Teambuilding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teambuilding - Essay Example The discourse would contain an introductory paragraph prior to delving into the team-building exercise chosen for conflict resolution. Finally, a concluding portion would summarize and highlight details that were discussed in the paper. Teambuilding Groups have been identified to form a crucial and instrumental part contributory to the success of an organization. However, since groups are composed of a collection of people with diverse interests and goals, organizations need to devise strategies that would enable groups to move towards a common goal through frequent interface among them. The term teambuilding actually evolved as â€Å"a technique on human resources departments to promote relations between the executives of a corporation† (Crossover Worlds, n.d.). Its applicability eventually necessitated to be extended to other departments with the aim of improving productivity in work groups and in the resolution of conflicts. In this regard, the aim of the paper is to descri be a team-building exercise for conflict resolution that one would present in an organizational atmosphere; and expound on how it would be conducted. To achieve this objective, the teambuilding exercise chosen was the ‘House of Cards’ developed by Jill Hickman.... 1). The game chosen to assist a team in improving conflict resolution is the House of Cards activity developed by Jill Hickman (Team Building Bonanza, 2011). The concise details of how the activity is to be conducted are hereby quoted below: â€Å"Description: Each team works together to build a 'house of cards' within 15 minutes, using only the resources available in the room and/or provided by the facilitator. A competitive event, each team races against the other teams to be 'first' to finish successfully. All team projects are judged by the facilitator (whose ruling is final and cannot be contested). Project criteria include: Efficient use of resources Esthetic appeal Height Structural integrity Presentation Supplies (resources), one set per team: 32 Index cards 1 stack of Post-it notes (square) 1 Box Paper clips Tape Colored markers Instructions: Provide each team with their supplies. Each team has 15 minutes to build a house with the resources available within the room. Identi fy criteria for judging successful projects. As teams finish, chart their finish times on a flipchart. Once all teams have finished, have teams walk around with the judge (facilitator) to view the work of other teams. (No sabotage!!) At their own tables, have teams discuss the factors contributing/limiting to their success. Have them chart these factors on a flipchart. Each team must elect a spokesperson to present their findings to the rest of the class. Facilitator must award a rating for each project (use a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, for each criterion). Highest possible score: 25 Discussion questions: How was team leadership determined – appointed or assumed? What unique contributions did each member offer? How did those

A View from the Bridge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A View from the Bridge - Essay Example The time setting, which is between 1940 and 1960, may not appeal to the interest of the present-day audience. But analytically speaking, the story contains more substance than many stories written by most contemporary writers. It connotes the favorability as well as the dangers one must experience and endure when living in a foreign land. [It] is a play largely concerned with discovery. As [Italian-American lawyer] Alfieri warns, no one can ever know what will be discovered. There are two secrets in the play: Eddie's incestuous desires for his niece and the two illegal immigrants hiding in the Carbone home, Marco and Rodolpho. [qtd. in Sparknotes, 18] The play, which is set to happen in an Italian-American community known as Red Hook, situated in the waterfront in Brooklyn, New York City, tells the story of Eddie Carbone, a longshoreman who feels something toward his niece other than filial love and how his life ends tragically because of it. Eddie Carbone - the center of the story - is a character who was created as an ordinary man; the type of person whom everyone will learn to love. However, Miller did not create a totally perfect character, but rather gave him flaws and weaknesses; his weakness is mainly concentrated in his love for his niece, Catherine. [] a suitable subject for a modern tragedy because the potential for self-destruction, which is in all of us, in Eddie's case has destroyed him. And apart from this improper love, Eddie is a good man; and this love has its origin in the quite proper love of father for child, and Eddie's sense of duty to his family and community. [A View from the Bridge] In a review of the play, another critic commented: Eddie sets in motion against one person rains a whole avalanche of destruction. Like many classic tragic figure (including Shakespeare's Hamlet), Eddie's effort to get rid of the one man he perceives as his enemy, cannot control fate's ripple effect on Marco, Marco's family and the hapless additional underground border - and, as importantly, his own standing in the tight-knit community. [Sommer] Despite Eddie's efforts to hide his feelings toward his niece, he is not able to do so, as shown in his actions. Although his wife Beatrice is aware of the fact of Eddie's