#ICYMI: Modernizing Modern Pen; Lacrosse Steps Up Its Game

#ICYMI -- In Case You Missed It ... Sometimes the best stories don't get the attention we think they deserve. Here are our staff picks for articles this week they really want you to know about.

Modernizing Modern Pen

(ATR) - Modern Pentathlon has been a staple of the Olympics since Baron Pierre de Coubertin introduced it at the 1912 Games in Stockholm. What was originally five days of competition is now compressed into one in order to make it more understandable for fans -- and relevant for television. Perhaps no sport on the program has had to evolve as much or as quickly as modern pen.

But as Pres. Klaus Schormann tells us, demands for the sport to adapt to changing times hasn't stopped. The five sports that comprise modern pen -- running, riding, swimming, fencing and shooting -- are subject to popular sentiment and issues of sustainability. Less than 10 years ago laser shooting was introduced for safety and environmental concerns. Today, it has become an event in its own right.

We spoke with Pres. Schormann via email following a successful Pan American Games in Lima last month, and then the Urban Games in Budapest just last week.

Around the Rings - It's been quite a busy few months. How did the Pan Ams go? Did everything go according to plan, or at least as much as it ever does? Any big surprises?

Klaus Schormann -"The Pan American Games 2019 in Lima was a great showcase for Modern Pentathlon and we were delighted to have two additional medal events this year with the Men’s and Women’s Relays.

"Together with the Mixed Relay and the individual events, which were Olympic qualification events, it meant we had five days of high-quality pentathlon to entertain the spectators in Lima and the huge TV and digital audience across the Americas. We saw the athletes competing very hard for the Olympic qualification places - five for women and five for men."

Click here for the rest of the interview.

ATRadio: Lacrosse Steps Up Its Game

(ATR) The sport of lacrosse has ancient roots in North America that go back more than 500 years. Games with 1000 players and a field of play that went to the horizon are part of the lore.

Developed by the Iroquois tribes in the northeastern corner of North America, lacrosse has spread since then to the four corners of the globe.

World Lacrosse, the international federation, has launched a campaign to rebrand the sport and expand participation. A return to the Olympics is one of the goals of the federation.

CEO Jim Scherr talks to ATR Editor Ed Hula about the big plans for World Lacrosse.