Volume 1 (1999/2000)
Issue
1 (March 1999)
Issue
2 (Nov. 1999)
Issue 3 (Dec. 1999)
Issue 4 (Feb. 2000)
Issue 5 (March 2000)
Issue 6 (April 2000)
Issue
7 (May 2000)
Volume 2 (2000/2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2000)
Issue 2 (Oct. 2000)
Issue 3 (Jan. 2001)
Issue 4 (March 2001)
Issue 5 (April 2001)
Issue 6 (May 2001)
Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
Issue 2 (Nov. 2001)
Categories
Sport: 1
2 3
Lifestyles: 1 2
3
Commentary: 1 2
3
Review: 1 2
3
Writing: 1 2
3
Event: 1 2
3
Sport & Technology
Daire Hickey
Ballincollig CS
Daire Hickey (Ballincollig CS) continues his regular column for Student Xpress. He is currently the teen editor for online.ie and writes a weekly column for The Irish Examiner. You can read more about him by visiting www.online.ie/host/teen.
It's that time of the year again, the leaves are falling from the trees,
we're all back at school, and yes, winter sports are beginning. Soon we'll
be spending much of our leisure time enjoying the delights of sport on
TV. Those who are lucky enough will see the action in the flesh, those
treacherous tackles, and glorious goals. But not all of us are lucky enough
to have this kind of time on our hands. You may think that homework and
studying will prevent you from sustaining an interest in any sport, but
I think I have the answer for you - technology. Yes, again the geek prevails.
Every teenager comes equipped with the essentials, and with instructions
these can be utilised. Your mobile phone and the Internet are the best
sources of live information. Both Eirecell, and Digifone provide txt messaging
services that allow you to catch all the latest sports news on your phone.
If you check out either www.e-merge.ie for Eircell customers or www.dol.ie
for Digifone customers, you can find all the information you need. However
beware, as some services are subscription-based - when they send you regular
txt updates on each goal scored in a match, they may be costing you money.
Another disadvantage of these popular services are that you may not always
want a txt message in the middle of Mass saying that your favourite team
lost 6-0. Other than that they are a great way of always being on top
of things.
On the other hand, if you want something with a bit more depth, then
turn to the information superhighway. The net as always has everything
you need, at just a click away. If you're looking for all the latest sports
news, then read it before it's printed at www.examiner.ie/sport.
If you know what you want then go to a more specialised website. For
example, if you have rugby on the brain then the IRFU (www.irfu.ie) can
enlighten you. They provide news, player biographies, stats and all the
information you need on Irish rugby teams. A great service they also provide
is a regular email update, sent whenever news breaks. If you're not a
regular surfer then there is no point in subscribing as email builds up,
and takes up some needed space in your account.
GAA fans are not left in the dark as even the amateur association has
taken to the net at www.gaa.ie. The site is jam-packed with information,
and everything a true fan desires. It's well laid out and fully serviced
with live news on the dot.
The definitive resource for Irish sports is www.setanta.com with everything
from hurling to formula 1 racing. Here you can subscribe to free email
and txt message updates. The site also let's you watch games from the
archives of the GAA, so you can see all those local heroes in their prime.
Discussion boards and web polls make the site genuinely interactive. To
top it all off you can read about the goals as they happen on the 'live
scores' board.
Then again if you're not interested in ye ole Irish sport then ESPN,
www.espn.com has the site for you. The site is overflowing with material
about every American sport. In fact there is so much information it's
sometimes to difficult to find exactly what you are looking for, so be
sure to use the search facility on the homepage. The NBA, NHL, NFL, and
tennis are all covered. But if you want the widest range of sports the
world has even seen, then Eurosport, www.eurosport.com has the site for
you. Anything you've ever seen on the channel can be checked out on the
site, even sumo wrestling that can be seen in the early hours.