The swearing, shouting and angry action on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins took a pause on Sunday night as former footballer Ashley Cain was brought in front of the trainers to talk about his aggression and told a shattering account of the moment he lost his eight-month-old daughter, Azaylia.

Cain spoke about his motivation for doing the show and how he was determined to push on the way his little girl fought throughout her short life. Azaylia passed away on April 24, 2021, when she was just eight months old following a courageous battle with acute myeloid leukaemia. Viewers of the show were in bits after Ashley spoke openly about his experience.

Read more: BBC Strictly Come Dancing fans 'so happy' as one big part returns to normal

'I'm a family man. Always been a family man, that's what I'm about. I had a chance to start my own family and I had a beautiful little baby girl. Two months into my daughter being born we found out she had a really aggressive form of leukaemia," said the star, who's also appeared on Ex on the Beach. "She was incredible. She showed strength, she showed courage. She showed everything it takes for a person to get on in this world. And then she sadly lost her life on 24 April. She passed away in my arms and it's a moment I'll never forget.'

The former footballer said: 'One thing I will remember is every single day my daughter was fighting this disease, she smiled every day. She fought every day and she made the most of every single day. And that's a lesson I'll take through my life. She didn't have the chance in life that I've got, that we've all got and I definitely don't want waste mine. I want make to her proud. I want to show people that no matter what you go through in life, you can overcome anything.

'The day that my little girl was born was a moment that I'd been waiting for all my life. I couldn't have been a happier, prouder father and then all of a sudden things changed. When they told us that there was nothing more that they could do, it completely broke me.

'All I wanted to know at that point was that if she goes she will go in my arms and she will go peacefully. And at eight months old she passed away in mine and my partner's arms. I believe she had a peaceful transition to the other side."

Instructors Rudy Reyes and Mark 'Billy' Billingham were visibly affected by Ashley's account, as were viewers.

Claire Leeson wrote: "Sobbing at Ashley Cain talking about Azaylia." And Sophie tweeted: "I have nothing but respect for Ashley Cain" Shaz added: "What a man #ashleycain is absolutely sobbing right now."

Samantha Clarke tweeted: "So heartbreaking hearing Ashley Cain talk about his little baby, so much respect for him."

Another on social media said: "Ashley Cain recalling that tragic story is absolutely shattering." Matt Hayden added: "Ashley Cain talking about his daughter passing on SAS has absolutely shattered me."

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Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins viewers 'shattered' by Ashley Cain's heart breaking motivation - Wales Online

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McCoy, Lady Bobcats motivated to make another run at a state title - Star Local Media

Theres going to be a lot riding for the Los Angeles Lakers this coming season after they spent the past two years in basketball purgatory. Anthony Davis is well aware of whats at stake for them in 2022-23 and he definitely isnt shying away from it.

Davis recently revealed that this is the exact mindset the team will have as they enter training camp. As a reminder for all of them, the Lakers have decided to dawn a special T-shirt that will symbolize their primary objective for the upcoming campaign (h/t Dave McMenamin of ESPN):

Anthony Davis told ESPN he plans to have a chip on his shoulder this season, channeling the same approach he brought to LA in 2019-20. The Lakers have training camp T-shirts that say CHIP across the front, a little double entendre for their mindset and motivation.

Its championship or bust for the Lakers this season and for his part, AD is all-in on this notion. Hes also out to get some revenge this year as he looks to respond to anyone and everyone whos already counted him out.

Injuries were a major hurdle for Davis last season, but he remains adamant that it was just a case of bad luck for him. When asked about his preparations this offseason, Davis said that everythings been normal on that front:

I did the same exact thing as last season, he said. I had two injuries that you cant really control. Guy fell into my knee, landed on a foot.

It is worth noting that there were some whispers about a potential Anthony Davis trade away from the Lakers during the offseason. Im pretty sure that AD himself has heard about all this, and hes going to be taking all this into account once the new season begins.

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Anthony Davis on special T-shirts that show Lakers' title motivation - ClutchPoints

The Panda Xiong Jing Nan is mentally and physically prepared for her trilogy duel against Unstoppable Angela Lee at ONE on Prime Video 2 this Friday, September 30.

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Xiong understands that both aspects of this game will play an important role against the atomweight queen, who dished out a classic performance in her first fight in over two years at ONE X this past March.

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She was all business at the official press conference in Singapore on Thursday morning, stating that her desire to be the best in the business fires her up to get better with each appearance inside the Circle.

I definitely have pressure, Xiong replied when asked about representing China. But it is my motivation to lead the sport.

The Xiong-Lee rivalry is possibly one of the best duels that have taken place at the Singapore-based organization.

During their two confrontations in Tokyo, Japan, in 2019, both fighters defended their gold with a highlight-reel finish over the other.

Lee first moved up to strawweight in an attempt to become ONEs first two-division female World Champion. Unfortunately, her bid ended in the fifth round via a TKO.