non-paternal feelings toward her niece, she tries to ignore it and pretends that everything is just normal. Eddie's relationship with his wife and niece becomes more complex when he takes into the shelter of their home the two illegal immigrants, Marco and his brother Rodolpho, cousins of Eddie's wife Beatrice. Eddie's problem starts when one of the brothers, Rodolpho becomes romantically involved with his niece Catherine to whom Eddie harbors special feelings. Eddie tries everything in order to stop Rodolpho and Catherine from getting married, including seeking lawyer Alfieri's advice, making Catherine see Rodolpho's flaws and finally reporting the two brothers to the Immigration Bureau, an act which destroys Eddie's good reputation in the community. Eddie, however, is not able to stop the marriage from taking place. Embittered by hatred for Rodolpho and probably also driven by frustration, he refuses to reconcile with the younger man. In the end, Rodolpho becomes and American

Automation of the Tapping Machine

Automation of the Tapping Machine CAREER EPISODE 2 INTRODUCTION CE 2.1 The second career episode is based on an experience that I gained after performing a group project as a student of last semester of Bachelor Degree. The project was title Automation of the Tapping Machine. I completed my Bachelors of Engineering Technologist in Mechatronics from Chisholm Institute, Dandenong, Australia. The project was completed in 13 weeks duration, from March 2016 to May 2016. It was undertaken under Prof. Dr. Tharshan Vaithianathan and Prof. Masoud Goudarzi and was a part of my industrial training at R I Instrument and Gear Co. Pty. Ltd. BACKGROUND CE 2.2 Nature of project   Ã‚   Finding a solution that saves cost and time within production is the biggest responsibility of engineers when manufacturing. Automation is required in all the industry to improve efficiency, maintain consistency and speed, reduce waste, and maintaining quality to compete the global market. There were issues arising in tapping and gear cutting machine which lead to wastage of cost and labor time for the company R I Australia. To provide a multiple tapping device at a time and to eliminate the manual adjustment process of the XY table, I had proposed this project. In my project, I had to accomplish all the business goals and objectives assigned to me within defined budget and time parameter. And to minimize the impact within the affected units to standardized the business operations. CE 2.3 The goal of implementing the tapping machine is that it: Facilitates coordination and information sharing both internal and external to the organizations. Will provide better finished products. Enhances the ability and effectiveness of the team to perform their jobs. Easy use Provides an open, flexible, reliable updated technology. CE 2.4 Objectives The primary objective was to address the issue of production and give a possible solution that rectifies it and helps to improve the efficiency of the production and specially in terms of tapping machine and Saws department and to partially optimize the cost. Basically, the whole project is made up of 2 different objectives which is completed to solve the issue. The idea is to achieve a high degree of accuracy in the process. Also, to learn about how stepper motors are programmed through G-coding along with the Arduino board and g shield. CE 2.5 The chart of organizational structure CE 2.6 Duties I started with studying various solutions that fit my problem statement. I researched and surveyed on automation, gears, latest equipment from FSM SMC Learnt how CNC shield is operated and G code is programmed. Performed online and practical testing on the operating machine. Compared various components before selecting them. Researched on drive mechanism, stepper motors, wheel shafts and pulleys. Prepared various engineering drawing for implementation of my project with the help of engineering tools. Diving and providing time slots to team members. Maintaining balance and peace to avoid conflict among each other. Kept good relations with supervisor. Reporting the development of the project to the lab supervisor and coordinator. PERSONAL ENGINEERING ACTIVITY CE 2.7 I first observed the current scenario of the work procedure and the machine operation. Based on my notes, I decided to remove the current manual XY table along with the vice and add a new system motorize stage. The new proposed XY table system will be placed on the base plate of the tapping machine and then further connected to the CNC shield for programming. The table is made such that it holds few work pieces at the same time. Once the work piece is kept and placed on the table, a G code program controls the tapping operations that is obtained from the USB device connected to the CNC shield. The XY table is designed in solid works such that it moves in X and Y directions. There are stepper motor drive shafts that are connected and when they rotate it drives the lead screws connected to it and move the stage in X and Y directions. CE 2.8 The below image shows the proposed XY table and its related components. It is designed keeping in mind the future height of XY table together with the vice along with the length of the drill bite. The drill head is kept and positioned such that the distance from the middle of the base plate to end in Y axis is 90mm. the stroke movement of the table in the direction of Y axis from the