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Buzz Feed
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Dog ShowTalk Showdown
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ITV News
10-06-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Blind sport showdown becomes smash hit with Preston sight loss charity
ITV Granada Reports journalist Lauren Ostridge has been speaking to some players with visual impairments who have taken up the blind sport showdown. A charity that supports people living with visual impairments says a fast-paced and inclusive sport they have introduced has been a "game-changer" in helping to build confidence and combat isolation. Showdown, described as a mixture between table tennis and air hockey, was first invented in Canada in the 1970s for people with sight loss. But in recent years the game has become more and more popular in the UK. Galloways Support Through Sight Loss, based near Preston, applied for a Showdown table from British Blind Sport and have since created a strong team who compete in the national league. Galloways Gladiators have the only table in the North West of England and have competed against other Showdown teams like Coventry Comets and Sheffield Strikers. Lifestyles manager at Galloways, Andrew Coleman, said: "It's really opening lots of opportunities and friendships which is so important to combat isolation and make sure people have equal opportunities to get involved in sport." Each player wears a blindfold, to ensure an equal playing field, and has a paddle that looks like a small cricket bat. There is one ball, which rattles so players can hear it coming, and the aim of the game is bat it along the table and into the opponent's goal. A goal is worth two points and a foul is worth one point. A player needs to score 11 points to win. Activities coordinator James Foulton says the sport is a "game-changer" after witnessing firsthand the impact it can have. His long-time service user Dan has Down's Syndrome, as well as a a severe visual impairment, and barely spoke before taking up the blind sport. "He's found his voice again," James said. "He's getting more and more confident and is a completely different lad from when I first met him." Sophie Harrison, a service user at Galloways, was born with Stargardt disease; a rare, genetic condition that causes vision loss over time. She enjoys a variety of blind sports and attends Showdown practice at Galloways once a week. "I found it tricky at first but you start to tune in with your ears and can work out if it's rolling to the right or to the left," Sophie said. "You feel really included when you play Showdown because, if you were doing sports with sighted people, they might not understand. "But if you doing sports with other blind people, and volunteers supporting you, you don't feel like it's as much of a challenge."
Chicago Tribune
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: In the Showdown in Motown finale, the Chicago Cubs lose 4-0 to the Detroit Tigers
DETROIT — Some good-natured bantering occurred over the weekend between Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer and Detroit Tigers president Scott Harris, who worked his way up the ladder after joining the Cubs as director of baseball operations in 2012 under Hoyer and former president Theo Epstein. They helped the Cubs build a championship team together before Harris moved on to become the general manager of the San Francisco Giants and then president of the Tigers in September 2022. Harris was informed Sunday that the winner of the rubber game between the Cubs and Tigers would be awarded the 'Theo Cup,' a trophy that only exists in the imagination of a few media members looking to replicate the Vedder Cup, a newly recognized award named for Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder that goes to the winner of the San Diego Padres-Seattle Mariners series. 'The decisive game of the Theo Cup?' Harris said when apprised of what was at stake. 'Jed and I have talked, yes, but nothing worth sharing.' Cup or no cup, the Tigers wound up with a 4-0 win in the Showdown in Motown to take the interleague series. There was no champagne celebration afterward, but at least fans were treated to an interesting series between two of baseball's best teams, and some impromptu fireworks Sunday when Nico Hoerner was ejected by plate umpire Derek Thomas in the fifth inning for arguing a called third strike, followed by manager Craig Counsell's ejection after backing Hoerner. While the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry took center stage on the baseball calendar, Detroit was the place to be this weekend. The Cubs move on to Philadelphia to complete their three-city road trip, facing another top team, albeit one that lost eight of nine heading into Sunday. The Phillies took two of three from the Cubs in late April at Wrigley Field. Matthew Boyd will start in the opener, followed by Colin Rea and Ben Brown. Sunday's finale featured an intriguing matchup between Cubs rookie Cade Horton and Jack Flaherty, who returned to the Tigers after being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline and winning a ring. Flaherty threw six shutout innings, allowing two hits, while Horton suffered his first career loss in his sixth appearance. Horton struggled in the first inning, putting the first two men on before giving up a two-out, two-run double to Spencer Torkelson. Flaherty didn't give up a hit until Pete Crow-Armstrong singled with two on and one out in the fourth, but Ian Happ was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Kerry Washington, and the Cubs failed to score when Michael Busch lined out to center with the bases loaded, ending the threat. The Tigers padded the lead on Riley Greene's two-run single off Horton in the fifth, while the Cubs couldn't muster up any offense against Flaherty. Expectations have grown considerably for the Cubs over the last several weeks, with the team off to its best start since 2016. The Cubs were considered a favorite for a division title all along, but few thought they could hang in the same area code as the megabucks Dodgers or New York Mets. The offensive explosion and improvement of the bullpen now has many Cubs fans thinking bigger things, which brings more attention to the team. 'I don't know that anything has changed from that perspective,' Counsell said in a conversation before Sunday's game. Expectations haven't changed despite having the league's best record? 'The expectations are just playing good baseball, doing our jobs the right way and continuing to do that on a daily basis,' he said. 'Those are the expectations.' That may be true, but certainly Cubs fans' expectations have risen, right? 'I'm telling you what we worry about,' Counsell replied. 'We just worry about the stuff we control every day and I think those standards in itself are something that's difficult to achieve every day. But it's what we've been working at since the beginning.' Counsell has downplayed the Tigers series because it's still June, and it may have meant more to Harris and Hoyer, two old friends with bragging rights at stake. Even before Sunday, there was a lot for Hoyer and Harris to talk about, from Tarik Skubal's dominance in the Tigers' 3-1 win on Friday, to five Cubs home runs Saturday in their 6-1 victory. Harris denied there was any trash-texting between him and Hoyer after their team's respective wins, and said the competition is friendly. 