Does a champion make a sandwich or a sandwich make a champion?  Last weekend at the Honda Classic, the latter proved more accurate.  It was hard to miss Columbia’s Camilo Villegas eating his pre-packed sandwich on the 7^th hole during the final round.  Perhaps, we can contribute the victory to the resident chef at the PGA National Resort and Spa.

All kidding aside, this sandwich highlights the fact that – when it comes to preparation – PGA champions leave no stone unturned.  This begins with packing your bag.

Apart from golf balls, tees, gloves, rain gear, pitch fork and the other obligatory items, golfers consistently forget one item: healthy snacks and drinks to keep hydrated and focused for 18 holes.

As golf becomes increasingly more competitive at every level, good nutrition and hydration have assumed an important role. To fully maximize all the hours of hard work you put into developing your skills, your body also needs the right kind of fuel. Try to pack a high-protein low carbohydrate snack and remember to eat before you get hungry.  If you wait to get hungry on the course, it’s usually too late; your blood sugar is already dropping, causing subsequent difficulty in concentration. Julian Krinsky Master Golf Professional Grant Griffiths recommends that all his golfers, “pack healthy snacks in their bag such as fruit, nuts, chicken sandwiches, water and even protein shakes.”  He reminds them constantly, “Stay away from fast foods and always remember the saying from Gary Player ‘Eat Hamburger, Play Hamburger.’”

This weekend is the Puerto Rico Open at Trump International Golf Club in Puerto Rico.   Last year’s winner, Michael Bradley, won a purse of $630,000. Stay posted for highlights from the tournament and the lesson of the week.

AP Reuters reports that this could be the actual sandwich consumed.

Sunday, February 28th

1pm – The Roslyn Claremont Hotel – Roslyn, NY

1pm – Residence Inn by Marriott – White Plains, NY

5pm – Upper East Side Courtyard by Marriott on 92nd St. – New York, NY

5pm – Hilton Short Hills – Short Hills, NJ

Plus, you’ll receive a special tuition price for attending!  We hope to see you there.

When the holidays are over, the cold loses its appeal pretty quickly.  We start yearning for the summer.  Luckily, I get to work in an environment wherein we plan a perpetual summer.  It’s always on our minds.  Just the other day, I was having a conversation with my three-year-old, she with her hot chocolate and me with my coffee.  She took a long pensive sip, wiped her mouth with her sleeve and after an obligatory “Ahh” informed me, “There’s nothing like a hot chocolate on a nice warm summer day.”  Of course, she had her seasons confused and – after correction – amended her statement, but the fact of the matter remains that – though subliminal – she too yearns for the summer.  (Perhaps she feeds off my summertime zeal.)  So, save your pants and sip slowly; summer will be here soon enough.  Let’s make it a great one!

]]> http://www.jkcp.com/blog/2010/01/in-the-depths-of-winter/feed/ 0 http://www.jkcp.com/blog/2010/01/2010-resolutions/ http://www.jkcp.com/blog/2010/01/2010-resolutions/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:06:03 +0000 contributor http://www.jkcp.com/blog/?p=485 The New Year is here and resolutions are in full swing.  My resolution this year is to keep my resolution for more than two months.  In several decades, this has yet to happen.  Here’s to making it happen in 2010.  In all earnestness, though, a good resolution must be sustainable, must fit comfortably into daily living. This is a creed we’ve all come to live by at Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs.  “You can’t play football forever, but you’re never too old to pick up a tennis racket,” says Julian Krinsky.  The same rings true for those lessons learned in our golf, enrichment, fitness and pre-college programs.  The director of our Krinsky Fitness program has a simple mantra: “We’re not in the business of changing people, rather improving lives.”  Small changes can produce big results.  So, when evaluating the success or failure of your own resolutions, keep in mind that big changes rarely produce prolonged results.  Don’t fret if you’ve already wavered in your resolution resolve.  Take some time to forge another, but keep it small and measurable.  You’ll thank yourself for the progress it’ll produce.

Forget about “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego.”   We want to know where in the world is Julian Krinsky.   He’s traveling  all over the world to speak about our Camps and Programs.   His most recent stop: Asia.   He receives daily requests to come and speak about our summertime sports,  enrichment and pre-college courses.   We partner with some of the United States’ most prestigious universities  to give our international students an unparalleled summer experience.

At Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs, we strive to bring students together and foster a world without strangers.   Whether tennis, golf or Pre-College, we tailor our activities to promote cross-cultural student communication.   Constantly refining our blend of international staff and administration, we bring the world to you, every summer.

So, to which continent is Julian off to next?   I can give you a hint:   it isn’t Antarctica.

Besides being a great social tool and fun game to play, tennis also provides numerous health benefits. According to this article, here are five health benefits of playing tennis:

1. People who participate in tennis three hours per week (at moderately vigorous intensity) cut their risk of death in half from any cause, according to physician Ralph Paffenbarger of Harvard University School of Public Health. (Paffenbarger not only studied over 10,000 people over a period of 20 years in his landmark ‘College Alumni Health Study’, but also finished over 150 marathons over the age of 45.)

2. Tennis players scored higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem while scoring lower in depression, anger, confusion, anxiety and tension than other athletes or non-athletes, according to Dr. Joan Finn and colleagues in a study done at Southern Connecticut State University.

3. Since tennis requires alertness and tactical thinking, it may generate new connections between nerves in the brain and thus promote a lifetime of continuing development of the brain, reported scientists at the University of Illinois.

4. Tennis outperforms golf, inline skating and most other sports in developing positive personality characteristics, according to Dr. Jim Gavin — author of The Exercise Habit.

5. Competitive tennis burns more calories than aerobics, inline skating, or cycling, according to studies on caloric expenditures.

We  are proud to introduce a new USTA sanctioned program that focuses on the development of agility, coordination and balance in children under ten years of age.  Students will use smaller racquets, play on a modified court and play with soft tennis balls to ensure that the beginning of their tennis experience will include a proper understanding of both movement and technique (forehands, backhands, overheads, serves and volleys).  It is both a fun and active experience for children who are interested in learning a new sport and they will definitely leave each session excited and motivated to play again!

One weekend I was playing doubles with Dennis Alter who ‘owns’ Advanta Bank and I casually asked him whether he was still sponsoring a four week Advanta Tour for different age groups in Florida. He said indeed he was and invited me to play in one of his 60’s age bracket tournaments.   My wife and I were going to be in Florida that week promoting our summer programs already so with the easiest of changes I arranged to fly out on Sunday and play in the Boca Raton 60’s at the Polo Club.

My first match was Monday at noon (of course they could not play at a hotter time!) and I arrived at the Polo Club an hour beforehand as an unseeded dark horse (who is this Krinsky who says he has not played a singles tournament in 25 years?).   My first match was against a Czechoslovakian and while I was up 6-1 5-0 he retired due to soreness in his back.

The second round was a tough matchup against a teaching pro from Connecticut whom I was able to beat 6-4 and 6-1.   Winning in straight sets gave me the chance to see the number 4 seed in action before I played him in the next round.  He was up 5-1 in the third set and I went home mentally preparing to play against Fong, a hustler who seemingly ran down every shot.  Lo and behold, the next day I arrived and instead found his opponent waiting to play me (he had come back to win the match 7-6 in the third).

This gave me an easier round and allowed me to conserve some energy for the semi-finals match against the number 1 seed.

The number 1 seed was a really nice guy who was a full time player from Sarasota, Florida.   He had a big serve and volley, a powerful cross court forehand, a solid slice backhand and a good volley (I want to play doubles with him in the nationals – I will put him in the deuce court).

I managed to win the first set and was down 5-2 in the second set before winning 4 straight games to make it 6-5 me with three separate match points.  Unfortunately, I did not remember how to play them (in Johannesburg you served and volleyed the match out) and rushed each of them and ended up losing the set.

Now, as you know, I do not like losing and I did not want to blow the third set after having three match points in the second so I turned up my focus and won the third set 6-3.   I was onto the finals!

Awaiting me there was the number 2 seed in the tournament, another great guy from Ibiza, Spain.   Again, I won the first set and lost the second.   I was up 5-3 in the third, he was serving up 30-0, and I decided to chip and charge for four straight returns and the match was mine.

So after five matches (and typing now for an hour) I am pleased to tell you I won the tournament!!!!!  Ah the smell of victory and the very annoying thought of defeat.   I am off in Asia now where, of course, I am still limping around – when did any of us last play five matches in a row?

-Julian