Category Archives: Tech of Sports

From the shoes we wear on our feet to the high definition televisions in our living room, wearable devices, the sports universe is a breeding ground for technology. Writer and Photographer Rick Limpert will examine this each week on The Tech of Sports – With guests which include athletes, inventors and journalists that cover the intersection of sports and technology.

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin Running Back and All-American

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Rick is joined this week by the splendid running back from the University of Wisconsin, Jonathan Taylor.

He’s picked up quite a few honors so far as the regular season has ended and you’ll be seeing him in the Rose Bowl.

Taylor, who is arguably the most dominant running back in the history of college football, was named a first team AP All-American

During the 2018 and 2019 seasons he won the Doak Walker Award, the award for the top running back in college football.

Awards/honors
National
1st-team All-American (2019)
Unanimous 1st-team All-American (2018)
2nd-team All-American (2017)
2× Doak Walker Award Winner (2018, 2019)
AP Big Ten Newcomer of the Year (2017)
Pinstripe Bowl MVP (2018)
Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year (2018, 2019)
Big Ten Thompson–Randle El Freshman of the Year (2017)
3× Consensus First-team All-Big Ten (2017, 2018, 2019)
8× Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (2× 2017, 2× 2018, 4× 2019)
8× Big Ten Freshman of the Week (2017)

Records
NCAA
Most 200 yd rushing games in FBS (career): 12
Most rushing yards through junior season: 6,080
Most rushing yards as a freshman and sophomore: 4,171
Most rushing yards in a season in FBS by a freshman: 1,977
Fewest games for a freshman to reach 1,000 rushing yards in FBS history: 7 games (tied with 6 others)
Big Ten Conference
Most Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards: 8

Rick and JT even talk about some of the tech he uses with the Badgers. Great to have Jonathan on “Tech of Sports.”

Rodrigo Blankenship, University of Georgia Kicker 2019 Lou Groza Award Winner

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Another “Tech of Sports” this week. Rick is joined by University of Georgia Kicker, Rodrigo Blankenship.

Blankenship just was named the winner of the 2019 Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker.

He talks to Rick about his kicking philosophy, technology he uses and NFL kickers he admires.

As a senior, Blankenship connected on 25 of his 31 field goal attempts, while also making all 44 of his extra points. Blankenship has not missed a single extra point in his Georgia career.

In addition to placekicking duties, Blankenship has also handled kickoff duties for Georgia. He finished ninth in the country in touchback percentage this year, as 60 of his 79 kickoff attempts were not returned.

This is the latest in a long list of accolades for Blankenship this season, as he was named the SEC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as First Team All-SEC for his position.

Related: Andrew Thomas, Rodrigo Blankenship earn SEC Player of the Year honors

Blankenship is the first Georgia kicker to win the award and the third SEC kicker to do so, with the last coming in 2003. Randy Bullock of Texas A&M won it in 2003, but the Aggies were still Big 12 members at that point in time.

Good luck to Rodrigo.

 

Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA and World Class Heptathlete

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Great to catch up with Miss USA, Cheslie Kryst, at the Miss Universe Pageant in Atlanta. A perfect guest to have on “Tech of Sports” this week!

Kryst is a full-time attorney that is licensed to practice law in two states. She earned both her law degree and MBA from Wake Forest University and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina, where she was a standout track and field star as a heptathlete, long jumper and triple jumper on South Carolina’s track and field team. Additionally, she sits top ten in the record books at South Carolina for the triple jump. Cheslie runs a fashion blog, “White Collar Glam”, that focuses on workwear fashion for women. She is an active volunteer for Dress for Success and credits her achievements to her ability to learn from failure.

She was impressive, finishing in the top-10 at Miss Universe, making a good showing in her home country.

She talks with Rick this week on “Tech of Sports.”

 

 

Miss Ireland, Fionnghuala O’Reilly, on Sports and Working for NASA

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In honor of me working the Miss Universe Pageant in Atlanta this week, a special “Tech of Sports” this week.

It’s the perfect combination of sports and tech with Miss Ireland, Fionnghuala O’Reilly. Call her “Fig”. Fig is a Datanaut with NASA and a former Junior Olympic Athlete.

