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kayak

(Encyclopedia)kayak kīˈăk [key], Eskimo canoe, originally made of sealskin stretched over a framework of whalebone or driftwood. It is completely covered except for the opening in which the paddler sits. Since t...

Biles, Simone Arianne

(Encyclopedia)Biles, Simone Arianne, 1997–, American gymnast, b. Columbus, Ohio. Known for her consistency and the high degree of difficulty of her routines, she was the first gymnast to win three consecutive wor...

Spinks, Leon, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Spinks, Leon, Jr. 1953-2021, American boxer, b. St. Louis, Mo. Spinks began boxing at age 13, dropping out of high school in his junior year to join the...

Seles, Monica

(Encyclopedia)Seles, Monica sĕlˈĭs [key], 1973–, Yugoslav-American tennis player, b. Serbia, of Hungarian heritage. She won her first major tournament, the French Open, in 1990, at the age of 16 and soon domin...

dice, in games and gambling

(Encyclopedia)dice [plural of die], small cubes used in games. They are usually made of ivory, bone, wood, plastic, or similar materials. The six sides are numbered by dots from 1 to 6, so placed that the sum of th...

gymnastics

(Encyclopedia)gymnastics, exercises for the balanced development of the body (see also aerobics), or the competitive sport derived from these exercises. Although the ancient Greeks (who invented the building called...

stadium

(Encyclopedia)stadium stāˈdēəm [key], racecourse in Greek cities where footraces and other athletic contests took place. The name is the Latin form of the Greek word for a standard of length and originally refe...

Arledge, Roone Pinckney, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Arledge, Roone Pinckney, Jr., 1931–2002, American television executive, b. Forest Hills, N.Y., grad. Columbia (B.A., 1952). He was a producer-director (1955–60) at the National Broadcasting Compan...

Summit, Pat

(Encyclopedia)Summit, Pat (Patricia Sue Summit), 1952–2016, American basketball player and coach, b. Clarksville, Tenn., as Patricia Sue Head. She played basketball at the Univ. of Tennessee at Martin, and upon g...

Candela, Felix

(Encyclopedia)Candela, Felix (Félix Candela Outeriño) fāˈlēks kändāˈlä [key], 1910–97, Mexican-American architect, b. Madrid. Candela studied in Madrid but was forced to flee Spain after his participatio...