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CALGARY - Canada not only reinforced its status as a winter sport power in 2014, but proved to be a pretty good road team at the Winter Olympics. Braves Charlie Culberson Jersey .The country fell one medal short of its best Winter Games performance in Sochi, Russia, in February. The host team won 26 four years earlier in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., to set the new benchmark.To claim 25 in Russia without the advantage of home ice and snow indicates Canadas athletes stayed confident and adapted.Canadas sport leaders — Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Sport Canada and the winter sport federations — have set overall medals won as the standard of success.The stated goal for Sochi, as it was four years earlier, was to win the overall medal count.Canada finished fourth in the overall tally behind host Russia (33), the United States (28) and Norway (26). In 2010, the Americans were first with 37 and Germany second with 30 ahead of third-place Canada.After setting a record for gold medals at a single Winter Games with 14 in 2010, Canada wasnt far off the pace in Sochi with 10 to sit third behind Russia (13) and Norway (11).Sweeping mens and womens gold in hockey and curling was immensely satisfying to those watching at home.But the fertile ground coming out of Sochi is in freestyle skiing. With terrain parks in ski resorts from coast to coast, this country is a natural playground for flying off jumps on two skis and inventing tricks in the air.Canada has depth of talent in freestyle skiing. If you include skicross, which is governed internationally by freestyle but domestically by Alpine Canada, the freestyle teams nine medals accounted for more than a third of Canadas total in Sochi. Four times in freestyle events, there were two Canadian medallistsCanadas Paralympians again hit the target of finishing among the top three countries in gold medals won with nine in Sochi.The host country ranked third in 2010 with 10 gold and stayed third in Sochi behind the Russians with 30 and the Germans with nine. Cross-country skier Brian McKeever collected three gold to increase his career count to 10.Sochi tested the resiliency of Canadas athletes, coaches and support staff and will provide a template for Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.Thousands of kilometres and multiple time zones away from home again, the Canadian team will attempt to maintain the gain, which was the mantra heading into 2014.Peter Judge stepped out of his job as chief executive officer of the Canadian Freestyle Skiing Association post-Sochi and immediately into the role of director of winter sport for OTP.He said the top reason for the freestyle teams success in Sochi was athletes travelled to the area at least three times for competitions or training camps prior to the opening ceremonies.Familiarization has always been the critical component of major Games and world championships, Judge said in Sochi. Weve always tried to be in there early and often.They came here, they felt at home. There was not too much weirdness at all. Having that familiarity, having that comfort, youre dealing with 80 per cent less stuff right off the bat.Canada is keeping up the pace post-Sochi with several notable results to open the 2014-15 World Cup season.Calgarys Sam Edney became the first Canadian male to win World Cup luge gold. Ottawa long-track speed skater Ivanie Blondin has picked up five medals, including two gold in the womens mass start.Short-tracker Charles Hamelin of Sainte-Julie, Que., claimed four individual medals, including gold in the 1,500 metres. Moguls skier Phil Marquis of Quebec City won his first World Cup in two years.Olympic skicross champion Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., and Vancouvers Georgia Simmerling earned gold and silver respectively in their first race this winter while Calgary skeleton racer Elisabeth Vathje has won a gold and a silver in her first two World Cups.Alpine skier Manny Osborne-Paradis of North Vancouver, B.C., kicked off his season with a downhill silver in Lake Louise, Alta.The countrys continued success depends largely on two elements: money and recruiting talented athletes into winter sport. The Canadian taxpayer is the single biggest funder of its athletes.According to the office of the Minister of State for Sport, the federal government spent $150 million on high-performance sport in the four years between 2010 and 2014, which was an increase of $25 million over the previous quadrennial.That figure doesnt include the Athletes Assistance Program, which provides up to $18,000 to approximately 1,800 carded athletes annually in direct money.OTP allocates about $62 million of the federal government money annually to summer, winter and Paralympic sport based on medal potential. That means if a sport federation has athletes with medal potential, they get OTP funding. If not, no money.Its a tough-love philosophy not loved by all, particularly if you are a ski jumper or skeleton racer not getting much from OTP.But since this system has largely produced results Canadians can feel proud of — and thus wont object paying for — its