Kalistan

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Kalistani News in Brief: Princess Nicolette judges Luxon Invitational
Kalistan offers relief to Hurricane stricken Valruzia; Kalistani Football season kicks off in Kaliburg
Luxon, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 20, 5676


HH Princess Nicolette Ananto-Collins speaks with reporters ahead of Luxon Invitational

Princess Nicolette judges Luxon Invitational
Her Highness, Princess Nicolette Ananto-Collins has been away from competetive surfing this summer to spend time in Kaliburg with the Royal Family, but she was back in Luxon earlier this month to act as one of the judges for the Luxon Invitational. This was the first year since she won the coveted Triple Crown five summers ago where she was eligible to judge, having taken the year off of coaching and letting her contract with Dah go on hiatus. Having no professional conflicts, the Princess was more or less a star judge at the competition.

"I've really been itching to get back onto the water," said Princess Nicolette at the competition. "Visiting with my brother and sister in law as they brought their new baby home was fun and responsible, but spending my time surfing, helping kids get into the sport and just representing Kalistani surf culture here is really more my calling. When I got the call to serve as a judge, I jumped at the chance." The Princess was on hand to congratulate the winner, Yoshimi's 24 year old Victor Johnson who took the overall score.

"I don't think I will ever go back to surfing professionally," said the Princess. "I'm kind of out of shape now: That requires some pretty high degree of training that I had to let go. I wanted to get back to what was fun with surfing, to get out there and be in the right mental space, to feel the waves in the ocean and kind of meditate. When you surf for fun like I do now, these new guys will surf circles around you in competition, so I think I'm just a hobbyist now. But judging was a lot of fun, and if they ask me to do it again, you know I will!"

Kalistan offers relief to Hurricane stricken Valruzia
Hurricane Polvo has ravaged the South western Valruzian coast, but Kalistan has stepped up to offer humanitarian assistance to the Government and the people of Valruzia. "Our neighbors just took a direct hit from a hurricane," said Jim MacElroy, director of the Kalistani Humanitarian response. "We are currently sending food, medical supplies and drugs, water purification systems, emergency generators, and construction equiptment to Valruzia to help the government restore basic services to the people. This aid is not meant to suggest that Valruzia can't handle it alone, but more along the lines of it will allow Valruzia to more easily triage and decide for itself where its relief and services are needed, and where this aid can most efficiently be deployed. "McElroy said that more than 1200 medical students have also volunteered for service in Valruzia for the duration.

The first aid shipments went out directly following the disaster, and has continued regularly ever since. "I estimate that at some point in the near future, Valruzia will let us know that they have enough and will tell us to stop sending more of this immediate sort of aid," said McElroy. "At that point I imagine we will begin discussions around rebuilding what was destroyed in the typhoon, and how Kalistan can help." In the meanwhile, Valruzia is still working to find missing individuals in the city of Gryfitów, which appears to have taken a major hit by the storm.

"Kalistan will stand by Valruzia as long as needed," said McElroy. "We are neighbors, our two governments have long standing friends, and we are both Northern Seleyans. Kalistan was spared the storm, so it makes sense that we should work directly with them to help find and treat their wounded, feed their hungry and help them prevent disease which can spread in crisis zones. We will be there as long as they tell us we are needed. That is a promise."

Kalistani Football season kicks off in Kaliburg
The Kaliburg Black Bears, the long fabled franchise from the Nation's capital, kicked off their season in a 14-10 upset of the Sulari Suns this week, marking the beginning of Football Season in Kalistan. The upset was in the first pre-season exhibition game scheduled to get players warmed up for the regular season. "The Black Bears have a shot this year," said sportswriter Nate Carson. "Line on the Black Bears having a positive record this season is -280, and their win over favorites the Sulari Suns was considered a surprising upset."

The Black Bears have had a rough stretch lately, as the last five years have had them missing the play off each time and holding the worst league record 3 out of five of those years. But this year, there is a new coaching staff, as well as several veteran players buttressed by a new crop of rookies. "The Black Bears had one thing going for them last year," said Carson. "Their Offensive line stopped a lot of pressure on the QB that would have otherwise resulted in a number of sacks, or worse. They are building on that strength this year, replacing a few linement, but building the rest of the team around that. The new Quarterback, James Marshall, is known on the field for his versatility in the run and pass games, with a bit of time he can make these split second decisions. For the first time in a long time, it looks like the Black Bears have a team that can pull off wins expected at the pro-level."

The failure of the Black Bears to make the playoffs in recent years has not dampened Kaliburg fandom however. "I think quite the opposite," said Carson. "We've only actually seen them in action once so far this year, but I will say, the season ender, which resulted in a loss for Kaliburg and a 2-9 record last year saw record attendance at the National Stadium. Kaliburg fans were expectedly disappointed, but the mantra was 'We'll get em next year.' This game, if it is a rematch of that one, finally proved those eternal optimists correct. Let's see how they do in the rest of the season."

@TheRepublic