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26-Year-Old Angela Lee Vows to Create Iconic Moment at Familiar SingaporeIndoor Stadium

4 days ago

The warriors fought again in October, but Lee earned her shot at redemption with a ruthless strategy. Unstoppable ended proceedings with a rear-naked choke at 4:48 of the fifth and final stanza, meaning that Xiong fell short of her effort to claim a second divisional World Title in ONE.

With one win apiece, both martial artists are determined to end the head-to-head series decisively.

For Xiong, she knows that the Singaporean-American athlete will be at her best, and she promises to bring her A game when they lock horns on American primetime this Friday.

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I hope to bring an interesting fight this coming Saturday, Chinas first-ever MMA World Champion declared.

I have done a lot of preparation. Grappling and striking. I will show everyone on fight night.

The Panda has successfully defended her ONE Strawweight World Title on three occasions following her defeat to Lee at ONE CENTURY: PART I, earning decisive wins over Tiffany No Chill Teo, Michelle Nicolini, and Ayaka Zombie Miura.

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Angela Lee Discloses Discovering Weak Spots in Prior Encounters Against ChineseChampion Xiong Jing Nan; Amped to Show Improvements

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Another win during ONEs second outing on Prime Video will see her extend her reign at the top, but it would not come easy against the ONE Atomweight World Champion.

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It Is My Motivation to Lead the Sport Representing China Boosts First-Ever Champion, Xiong Jing Nan Who Wants to Decisively Beat Angela Lee -...

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Shane Hastie: Good day, folks. This is Shane Hastie for the InfoQ Engineering Culture Podcast. Today I'm sitting down with Dr. Natalie Baumgartner from the Achievers Workforce Institute. Dr. Natalie, welcome. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today.

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Thanks so much for having me, Shane. Happy to be here.

Shane Hastie: Probably a useful starting point is, who are you?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Well, you heard the doctor in my name. So I am a business psychologist, and I have spent my whole career focusing on the world of the employee experience. So working with organizations from entrepreneurial startups to Fortune 500 organizations, really focused on what are the factors that allow organizations to provide a great experience for their employees? My PhD's in clinical psychology, but I really focus on strength-based psychology and all the things that make workplaces great places to be at. And as you mentioned, I work with Achievers.

So Achievers is an employee experience platform that provides a number of technological resources that help organizations truly engage their people. And the Workforce Institute within Achievers is the research and science arm. So we are a bunch of, I like to say, engagement nerds, I myself am a self professed nerd, who really focuses on ensuring that everything that we do at Achievers, from the technology we develop to the thought leadership we share, is rooted in science that is focused on changing the way the world works, which is our mission.

Shane Hastie: Thank you very much. And that certainly aligns well with a lot of the work we do here in the culture and methods team on InfoQ, so I'm excited, I'm interested. Possibly a starting point is the state of recognition report that was recently released. Tell us about that.

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Yeah, happy to. We have four quarterly research reports that come out of the Achievers Workforce Institute each year. And this was our Q2 report, was the state of recognition report. Our focus was really on understanding the sea change that has occurred in the business arena. I don't think anyone lacks a window into the reality that employees have really by and large around the entire globe re-evaluated what work means for them and where they find meaning and value in work, how and when they want to work. And part of our focus was on why are people voting with their feet and leaving organizations, and what is it they really want and need in their work life and their work experience? And so this report really is empowering, we believe, change in the new world of work.

Shane Hastie: What is it that people are looking for?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Great question. I've worked in this arena for a couple of decades now, and I would say this is both the most interesting and inspiring period of that time that I've focused on the employee experience. Because employees, rather than beating the drum only or mostly around compensation or benefits, perhaps promotion in their career and so on, the focus has really been on the importance of having a deep sense of belonging and fulfilment at work and having sustainable work-life integration, and of course then continuing to progress in their career.

So we found that one of the single most powerful tools that's really driving this experience of connection and belonging at work and purpose that employees are really mandating from their organizations is the tool of recognition. And one of the sharpest findings we found is that from recognition frequency to what makes recognition meaningful, that we have some insight, more than we ever have had before, about how leaders can create a culture of recognition and belonging in the workplace to drive engagement and productivity and job commitment.

Shane Hastie: Let's go right down to first principles. What do we mean when we say recognition?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner:I think as humans, we can all pause and think about a time when someone has really seen us and appreciated us as a unique individual and for doing something that's really meaningful that has stood out. And so that's what we refer to when we use the term recognition. It's really what many of us think about as appreciation or even gratitude. And Shane, you and I were just chatting before we started talking on this podcast about how it feels when someone really sees the great contribution you've made and acknowledges it, and even more powerfully, acknowledges it in a meaningful way, and even better, in a public way, so that you really feel like the hard work you're doing, the effort you're putting in is truly having an impact.

