Magicgames II » "Its a question of focusing on athletes that

WINNIPEG - Brett Carter was grinning ear to ear again Tuesday as he donned a Winnipeg Blue Bombers uniform for the second time in two years.The former Winnipeg Rifles receiver got to work out with the team last season and even dressed for a July game, then spent the rest of the season on the practice roster. Hes hoping to take the next step on his dream quest to make his hometown team.Im coming in here and Im going to fight for a spot, he said Tuesday as Day 3 of main training camp ended but his just started.Im going to be competing against a lot of these guys and there are a lot of really good players so Ive got to step my level up a lot and just be determined to do the best that I can do.Hes just 21 but was a CJFL All-Canadian and took home MVP honours with the Rifles, on top of being named a Prairie Football Conference All-Star.Last season, it was more of a teaching move to invite the young player to camp. The Bombers also invited a few Rifles players and a University of Manitoba Bisons quarterback to camp this year to work out with the team.But when July rolled around last season, injuries forced the Bombers to look for a Canadian to dress and Carter got the call. Coach Mike OShea said injuries in camp were also the reason Carter got a call this season as the Bombers look to bolster their Canadian talent.When youre faced with a certain number of injuries and youre looking at whos on your list of guys to bring back, he was here before, he understands what were trying to do here, hes local, hes good, said the coach.Carter impressed the coaches last season with his work ethic and ability. He also worked out with a team trainer in the off-season.Winnipeg-born Taylor Renaud, who played for Acadia, is also getting another look at Bombers camp as a receiver this season.The Bombers traded away two Canadian receivers in the off-season to acquire starting quarterback Drew Willy and defensive back Korey Banks.Willy, who was a backup in Regina, said after Tuesdays practice that hes starting to get more of a feel for the receivers hell be working with this season.One is former B.C. Lions receiver Nick Moore, who was signed as a free agent in the off-season. Willy has known Moore for years, going back to when they were both trying to land jobs in the NFL.I like what Im seeing, Ive thrown with Nick before, said Willy.Guys like (Clarence) Denmark and Rory (Kohlert), these guys are good players as well so its fun to be around talented guys like this. Ive thrown a bunch of balls to Aaron Kelly and weve made a lot of big plays with him. Im just trying to put together things with each guy, get a feel for how they run each route.The CFL labour dispute continues to hang over the camp and the Bombers and the Toronto Argonauts could be the first to feel the impact. They are scheduled to open the exhibition season Monday and the regular season on June 26, also in Winnipeg.The teams player rep, veteran offensive lineman Glenn January, suggested the players arent rushing to take any action.The conversations Ive had have been strictly limited to what we can do to get the CFL to see our point of view, he said.The Winnipeg exhibition game comes before the two Alberta teams could legally strike. January said he knows that.Our strike laws are different than Alberta and I do know that we have a strike vote in hand which is my understanding can be exercised at any point in time.But he also suggested the exhibition game wasnt necessarily in jeopardy, unless the players were forced to vote on the leagues contract offer. If it was rejected, he said it would deprive players in some provinces of any protection under the collective agreement.The two sides in the CFL labour dispute havent held formal meetings since Thursday and no new talks are scheduled. Miami Dolphins Jerseys Outlet . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Wholesale Miami Dolphins Jerseys . Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto also advanced to the last eight while Basel overcame an early red card to win 2-1 at Salzburg and progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly suspended because of crowd trouble. Lyon, Valencia and AZ Alkmaar will also be in Fridays draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the team to avoid will be Juventus -- even though the Italian champions made heavy work of their all-Italian last-16 match against Fiorentina. http://www.cheapdolphins.com/. In an interview with La Presse this week, the five-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time NHL scoring leader specifically took aim at wingers Thomas Vanek and Max Pacioretty, saying they cant show up in a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final and come up empty in Game 6. Miami Dolphins Christian Wilkins Jersey . It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. Authentic Miami Dolphins Jerseys . The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat.The problem: Canadas Paralympic team performed well below expectations two years ago during the Summer Games in London. One possible solution: targeting events that attract the severely disabled and have weaker entry fields, giving Canada a chance to boost its medal count. Savvy tactic or "shameful" sportsmanship? Own The Podium, Canadas high-performance sport funding initiative, is suggesting Canadian Paralympic officials target athletes who participate in sports for the severely disabled, a strategy that could boost Canadas faltering Paralympic medal count but one that is leaving some sports marketing executives and athletes suggesting officials are using a "back door" to get more medals. The suggestion by Own The Podium officials was disclosed in documents obtained by TSN under Canadas Access to Information laws and comes after a performance by the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams in London thats described by Canadian officials as disappointing. The