REGINA - Olympic gold-medal favourite Mark McMorris is in "great spirits," despite a fall that fractured a rib and nearly derailed his dream. Don McMorris, the snowboarders father, says Mark is moving around quite well after the incident during Saturdays slopestyle event at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo. "When we left him (Sunday), he could bend over and touch his toes because of where (the injury) is at," Don McMorris told The Canadian Press on Monday. "You know a cracked rib in the front, you couldnt do that, but where its at (around the back), he could bend to his toes and could raise his knees up to kind of his chest. "He was really doing better than we all thought. Hes got five or six days before he has to worry about riding and hes got the best people around him." Mark McMorris caught his snowboard on the lip of a rail and went sliding down the bar on his right side before landing hard on the snow during the final. He stayed on the ground for a few minutes before riding down the hill under his own power. It seems the 20-year-old Regina native lost focus. "He probably hit that rail through the week, I dont know 50 times, and never had a problem with it or any of the rails because thats, I think, one of the strongest parts of his riding," said Don McMorris, who was in Aspen when his son fell. "But obviously he was focused on what he was going to do on the jump line because he was going to try something pretty major." Don McMorris says his son didnt hurt much at first, but the pain got worse as the afternoon wore on. Mark McMorris finished with a silver medal at the event, but was "pretty down," said his father. Mark McMorris had said being an Olympian is a dream come true. He was the two-time defending Winter X Games champion in slopestyle. When he was named to the Olympic team earlier this month, McMorris said hes been "preparing like a mad man." The fall raised questions as to whether he could compete in Sochi. "He was really scared, not necessarily about his own well-being, I dont think, but that he wouldnt get to go to the Olympics," said Don McMorris. "That was really playing on his mind and when he does that, he just gets really quiet and doesnt really talk or say much to anybody. "And you could just tell that he was really scared and worried about not getting to fulfil his dream." The elder McMorris says the tough part was waiting to hear what the team doctors had to say. He describes it as an agonizing wait of about three hours. They eventually decided Mark would go to Sochi, as planned. "I cant tell you what he said because that would not be printable," joked Don McMorris. "He was really relieved." A fractured rib usually takes six weeks to heal, so Mark McMorris wont have time to fully recover before the Games start Feb. 7. But his father is cautiously optimistic. "Yes, Im optimistic, (I) have to be," he said. "I mean maybe too optimistic because theres going to be a lot of pain and . . . you dont know how the body will react, but compared to what it could have been, were pretty happy." .com) - Even on the day his New Hampshire football team became the nations top-ranked team two weeks ago, coach Sean McDonnell conceded something about the team they replaced at No. . Ribery terrorized the Schalke defence throughout and put the home side ahead in the 36th minute when he chipped the goalkeeper before stroking the ball into the empty net. The French winger struck again after the interval, combining with Thomas Mueller on the left before firing a deflected shot beyond the helpless Timo Hildebrand in the 55th, as Bayern bounced back from Wednesdays 1-0 loss at FC Basel in the Champions League.
https://www.saintsjerseyssale.com/2513f ... TeZD3KOvlA — Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) September 24, 2014 Sorry for the delay, we just got back from lunch at Papa Vons #NBAFastFood pic. . -- Without Carey Price, the run for a first Stanley Cup in 21 years got steeper and longer for the Montreal Canadiens. . -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with cornerback Kelvin Hayden. NAPLES, Fla. -- Shanshan Feng of China set a goal to win twice on the LPGA Tour in one season, which she accomplished in her final four starts of the year. The two wins could not have been any more different. Her first win was before a hometown crowd in Beijing and required no small amount of luck. Trailing most of the day, she hit a shot on the final hole that she figured was in the water. It barely cleared the hazard, took a weird and wild hop out of the rough, was running fast across the green and struck the pin to settle tap-in distance away for an eagle and a one-shot win over Stacy Lewis. "I think it was magic," she said. Sunday at the LPGA Titleholders was sheer skill. Starting the final round two shots behind and never thinking it was her tournament to win, the 24-year-old Feng ran off four birdies in six holes to take the lead, missed three birdie putts inside 6 feet that could have put it away, and then held off Gerina Piller with two birdies over the final four holes at Tiburon Golf Club. Feng closed with a 6-under 66 for a one-shot win over Piller to claim $700,000, the richest prize in womens golf. "I actually didnt think I was going to achieve my goal, but I made it at the last minute at the last tournament in Florida, so Im really, really happy," Feng said. The only trouble she faced was figuring out how to light the cannon that signalled the end of the LPGA Tour season. Feng was given that duty as the winner of the CME Group Titleholders, and once she was shown how, she was shocked at how quickly she heard the boom. Feng wasnt the only winner this week along the gulf shores of Florida. Here were the five biggest winners: FLAWLESS FENG: Feng played the final 31 holes without a bogey to make up ground on a strong leaderboard that included some of the best in womens golf. She only needed three holes to take the lead, and she came up with two big shots down the stretch. Her 7-iron into the 15th stopped 8 feet away for a birdie to give her a two-shot lead, and then she hit a touch pitch behind the green on the par-5 17th that set up a tap-in birdie. Those were important, because Piller made birdie on both in the group behind Feng to stay within range. Feng only wanted to get to 15-under 273, win or lose, and it turned out to be a winner. She is exxpected to go to No.dddddddddddd 4 in the world ranking, and her $700,000 check allowed her to finish the season at No. 4 on the money list. AMERICAN GIRL: Lewis shot a 63 on Saturday that all but wrapped up the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average. She was in position Sunday to win the tournament until a bogey on the front nine that slowed her momentum, and Lewis never got it back. Even so, she closed with a 71 to tie for sixth and became the first American since Beth Daniel in 1994 to win the Vare Trophy. "As Americans, we hear about that all the time -- its been 18 years or its been 20 years or whatever it is," Lewis said. "Im just glad to have that kind of checked off the list. Weve got to get American golf on the map. Thats been the goal and Im just fortunate Ive been playing good golf." INBEE PARK: Inbee Park closed with a 68 to finish fifth, but she was a winner all week. Park, who won three straight majors among her six wins this year, clinched the LPGA player of the year last week in Mexico. On Friday night at the Ritz-Carlton, she delivered one of the most moving acceptance speeches, including this line, "As soon as happiness became my goal, I achieved more things than ever." Park wound up winning the LPGA Tour money title for the second straight year, both times going over $2 million PILLERS BEST: Piller just bought a house in Texas and figured the $700,000 would go a long way toward paying that off. She came close. With birdies on the 15th and 17th holes, she stayed within one shot of Feng and at least gave herself a shot at a playoff on the 18th. From behind a small native bush, the wind at her back, she hit 7-iron from 162 yards from 10 feet and narrowly missed the putt. It didnt go in, but the stroke was not tentative. Piller finished the year by playing in her first Solheim Cup team, and her runner-up finish at the Titleholders was the best of her career. LOOKING AHEAD: One of the highlights of the season-ending event was the announcement of the 2014 schedule. In previous years, the schedule was so tenuous that it wasnt announced until January. LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan and his staff put together a 32-event schedule, up nine tournaments from two years ago. The LPGA returns at the end of January in The Bahamas. ' ' '
