Georges St-Pierre was born May 19, 1981 in Saint-Isidore, Quebec, to Jim and Louise St-Pierre. St-Pierre had a difficult childhood, attending a school where others would steal his clothes and money. He started learning Kyokushin karate at age seven by his father and later by a Kyokushin Karate Master to defend himself against a school bully, Nikolas Mavrikos.

He took up wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after his karate teacher died and also trained in boxing. Before turning pro as a mixed-martial artist, St-Pierre worked as a bouncer at a Montreal night club in the South Shore called Fuzzy Brossard and as a garbageman for six months to pay for his school fees.

St-Pierre has trained with a number of groups in a large variety of gyms throughout his fighting career. Prior to his fight with B.J. Penn at UFC 58, he trained at the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York City. St-Pierre received his brown belt in BJJ from Renzo Gracie on July 21, 2006. In September 2008, St-Pierre earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Bruno Fernandes.

St-Pierre began training with Rashad Evans, Nathan Marquardt, Keith Jardine, Donald Cerrone, and other skilled MMA fighters at Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting Gaidojutsu school in New Mexico. Some of Jackson’s students accompanied St-Pierre to Montreal to help prepare him for his fight at UFC 94 against B.J. Penn at the Tristar Gym, including Keith Jardine, Nathan Marquardt, Donald Cerrone and Rashad Evans. Georges’ strength and conditioning coach is Jonathan Chaimberg of Adrenaline Performance Centre in Montral. Georges’ Head Trainer is Firas Zahabi of Zahabi MMA, out of the Tristar gym. The two have cornered all of St-Pierre’s most recent bouts and remain as his close friends. Currently, St-Pierre trains in Muay Thai under Phil Nurse at the Wat in New York City.

St-Pierre had dreamed of becoming a UFC champion since watching Royce Gracie fight in 1993 at UFC 1. St-Pierre had his first amateur bout when he was only 16 years old. He said, “When I won my first amateur (MMA) fight, I was 16 years old and I beat a guy that was 25. I was only a Kyokushin karate fighter and the guy I fought was a boxer. At the time my ground skills were very poor, I didn’t know anything on the ground.” St-Pierre won his fight by knockout, going low with several leg kicks and then going high with a kick to the head.

St-Pierre’s pro debut was against Branden Macfadden and the fight ended in a first round to-knockout win by St-Pierre. In only his second fight, St-Pierre’s challenge for the UCC belt against Justin Bruckmann. He won by an arm bar in the first round. He then went on to defend his title twice. The UCC aka Universal Combat Challenge was then converted to TKO Major League MMA and he was named the champion. He fought on November 29, 2003 against Pete Spratt in a non-title bout at TKO 14. St-Pierre defeated Spratt with a rear naked choke in the first round. Following his second win in the UFC, he faced Matt Hughes at UFC 50 for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship. Despite a competitive performance against the much more experienced fighter, St-Pierre tapped out to an armbar with only 1 second remaining in the first round. The loss was the first of St-Pierre’s career and he has since admitted that he was in awe of Hughes going into the title bout.

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Surfers of all nationalities all know that there are few countries in the world with surfing conditions quite as good as Australia’s, making the country a mecca for surfers worldwide. There are simply magnificent surf spots to be found all along the endless Australian coastline, with the beaches Down Under representing the very best that the world’s oceans have for us to enjoy. Beyond certain stretches of coast that are not suited to surfing because of natural formations (bays, harbors and so on) it is hard to find a single spot of beach that doesn’t entice surfers with excellent surf breaks…meaning that a trip to pretty much any part of coastal Australia will be worth a surfer’s while.

Surfers generally tend to avoid the northernmost part of Australia, simply because the waters here are full of the kinds of jellyfish that could turn a surfer’s vacation into a very different, less enjoyable experience, as well as the fact that these shallow tropical waters don’t offer the same sorts of waves to be found elsewhere.

In a country of this size, the other tracts of coastline are more than ample grounds (or waters) in which to seek out a good ride. Australia has many thousands of miles of beautiful beaches with some exceptional beach as well as reef breaks all along the way. Whether you’re in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean off Australia’s western coast or in the chilly waters off the southern end of the continent or the heavily frequented waters of the eastern shores, surfers will feel like their dreams have come true in any of these places.

Western Australia is a surfer’s mecca, with summer temps well over 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) and the water getting up there, too! The clear waters of the Indian Ocean are too inviting to pass up, and the tubes loom large at well over 6 feet in many cases. Among the best destinations for surfers to check out in Western Australia, it’s recommended to go to Albany, Esperance, and especially the area where the Margaret River flows into the Indian Ocean.