likely here to stay for now.Under Marcel Aubut, the Canadian Olympic Committee has aggressively pursued corporate sponsorships with a goal set in 2012 to raise $100 million by 2016.The COC committed to diverting $37 million of it to OTP a year ago. But there are still money gaps in athletes lives as they try to make ends meet. Theres also a concerning lack of resources in some sports to develop the next generation of Olympians.The COC is responsible for preparing athletes for the Games environment and looking after their needs on the ground.The expenses for South Korea will be at least comparable to Russia if Canada follows the same strategy of getting athletes there early and often before 2018. Braves Jonny Venters Jersey . Reimer told TSNs Mark Masters on Tuesday that he doesnt know if he will be moved leading up to the March 5 trade deadline but added he wasnt interested in discussing it. "Who knows whats going to happen on the horizon here and right now I dont know if I want to talk about it too much. Braves Jerseys China .And although FIFAs investigators are preparing to release the findings of a World Cup corruption probe, Hassan Al Thawadi dismissed any chance of Qatar losing the showpiece event. http://www.cheapbravesjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=braves-anibal-sanchez-jersey . A Swiss Federal Tribunal ruling published Friday said that FIFAs disputes panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport correctly imposed the sanction for Nantes enticing Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura to break his contract with Dubai club Al Nasr in January 2012. LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw agreed Wednesday to a $215 million, seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press, a deal that makes the two-time Cy Young Award winner baseballs first player with a $30 million average salary. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been announced. Kershaw receives the most lucrative deal for a pitcher, breaking the mark of $180 million set by Justin Verlander last March for his seven-year contract with Detroit. Kershaw would have been eligible for free agency after the upcoming season if the new deal hadnt been reached. He was eligible for salary arbitration, and those figures were set to be exchanged on Friday. He was coming off a two-year, $20 million deal that included $200,000 in bonuses in 2012, a $500,000 escalator to his 2013 base salary, and $300,000 in bonuses last year. General manager Ned Colletti said last week that both sides had been negotiating. "Its our desire to sign him here for a very long time," Colletti said. The average salary of $30.7 million tops the previous high of $27.5 million, set by the New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez as part of a 10-year agreement from December 2007. While Roger Clemens had a contract with a listed salary of $28 million with the Yankees in 2007, he joined the team in June and actually made $17.4 million. The Dodgers had baseballs second-highest payroll at the end of the regular season last fall -- more than $236 million. Kershaws agreement, first reported by ESPN.com, is baseballs seventh of $200 million or more. Among current contracts, it trails only the agreements of Rodriguez, Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto ($251.5 million over 12 years), Los Angeles Angelss first baseman Albert Pujols ($240 million over 10 years) and Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano ($240 million over 10 years). Wholesale Braves Jerseys. . A left-hander who turns 26 in March, Kershaw won NL Cy Young Awards in 2011 and 2013. He was 16-9 for the NL West champion Dodgers last year and led the league with 232 strikeouts, and his 1.83 ERA was the best in the major leagues since Pedro Martinezs 1.74 for Boston in 2000. He has led the NL in ERA in each of the last three years. Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis tweeted: "Big winner today......me. I am blessed to catch best in the game for foreseeable future God willing. Congrats Kersh!" Teammate Matt Kemp chimed in, tweeting, "Congrats 2 the best pitcher in baseball and great teammate (at)ClaytonKersh22 on his deal!" Kershaw has been a powerful, yet low-key, presence on the team. In the off-season, the Dallas native has worked to build a charitable legacy alongside his wife, Ellen. The couple has made yearly trips to Africa, where his foundation that focuses on helping at-risk children built an orphanage. The deal signifies further stability for a club that was in turmoil under former owner Frank McCourt, who sold the team to a group that includes Magic Johnson in 2012. The Dodgers signed manager Don Mattingly to a three-year deal last week and now have locked up their ace. Last year, Kershaw pitched a career-high 259 innings between the regular season and the playoffs. The season ended on a sour note when he pitched a rare clunker in the Dodgers 9-0 loss to St. Louis in the NL championship series that eliminated them. Still up for discussion this winter is a new deal for Hanley Ramirez, who hit a team-leading .345 and played hurt during the NLCS. 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