center position is assumed to be 50mm and in the direction of X axis it is 100mm. The selection procedure of XY table involved range of steps. At the first stage, it was required to take up the measurements of the current set up that was in use. Later stage was designing, which was done to find out various variables that are related to the table. CE 2.9 Based on certain assumptions and from the current scenario, the calculations for the variables was done and considered as shown in the table below. With these values, selection procedure was carried out for various components and its parameters. For my project a drive mechanism was required which rotates the motor to the table and helps the XY table o move, so for this reason I decided to use ball screw drive mechanism which is ideal for my situation because of its high stiffness and ability for short acceleration and declaration. The motor was selected with the help of online software that helps for various calculation. Arduino G shield is used as it is a suitable hardware solution for CNC motion controlled systems. I made use of engineering tools for drawing each solid work piece and component considering the minute details and its precise values to achieve the highest accuracy level. Maximum payload Stroke Precession Speed 7kg XY:200mmx180mm 20 microns max: 25mm/sec CE 2.10 After completing the above XY table, I had to automate the rotation of hand wheel which controls the vertical movement. And the important point for consideration was the depth of the gear cut. So, it was important to track the vertical movement of the axis of the machine and solution for replacing the manual hand wheel with mechanical automated machine. After all the brainstorming process, I decided to use pulley belt mechanism using a steeper motor to replace the current manual hand wheel. By using this, it would provide high speed of production, accuracy, it will be time saving and less labor involvement which would result in safety. CE 2.11 I used CAD software and other engineering software to design the structure of the components that will be made to use based on the requirement and calculations taken up. The components were compared for price and the budget was kept in mind. It was necessary to take precaution in selecting the correct component as it would affect the whole system. The components used are: Stepper motor required to produce torque to turn rotating wheel shaft for gear cutting operations. Small pulley for motor 14mm inner diameter, selected considering the conditions it met. Large pulley for turning wheel shaft 42mm maximum bore diameter Time belt to transfer momentum between both pulley polyurethane cantilena belt was chosen, which had high grade wire and tension with high flank load capacity. Stepper motor driver to manage the running capacity of the stepper motor Rotary encoder it is basically used to detect original position of the shaft. It converts mechanical displacement signals to electrical signals. Arduino board for programming Arduino Uno r3 CE 2.12 After coming to the conclusions and deciding of the components, I plotted an electrical connection diagram that depicted the structural layout of all the electrical connections that were required between the Arduino UNO board, motor, and the power supply to run this mechanism. The Arduino board was connected to the encoded and the motor. From the diagram, the pin number 8-11 of the board are used for controlling the stepper motor. And the pins from 2 to 4 are used for encoder. Programming is done to deliver the reference data to regulate the motor and encoder. With the help of 5V supply that is received by the UNO board, it supplies the power to the encoder also and both are grounded properly so that same reference voltage is provided to the encoder and the power supply. CE 1.13 After completing the hardware work and when the connection was completed. I performed a troubleshooting, to check the functioning of the mechanism is proper. I used many different engineering software to test the system. Luckily, I didnt come across any major issues while implantation of the project. I only had problems in decided the accurate component that would meet the requirements of my project. I also introduced new engineering skills and workshops in my project such as latest equipments from FSM and SMC, HMI systems, G shield for automated dispatch, and automated field reporting software by using interfaces like G-coding, C++, AFR and CAD. CE 1.14 As I was leading the whole project, I was responsible for managing my group mates. I had to regularly keep updates on their progress and maintain one on one relationship to achieve success in my project. I also maintained good relations with my university supervisors and the company engineer under whom I was getting trained. SUMMARY CE 1.15 I accomplished the goals and objectives assigned to me by the company. I presented them a well-planned and working device which would benefit in their production. I applied various engineering knowledge that I learnt from my bachelors degree. I also introduced new techniques and mechanism that was beneficial and appropriate for my problem summary. I learn new software and learned to prepare a budget and function the project in that assigned budget. I cultured myself into the corporate world and adapt corporate behavior and skills. A project thesis and a presentation of my work was submitted on completion of my work.

