Speaking About Sports in the Summer

42 Summer Sports List (sorted by Popularity) Click here to go directly to our webpages and read the Update and other pages.

Click here to listen to and follow our podcast "Sorry! What Did You Say?"  on Spotify in your browser

We now have transcripts and episodes are divided into chapters. Be sure to check the AI's work. 

Hello, Friends.

Summer fun and fests continue. The World Cup ends July 19, but there is plenty to do. In the U.S. most schools start back in August (although locally, we have a district or two beginning the end of July). Take advantage of the festivals and music. There are county and state fairs to enjoy the best of the local farmers. Farmer's markets feature fresh crops and other delicious treats. 

Some American Professional Summer Sports:

• NASCAR
• IndyCar
• Baseball
• Women's Basketball
• Tennis
• Golf

There is plenty more to participate in and to follow 42 Summer Sports List (sorted by Popularity). 

The Sports Front

Continuing to look at sports...American sports leagues include different levels of commitment. Amateur play includes:

• Middle School, High School, and Collegiate teams
• Recreational (Rec) teams
• Travel teams
• Club teams

Professional team athletes that are paid to compete. These include major leagues as well as minor leagues that feed athletes to higher levels of competition.

Every sport has it's own format and parents and athletes can plug into locally. Here is an example of the structure for soccer (featuring California).

From U.S. Soccer Parent: Our goal is to empower every soccer parent in the U.S. with the knowledge, resources, and community support needed to confidently guide their child’s journey—from recreational play to elite competition—while helping shape a more transparent, inclusive, and informed youth soccer culture.

Listening Practice

While we are on break from our classes, we are still recording and posting episodes to Sorry! What Did You Say? on Spotify. Hearing native and non-native speakers in conversation can help you understand American English and Culture. Listen to the differences in the speakers as well as the content of the conversation.

Tips: 

• Speed up or slow down the recording. Sometimes you need to slow down to catch nuance or just what is being said. Sometimes you need to speed up to focus your attention and get the gist.
• Read along. The episodes have transcripts that are automatically generated. Do the transcripts match what you hear? Is it your ears or is it the AI?
• Notice the differences in pace and cadence of each speaker. Part of this is personal "style" and part of this is carry over from original language. Singing is a great way to learn the cadence of a language, even if you don't know all the words (and who knows and sings all the right words...no one You've Been Singing These 30 Songs Completely Wrong). 

Words and Phrases

feed: supply

follow: watch or keep track of

get the gist: understand the concept or poing

plug into: connect to a network or a system

plug in: connect a device to power (plug in the lamp)