Shane Hastie: If I think of a lot of our audience, we are the technologists, we're stereotypically a little bit introverted, going to be a little bit uncomfortable even with some of this, certainly the public recognition, aren't we?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Yes. And that's something that we dove into a little bit, because before we were really gathering this kind of rigorous data, I too was a little dubious around whether the concept of public was so critical in terms of the impact that recognition can have. And when I say public, what I really mean is that it is powerful for one to hear appreciation or recognition from one's direct manager in a meeting when they're operating solo. And if we take that same appreciation and amplify it by sharing it in a newsletter or sharing it on a recognition platform, when we ask employees, regardless of wiring or personality or role type or industry, we find that employees say it felt really good. It felt good to be appreciated in that way. And to have it not be shouted from the rooftops literally, in a way that might be quite embarrassing, but just shared with one's cohort and colleagues, and especially if it's something that feels really true and meaningful.

Shane Hastie: There's something important there, the really true and meaningful. How do we prevent this from being, dare I say, lip service?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: I'm so glad you asked about that, because one of our objectives in this particular research report was to dive in a little bit more deeply to understand what makes the recognition meaningful for employees. So, we actually for many years had some assumptions, I mean some criteria that we thought were the right ones to provide an experience where someone would hear a recognition and say, "Oh yeah, that feels really good to me, it feels really meaningful." But we challenged ourselves and said, let's ask employees. And what we found is 64% of employees said, first of all, that they would prefer more meaningful recognition as opposed to more frequent. The majority of employees said, I'd rather get fewer recognitions, but have them be really meaningful than mere lip surface, to use your word, Shane. And in addition, we found, we identified a few factors that employees rallied around in terms of what makes a recognition meaningful.

So the top three factors that were identified were that the recognition was about something specific that I did. So not, "Thanks, Shane, for doing a great podcast," but, "Thanks for creating this really interesting conversation in your podcast about this topic of recognition and really bringing insightful lens to the conversation." Two, that it was something about me as an individual or about something I value. So in this case, I love getting the opportunity to give you some recognition change in real time. So, "Shane, the way that you have such a comfortable conversational style clearly put your interview at ease and your sense of humor also really came through." And then three is that it's about the way in which I made a difference to the person who sent me the recognition.

So it could be, "And I'm so glad that you have this podcast on recognition because for me as a manager, I'm a new manager, I'm really trying to understand what are the most important things for me to do to help my team members feel valued and to have a great sense of engagement at work. And so this has really helped me become a better manager." So something specific, something about me as an individual, and some way in which I made a difference to you.

Shane Hastie: And I feel it. Thank you. From personal experience and that conversation, I do feel more engaged, more motivated. So it works. Who would've thought it?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Powerful. It's powerful. Do you know that 75% of employees who are recognized at work would recommend their manager to others? And I share that because even for me, when I moved into this area of understanding this aspect of engagement recognition, many years ago now, I thought, how powerful can it really be? This is about saying thank you. And it gives us some insight into who we are as humans that we really value it, that it really feeds and fuels us. And so even if you feel sceptical as a manager about the importance of doing this, or you feel uncomfortable, and so you're like, I think I'm going to go put that over to the side of my desk and do some things that I know I'm good at that don't make me sort of hesitate and feel like I'm not going to be able to deliver.

I would encourage you to put it back in the middle of your desk and give it a try, because employees who are recognized at work not only have higher levels of engagement, are much more likely to stay in their job, are more productive, but they also recommend their manager to others. They find they have a stronger and more powerful and more positive relationship with the person that leads them.

Shane Hastie: A lot of direct benefits there to the employee-manager relationship. What about to the employee-company relationship?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Right. Well, I think one of the things that's top of mind right now for organizations is both retention and finances. So we know that individuals that are recognized weekly are twice as likely as average to have strong job commitment and five times more likely than those never recognized to say that they rarely think about job hunting. Those are some pretty powerful stats when you're thinking about how to retain your workforce or attract a workforce. And two thirds of respondents say that feeling recognized actually reduces their desire to job hunt. In addition, on the financial side, and we know that a lot of organizations are focusing on tightening their belts right now and being concerned about a global downturn economically, 52% of employees say feeling recognized for their work would reduce the negative impact of a salary freeze. And on top of that, employees rank social recognition as most important, 42%, before low monetary recognition and infrequent high monetary recognition.

What does that mean In a nutshell? It means that it's so powerful that employees who feel well-recognized are willing to perhaps kind of sit where they are at in terms of salary and to continue to stay inside their organization. But if finances are an issue to such an extent that there isn't money in the bank to make recognition a monetary feature in your organization, social recognition, which is simply recognizing for the sake of recognizing, is actually more important even to employees than receiving that gift card with that recognition. So it's actually something that organizations can do with very little budget and resource and it has a massive outsize impact on their ability to retain employees.

Shane Hastie: What's the disconnect between what HR policies and... What we think we're doing and what we are actually achieving?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: One of the interesting findings we have surfaced in several, actually, of our recent research studies on recognition, on wellbeing, on diversity and inclusion, is that we're continuing to see a disconnect between how HR leaders feel they're doing, or their organization is doing in providing the supports and nurturing that employees need versus how employees feel like they're doing and receiving it. So HR leaders are, I think, really well-intended, but tend to think, "We're doing okay," and employees are saying, "I'm not really feeling it." And so that's something just to be aware of. We have seen that several times now in our research and it has caused us to encourage organizations to not assume that just because they have practices that are in place to help and support employees, that they're the right ones or that they're landing in the right way with their employees. So this is my opportunity to remind organizations, you need to ask employees, how are you doing?