The Person I Admire Most, and Why :: College Admissions Essays

The Person I Admire Most, and Why Throughout grade school, I was an average student in academic subjects, partly because I was embarrassed about my accent. Things were even worse in P.E. I always tried to hide when my classmates picked teams for sports because I felt so awkward. When we played baseball or kickball, I always seemed to stumble in front of my classmates. Because I believed I was horrible at physical activities, without really even trying, I had no confidence and felt embarrassed about performing in front of others. Soon I even lost what confidence I had in the classroom and stopped raising my hand to answer questions, even when I knew the answer. My seventh grade year started off just the same. But, in spring semester when track season started, everything changed. That's when I encountered the person I admire the most, the person to whom I attribute my success as an athlete and my belief in myself. He recognized a hidden talent in me and encouraged me to develop it. That person is my seventh grade P.E. instructor, Coach García. One afternoon, during P.E., Coach García marched us onto the track and divided us into groups for relay races. He started talking, and the first thing I noticed was that he spoke with an accent, too. But soon I started paying more attention to what he was saying how teamwork is such an important element for the relay race because we would have to pass the baton to our teammates. He could see that I was hanging back. Every time he said, "Remember, do your best because your teammates need you," he seemed to be talking directly to me! At the practices, I kept hearing his phrase, "Your teammates need you." Even though I couldn't see how my teammates would need me, since I could never seem to play any sport, when we went to our first track meet, I decided to test Coach García's theory. When I received the baton, I darted away from the starting line, running as fast as I could. I pushed myself that day, something I had never done before in P.E. I started off so fast that I gave my team a great lead, and we won the race.

Moral Living Synoptic Question Essay

In this essay it is my intention to examine the theme of moral living within the Old Testament and the Celtic Church. Morality refers to ethical issues. It is the quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct. It is a system of ideas of right and wrong conduct. There are two interlinked themes of religious morality and social morality under moral living. The foundation of moral living within the Old Testament is the Sinai Covenant. Whereas, the basis of morality in Celtic Church is Saint Patrick; his moral base was always routed in his scriptural beliefs. Moses, for example, made a covenant with Yahweh on Mount Sinai, the principles from which are the foundation for the Judah Christian faith today, where he received the Ethical Decalogue (10 Commandments). As Drane states, â€Å"the commands were essentially moral requirements. Honesty, truth and justice were more important to Yahweh than the performance of religious rites.† Love of God and Love of Neighbour were the two commandments at the core of the Ethical Decalogue. The first three commandments central religious morality however, the last seven focus on Love of Neighbour and Social Morality. Winward states, â€Å"no man could be in a right relationship with God who was not in a right relationship with his fellow men.† The people of Israel had an obligation as the chosen people to obey the Ethical Decalogue. Abraham was called by God to give up his polytheistic ways. God promised Abraham that he would never give up on him. As Heinsch states, â€Å"he had to journey to a foreign land alone trusting in God’s guidance.† If Abraham fulfilled this request God promised him three things, Great Nation, Land (which was Canaan) and Protection. At this time, Abraham worshipped the popular moon god, â€Å"sin† and was to break with idolatry and become monotheistic. Epstein stated that, â€Å"Abraham turned to the service of the one and only God whom he recognised as the creator of heaven and earth.† Abraham’s love of the one true God and his change from idolatry reflects similarities with Saint Patrick. Patrick arrived in Ireland to a pagan country. The people of Ireland were idolaters in that they worshipped as many as 400 gods, with the main god being the Dagda (the father). The Celts held such things as the sun, trees, groves, water and birds to be sacred. Joyce states that they had the tendency to â€Å"find the divine in all of created nature.† Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland to transform the pagan people to monotheism. He wanted them to worship and love the one true God. Patrick adopted pagan practice to Christian tradition, for example, he changed the worship of the â€Å"sun† to the â€Å"son.† Patrick wanted the people to become monks and virgins for Christ. He advocated that true worship of God required to be newly baptised (converted from paganism to Christianity.) Patrick wanted the people to convert freely; they were never forced as the decision to become a Christian had to come from the heart. When Patrick left a place he made sure he left a building (church) to be used for communal worship. Like the Old Testament prophets, Patrick expected his ordained to be good role models to the people. Unfortunately in the Old Testament the religious leaders did not always do this. Ezekiel, for example, was to inform the people that God was going to hold the religious leaders responsible as they had led the people astray instead of encouraging them to worship only Yahweh. God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the leaders, â€Å"shepherds have been feeding themselves, should not, you the shepherds feed the sheep.