Posts Tagged ‘Sports & Game’
Freestyle skier Jenn Heil of Spruce Grove, Alta., scored Canada's first medal of the 2010 Games by grabbing silver in women's moguls with a score of 25.69.
American Hana Kearney flew down the course to win the gold medal with a score of 26.63. Her teammate, Shannon Bahrke, finished in the third spot with a score of 25.43.
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Tags: Freestyle skier, Hana Kearney, Shannon Bahrke, Shannon Bahrke bronze medalAfter 15 hours of flying from Turkey, where she plays for a pro club, Powell is following up her first WNBA All-Star season with a NBA All-Star experience this weekend. She is teaming tonight with Tyreke Evans and Chris Webber for Sacramento in tonight's Shooting Stars competition.
"The WNBA is not going anywhere," said New York Liberty forward and Haier Shooting Stars participant Nicole Powell in a phone interview with Swish Appeal yesterday. "I think that’s the most important thing – it’s not about which team is folding; it’s really about the grand, the whole entire WNBA, not just the Sacramento organization or individual teams. So I hope that people will see and watch and even though it’s just a shooting competition, the women are included in the All-Star events and kind of see some of their talents and skills that are presented and hopefully get them interested."
So although the celebrity game that McCoughtry and San Antonio Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon participated in yesterday and the Haier contest that Hammon, McCoughtry, Powell, and Los Angeles Sparks guard Marie Ferdinand-Harris will participate in today may seem trivial, the fact is that they are a significant opportunity for the WNBA.
In 34 games last season, Powell hit 77 of 212 attempts in 34 games, making her first in the WNBA in attempts and third in made three pointers. If part of the goal is to promote the athletes, then why not put the best men's and women's volume shooters against one another and see who comes out on top? As with the NCAA, people might just be surprised and maybe it would attract a new fan or two.
"The women gotta show their personalities too and that hey, we're fun off the court, we can do things on the court," said Atlanta Dream forward and All-Star weekend participant Angel McCoughtry in an interview with Swish Appeal. "That opens people up to say, 'Oh alright, she seems cool. She seems alright. Let me come check her out.' That's how it works."
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Tags: Nicole Powell, WNBA All-StarAmerican freestyle moguls skier Hannah Kearney won her country's first gold medal at the end of the first full day of competition. That victory came at the expense of Canadian Jennifer Heil, who had just jumped into first on the previous run.
From the shoulder of Cypress Mountain to downtown Vancouver, the historic, the improbable, and the amazing came as thick as the unrelenting Pacific rain.
In the 1500 meters, short track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno tied Bonnie Blair’s record for most medals by an American Winter Olympian with his sixth – a silver.
In the same race, teammate J.R. Celski, who just last month needed 60-stitches to close a bone-deep skate-blade cut in his thigh, completed his comeback to take bronze.
And amid Cypress’s early spring monsoon, Hannah Kearney broke Canada’s hearts, taking moguls gold over Jennifer Heil – the favorite to win Canada’s first-ever gold on home soil. Shannon Bahrke, already a silver medalist in Salt Lake City, won bronze.
Kearney won the Olympic moguls title with a pressure-packed, near-perfect run, landing a back flip and a particularly pretty 360-degree jump while beating the entire competition down the hill with a time of 27.86 seconds. Her victory over Jennifer Heile was clear-cut – Kearney won by a relatively healthy moguls margin of .94 points.
For Kearney, 23, this was sweet redemption after surprising failure four years ago at Turin – where she was favored to win the gold and instead finished 22nd. Kearney didn't qualify for the final in Italy after she skidded out of her landing on her first aerial.
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Tags: America's First Gold Medal, Hannah Kearney, Vancouver, Vancouver 2010The US women’s short track speed-skating team, have had a great first day.
U.S. short track speedskaters Katherine Reutter and Alyson Dudek advanced to the quarterfinals of the women's 500 meters after both women cruised through qualifying heats on Saturday.
That's an 11-day break between races in odd Olympic scheduling.
The U.S. came dangerously close to missing the A final for the second straight Olympics when an Italian skater fell during a relay exchange about eight laps into the 27-lap marathon.
At the same time, Derrick was trying to begin one of her legs and almost fell, too. A slight misstep and crash would have ruined the United States' chances for a medal next week.
During the 2006 games the American women lost their chances of medals, although Reutter seems ready to battle saying, “We want teeth and nails and elbows,” she added. “We want a race.”
In her first qualifying heat, Reutter won in the 500 with a time of 44.187 seconds, and Dudek made second in the heat with, 44,560.
Reutter spoke before the race saying, “It’s kind of a motto, so right before I got out on the ice I kept telling myself to, ‘Just do me, just do what I do. Just because it’s the Olympics I don’t have to bring it more, I don’t have to skate better. What I do is good enough.’ I earned my way here and I’m ready to race in the finals.”
Dudek who is from Hales Corners, Wis, said about the races, “The first race of any competition is the most nerve-wracking.” ”I’m just happy that one is out of the way.
“Katherine and I both made it out, which is awesome for the U.S. This year we’re a really strong women’s team.”
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Tags: Alyson Dudek, U.S. Short Track Speedskating Championships Alyson DudekThe Chicago Blackhawks freed up some much-needed salary cap space before Friday afternoon’s Olympic trade freeze by sending defenceman Cam Barker to the Minnesota Wild.
In exchange, Chicago landed defenceman Kim Johnsson and 2009 first-round pick, defenceman Nick Leddy.
The deal was completed Friday shortly before the Olympic roster freeze. Barker was the Hawks' top pick (3rd overall) in the 2004 entry draft but has been slow to develop into a top defenseman. The 25-year-old had four goals and 10 assists and was a plus-7 in 51 games this season.
The move helps ease the Hawks' salary cap issues heading into next season as Barker is signed through 2012 and has a cap hit of $3,083,333 per season. Johnsson's contract expires following this season.
The 33-year-old Johnsson was an alternate captain in Minnesota and had six goals and eight assists in 52 games this season. Leddy was Minnesota's first pick (16th overall) in the 2009 draft.
"I thank Kim Johnsson for his efforts and contributionsto the Wild's success ov er the last four seasons," Fletcher said.
"We are very excited to add Cam Barker to our team. It is difficult to obtain a 23 year old defenseman with Cam's size and talent."
Barker, 23, has recorded 14 points and 58 penalty minutes in 51 games this season with Chicago.