Whether you're using a voice of employee tool or you're doing focus groups or having your managers have one-on-one conversations, you need to be asking and you need to not assume. In addition, when it comes to recognition specifically, we know that regular training on how to recognize well, so recognition best practices, is really crucial, and for developing and nurturing a culture of recognition. It's not complicated, it just requires understanding a few basic principles. And the data in this research report showed a disconnect between leaders and employees on that training.

And what I mean by that is 9 out of 10 HR leaders said that they provide recognition training to their staff, at least once, about how do you recognize what are the ground rules? And meanwhile, less than half, 41% of employees said they have received any training at all. So we know 90% and 41% are pretty different numbers, and it tells us that we have a little ways to go as organizations in terms of ensuring that we're not only providing the opportunity for our leaders and managers to recognize by providing budget or resource, but we really need to make sure that we're providing training that feels really effective to our managers on how to do it well.

Shane Hastie: Going a little bit wider, if we may, thinking of a fair percentage of our audience, these are relatively new managers, promoted often from a technical background. How do we support these people to become better leaders?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Well, we know that so often really successful employees are promoted into positions of leadership with very little to none, often, training around what are the most important factors to focus on? How do you become a really great manager? So I encourage a few things. One, we have actually a manager empowerment model at the Achievers Workforce Institute that we focus on. And we know that to keep it really simple, that there are just a few things that if managers focus on, have the most powerful impact on their team members' experience. So one is contact, and that became so clear during the pandemic, that simply having that one on one time with your team member, whether it's in person or remote, can't be replaced by any other factor. It is the most important factor for managers to be committing to and delivering and having real conversations. Secondly, when you're having that conversation, asking your team member what they need. What they need in terms of development, what they need in terms of support. Again, it's really important not to guess.

And so that actually in a way makes your job easier. You don't have to be a mind reader as a manager. You simply need to ask the question around how can I help you get to where you want to be, develop in the way that you want to develop? And certainly, recognizing. We know that if you are going to have one takeaway from this conversation, it would be that providing a meaningful recognition once a month at the minimum to each member of your team has a tremendous impact on how your team's going to feel in their job, how they're going to feel about you, and the likelihood that they'll stay and continue to do a great job for you. So focusing on those factors keeps it simple. None of those require some massive amount of extensive, expensive training. It's really about making the time, having the contact, asking people what they need, doing your best to deliver on it or to get them in touch with someone who can, and then recognizing them for what they're doing well.

Shane Hastie: Sounds such a simple formula, and yet so often we get it wrong.

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Well, I think it's very easy to become overwhelmed as a manager. During the pandemic, we found, and this is certainly not exclusive to the pandemic, but in the height of the pandemic, we found that managers were really the meat in the sandwich. They're getting pulled in both directions. They're needing to provide support and resource to their employees and also deliver to the people above them. And so it is challenging, especially to be a new manager, and especially to be a new manager without much training or development on how to do it. It's very challenging to do oftentimes your day job still, the job that you were doing before you became a manager or some aspect of it, plus nurturing and supporting the people beneath you.

I think having a lot of empathy for that challenge is really important, but keeping it simple. So that's why I referenced, if you're having contact, if you're helping to develop and provide feedback, and if you're recognizing your employees, even each of those just a little bit has a tremendous effect on how your team is going to function. And all that comes back to you then, because then you'll feel that in return, and then what develops is a really positive cycle.

Shane Hastie: Something that sits in my mind is, we know this as managers dealing with operational people and direct reports. Do we forget it as we rise through the hierarchy? It feels like it.

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: I think often it's that the job or the task, the list of responsibilities, the pressure, it's not that it's not significant at every level, but it gets heftier and weightier as we move up in the ranks of an organization. So I think that's one factor, is that often it gets pushed to the bottom of the list because there are so many things that have risen above it, that we know in reality they're not more important, but they oftentimes have more energy behind them, especially from the people above us. And so that's one factor, I think, that's really real. And I think it's also true that especially for most of us who don't have training on how to do this well, as the to-do list gets bigger, it is human nature to naturally gravitate towards the things that we really know how to solve, either because we have expertise in it or because it's very straightforward or it's not uncomfortable, there isn't emotion attached to it. And that is natural.

It is typical of us as humans that we do that. And so it's easier to check off the box on something that we either know how to do or that's very straightforward, black and white. And that means that the softer but equally powerful, in terms of their impact on business performance, softer factors don't get the attention that they really need. And that builds and results in what ends up being actually an incredibly negative impact on organizational performance. My experience is if we can give our managers just some support, some direction, keep it straightforward, don't overcomplicate what's most important, that's a great service. In my decades of working with leaders and managers, I have met very few who show up at work each day intending to disengage their people. Nobody wants that. That's not anyone's intent. And so we can make it easy for managers to be able to support the people beneath them, that we see it happen, but we do have to empower them. We do have to support them.