† In tandem with this, the prophet Elijah also had to deal with the people of Israel’s idolatry. He was aware that there was a lack of steadfast love due to the people worshipping both Yahweh and Baal (god of fertility.) Elijah challenged the people about this saying, â€Å"how long will you go limping with two different opinions?† The people needed to stop worshipping both Yahweh and Baal and were to only worship the one true God, Yahweh. Elijah had little sympathy for the people worshipping both Gods. He challenged King Ahab to a contest on Mount Carmel between Yahweh and Baal to determine who the true God is. Elijah had a great victory as Yahweh won, usually this would be celebrated but instead, Elijah went to Mount Horeb as he knew the people’s change of heart of Yahweh as the one true God was temporary and this was not good enough. True love of God was required. In line with this, Patrick also challenged the pagan people’s ways through their worship of Dagda and Lugh. It took a long time for the pagan people to convert to truly worshipping one God. Paganism continued to exist alongside early Christianity 100 years after Patrick. Amos spoke out about social injustices, he stated, â€Å"let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.† Amos spoke about respect for marriage, something which King David lacked. He had an affair with Bathsheba and committed the sins of lust, adultery and murder. He was punished for this as Yahweh was to â€Å"raise up evil against you out of your own house.† David’s son died as a result of his sins. Similarly, Patrick also showed a respect for life. He spoke out about injustices such as slavery and condemnation of wealth in his letter to Coroticus. Patrick respected women and this was reflected in the Letter to Coroticus. In L19 Patrick expresses his concern for women. The women were taken as captives, to be distributed â€Å"as prizes.† Patrick makes it clear that the fate of Coroticus and his men is to be â€Å"lorded over† for all eternity by those whom they regarded to be â€Å"barbarian Irish.† In L4, Patrick also speaks up against murder and slavery – he grieves for those captured and killed and calls the perpetrators themselves â€Å"captives of Satan† the punishment met out to them will be â€Å"external life in hell.† To conclude, Christianity is now one of the leading world religions and therefore the mission of both the prophets and Patrick was successful. There will always be a call for people to repent and convert to Christianity with a return to a moral life.

Environmental Influences on Performance

1. â€Å"Marathon race organizers should be mindful of weather conditions during the race ‘ Discuss the above statement on a scientific marathon footrace is among the most physiologically demanding endurance events in the world. Competitive runners typically maintain a pace corresponding to 70-90% of their maximal aerobic capacity [3,15,20] for more than 2 h. At maximal mechanical efficiency, more than 80% of the energy required for this task is transferred as heat to the body core [9]. Moreover, the rate of endogenous heat production associated with a 2-h 10-min marathon estimated from ordinary heat-balance equations [9] is approximately 1400 kcal ·h-1. This metabolic heat must be dissipated to the surrounding environment, or body temperature will rise to physiologically dangerous levels. Lind [13] has demonstrated that core temperature is independent of climate over a temperature range he has termed the â€Å"prescriptive zone. † It has been demonstrated that the width of the prescriptive zone progressively narrows as metabolic rate increases. Thus, climate begins to affect physiological responses to exercise at relatively cooler temperatures during activities that elicit high metabolic rate compared with those eliciting lower metabolic rates. More recently, it has been demonstrated that endurance performance is indeed impaired when exercising in warm versus more temperate laboratory conditions and that air temperatures of approximately 10 °C seem optimal for endurance exercise [10]. One criticism of these and other laboratory findings is that typical airflows used for indoor testing situations are well below those encountered when running or cycling outdoors ver the ground. The lack of appropriate airflow substantially reduces the combined heat transfer coefficient [9] and may overestimate physiological strain [2]. Few field studies have examined the effect of weather conditions on endurance running performance[16,17,22]. Although it is generally observed that race performances worsen as weather warms, there are current ly no data quantifying the magnitude of performance reduction. In addition, these studies relied only on data from elite male runners; thus, the implications for slower competitors or women runners are only speculative. COLD WEATHER BEST FOR MARATHON PERFORMANCE Every runner knows that cool weather is better than hot weather for marathon performance. But a recent study from the U. S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine suggests that relatively cold weather is better than merely cool weather. Researchers gathered many years' worth of results and weather data from six major North American marathons and performed stastical analyses to determine the effect of air temperature on finishing times among runners at various levels of performance. Specifically, they looked at year-to-year comparative finishing times of the top three male and female runners at each event, as well as the 25th, 50th, 100th, and 300th finishers. The results showed a clear trend toward faster times at colder temperatures. For example, the finishing times of male races winners were, on average, 1. 