'I would characterize it as we're both very competitive, and we both want to win today,' Harris said. 'But after today, I really pull for those guys. There are just a lot of really good people over there and I want them to be successful. I know they will be successful because they're really talented and they built a really, really good baseball team. 'We share observations about each other's teams, because a lot of times those conversations are really constructive, and it's useful for someone like me to see the Tigers through an outsider's lens. And he's an outsider, and I imagine that's useful for him to understand the perspective of an outsider watching his team. So we often share observations. I find them useful. I don't know if he finds them useful.' Hoyer did not make the trip to Detroit, which Harris speculated was because Hoyer wanted to spend time with his family, not because he didn't buy into the importance of the Cubs-Tigers series. 'You're more bought into the Theo Cup than Jed is,' Harris said. Guilty as charged. Either way, the rematch of the Theo Cup would have to wait until October, and that's only if the two teams meet in the World Series. That's a long way off, and obviously a lot has to happen for both teams just to get there. But the way things have been going for the Cubs and Tigers the first two-plus months, it's no longer just a pipe dream.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Acrobat battle comes to Gloucestershire in satirical circus spectacle
A HIGH-energy satirical circus show is coming to Gloucestershire. Showdown, produced by Upswing, will be performed at Gloucester Guildhall from Thursday, June 27 to Saturday, June 29, with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. The show follows on from Upswing's mockumentary Common Ground, available on YouTube, which went behind the scenes of the fictional search for a Global Majority star to rebrand circus for the 21st Century. It sees six acrobats race to become 'the new face of the circus' whilst asking questions about media, identity, tokenism and the obsession with winning. Throughout the show, the audience is invited to vote for the winner, with each round delving further into the contestants' ambition and seeing just how much they will sacrifice to come out on top. Upswing artistic director Vicki Dela Amedume said: "We're excited to finally bring Showdown to the UK. "This production has been a labour of love for the company and, to us, it represents more than just a performance—it's a testament to the unique possibilities that arise when circus and theatre collide. "It promises to be a fresh, dynamic experience: a great night out filled with incredible circus, but one that will also provoke as much thought as it does gasps. "Through conversations with Athena Kugblenu and other global majority creatives, I have become really interested in how the conversation around diversity has shifted in recent years. "I'm interested in the games we play and what we are willing to sacrifice to get the rewards we hope for and in the dynamics of power. "Ultimately, we want the audience to leave our show feeling elated, hopeful and ready to change the world." Jaide Annalise, Rebecca Solomon, Shane Hampden, Loris Di Via, Kussyl Amara, Gracie Hill and Rhys Hollis will make up the cast of performers for the show. The show, suitable for ages 12 and over, will begin at 7.30pm each day. Tickets for the show can be bought from the Gloucester Guildhall website.
Edinburgh Reporter
03-06-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
Daryl becomes young volunteer of the year
Daryl Stewart (23), a long-standing volunteer with sight loss charity RNIB Scotland, has been awarded the Special Recognition Award for Young Volunteer of the Year at the 2025 Inspiring Volunteer Awards, run by Volunteer Edinburgh. The award ceremony, which took place on Monday at the City Chambers, marked the beginning of Volunteers' Week – a national celebration of the vital role that volunteers play across the UK. Daryl received his award from The Rt Hon. Lord Provost, Robert Aldridge, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to supporting blind and partially sighted people in Scotland. Daryl, who has a cerebral visual impairment, first became involved with RNIB Scotland at the age of 14 when he joined the charity's youth forum. At the time, he felt isolated at his mainstream school. RNIB's youth group offered a transformative space where Daryl made friends and found his community. Since then, he has grown from a participant into a key figure in RNIB Scotland's volunteer network. He began volunteering at 16 and has since supported a wide range of groups and activities, from youth sessions to craft groups, walking clubs, and tandem cycling. This year, however, has seen Daryl step confidently into a leadership role, making his contribution more impactful than ever. Over the past 12 months, Daryl has taken on new responsibilities, moving beyond support to organising and leading multiple RNIB groups and activities across Edinburgh. He now independently plans and runs sessions, offering guidance, encouragement, and a warm welcome to participants of all ages. In addition, Daryl delivers Visual Awareness training to RNIB Scotland's partner organisations, equipping staff and volunteers with the knowledge and confidence to better support blind and partially sighted people in their own services. He has also played a key role in the reopening of RNIB Scotland's community café this year at their Edinburgh office, where he regularly volunteers by greeting visitors, giving tours of the newly refurbished space, and serving refreshments with professionalism and kindness. Daryl's commitment has had a measurable and lasting impact. as follows: Over 50 blind and partially sighted people have accessed group support because of Daryl's work. He's introduced 10 people to tandem cycling and 12 new players to the inclusive sport of Showdown. He's currently collaborating with Scottish Disability Sport to expand Showdown across Scotland, with ambitions to launch a national league hosted at RNIB Scotland's offices. He supports dozens of community members each week through his work at RNIB Scotland's café and local groups. When RNIB Scotland's main Edinburgh office temporarily closed for refurbishment, Daryl did not hesitate to go above and beyond. He worked with staff to ensure that community members could still attend groups and sessions – sometimes accompanying them on public transport, and in other cases meeting them at home to coordinate transport with drivers. He's also taken part in multiple Kiltwalk fundraising events, helping raise money to support RNIB Scotland's various services. 'Mention Daryl's name to anyone who comes through our doors, and they instantly smile,' said Jane Coates, Community Social Action Manager at RNIB Scotland. 'His energy, kindness, and commitment bring so much joy and reassurance to the people we support.' On receiving his award, a delighted Daryl said, 'I have loved my time at RNIB, I never want to leave!' Like this: Like Related