Shane Hastie: A lot of really interesting and powerful stuff there. Dr. Natalie, if people want to continue the conversation, where do they find you?

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: Please. I would love for you to reach out. I am on LinkedIn, so Natalie Baumgartner. I'm on Twitter, ask_dr_nat. And of course, I really would encourage you to check out the Achievers website. On there, you'll see a link to the Workforce Institute, and there you can access our research reports and other thought leadership we have and other ways to get in touch with us and to become a member of the Workforce, which is no cost, no strings attached. We're, like I said, a bunch of nerdy scientists who are dedicated to using research and data to change the way the world works.

Shane Hastie: Wonderful. Thank you so much. And I'll make sure we include those links.

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner: It was a pleasure talking with you. Thanks very much, Shane.

.From this page you also have access to our recorded show notes. They all have clickable links that will take you directly to that part of the audio.

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Genuine Recognition as a Motivating Driver - InfoQ.com

Ole Miss picked up arguably the most convincing win of its season on Saturday, as it took care of business with a 22-19 win over the No. 7 ranked Kentucky Wildcats. The Rebels were a bit more motivated for this SEC clash thanks to some recent bulletin board material provided by Kentucky offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Scangarello issued an open invitation to Ole Miss to bring the blitz for this conference showdown.

I hope they do, Scangarello said. Literally, this offense was built for pressure. I love it. Will and I talk about it every week, Theyll learn at some point. Keep bringing it. I hope you do.

This was quite the challenge given by Scangarello considering that Kentucky quarterback Will Levis was sacked a combined 16 times in his first four games of this season. Ole Miss went on to add to this sack total on Saturday, including on a crucial play in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory for the Rebels.

After the game, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin noted that Scangarellos comments gave his defense a bit more motivation for the contest.

They were motivated all week by their (Kentuckys) offensive coordinator saying bring the blitz, well light you up, Kiffin said.

Levis was sacked three times and was held to 220 passing yards against Ole Miss.

The Rebels will have an opportunity to move to a 6-0 record on the season in their road matchup against Vanderbilt next week.

The rest is here:
Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin reveals what motivated defense to get after Will Levis, Kentucky - ClutchPoints

Lindsay Krause is where she wants to be right now, playing outside hitter for the Nebraska volleyball team.

As a freshman last season, she was the best option as Nebraska's right-side hitter, so thats where she played. Nebraska didnt have a natural right-side hitter when lefty Jazz Sweet left, so the right-handed hitting Krause slid into the spot.

The Omaha Skutt graduate made it work, and was a key part of why Nebraska upset Texas in the NCAA Elite Eight. Texas didnt have an answer for Krause, who had 13 kills, hit .500 and had the match-winning kill on a shot that ricocheted off of the defense and into the crowd.

This season, Krause is playing her more natural position of outside hitter. Thats where she wants to be, and it's the position in which she hopes to be recognized as an All-American.

But regardless of the position she plays or even how much she plays Krause forces herself to keep a team-first attitude.

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I just want to be on a winning team, Krause said. If that means Im playing right side, cool. If that means Im playing outside, cool. If that means Im not in the lineup, that sucks for me, but cool. I want to be on a team thats going to win.

The Huskers are winning a lot again this year, with Nebraska taking an 11-1 record and No. 3 ranking into Sundays match at noon against Maryland (9-6, 0-3 Big Ten).

Krause is a goal-oriented person. Winning fuels her. Growth motives her.

My goal for this year is to stay on the left side and be a very effective outside hitter that needs to be respected by other teams, Krause said. But also going forward I want to be a six-rotation player, and I want to have my name on the wall in Devaney (as an All-American) by the time Im done with my career.

All-American status seemed to be a fitting goal watching Krause dominate throughout her high school career. When she hit the ball, it sounded different than anyone else in the gym.

Depending on the list, Krause was either the No. 1 or No. 2 national recruit for her recruiting class. Volleyball Magazine had Krause No. 1, while PrepVolleyball.com had her No. 2 (behind teammate Kennedi Orr).

The expectations only rise when youre playing for a team that is almost always expected to be a contender to reach the Final Four. Even so, Krause tries to maintain a joy in playing college volleyball.

So much joy comes from my team, and how we play together, Krause said. I think that was evident toward the end of the year last year, just how much we love each other. We kind of brought back the motto, With each other, for each other, just because of how much we love each other on this team and we want to succeed for one another.

As a freshman, Krause got to go to the Final Four something most players will never experience in their four of five years and then play in the national championship match. Nine months later, the thought of that still makes her say, Oh, wow.

It really was a surreal feeling, Krause said. It didnt finish how we hoped it would, and that really hurt a lot. But to be able to take in that environment and experience everything that goes along with the Final Four getting to travel there, the amount of fans there, the All-American banquet, the interviews and everything that goes along with the Final Four was great.

