Participants, many of whom are sailing novices, come from all walks of life and undergo a four-stage training programme to prepare them for the gruelling journey.

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The minister then announced a two-stage study of the teacher training infrastructure, to consider the affordability of the current system and the options for a more shared and integrated system.

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"The challenge is an important part of my pre-season training and at this stage I will be bringing all my top players, " vowed Hughes, who toured South Africa as a Manchester United striker 16 years ago.

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Imagine -- you spend all season training this sort-of-rapper guy to stumble around the stage dodging colorful lasers and superfluous dancers, and suddenly he sits perfectly still on a bar stool with (GASP) a musical instrument and delivers one of the best performances of the season!

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For example, the team developed and deployed a training workshop for USCIS immigration officers focusing on the business realities of early-stage companies, trained a team of specialized immigration officers to handle entrepreneur and startup cases, and ensured that the adjudication process incorporates new types of evidence relevant to startup enterprises.

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Like many new athlete hires, Romanian gymnast Rares Orzata, 35, completed a four-month training at Cirque's headquarters in 2002 called "general formation" before hitting the stage.

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