Unit 5 - A good sport - Gold Experience B2

rival

(n, adj) a person, group, or organisation that you compete with in sport, business, a fight, etc. Sitting at a computer for hours just doesn't compare with the adrenaline high you get from knocking out a ................. team in a competition.

genuine

a ................. feeling, desire, etc. is one that you really feel, not one you pretend to feel. The reforms are motivated by a ................. concern for the disabled.

comfort

a feeling of being physically relaxed and satisfied, so that nothing is hurting you, making you feel too hot or cold, etc. I like to watch sport from the ...................... of my living room. I don't understand people who stand in the cold and rain for hours watching their teams play.

sense of identity

a feeling of knowing who you are and how you belong to a community. It demonstrates the strong ................. of ................. fans feel with their club.

embarrassment

a feeling of self-consciousness, shame, or awkwardness

application

a formal, usually written, request for something such as a job, place at university or permission to do something. Have you filled in the ...................... form for the football summer camp yet?

hurdles

a series of small fences that a person or horse has to jump over during a race. My favourite race is the 400-metre ................. where runners have to jump over small fences called .................. .

It is addictive.

an activity that is ................. is so enjoyable that you do not want to stop Go for it! It's such a great feeling, but it is .................!

impatient

annoyed because of delays, someone else's mistakes, etc. My brother gets really ................. when he has to wait for his turn to play a video game. He really annoys me when he keeps asking if it's his go yet.

attachment

belief in and loyalty towards a particular idea, organisation, etc. The long-term ................. to a particular sport or team appears to develop around the age of eight or nine, and the sport or team a person decides to follow is largely influenced by their social circle rather than their personal participation in a sport.

superior

better, more powerful, more effective, etc. than a similar person or thing, especially one that you are competing against. In psychology, this is known as the 'in group' and 'out group' principle, and sports fans are no different. This principle leads members of the 'in group' (the home fans) to feel ................. to those of the 'out group' (the fans of the rival team).

inexpensive

cheap - used to show approval. Although Chloe's new trainers look like they cost a lot, they were actually quite ................. .

exhaustion

extreme tiredness. After running the marathon, he felt weak with ................. .

I was a natural.

having a particular quality or skill without needing to be taught and without needing to try hard. I ......... a ................. and from that point on I was hooked.

guidance

help and advice that is given to someone about their work, education or personal life. The gym instructors provide ................. on how to use the gym equipment.

assistance

help or support. The referee asked for ...................... from the medical team when the player fell over and hurt her leg.

performance

how well or badly a person, company, etc. does a particular job or activity. Her ................. in the gymnastics competition was excellent. All the judges gave her high marks.

kick off

if a meeting, event or a football game kicks off, it starts. And with the blow of the whistle the game ................. ............!

involve: coordination, training, teamwork

if an activity or situation ................. something, that thing is part of it or a result of it. Rugby ................. good teamwork. A team cannot win a match if the players don't work together well.

demand: coordination, training, teamwork

if one thing demands another, it needs that thing in order to happen or be done successfully. Tennis ................. very good hand-eye coordination.

get together

if people get together, they meet in order to spend time with each other. One of my favourite things is ................. ................. with friends in the park and kicking a ball around.

It was a bit of a let-down.

if something is a let-down, it is a disappointment. When I opened the parcel it was a bit of a ........-................. .

the stakes are higher

if the ................. are ................. when you are trying to do something, you risk losing a lot or it will be dangerous if you fail. I guess it's because the ................. are ................. now as I'm competing at a higher level.

I was hooked.

if you are ................. on something, you enjoy it very much and you want to do it as often as possible. I was a natural and from that point on I was ................. .

qualification

if you have a qualification, you have passed an examination or course to show you have a particular level of skill or knowledge in a subject. If you want to be a sports therapist, you need to go to college and get the appropriate ................. .

unbelievably (adv)

in a way that is very surprising or difficult to believe

guidance

leadership or direction

get the hang of it

learn how to do something or use something. The average beginner probably takes a couple of weeks to ........ the ........... ........ it.

misleading (adj)

likely to make someone believe something that is not true. Some adverts for snack bars are ................. . They make them look like they're healthy snacks but actually, they're full of sugar!

immoral

morally wrong. Some people lose a match on purpose in order to make money. Not only is this ................., but in my opinion, it is also immoral.

dishonest

not honest, and so deceiving or cheating people. It's really ................. to cheat when you're playing a game.

unfamiliar

not known to you. I was totally ................. with the equipment they were using, as I'd never been to a gym before.

illogical

not sensible or reasonable. The pre-race superstitions and rituals that some athletes have seem ................. to most people, but they help the athletes feel more confident.

