Big Shots for September 3, 2010

Big Shots has some busy times ahead with several major competitions to cover. I expect individual posts soon on the US Open tennis championships in New York, the World Basketball Championships in Turkey, and the Vuelta a Espana bicycle race in Spain. American football fans are happy that both the NFL and the NCAA are kicking around the pigskin again. And baseball's World Series is not far off. While you wait, enjoy the Combat Games in Beijing, the Agricultural Society Fair in Martha's Vineyard, and the Junior World Snowboard & Freestyle Championships in New Zealand. ( 24 photos total)

Canada's Ashley Barson crashes during the U23 cross country event at the Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Beaupre, Canada September 2. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

Violetta Kovalskaya of Russia (left) and Morganne Murphy of the US compete in the ski cross event during the Junior World Snowboard & Freestyle Championships at Cardrona August 28 in Wanaka, New Zealand. (Hannah Johnston/Getty Images) #

Horses and riders jump a ditch in the yearly Waregem Koerse "Grote Steeple Chase van Vlaanderen" (Great Steeple Chase of Flanders) horse race at the Gaverbeek Hippodrome in Waregem August 31. (ERIC LALMAND/AFP/Getty Images) #

Iranian skier Mahdi Solghani grass skis due to a lack of snow in the mountains of Iran during practice at Dizin Ski resort August 26. Iranian authorities first allowed women to ski professionally in 2005. (REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi) #

Bill Evans of Ft. Lauderdale Ocean Rescue drops down the front of a wave as he surfs September 1 in surf churned by Hurricane Earl. (AP Photo /Sun Sentinel/Joe Cavaretta) #

Pedro de la Rosa drives at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit August 27 in Spa, Belgium during the first free practice session of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix. (GUILLAUME BAPTISTE/AFP/Getty Images) #

The CST Composites team of Howie Hamlin, Fritz Lanzinger, and Matt Noble contest the Skiff International Race at the St. Francis Yacht Club August 26 in San Francisco. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) #

Bourton Rovers First XI (in red) challenge the Bourton Rovers Second XI goal during the Bourton-on-the-Water football match played in the River Windrush August 30 in Bourton-on-the-Water, England. (Hamish Blair/Getty Images) #

Kellie Maier gets splashed by a passing car while kayaking on Highway 12 September 3 in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. The road was flooded by Hurricane Earl. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) #

Blackburn Rovers' Paul Robinson reacts to the rain during the English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal at Ewood Park in Blackburn, England August 28. (AP Photo/Peter Byrne, PA) #

Filip Filipovic of Serbia reacts during their European Waterpolo Championships preliminary match against Greece in Zagreb August 29. (REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh) #

The New York Yankees' Nick Swisher reacts to fans during a MLB baseball game against the Oakland Athletics August 30 at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun) #

A competitor throws his wooden top as he competes in the 'Tuoluo' spinning top event at the Ethnic Minorities Traditional Games in Beijing August 24. 'Tuoluo' involves a defender who keeps his top spinning within a small circle as an opponent tries to hit it out by throwing another top, which is wound around string attached to a stick. (REUTERS/David Gray) #

The San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers is tackled by the New Orleans Saints' Scott Shanle during their NFL preseason football game in New Orleans August 27. (REUTERS/Sean Gardner) #

Parviz Abdullayev of Azerbaijan falls onto the ropes during his semifinal bout against Tomasz Mordarski of Poland in the low-kick 71kg kickboxing competition at the Combat Games in Beijing September 3. The Combat Games feature 1600 athletes from 60 countries competing in 13 sports. (REUTERS/David Gray) #

The Florida Marlins' Wes Helms flips over the rail for a foul ball off the bat of Atlanta Braves' Jason Heyward in a MLB baseball game in Atlanta August 29. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) #

South Africa's Francois Hougaard throws the ball as Australia's David Pocock (right) closes in during the Tri Nations rugby match at the Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria August 28. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) #

Japan's Ryota Norimatsu dives for a single by Waipahu, Hawaii's Brysen Yoshii in the Little League World Series championship baseball game August 29 in South Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) #

Amberle Montgomery of the US is held down by Yang Panpan of China during the preliminary round of the women's wrestling competition at the Combat Games in Beijing September 1. (REUTERS/David Gray) #

Sergiy Stakhovsky celebrates after his victory over Denis Istomin in the final of a tennis tournament in New Haven, Conn. August 28. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham) #

Xin Wang of China returns a shot against Hongyan Pi of France during their single quarterfinal match at the World Badminton Championships in Paris August 27. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) #

A man throws at a target during an ax-throwing competition at the annual Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Fair in West Tisbury, Mass. August 21. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder) #

England's Becky Essex (front) vies for the ball in a lineout with Australia's Chris Ross during their Women's Rugby World Cup semifinal match at Twickenham Stoop Stadium in London September 1. (IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images) #

Pakistani cricket fans protest Pakistani cricket players for their alleged involvement in match fixing in Lahore, Pakistan August 30. The International Cricket Council has promised action against any player found guilty of fixing or manipulating matches. (AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary) #

Sports

Big Shots for September 3, 2010