She has been my favorite contestant to deal with at Miss Universe this week. She is a member of NASA’s Datanaut program within the space agency’s Open Innovation program, and also works remotely out of Dublin as the executive director of the NASA Space Apps Challenge, which hosts an international hackathon each year. She’s involved with “Girls Who Code” and volunteers her time to many charitable efforts.

This year, she’s dedicated her pageant platform to making sure young girls know what options are available to them — something she pushes with her #ReachForTheStars social media campaign.

As part of her efforts, O’Reilly has even teamed up with Girls Who Code to bring a group of young girls on a pair of trips to NASA to check out the Mars InSight Lander launch and landing.

She’s also a decorated athlete, and a top sports performer in her home country.

You’ll find out about all of that and more this week, as Fionnghuala O’Reilly, Miss Ireland, is the first pageant contestant on Tech of Sports.

Good luck to Fig this week at Miss Universe and see her big feature in People Magazine this week!

LD Morrow, Author, Comedian, Bartender, Storyteller ‘Think Like a Bartender’

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Rick is joined this week by L.D. Morrow talking a great new book, Think Like a Bartender: Recipes for Life.

There are sports connections of course as L.D. will explain in this fascinating interview.

Think Like a Bartender: Recipes for Life would be a great addition to a holiday gift guide! Comedian, former bartender, and storyteller L.D. Morrow has written the new book, which shows the amazing parallels between the job skills of a bartender and life skills for everyone. From learning how to cut people off to working through a bad day, Think Like a Bartender encourages people to tap into their inner mixologist and “serve up” their best selves. Think Like a Bartender is set for on November 18 and will available in print, ebook and audiobook on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and many more booksellers. The book will retail for $11.99 ISBN: 978-0-578-44889-3.

“Think Like a Bartender mixes two parts wisdom and one part comedy for a delicious cerebral cocktail everyone will enjoy!” says Morrow. “Even if you have never had an alcoholic drink, you will giggle your way through this personal, yet amusing perspective on living your best life.”

Have a listen as Rick and L.D. talk about people that spend copious amounts of times at bars and the various roles of the bartender.

Morrow’s career path included bartending while she was in college. She developed a love for the profession and wrote the humorous “self-help” book to show how a bartender’s skills translate to life skills for everyone. The book also serves up some of Morrow’s favorite cocktail recipes at the end of each chapter.

In addition to writing, Morrow is a sought after comedian. She has performed at New York’s famous Caroline’s on Broadway, Broadway Comedy Club and other notable venues. Morrow’s southern charm and quick wit has served her well as host of red carpet events and moderator of panel events around the country. She is also an associate producer for the 2019 short film Burden.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Morrow holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University, an MBA from the Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University and is a graduate of leading industry programs, CTAM-U at Harvard Business School and the acclaimed Digital Marketing program at Cornell University.

A lover of Tequila and Irish Whiskeys, Morrow can often be found making cocktails for her friends while cracking jokes.

Have a listen to Rick and L.D. and make sure you check out Think Like a Bartender.

Danielle Lao, Professional Tennis Player and Writer

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Rick is joined on this special Thanksgiving week episode of ‘Tech of Sports’ by his co-author of The Invaluable Experience, and WTA tennis pro, Danielle Lao.

Danielle, a former USC All-American is wrapping up the 2019 tear on the WTA Tour and is now in the off-season until she heads to Australia to start out 2020.

Rick and Danielle talk her tennis and her favorite gadgets and tech. She candidly answers some rapid-fire questions and talks about her love of podcasts and blogging. Danielle gives great insight what it;s like to be a top-200 player on the WTA Tour.

Good luck to Danielle and enjoy this episode.

Danielle gives and honest recap of her 2019 in here blog here.

As an Author:

Danielle Lao, a two-time All American tennis player at USC explains why playing college tennis was a time in her life she will never forget and why playing college sports is an “Invaluable Experience.” .

As a Player:

Danielle has played at all four Grad Slam tournaments, has has success on the ITF Pro Circuit and currently has a WTA ranking of No.196.