Über das Forum » Slam and Venus owns a 3-0 career

U.S. Olympic womens basketball team players reflected on a day filled with powerful and emotional moments at Carmelo Anthonys Monday town hall meeting in Los Angeles with community leaders, police officers and teenagers.Team USA and Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus discussed how recent police-related shootings in her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, had affected her. ?On July 5, a Baton Rouge police officer shot and killed Alton Sterling, a black man outside of a convenience store. Three police officers were also shot and killed in Baton Rouge on July 17.She knows that could have easily been someone she knew.I lived three or four blocks from where the [Sterling] incident happened, she said. Its always in the back of my mind that it could have been a relative, a friend, a teammate, a high school classmate.Shes sad to see what has happened to her hometown, where relations have broken down.?I have relatives in law enforcement as well. I dont want to see it happen either way. That could have been an uncle or cousin, Augustus said. I have plenty of relatives in (Baton Rouge) law enforcement. I dont know what we have to do to make it more proactive for the officers to be there in the communities to shrink the divide that is there.[The town hall meeting] was amazing, USA teammate Brittney Griner said. It was good to have officers come out, to have the community members come out and us as players come together and voice and answer questions. For the cops not to be forced to be there and be there on their own was special. To hear both sides and try to come to a common ground. When something good starts happening, good outcomes start happening.Griner can also see both sides. Her father was a police officer for many years in Houston. She also has other family members in law enforcement.I worry about my sister, I worry about my dad who wants to go back into law enforcement, Griner said. I told him if you do go back, Id rather you go behind a desk or teach. My dad was a good cop. I think more good cops should go back and give back that experience to the academy to help educate future police officers.Griner was saddened by all that has happened lately in Minnesota, Baton Rouge, Dallas and other cities.All the violence towards black lives saddens me, she said. We fight for freedom, we fight for equality. We fight for all these things, and were not holding up for what we stand for. Its a change that needs to happen.Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates, along with two other teams, were fined $500 by the league for wearing their plain black shirts because it was a uniform violation. That fine was later rescinded.The Minnesota Lynx started the social activism in the WNBA, wearing T-shirts and holding a pregame news conference earlier this month before the Mercury, Indiana Fever and New York Liberty wore their plain black shirts. Augustus said it was coach Cheryl Reeve who first had the idea to do something. Reeve is also an assistant with the U.S. Olympic team.The Lynx activism spread and galvanized the WNBA players.Thats what I am impressed about most, said Tamika Catchings, who spoke at the town hall. The fact that all 144 players in the WNBA came together on this issue and wanted to make sure their voices were heard. I think when you look at the power of African-American women and being able to step up and join causes and support other brothers, thats what its all about.While the WNBA is on break for August during the Olympics, the players will continue to try and come up with ideas to further show the importance of this issue. Just dont expect any sort of activism at the Olympics on the court. The International Olympics Committee frown upon any social activism displays, saying that the Games are not a place for proactive political or religious demonstrations.Right now, were focused on these two weeks, Diana Taurasi said. If it comes up, though, we wont shy away from it.Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.?Fake Nike Air Vapormax . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Nike Air Vapormax Online . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. https://www.fakevapormaxwholesale.com/ . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Nike Air Vapormax Sale . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Nike Air Vapormax China . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise.RIO DE JANEIRO -- She was two points from winning her opening match at the Rio Olympics in straight sets against underdog Kristen Flipkens of Belgium, and two points from overcoming a virus that had plagued her since her last tournament in Montreal. But it was bad news for Venus Williams when Flipkens fought back and dragged her into a third set. Now nearly another hour had passed since then, and Williams was clearly reeling in the sticky 80-degree heat.This is how life is now for Venus at age 36. She can beat anyone or lose to anyone on a given day. Flipkens is the 62nd-ranked player in the world. Venus is No. 6 -- her highest world ranking since 2011 -- after a very nice summer. But Saturday night she and Flipkens found themselves in a dogfight for every point. Williams had already taken a long break between the second and third set -- to get sick off court, as it turned out, according to U.S. coach Mary Joe Fernandez.In the end, it was all too much for Williams to overcome. She missed another chance to serve out the match at 5-3 in the third, and Flipkens -- after a couple of hiccups herself -- almost certainly ended Williams Olympics singles career with her 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) win.The question now is whether Williams, who remained too sick and wracked by cramps after the match to meet the press, can rebound in time to play her doubles match with her younger sister Serena Sunday. The Williams sisters have won three of the past four womens doubles gold medals awarded, and Serena is also the defending Olympic singles champ.Id be highly surprised if Venus didnt play, just because its been her goal for the last four years, Fernandez said. Shes really ill right now. Shes dehydrated. She fought so hard tonight, its just too bad she couldnt find a way to get to the finish line. Shes still processing this, but of course its going to be disappointing. Shes been such a terrific champion, to win so many medals. But hopefully she can recover in time and get another one here [with Serena].Knowing Venus, Fernandez said, I think she will.Venus is at the point in her two-decade-long pro career when any year could be her last. Yet something changes about her when she touches down at the Olympics. She has been to five Summer Games now -- more than any tennis player ever. Shes the Grand Dame of her sport. When she showed up here Wednesday with some bright red streaks in her braided hair and enthused about how much she still likes pin trading, she sounded as if she were a giddy kid at her first Olympics.She has talked all summer about how much fun its been to point toward Rio and resume playing doubles again with Serena, something they rarely do on the regular tour anymore because of the toll it can take, and she talked abbout looking forward to meeting the virtuoso athletes here in other sports.dddddddddddd But the reality is many of them swoon when they encounter the Williams sisters. I got to meet Venus and Serena today -- changed my life, American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad volunteered with a laugh earlier this week, adding it had always been a wish of hers.Until Montreal, it seemed as if Venus had been rejuvenated all summer just knowing the Olympics were sitting out there, waiting. It didnt seem like a coincidence that she had been playing some of her best tennis in years over the past few months.Her advance to the fourth round of the French Open was her deepest run at Roland Garros in six years, and she followed that up a few weeks later by rolling to the semifinals at Wimbledon, her best finish there since 2009.Had she beaten Angelique Kerber instead of losing to her in straight sets, she wouldve set up her first Grand Slam finals showdown against Serena in seven years as well. Which is yet another reason this loss, for Venus, will feel like a blow.She had every reason to like her medal chances coming into Rio, even if French Open champ Garbine Muguruza wouldve awaited her in the quarters, and then Serena in the semis after that. (The Muguruza match wouldve been harder to predict than you might think. Muguruza competes for Spain but she could be especially motivated to win in South Americas first Olympic Games because she was born in Venezuela, and still has plenty of family there. On the other hand, she has been streaky since winning her first career Slam and Venus owns a 3-0 career record against her. Now shell have to wait to see if she can push it to 4-0 somewhere else.)Williams still suffers from Sjogrens syndrome, an unpredictable, fatigue-causing autoimmune disease, though she rarely talks about it much anymore and Fernandez insisted it wasnt what ailed Williams Saturday. Venus never knows when her energy will spike or crash because of the disease. And she never knows when her game will spike and crash just because the years are catching up to her.A few weeks ago, Venus advanced to the final at Stanford. What happened next -- a three-set loss to unheralded Johanna Konta -- underscored the same thing this loss to Flipkens did. Venus can look great and Venus can look highly vulnerable, often within the same match.The difference Saturday was this is the Olympics. Fernandez was right: This defeat hurt worse. If someone as decorated and successful as Venus keeps coming back to the Olympics as often and enthusiastically as she has, it cant be all out of duty or obligation.It must be love. ' ' '