irrelevant

not useful or not relating to a particular situation, and therefore not important. I'm sorry, but how good you are at esports is ................. . You have to be over eighteen to enter this tournament and you're only sixteen.

nonverbal

not using words. During a game, players use ................. communication such as hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate with their teammates.

sprinting

running very fast for a short distance. Only the fastest runners compete in the ................. races, such as the 100 metres.

athlete /ˈæθliːt/

someone who competes in sports competitions, especially running, jumping and throwing. Robert has won lots of running competitions. He's a great ...................... .

spectator

someone who is watching an event or game. ................. have to show their tickets at the gate before they're allowed in to the stadium to watch the match.

referee

someone who makes sure that the rules of a sport such as football, basketball or boxing, are followed. I think the ................. made the right decision when he gave the penalty to the other team.

teammate

someone who works in the same team as you. Tom is one of my ................. . We play on the same basketball team.

opponent

someone who you try to defeat in a competition, game, fight or argument. Sarah knew her ................. well. She had competed against her in lots of other competitions.

concentration

the ability to think about something carefully or for a long time. Esports demand quick reactions and a high level of ...................... . You need to be very focused on what you're doing.

frustration

the feeling of being annoyed, upset or impatient, because you cannot control or change a situation, or achieve something. Paul experienced feelings of ................. and disappointment, when after hours of training he wasn't picked for the school rugby team.

amusement

the feeling you have when you think something is funny. Debbie looked at her brother in ...................... as he slipped in a muddy puddle on the football pitch.

commitment

the hard work and loyalty that someone gives to an organisation, activity, etc. In order to be the best at a sport, you need to show real ...................... . That means turning up to every training session and spending your free time practising.

nil

the number zero, used in sports results. They beat us three ............. .

rowing

the sport or activity of making a boat move through water with oars. You need strong arm muscles for ................. as you need a lot of power to move a boat through water using only wooden oars.

devotion

the strong love that you show when you pay a lot of attention to someone or something. Alanna has always shown intense ................. to her children.

behaviour /bɪˈheɪvjə/

the things that a person or animal does. The coach was really disappointed in the team's ...................... after they argued with the other team during the football match.

routine

the usual order in which you do things, or the things you regularly do. The first time you do any new jump or ................., it's a challenge.

appearance

the way someone or something looks to other people. She may not have the usual ...................... of a basketball player as she's not very tall, but she's really good.

entertainment

things such as films, television, performances, etc. that are intended to amuse or interest people. My ideal kind of ................. is going to watch a sporting event with friends.

take (sth) on

to agree to do some work or to be responsible for something. I'm feeling excited and nervous because I've just ................. ...... the role of team captain for our school hockey team.

enter: a championship, tournament, competition

to arrange to take part in a race, competition, examination, etc., or to arrange for someone else to take part. You have to pass a fitness test before you can ................. this tournament.

get into

to arrive at a place. Our train departed without any delay so if everything goes as planned we should .............. ............. Hamburg in less than two hours.

take part in a: championship, tournament, competition

to be involved in an activity, sport, event, etc. with other people. Our school always ........... .......... in a regional sports competition.

get through (sth)

to be successful in a test or competition, or to make sure that someone or something is successful. I don't know how I'm going to ......... ................. this match, I feel really ill.

come off

to become removed from something. You may do only a short turn in the game, score, but then ................. ........... and be replaced with someone with different skills and more energy.

misbehave

to behave badly, and cause trouble or annoy people. The children often ................. in their sports lesson because the teacher isn't very strict and so they do what they like.

jinx

to bring bad luck. Equally, an action performed while the team lost will be considered bad luck and will be avoided in future for fear of .................ing the team.

rearrange

to change the position or order of things; to change the time of a meeting, etc. Can we ................. your appointment for next Thursday?

knock (sb) out

to defeat a person or team in a competition so that they can no longer take part. They ................. the other team ....... of the championship, which means they will be playing in the finals next week.

put off

to delay doing something or to arrange to do something at a later time or date, especially because there is a problem or you do not want to do it now. I hurt my ankle during the workout and had no choice but to ......... ........ my tennis match for two weeks.

count on (sb)

to depend on someone or something, especially in a difficult situation. You can always ................. on David to know what to do in a crisis.

warm up

to do gentle physical exercises to prepare your body for dancing, sport etc. .......... ....... is a vital part of any workout. You need to prepare your body for any type of hard exercise to avoid injuries.

get round to doing (sth)

to do something that you have been intending to do for some time. I still haven't ............ ................. to buying some new trainers. I've just had no time.