In South Australia, the chilly water currents coming up from the Antarctic Sea create fabulous and even intimidating swells, just the sort of stuff true surfers crave. Getting to the various beach spots is a bit of a challenge given the remoteness and difficult terrain in many places, for which reason having a local guide and/or a 4WD vehicle become a good idea. South Australia’s best spots for surfing include Eyre Peninsula and Yorke Peninsula, places which the surfers from the capital city of Adelaide and other areas flock to en masse.

The coast of Victoria is similar in many aspects to that of South Australia, and in both cases surfers will want to don their wet suits as the waters are exceptionally chilly. Despite this, the conditions are magnificent: to get the most out of this area, again, you will want to pick apart the brain of a local surfer. Nonetheless, keep an eye out for Bells Beach, Phillip Island and Torquay, singled out by locals as favorite surf spots. For a leisurely surf/road trip, just get on the Great Ocean Road that runs for more than 100 miles along the Victorian coast-it’s simply chock-full of ideal surf breaks.

Moving back towards warmer waters, the beaches of New South Wales are a little more trendy and frequented but the surf conditions are still at their best, such as the spots around the city of Sydney and more remote places like Lennox, Byron Bay and Angourie.

To the north of New South Wales, the state of Queensland boasts such world-renowned surf destinations as those to be had in the Gold Coast areasuch names as “Surfers Paradise” really just speak for themselves. In the northern expanses of Queensland surfers can get acquainted with the natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, which at certain specific points and at the right moments may award surfers with a rare and beautiful jewel.

To finish, surfers with truly brave hearts and iron wills can go down to Tasmania for some rugged surfing destinations. Once again, the water is nice and cold, and surfers are better off searching for beaches along the eastern portion of the island where accesses are easier to be found.

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These days paintball is one of the most popular sports not only in the United States but around the world. It is a fun and exciting game that offers adventure to its players. When getting on the paintball field, it is very important to consider your one important friend - the paintball gun.

Paintball would be impossible to play without the paintball gun. All paintball guns may look the same but it is important to remember that choosing the right paintball gun is not an easy task. Here are some tips that you may need to consider:

The initial thing that needs to be well thought-out when buying a paintball gun is the price. It is important that the buyer determine his budget for the gun. There are many paintball guns in the market and prices may range from $100 to $900. The cost of the gun will depend on the brand and features that come with it.

Buying a paintball gun could be like buying a car, because more than likely you are not going to buy a car that you do not first test drive. So if it is at all possible, you should test the paintball gun out to make sure that it gives you the right feel before you purchase one.

Size plays an important factor when you are looking to purchase a paintball gun, not so important when renting. As they come in many different sizes, paintball guns can start to get heavy for those that are not as muscle bound as others.

As with anything, the more you look and shop around, the more research that you do, the better chances you have of getting a paintball gun that fits your needs. The internet is probably the best place to find different kinds of paintball guns for sale, although there are many retail stores also that offer paintball guns.

If you have friends that play paintball, then get as much advice from them as you can about choosing the right paintball gun. Internet forums that are specifically about paintball are also great communities to where you can find out all the information and performance on certain types of paintball guns.

As soon as you are finished choosing the right paintball gun, you must familiarize yourself with the machine. Practicing with the paintball gun will help you move with the gun as well as apply some strategies for using the gun.

Trek Madone 4.5 or Specialized Tarmac Comp Compact

If you are currently in the market for a new bike you will want to read this article. If you are a beginner but do not want an entry level bike this article will help you. It may sound dumb for a beginning rider to want a more advanced bike but if you keep riding you will eventually have to upgrade from a an entry level bike anyways. Two very good bikes that are both ridden by top professional race teams in the world are the Trek Madone 4.5 and the Specialized Tarmac Comp Compact. If you are debating between these two bikes or if you are considering either of these bikes then you have taken the first step toward buying a bike that will last you a long time. It may be tough to choose between these two bikes but this article will give you some helpful details.

Madone

First let us look at the Madone. This bike has a frame and carbon forks and aluminum constructed bars. It has a cartridge type bearing with an integrated headset. Most all of the rest of the equipment on this bike come from Bontrager too. The shifters, cranks, brakes, front derailleur and cassette all made by Shimano and the crank is available in either a double or triple model and rear derailleur from Ultegra. Thus is a good compilation of equipment to last you into the future at a great price. The best selling point for this bike is its frame.

Tarmac

Now let us discuss the Tarmac. This bike’s has a triple constructed frame. It has a compact design and the forks, legs and bars are of a full carbon design. This bike has mostly all the same equipment the Trek has but it has an Ultegra rear. The rest comes from Specialized. The Shimano R600 chain set is not as good as the 105. There is only a double option front derailleur with no other.

The Decision

This is a very difficult decision to make between these two bikes. If you want a triple the Trek is your only choice. If a double is what you are looking for the Specialized may be a better choice with the carbon bars. It does not matter which one of these bikes you decide to purchase, either one will be a great choice for anyone, but the Specialized Tarmac Comp Compact may be your best choice.