"Its such a crazy celebration of volleyball to get to be a part of.

This year, three from that group Krause, Lexi Rodriguez and Whitney Lauenstein are regular starters. Orr has played in a two-setter rotation and Ally Batenhorst was a starter before she was injured.

The sophomore class can lead more during its second season, both with how it plays and how it helps the five new players on the team.

Weve been here and we have experience so we know how things go, so were going to be held to a little bit of a higher standard, she said.

Krause ranks third on the team kills with 83 kills, behind Madi Kubik (140) and Lauenstein (131).

Krause was good Friday during a three-set win at Rutgers. She had five kills on just 11 attempts without a hitting error for a season-best .455 hitting percentage.

During one of Nebraskas best wins of the season in a three-set victory at No. 13 Kentucky, Krause had three kills down the stretch when Nebraska won the first set 27-25. When Nebraska beat Creighton she had a career-high 16 kills.

I feel like Ive been doing well on the left side, and I feel like its something that as long as I continue to stay aggressive and keep my good mindset on that side that I can be really effective on that side, Krause said.

Nebraska's Bekka Allick (5) and Michigan State's Julia Bishop battle for the ball on Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska head coach John Cook waves to the crowd after his 800th career win after defeating Michigan Stateon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska head coach John Cook waves to the crowd after his 800th career winon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska head coach John Cook (left) shakes hands with athletic director Trev Alberts after Alberts presented a commemorative belt buckle to Cook to commemorate his 800th career winon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Lindsay Krause scores a kill against Michigan State's Emma Monks (left) and Maradith O'Gormanon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Kenzie Knuckles celebrates a point against Michigan State in the first set, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Kenzie Knuckles passes the ball against Michigan Stateon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Lindsay Krause hits the ball against Michigan Stateon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Maggie Mendelson hits the ball against Michigan Stateon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Maggie Mendelson hits the ball against Michigan State's Aliyah Moore on Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Madi Kubik (left) scores a kill against Michigan State's Julia Bishop (center) and Nil Okur in the first set, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts (right) embraces head coach John Cook after the Huskers defeated Michigan State on Friday at the Devaney Sports Center, marking Cook's 800th career win.

Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez (8), Madi Kubik (10) and others celebrate a point against Michigan State on Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Anni Evans (center) and others celebrate a point against Michigan Stateon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska head coach John Cook talks with his team during the Huskers' match against Michigan Stateon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Kaitlyn Hord (top) scores a kill against Michigan State's Emma Monks in the second setFriday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Kaitlyn Hord (top) scores a kill against Michigan State's Emma Monks in the second seton Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Madi Kubik hits the ball against Michigan State's Emma Monks (left) and Maradith O'Gorman in the second seton Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Lindsay Krause (left) battles for the ball with Michigan State's Julia Bishop in the second seton Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska fans cheer for the team during the match against Michigan Stateon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Kaitlyn Hord (left) celebrates her kill in front of Michigan State's Julia Bishopon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez throws a commemorative game ball to the crowd during player introductions before the match against Michigan Stateon Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSSportsWagner.

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How Lindsay Krause stays motivated to keep NU volleyball among the nation's best - Lincoln Journal Star

Just 19 years old and incredibly quick off the mark, Adeyemi Talabi has spent the last year beating her own personal bests at the University of Texas at Arlington where she competes in the 100m, 200m and long jump.

Since moving to Texas from Longford, Yemi has made her senior debut at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon running the 4x100m relay alongside Sarah Leahy, Lauren Roy and Joan Healy last July.

With eyes on competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Yemi Talabi is going far and shes doing it fast.

Name: Adeyemi Talabi but I usually go by Yemi.

Profession: Im a D1 student-athlete at UT Arlington.

Earliest sporting memory?

Played on the schoolgirl and schoolboy football teams in primary school. I played about six different sports growing up but football was the first.

How did you become involved in your sport?

Someone had told my mum about Longford AC when I was about six after one of the schools sports days. Ive been part of the club ever since.

What message would you like to share with young women and girls interested in pursuing a career as an athlete?

Believe in yourself and trust the people who are helping you get to where you want to be.

Proudest moment so far

Making it to the NCAA National Championships and World Championships in the same year.

My favourite sporting memory is

When I broke the national record in the Inter Girls Long Jump at the All Ireland Schools Outdoor Championships. If I hadnt done that, I probably wouldnt be where I am right now.

Do you think there is still a stigma around women in sports?

I dont think there is as much of a stigma around women in sports, but I do wish more girls would keep on playing sports into adulthood.

What is the biggest barrier to driving visibility in womens sports?

Misogyny. I feel like its too common for people to say that they wont watch womens sports because its not as exciting. That doesnt make sense to me considering women are playing the same sports that men do.

The biggest stigma/pre-conception that exists in womens sport is

This doesnt seem to be discussed as much but the whole idea that women in sports are seen as more masculine than women who arent. I think this is a reason why girls quit sports in their teens.

If I wasnt an athlete I would be

A photographer. I love taking pictures of other people, but when it comes to myself? Thats a whole different story.