come down with

to get an illness. I'm going to stay home today. I think I'm .................ing .................with a flu.

pick sth up

to get or win something. This season we played great. We ................ ..... two major prizes!

win: a title, a trophy, prize money, a gold medal, a championship, a tournament, a competition

to get something as a prize for winning in a competition, or to be the best or most successful in a competition, game, election, etc. The winner of the esports tournament not only gets the title of champion, but also .............. prize money.

beat: an opponent, the rival team

to get the most points, votes, etc. in a game, race or competition. We were so happy when we ...................... the rival team. We didn't expect to win as every year they usually win.

delight: spectators, fans, viewers

to give someone great satisfaction and enjoyment. The excellent performance by both tennis players ................. spectators.

hold: a championship, tournament, competition

to have a meeting, party, election, etc. in a particular place or at a particular time. This year, the athletics championship will be ................. in Manchester.

get off

to leave a place or to help someone to leave a place. We need to .......... ......., now! If we don't leave in two minutes we won't make it to the game on time.

get (sb) down

to make someone feel unhappy and tired. It really ............ me ................ when we lose a match.

attract: spectators, fans, viewers

to make someone interested in something, or make them want to take part in something. Esports tournaments often ...................... more viewers than traditional sporting events.

require: coordination, training, teamwork

to need something. All sports ................. training of some kind.

send off

to order a sports player to leave the field because they have broken the rules. Seeing the foul the referee waved a red card to the player and ............... him ......... . He won't get to play anymore in this match.

discourage

to persuade someone not to do something, especially by making it seem difficult or bad. Our coach ................. us from eating fast food as she wants us to be as fit and healthy as possible.

qualify for a: championship, tournament, competition

to reach the necessary standard to enter or continue in a competition or sports event. You have to have more than ten points to ................. for a championship.

relieve

to reduce someone's pain or unpleasant feelings. For many, a live sporting event is the only place they feel comfortable high fiving strangers and showing their feelings so openly in public. It can be a great way to ................. stress and improve personal well-being.

turn (sth/sb) down

to refuse an offer, request or invitation. She ............... ............... a place in the school netball team because she wanted to concentrate on her studies.

yell

to shout or say something very loudly, especially because you are frightened, angry or excited. Whether they're cheering in the stadium, ...............ing at the referee from the sofa, or singing their team's victory song, sports fans exist all over the world.

root for

to support a sports team or player by shouting and cheering. Ironically, the two sets of fans are far from being different. They are identical in their passion, their spirit, and their devotion - the only real distinction between them is the team they're ................. for.

compete for: a title, a trophy, prize money, a gold medal

to take part in a competition or sports event to win a title, a trophy, prize money, a gold medal, etc. The Olympic athletes are all ...................ing for a gold medal.

get back to (sb)

to talk to someone or telephone them later in order to answer a question or give them information. Can I ........... .................to you about the time of the training session? I'll have to ask the coach.

boast (v)

to talk too proudly about your abilities, achievements or possession; if a place, object or organisation ...................... something, it has something that is very good. Have you ever heard a sports fan ...................... , 'We thrashed the other team today!' or 'We're top of the league at the moment'?

disapprove

to think that someone or their behaviour, ideas, etc. are bad or wrong. At first, Melanie's parents ................. of her playing football, but now they think it's great.

show off

to try to make people admire your abilities, achievements or possessions - used to show disapproval. My brother loves ................. ........ on the football pitch. He's always doing fancy kicks in front of the crowd.

turn up

to turn a switch on a machine such as an oven, radio etc., so that it produces more heat, sound etc. I can't hear a thing! Can you please ......... ........the radio?

run out of sth

to use all of something and not have any more left. I ........ ......... of allowed unexcused absences so the headmaster had no choice but to notify my parents.

defeat: an opponent, the rival team

to win a victory over someone in a war, competition, game, etc. In order to win the championship, he needs to ................. his opponent.

undoubtedly

used for saying that something is definitely true. They are ................. the most famous sisters in tennis.

superstitious (adj) /ˌsuːpəˈstɪʃəs/

when someone believes that some objects or actions are lucky or unlucky, or that they cause events to happen, based on old ideas of magic. People who may not be ................. in any other aspect of their life will claim that wearing a certain item of 'lucky' clothing will make their team play better.

substitution

when someone or something is replaced by someone or something else, or the person or thing being replaced. Coach Packard made two ................. in the second half.

repayment

when you pay back money that you have borrowed. Canceled checks show when ................. were made.

self-conscious

worried and embarrassed about what you look like or what other people think of you. The effect of being in a crowd of spectators enjoying the same activity allows people to become less ...........-................. and more confident.