfstores), BodybyJenn (UN: bodybyjenn) personal training and Malesh Associates firearm safety instruction (UN: maleshassociates).

These are three local businesses who are supporting us (with content not with money) as we continue to ramp-up the website. We're excited to have them on board and I can assure you that they are quality companies with good products and services. We don't mind -- and in fact welcome -- local Michigan sports and health-related businesses on our site because they bring products that are of use to our Pals (no printer cartridge or nail polish ads on this site!)