My favourite pre-competition meal is

Before coming to the States I swore by pasta and Nigerian red stew. I wasnt able to cook Nigerian food when I first got here, but I will be going back to my roots.

My pre-competition playlist includes

Oh my God, if I could I would put all the songs on that playlist but my top 5 for this season were:

My daily routine is

It depends on what day it is but most days include me being up by 5am and heading to training by 6am. After that, Ill have three classes between 9:30am and 4:50pm. From there Ill either hang out with my friends and do some assignments or go home and cook. I try to be home before 9pm so I have an hour to get ready for bed. I try to be in bed by 10pm.

My biggest sporting goal is

Competing in Paris 2024 is my biggest goal. I live for experiences and being able to say that I made it there would be incredible.

Sports brands I love (Irish or otherwise)

Im going to sound like everyone else but Nike really does it for me.

Biggest splurge to celebrate a win

I either get the biggest doner kebab I can or Chinese takeout. Im a very easy person to please.

How do you mind your mental health?

Have a journal where I write any and everything. I also see a sports psychologist to try to keep on top of things.

My three desert island beauty products are:

Brown lip liner, lipgloss and eyeliner. No questions asked.

I need 10 hours of sleep a night because. sleeping is one of my favourite pastimes

Confidence, to me, is

Being able to do what makes you happy without worrying about others opinions.

How do you get over a bad performance?

Depends on how bad it was. Most of the time, I say charge it, try to learn from it, and move on. On some occasions, I cry. Sometimes you have to let it out.

Lastly, why is sports such an integral part of a community, on local, national, and personal level?

Sports is an amazing way to bring people together, whether youre the one playing or supporting from the crowd. This can be applied on a local, national, or international level. You dont have to play to feel a part of something bigger.

Imagery courtesy of Yemi Talabi

Excerpt from:
Women in Sport: Longford athletics star Yemi Talabi on motivation, misogyny, and mindfulness - image.ie

British athlete gunning for personal best on home turf at 42nd TCS London Marathon

Charlotte Purdues recent journey in athletics has not been straightforward.

Before the Tokyo Olympics, the 31-year-old was refused a discretionary place in the marathon even though she had a medical exemption to miss the Olympic trials a few months earlier.

Then, earlier this summer, at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, Purdue pulled out of the race at 19km due to breathing difficulties. A day later she tested positive for Covid-19.

Its been tough for Purdue but at last years London Marathon, she proved a point after clocking a stunning personal best of 2:23:26 to go what was then third on the UK all-time marathon list behind Paula Radcliffe and Mara Yamauchi.

It was the fastest marathon by a female Brit since Yamauchis 2:23:12 in 2009. Since then, Jess Piasecki has gone ahead of Purdue after running 2:22:27 in Seville back in February.

Charlotte Purdue at the London Marathon (Getty)

Even though Purdue dropped out of the marathon in Oregon, she ran 2:25:26 at the Boston Marathon and definitely isnt short of mileage going into her fourth London Marathon.

I feel pretty good, Purdue says. I still did the training for the worlds so I still had all that work in my legs. It has been a busy year for me and Boston was pretty busy for me.

Last year, I had a few niggles earlier in the year. London was my first marathon build-up and Ive now had three marathons in the space of less than a year. Although Ive had illnesses this year I havent had any injuries so I feel a lot stronger with London, Boston and the build-up to the world championships.I feel like I havent had any time off so Im definitely not unfit!

Every time I come here [London] I try to run faster but its hard to get a two minute personal best every year.

Purdue wants to use the experience of a heartbreaking time in Oregon as motivation to run even faster in London than she did last year.

She lines-up against a strong elite field, which even without world record-holder Brigid Kosgei and Eilish McColgan, hosts defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei and the fastest-ever female marathon debutante Yalemzerf Yehualaw.

Joyciline Jepkosgei (Getty)

At the last London Marathon, Purdue recorded a personal best even after running 12 miles by herself. If she can stick in a pack for a longer period, who knows what she might clock?

My chest was so tight [at the world championships] and I couldnt breathe, Purdue reflects. At least I had a reason why I felt so terrible at 5km.

I didnt even know I had Covid-19. Sometimes in a race you start off and dont feel great but its just a bad patch and you improve. At 19km I just made the decision that I was getting slower and made the decision.

Obviously Paula [Radcliffe] has set that massive mark which is going to be very hard to beat! If I can come to London every year and run a personal best then thats good for me.

I hopefully dont have to do that [run alone]. If I do, given I did it last year in London and then in Boston, Im ready for it. Ive got a lot of practice.

This will be the first major sports event down The Mall since the Queens funeral a fortnight ago and Purdue thinks it will be strange looking back but is hopeful of crowds lining the streets all the way across the route.

Purdue first experienced the taste of the London Marathon when she was a teenager and won the traditional pre-cursor, the mini marathon, back in 2006.

This past weekend saw theclass of 2022 of strut their stuff and double Olympic marathon champion and world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge presented the medals at the end.

