Tag Archives: sports

Winter Sports And Sports Insurance

From Christine Connally, Community Counselor with Au Pair in America (MD)

Is it risky to do winter sports without the sports insurance?

Yes. If you have to pay your own hospital bills for a broken bone, you might be shocked at how much that would cost. Christine checked this website for some cost estimates.

ice-skate-224x300Here are a couple examples:

  • Without medical coverage, to treat a broken arm or leg (that does not require surgery) it could cost up to $2,500.
  • Without medical coverage, to treat a broken arm or leg (requiring surgery) it could cost $16,000 or more.

    • We wanted to make sure everyone understands how the medical coverage works for sports related injuries. There is a list of “high-risk sports/activities” that are not covered with the basic or upgrade medical insurance plans. Those activities are only covered with the Sports Insurance Package (also known as Option A.)

    The Sports Insurance Package was available pre-departure and may also be purchased at any time during your year. It takes effect within 48 hours of your enrollment and it is good for 12 months. The cost will be the same ($75) whether you have a month left or your whole year ahead of you. We recommend you pay for it early on, if you didn’t already purchase it. You never know when an opportunity might present itself and you don’t want to miss out on an adventure. You also don’t want to take a risk on getting injured and being responsible for the bill on your own.

    Below is a partial list of sports that are only covered with the sports insurance package:
    Football, Rugby, Scuba diving, Ski-doo,  Wakeboarding, Skydiving, Parachuting, Rock climbing, Zip line, Skate boarding, Rollerblading, Roller skating, Ice Skating, Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiles & Snowshoeing.  View the full list on page 3 of the insurance brochure HERE (2013 arrival au pairs) & HERE for (2014 arrival au pairs)
    Note: Injuries sustained while partaking in these sports are covered with purchase of the Sports Insurance ONLY.

    How to register for the Sports Insurance
    Download the form HERE and follow the instructions. It takes a few days for your coverage to begin. If you think you will be doing any of these sports, you should get it now

    World Cup!!!

    world cup

    As we bring the world together with this program, so does world cup soccer!  The World Cup is one of the most followed international sporting events in the world and takes place every 4 years.  Many of you come from the countries represented and take great pride in supporting their national soccer teams.  So here is a little information about the Word Cup:

    The tournament kicks off today when Brazil plays Croatia in Sao Paulo. It will mark the 20th edition of the World Cup, which will culminate with the final on July 13 in Rio de Janeiro. The World Cup will feature 32 nations — placed in groups with four teams apiece — and a total of 64 games. Defending champion Spain will have to contend with the likes of Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Italy if it wants to retain its title. The United States has qualified for its seventh straight World Cup and will be looking to get out of a very tough group that features Germany, Portugal and Ghana.

    The host nation has won the World Cup five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002) and will be going for a sixth before a home crowd. Anything short of lifting the trophy will be a tough day for Brazil. So wish your Brazilian au pairs some extra luck, you know they love their soccer!

    The groups are as follows:

    Group A        Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon

    Group B        Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia

    Group C        Colombia, Greece, Cote d’lvoire. Japan

    Group D        Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

    Group E        Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras

    Group F         Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria

    Group G        Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA

    Group H        Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic

    Did you know there is a FIFA world cup app you can download to follow the scores and latest news.

    #JoinIn the Brazil 2014 experience

    For more news and information go to the official FIFA World Cup website

    http://www.fifa.com/

    February 2: Super Bowl Sunday

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    Super Bowl Sunday is an American tradition and a super doze of the American culture for any visitor to this country.

    Every year there is a lot of hype leading up to the game and the day itself brings parties, barbecues, funny TV commercials and the half time show.  The game is the most watched television program of the year.  Although it is not a national American holiday there is a “holiday” type atmosphere across the country on Super Bowl Sunday.   Families and friends gather together, consume a lot of food and enjoy watching the game on tv, in sports bars or other public venues.  Most au pairs will be experiencing it for the first time this weekend.  Here are some fun facts about this Super Bowl:

    • Kickoff is scheduled for 6:25 Eastern Time  on Feb. 2 from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
    • Average list price for a ticket is $3,449 ~ much more cost effective to watch at home!
    • Typically people eat buffet style on Super Bowl Sunday and enjoy such snacks as pizza, buffalo wings, chili, potato chips and dips
    • The Broncos’ seventh Super Bowl appearance ties the New England Patriots for third most all-time (the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers have the most at 8). A loss would be record fifth for the Broncos.
    • The Seahawks are making their second Super Bowl appearance. They lost Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Many Seahawks fans still think the refs gifted the game to the Steelers.
    • Stores are usually extremely quiet during the game and water usage across the country increases at half time when fans head to the restroom!
    • The George Washington Bridge in New York is lit up in both team colors
    • Players on the winning team earn $92,000. The losers make do with $46,000.
    • One 30 second commercial cost between over 3 million dollars
    • Bruno Mars is the featured artist for the halftime show. He has sold 10 million records in just three years and he had the two biggest hits of 2011 as both “Just The Way You Are” and “Grenade” were the only singles of the year with more than 10 million digital downloads. He was nominated for four Grammy Awards this year and picked up one trophy for Best Pop Vocal Album.
    • Betting is one of the engines that makes the NFL go, and the Super Bowl is the most bet on sporting event annually in Nevada. Last year, a record $99 million was bet legally. Of course millions more are bet illegally.

    Game One of the Baseball World Series

    BaseballIn baseball the World Series is the championship games of Major League Baseball in North America, played in October after the end of the regular season between the pennant winners of the American and  National Leagues. The Series winner is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, meaning that the first team to win four games wins the series. The World Series has been an annual event since 1903.  It is played at the baseball stadiums of the two teams in the series.  Baseball is so popular that it is sometimes called the “national pastime.” The word “ballgame” in the United States almost always refers to a game of baseball, and “ballpark” to a baseball field.

    The rules of baseball can be found here http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/baseball.asp

    Photo: Pierre-Olivier

    American Football season kicks off this month

    The first game in the NFL is September 5th ~ Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos

    Visit http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/football.asp for the full rules of American Football.

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    American Football Simplified

    A Football Game is made up of 60 minutes of play time. The 60 minutes is divided into four Quarters of 15 minutes each. At the end of two Quarters, there is a break called Half Time. On the Scoreboard you can see the minutes and seconds running out. The team with the most points at the end of four Quarters wins.

    A football field is 100 yards long. There is a Goal Post at each end of the field (called the End Zone) one for each team.  Each team has an Offense and a Defense. If the Offense has the ball and tries to score by getting it across the Goal Line – the line where the playing field and the End Zone meet, the Defense tries to stop them. The Offense gets four tries to move the ball 10 yards toward their own goal post. These tries are called Downs. If they move the ball down the field 10 yards or more, they get another four tries to move the ball another 10 yards. If they don’t move the ball 10 yards in four tries, the ball goes to the other team; we say the team “loses the ball.”   The Super Bowl is the final game of the Football season when two teams play each other for the championship. The game takes place in late January or early February. For some people the TV commercials are the best part of the Super Bowl.