football fans will talk about his quick release

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. -- Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Jan Hudec didnt want to leave home without securing their spots on Canadas Olympic team. The two men bounced back from disappointing downhill races at the Lake Louise World Cup to finish in the top 12 in Sundays super-G. Calgarys Hudec was 10th and Vancouvers Osborne-Paradis finished 12th, which met the criteria to be nominated to the 2014 Olympic team. "We were both talking about how frustrated we were so Im glad I got that out of the way now," Hudec says. "It takes the pressure off. The longer you leave it, the more pressure you put on yourself on tougher courses." They followed Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., in meeting the Olympic team standard in Lake Louise. Guay was eighth in Saturdays downhill to qualify for his third Winter Games. The 2014 Winter Olympics are in Sochi, Russia, in February. Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the super-G at Lake Louise for the third straight year. Hes won six World Cup races at the Alberta resort during his career. His fifth super-G win broke the record of four previously held by Austrian legend Hermann Maier. Svindals lone downhill victory was last year. "Lake Louise has been good to me," Svindal said. "I won my first World Cup ever here in 2005 and its the one destination where I have the most wins. The super-G just seems to suit me well. "The snow in North America, especially here, and the snow in Scandinavia is more similar than from Scandinavia to Central Europe. I think that has something do to with it. Norwegians tend to do well in North America." Austrians were second and third with Matthias Mayer .24 seconds back of Svindal and Georg Streitberger .38 seconds behind. The men head to Beaver Creek, Colo., and the second stop on the World Cup circuit this 2013-14 season. They trade places with the women, who are travelling from Beaver Creek to Lake Louise this week for downhill races Friday and Saturday and a super-G on Sunday. U.S. ski star Lindsey Vonn has won a record 14 times at Lake Louise and swept all three races the last two years. But the 29-year-old crashed in training last week and partially tore a reconstructed ligament in her right knee. Vonn free skied, but didnt participate in the womens races at Beaver Creek on the weekend. She told The Associated Press she wants to race in Lake Louise. The first of three womens training runs scheduled for Tuesday has been called off because the women were delayed travelling from Colorado to Alberta. In addition to medals and prize money, medallists at Lake Louise were given white cowboy hats to wear for podium pictures and to take home. "Its pretty hard to walk around in Europe and think youre a cowboy," Svindal said. "Its one of those things where you wear them here and think its really cool and you get off the plane in Germany and its not that sweet anymore unless you are a real cowboy." Total prize money at the World Cup was 100,000 Swiss francs ($117,000 Cdn) with 30,000 going to the downhill and super-G winners. The Canadian team departs without a medal at their home race. Osborne-Paradis was the last Canadian man to stand on the podium at Lake Louise when he won the super-G in 2009. "When you look at the results on paper, its not quite where we wanted to be, but for the most part the three guys, Erik, Manny and Jan have good speed and theyre going to be building through the season," said Paul Kristofic, Alpine Canadas vice-president of sports. "Its good to see Erik up to speed so quickly. We didnt actually expect that." Guay tied for 18th in the super-G. Knee surgery in July kept the 2011 world downhill champion off snow until November. The 32-year-old said Lake Louise gave him positive feedback on his progress. "It was to see how the knee reacted, how the back reacted, how the skiing is in race situations," Guay said. "Theres good things that came out of this weekend and I have to build off of that." Hudec and Osborne-Paradis were 22nd and 28th respectively in Saturdays downhill. Hudec rapped his knuckles on the side of his helmet after crossing the super-G finish line Sunday. "That was the old fashioned Im an idiot," Hudec explained. "Even though Im not on the podium today, I knew I could have been. "Even though Im not quite in there, Im happy because I was skiing towards a podium finish. I just made a huge mistake. The reason I was hitting my head is I didnt trust myself for a split second to take a tighter line than what I expected. I ended up out in the weeds as they say." Osborne-Paradis was at a disadvantage with a No. 45 start bib. Courses generally get beaten and chopped up by the first 30 racers down the hill. So finishing 12th was the performance of the day for Canada, according to Kristofic. "Thats great. I needed it," Osborne-Paradis said. "I was really bummed yesterday. Im super-pumped with today. Its good to walk away from here with that Olympic spot." Soccer Jerseys China .C. -- When Michael Jordan speaks, people still listen. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic . This week they discuss the Philadelphia 76ers, Gregg Popovich, Royal and Ancient Golf Club and Bill Belichick. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . -- The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will forever be tied together for making the same spectacular misjudgment on budding NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. Fake Soccer Jerseys . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Replica Soccer Jerseys . Hoffman, the former star closer, will evaluate and help co-ordinate all pitchers at Double-A, Triple-A and the big league team. Byrnes says Hoffman "will be a key part of finishing the development of our younger pitchers.The first time I saw Anthony Calvillo in person I was lined up 15 yards away from him on a scorching hot field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The year was 1994, and Calvillo was a rookie starter for the Las Vegas Posse, playing against Saskatchewan in the first home game of what would be the Posses one and only season in the Canadian Football League. It is a game that will forever be remembered for the singing of our national anthem when, "O Canada", sounded like, "O Christmas Tree", however, it was also the second game of Calvillos career. It would be a career that would last for 20 years, would include a total of 365 games including playoffs and Grey Cups, and would culminate in Calvillo becoming pro footballs all-time leading passer. The old saying that reads, "you cant judge a book by its cover," couldnt have been more true when it came to my first impression of AC. We had limited information on the team, or Calvillo, it was early in the season and, he was a rookie, so there wasnt much film to watch. I tried to spend as much time as I could watching him in warm up, and I have to say I wasnt all that impressed. I knew he had played under Jim Zorn at Utah State, but he was undersized, bordering on skinny, and had a weird looking throwing style. I have to admit, I envisioned a lopsided win for the visiting team that day, that is until we kicked it off, and Calvillo started chucking the football around like he was playing in the playground on a Sunday afternoon with his brothers in La Puente, California. There is always a cat and mouse game that goes on between the free safety and a quarterback in football, and even though I was playing in my 11th year in the CFL, it didnt take long for AC to start making me feel like the mouse. The Posse won that night by a score of 32-22 and I would never underestimate the ability of Anthony Calvillo again. Not as an opponent, or an analyst covering his illustrious career for the last 19 years. Calvillos numbers and records are staggering - most passing yards, 79,816. Most touchdown passes, 455. Most 300-yard passing games, 125. Most 4000+ yard passing seasons, 11. Those are just a few of the records Calvillo holds, but he is also the leading passer in Grey Cup games, starting in eight of them, and winning on three occasions. And he has won more games as a starter than any quarterback in CFL history. Of the 277 games that AC started he won 167. Damon Allen is second on that list, winning 162. They are numbers and records that in some cases look unreachable. But as mind-numbing as they are, what is more impressive is how he achieved them. To see an in-depth look at the challenges that AC has had to overcome in his life, and his career, look no further than the documentary from the series Engraved On A Nation, called The Kid From La Puente.dddddddddddd In it AC and his family talk about his personal and professional struggles and how he has constantly had to overcome adversity on and off the football field. Once you see it and understand the mountain that he has had to climb and then compare that to how Calvillo has carried himself, I think you will agree that while he is one of the games all-time best pocket passers, it is his strength of character that makes him great. Through his tough childhood, through fights with cancer, through his humble beginnings professionally, Calvillo has always carried himself with class and integrity. After viewing the documentary again on Monday night I couldnt help but think that most people facing that level of adversity would want to lash out at the world, and become bitter and angry. Or worse, to quit and walk away. Not Number 13, who has played 16 of his 20 years in Montreal. Calvillo has never complained about the hand he was dealt, he just somehow has always found a way to turn it into a winning hand. Over the next few days football fans will talk about his quick release, his ability to anticipate, his passing accuracy, and all of those astronomical numbers. We will discuss his leadership skills and his championships. The focus will be on AC the quarterback, however, personally, I will be thinking of Calvillo, the person. I include myself in a long list of people that have been inspired by his humility through success, and his perseverance through challenges. Later in that 1994 CFL season when the Posse made their one and only trip to Saskatchewan, I got a chance to meet Anthony when he attended a post-game function at my home with some of his teammates. The outcome of the game that night was different than back in Game 2 of the season, and the year had been a tough one for the Posse. And yet even though there was rumours that the team would be folding, I knew I would be seeing a lot more of Anthony Calvillo. In a conversation I had with him that night, he talked about how much he appreciated the opportunity that Canada and the CFL had provided him, and how hard he was going to work to try and stay in the league and improve. I had no idea at the time that I was talking to the player that would eventually become pro footballs all-time leading passer, but there was just something about Calvillos quiet determination that made me think I hadnt seen the last of this quarterback. Congratulations Anthony to you and your family as you walk away from the game on top of the mountain. From up close as an opponent on that hot night in Las Vegas, until your retirement on Tuesday it has been a pleasure watching you throughout this journey. Most will remember the passing yards and the wins, but I will remember the strength of character and class that you have shown every step of the way. ' ' '