One of his aims within the sport is to complete all six Abbott World Marathon Majors he has Boston and New York to go and Purdue wants to complete that goal in her life as well.

I would love to run Berlin and all the majors but I just cant turn down London this year as I love the race so much, she adds.

Paula Radcliffe was so inspiring to me and when I was younger I said to my mum and dad that I wanted to run the London Marathon one day. For me it [the mini marathon] was great that they have that, especially to finish it on the actual course.

Id say just to any young runner to continue to enjoy it and what you do. Its basically all you can ask for. Dont put too much pressure on yourself and hopefully you can improve year on year. Just enjoy the process!

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Charlotte Purdue motivated after catching Covid-19 in Oregon - AW - Athletics Weekly

The Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington recently polled 1,000 Virginia adults to learn whats on their minds during the midterm elections. Inflation, economy and jobs, threats to democracy, the Biden presidency, and abortion rose to the top of the results in the annual survey conducted for the center by Research America Inc. Sept. 6-12.

Normally the party that controls the White House faces a tough midterm election, said Stephen J. Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington and director of UMWs Center for Leadership and Media Studies. The Supreme Court ruling has given the Democratic Party something that works as a powerful motivation for their voters. If the political conversation were focused on inflation and economic uncertainty, as it was before the Courts ruling earlier this year, Republicans would have had a great midterm election.

The survey shows that the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark abortion ruling that reversed Roe v. Wade earlier this year remains a major factor in the upcoming midterm elections for nearly half (46 percent) of Virginians. Another 18 percent of respondents in the poll said that the abortion decision would be a minor factor for them, while 29 percent said the ruling would not be a factor for them in the midterm elections.

Similar to the first set of data from the annual survey, in which voters graded public schools, the results indicated partisan differences.

Among those respondents who identified as Democratic, 71 percent considered the abortion ruling a major factor in this falls elections, as compared to 23 percent of Republicans who said the abortion ruling was a major factor for them. Among those who view themselves as political independents, 39 percent viewed the abortion ruling as a major factor for them.

In the survey, 26 percent of respondents said abortion should be legal in all cases and 34 percent said it should be legal in most cases. Opposition to abortion is less common: 24 percent of the survey respondents said abortion should be illegal in most cases and 9 percent said it should be illegal in all cases.

When asked what the nations most important problem is, 22 percent of Virginians identified inflation, 19 percent said the economy and jobs, 15 percent said threats to democracy, 7 percent said immigration and 6 percent said health care and COVID-19.

The economy and jobs and the inflation options were the top two concerns of Republicans, and those topics ranked second and third for Democrats in the survey. Threats to democracy were the top concern of Democrats, with 23 percent of party identifiers listing it as the nations top problem. Among Republicans, 10 percent listed it as their top national concern. For them, the topic ranked fourth, behind the two economic matters and immigration. For independents, inflation and the economy and jobs ranked first and second, with threats to democracy ranking third as areas of greatest concern.

The 2022 midterms are shaping up to be a contest between two partisan narratives, said Farnsworth. Will voters economic concerns outweigh voter worries over abortion and threats to democracy? The very close divisions among voter preferences in the Mary Washington survey demonstrate that neither side has provided a more compelling argument than the other so far.

Virginians are nearly evenly divided in their plans for voting in the upcoming midterm congressional elections, with 39 percent saying they plan to vote for a Democratic congressional candidate and 37 percent saying they plan to vote for a Republican candidate. Among the subset of likely voters, 44 percent of those surveyed said they intend to vote for a Republican candidate for Congress and 43 percent plan to vote for a Democratic one.

Midterm elections are often a referendum on a president, and for some voters polled that remains an important part of their political calculations. President Biden is a major factor in the midterm elections for 44 percent of respondents, and a minor factor for 24 percent, percentages roughly comparable to the role abortion seems likely to play in the midterm elections.

As is usually the case, there are clear partisan differences that favor voters from the party opposed to the president: 64 percent of Republicans and 35 percent of Democrats identified Biden as a major factor in their upcoming vote choice.

The Virginia statewide survey did not ask about specific congressional races, because the small size of the subsample in each of the states 11 congressional districts would not provide reliable estimates of voter preferences in individual districts.

Survey Information:

The University of Mary Washingtons Virginia Survey Fall 2022 was conducted by Research America Inc. from September 6 to 12, 2022. The total sample included 1,000 Virginia residents, including 819 registered voters and 705 likely voters. Part of the sample (630) was contacted by phone (72 percent cell, 28 percent landline), and part of the sample (370) was contacted online. All interviews were in English. Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies, including age, gender and race/ethnicity. The margin of error on the total sample is +/- 3.1%. The margin of error on the Likely Voters portion of the sample is +/- 4.1%.

For a more in-depth look at survey results, seeToplineand theMidterm Cross Tabs report.

For further information, contact Professor Farnsworth atsfarnswo@umw.edu.

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Voters Motivated in Midterm Elections According to New Statewide Survey - University of Mary Washington