7% slower than the course record when the air temperature was between 34 and 50 degrees. The finishing times of the top male runners were 2. 5% slower than the course record, however, when the temperature was between 51 and 59 degrees. And at higher temperatures, finishing times fell off even more dramatically. Runners at all levels were slowed by warmer air, but higher temperatures had a smaller effect on faster runners. The ideal marathon temperature, according to these analyses, was a bone-chilling 41 degrees. Think about that when you sign up for your next marathon! 2. Divers who collect ornamental fish have to work in a hostile environment. Discuss how the SCUBA apparatus helps these divers to meet the challenge of the deep sea environment. SCUBA diving is an exciting and first-hand way for scientists to study the underwater environment. It is one among the most effective ways for executing underwater experiments that require high quality precise measurements. SCUBA as the name suggests stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. It literally means that all divers carry all of required breathing equipment’s and gases with them. Hence they are subjected to water temperature, pressure, currents, and other factors revolving oceans present at the diving depth. The NURP program approximately supports about 10,000 SCUBA Divers for Scientific Research work. NURP provides all the necessary equipments and finances for scientists and technical assistance to conduct diving operations. They use both open circuit as well as closed circuit breathing apparatus. The difference between them primarily relies upon what happens to the exhaled gas. In open system the gas is exhaled in to the water. A closed system apparatus has recycling abilities and thus lasts longer underwater as it reduces carbon-dioxide and adds oxygen in a cyclic manner inside the container. It reduces the amount of gas required in the container and also allows the diver to remain streamlined. The breathing gas provided by NURP involves compressed air, NITROX and TRIMIX. NITROX is a composition of nitrogen and oxygen whilst TRIMIX is a composition of oxygen, nitrogen and helium. NITROX is of special interest to NOAA. It was in introduced in late 1970’s which allows the divers to stay longer underwater when compared to compressed air alone. Each of these gases is of different properties which enables the diver to dive at maximum depths. 3. The year 1968 marked the emergence of high altitude trained long distance runners from Kenya. Discuss the scientific basis of high altitude training and how it helps to perform better in long distance events. The theory underlying the belief that training at high altitude can enhance athletic performance sounds reasonable enough. Work out in an environment that causes the body to produce more oxygen-carrying red blood cells and an athlete will be able to perform better than he or she can when trained at a lower elevation. Proponents of this theory point to East African runners, who have dominated long-distance events in recent years, as proof that training at high altitudes pays off. But if that’s the case, why don’t runners from other high altitude countries such as Peru and Mexico perform equally well? And why do some athletes excel in endurance sports despite having never trained at high altitude? â€Å"[High-altitude training has] had so much press that certain athletes feel like they’re at a disadvantage if they’re not doing altitude training,† says Andrew Subudhi, a researcher at the Altitude Research Center in Denver and assistant professor of biology at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. There’s a big movement for endurance athletes to move to high altitude if they’re serious about [improving their performance]. † Into Thin Air But does it really help? Answering that question is harder than one might think, despite numerous scientific studies on the relationship between altitude and athletic performance. The issue reached prominence at the 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City (elevation 7, 349 feet), when questions arose about the best way to prepare for competing in the thin air, Subudhi says. Thin air† is a term used to describe air that contains less oxygen than air at sea level (20. 9% at sea level compared with 15. 3% at higher altitudes). The number of red blood cells found in the body of an endurance athlete who does not live and train at high altitudes may be insufficient to supply the amount of oxygen needed at higher altitudes. To help deal with this problem, athletes may live and train at high altitudes several weeks before a competition to increase the number of red blood cells, which are produced in response to greater release of the hormone erythropoietin. More red blood cells allows a person’s blood to carry more oxygen, which partly makes up for the shortage of oxygen in the air. Studies have found that athletes do perform better in competitions held at high altitudes if they live and train at high altitudes prior to competition, Subudhi says, but training at high altitudes does not necessarily help athletes perform better at low altitudes as one might assume. â€Å"When you’re at altitude, you can’t train as hard, and when you’re not training as hard, you’re not getting the same training stimulus,† he says. â€Å"Training at altitude doesn’t mean you’ll do well at sea level. Then again, that doesn’t mean that you won’t, says Jack