documents include email correspondence, post-Games briefings and audits that dissect Canadas performance at the 2012 Summer Games in London and suggest that during the lead-up to the next Olympic Games in Rio in two years, Canada is paring the number of sports and athletes it funds through the Own The Podium program. The documents were produced by Own the Podium in late 2012 and were shared with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees as well as the federal government. They highlight how Canadian officials have dropped the "please like us" veneer in favour of a more cutthroat approach to competition. Created in 2005, the Own the Podium program has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into Canadas quest for medals, focusing on athletes who are predicted to have a top-three finish. In Vancouver, the program garnered widespread approval after Team Canada won 14 gold medals, tops among countries, after having been shut out of golds in the prior two Olympic Games held in Canada. In one document titled, "Confidential initial reflections from 2012 Paralympic Games," Own The Podium officials wrote Canada "took a significant step back relative to other leading nations" at the London Paralympic Games. Canada secured seven gold medals at London, half as many as Own the Podium staff had predicted for the Canadian team, according to the Oct. 4, 2012, document. "Other nations have adopted a much more professional approach in many para-sports," the document says. "There is some complacency within some para-sports in Canada. "Canada struggles with entries in events for classes with more severely disabled athletes," the document says. "Many nations appear to have targeted performance in events for female athletes with a disability… Consider strategic investments that support potential multi-gold individual athletes and events with weak depth of field such as events for athletes with severe disabilities and some events for female athletes." Own the Podium has cut funding to several Paralympic sports following London, including womens wheelchair basketball (which received a total of $986,000 in 2009-10 and 2010-11 but has not received funding since the 2012 Games) and womens goalball. Equestrians funding was also cut drastically. Still, Own The Podium has increased its funding in the Paralympics to triathlon, canoe-kayak and archery and overall, its Paralympic funding has totaled $10.1 million in the first two years of the Rio 2016 quadrennial, up from $9.4 million during the firstt two years of the London quadrennial.dddddddddddd One of the documents conclusions has been censored by the Canadian government, which cited the confidentiality of a third party. The tactic of targeting sports for the severely disabled is polarizing. "On one hand, the outcome (support for a worth cause) is good," said Mike Gilleran, executive director of the Santa Clara Universitys sports law and ethics department. "On the other, the motive, lets kick ass in this weaker depth of field for the glory of Canada is probably not the most inspirational call to arms weve ever heard." Andy Harkness, a sports marketing executive in Toronto whose clients include Canadian Tire and Scotiabank, said he doesnt like the strategy. "We shouldnt prop up our medal counts on the back of lesser known sports and athletes," Harkness said. "The rub to me is that it sounds like we are using severely disabled athletes to prop up numbers and that doesnt sound right." Jeff Adams, a Canadian Paralympian and six-time world champion in wheelchair sports, called Own The Podiums tactic "shameful." "How are the underpinnings of this document reconciled with the spirit of sport and all the motherhood and apple pie messages about not winning at all costs?" Adams told TSN. "When that win at all costs mentality is layered with win the easy medals at all costs, it becomes doubly wrong," he said. "Chasing after easy things is certainly not what sport taught me, and this sends a terrible message to athletes and to Canadians. Im embarrassed this document was created." Own The Podium chief executive Anne Merklinger said the tactic has nothing to do with cutting financial support to athletes who already are receiving help. "Its not a question of narrowing the focus," she said in an interview. "Its a question of focusing on athletes that have severe disabilities because when you look at the international scene, there are very few entries from nations in categories of athletes that have severe disabilities. That is a strategic opportunity. If Canada is able to identify athletes with severe disabilities, that is a medal opportunity for our country."Martin Richard, a spokesperson with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, said he attended a conference in 2012 when Merklinger disclosed the suggested tactic. "These were early observations," Richard said. "I understand (the concerns.) Its the language. Its direct. Theres no rationale behind it, and it opens it up for interpretation." Bob Stellick, a Toronto sports marketer, suggested Own The Podiums suggestion is a sign of the times. "It sounds harsh but really does mimic what (Canadas Olympic teams) were doing at the regular Olympics," Stellick said. "They definitely focused on more obscure and limited talent pool sports." Own The Podium also noted in the confidential documents that able-bodied Canadian Olympic teams in rowing, cycling and diving also underperformed--at a time when around the world, "escalating investment in Olympic medals has turned into an arms race." There was a "shallow pool of podium potential athletes," Merklingers group said in a Sept. 17, 2012, memo. "Anticipate that fewer sports will be targeted for 2016." Since London, Own The Podium has cut funding on the able bodied side to mens wrestling, fencing, gymnastics. Sports that have received an increase in funding include archery, tennis and womens rugby. 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