Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Leaping 6.90 meters on her third attempt, Belarusian long jumper Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova missed out on winning by a hair at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. The effort was good for first place, but when her pony tail touched the sand, it left her with a mark of only 6.74 meters. The winner, American Brittney Reese, jumped 6.82 meters... with her hair up in a bun. The wayward locks not only cost Mironchyk-Ivanova the gold medal, but also $60,000 in prize money. A new style is likely before the next race, but only her hairdresser will know for sure.

NCAA Uniforms Anything But Uniform

Maryland’s 32-24 victory over Miami (FL) in its season opener was expected to be a great early-season match-up between two ACC rivals, but the real story of the game focused on their Under Armor-provided uniforms. The Terps raised eyebrows last month when they previewed a plethora of new designs including a turtle-shell helmet. Monday night’s attire featured an asymmetrical look with each side of the helmet and the sleeves displaying parts of the Maryland state flag: a gold and black checkerboard-like design (the coat of arms of state “founder” George Calvert) and a red and white cross bottony (the coat of arms of the Crosslands, the family of Calvert’s mother). Georgia, Boise State and Oregon, among others, also trotted out new eye-popping gear sure to be a hit with video-game aficinados. NCAA, there's a Mr. Blackwell on line two...

Golf, Unexpected

After a tale of terror that left golfers and the Scottish rugby union team hopping mad, a rogue kangaroo was shot with a tranquillzer dart by a contracted veterinarian at Sanctuary Cove, a top-end private resort course on the Gold Coast of Australia. Golfers pay up to $6,400 (U.S.) a year for the privilege of playing on immaculately groomed fairways, but the Club's course guide fails to list maniac marsupials under its list of hazards. Word to the wise.