Daniels, PhD, head distance coach at the Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University. Daniels says the key benefit to training at higher than normal altitudes is that it teaches an athlete how to hurt, and learning to tolerate pain can help athletes push themselves harder than they would otherwise. â€Å"It’s good for an athlete to learn to really lay it out there, and it’s easy to do that [in high altitude] without working quite as hard,† says Daniels, who has coached 31 individual3/22/13 Printer-friendly article page www. motionsports. com/blog/training at altitude. htm 2/3 NCAA national champions in his career. Although there are benefits to training at altitude, Daniels says, the advantages one might gain are unimportant when compared with more mundane factors. No matter where people train, he says, they want comfortable housing, healthy food, a friendly atmosphere, good training facilities, desirable weather, and adequate medical and therapy attention. â€Å"In other words, you train best where you are happiest,† Daniels says. If you c an have that at altitude, that's good, but if you do altitude-type things and don't have those other things, then you are wasting your time. It is very disturbing to me to hear people say, ‘If you don't train at altitude you may as well not bother trying. ’ I think we have all the things an athlete would want right here, but anyone who comes here and is not happy, I encourage to leave. † Live High, Train Low Daniels also doesn’t believe in another philosophy that has gained considerable support in recent years from researchers who have studied the altitude-performance relationship. Known as â€Å"live high, train low,† this philosophy holds that endurance athletes benefit most from living in high-altitude conditions but training at low altitude where they are able to push themselves harder. The term â€Å"live high, train low† came into being in 1996 when researchers James Stray-Gundersen and Benjamin Levine studied the relationship between altitude, training, and performance using three groups of endurance athletes. One group lived and trained in Park City, Utah, (elevation 7,000 feet) while another group lived there and trained at a lower altitude. A third group lived and trained in San Diego (elevation 72 feet). After the four-week training period ended, all were tested at a low altitude. â€Å"They found that the group that lived high but trained low got the best benefit; that was measured in 5-kilometer time trials. † Subudhi says. The reason for the improved performance among the live-high, train-low group, researchers hypothesized, is that by living in high-altitude conditions, their bodies produced more red blood cells in response to the lower concentration of oxygen. And because these athletes trained at a lower elevation, they were able to push themselves harder than they would have at higher altitudes, resulting in a higher training stimulus. The results of this and other studies received so much media attention that companies began manufacturing masks, tents, and rooms that would allow athletes to live anywhere in high-altitude conditions. Devices cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Some companies convert entire houses to these conditions, and both Finland and the United States have outfitted dormitories in this way. Manufacturers claim benefits can occur from as little as six to eight hours of exposure. But those claims are not supported by research, Subudhi says, who contends 15 to 16 hours per day exposure is supported by research. Exercise rooms designed to mimic high-altitude conditions can benefit athletes who live at low altitudes and are planning to compete at a high altitude, he says: â€Å"If your competition is at altitude, then you need to train at altitude. † Altitude Advantage The only danger associated with the use of such devices is reducing oxygen levels too quickly, and almost everyone will experience more difficulty sleeping, Subudhi says. However, it’s rare to see athletes suffering from acute mountain sickness, commonly known as altitude sickness, or from high-altitude pulmonary or cerebral edema among those who live at an 8,000- to 9,000-foot altitude, he says. Plus, benefits are temporary: An athlete who stops living under high-altitude conditions will begin to see a loss in benefits in about two weeks as extra red blood cells die off, he says. Bob Cranny, PT, owner of Altitude Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Boulder, Colo. , is a big believer in the benefits of training at altitudes of 2,500 feet or greater. He and his wife are both triathletes and marathon runners who moved to Boulder (elevation 5,430 feet) 12 years ago from Long Beach, Calif. , because they believed the higher altitude would enhance their performance. Many athletes in the area follow the live-high, train-low philosophy, although it might more accurately be described as â€Å"live high, train lower. † That’s because many athletes who train in Boulder live at elevations of3/22/13 Printer-friendlyarticlepage www. kmotionsports. com/blog/training at altitude. htm 3/3 round 9,000 feet and travel to Boulder’s 5,430-foot elevation to train, as opposed to sea level. â€Å"If you could live at 9,000 feet and train at sea level, that would be even better — that would be wonderful,† Cranny says. So the answer to the question of whether training at high altitude will enhance an athlete’s performance is: maybe. Training at altitude will help some, while other athletes might benefit best fro m alternate training methods. â€Å"I see altitude as a type of training, and if this type suits you then it is good,† Daniels says.