Inland Waterways » The glaring omission: long track speed skating

After a bit of a slow start at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, the United States is right up there in the overall medal standings. Seven days into the competition, the U.S. began the day with four gold, two silver and six bronze medals. They are ranked fifth and have the second largest total amount of medals (12) behind Norway. Team USA has produced medals in alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, figure skating, luge and snowboarding. The glaring omission: long track speed skating. Coming into these Games, the U.S. was third in the all-time long track speed skating standings with 67 total medals and they lead in overall gold with 29. Its been 30 years since the U.S. didnt win at least one speed skating medal at the Olympics. In Sochi, Americans Brittany Bowe and Heather Richardson were the undisputed gold medal favourites in the womens 1,000 meters. Between the two, they won every World Cup race this season but in Russia they finished seventh and eighth. Shani Davis was expected to complete his historic three-peat in the 1000m and yet he finished eighth. No American has finished better than seventh place so far. In a sport where races are decided by hundredths of a second, the talk in Sochi has been about the new Under Armour suits U.S. skaters are wearing. Developed in secrecy in corporation with Lockheed Martin, the Mach 39 as it is known even looks uncomfortable to the untrained eye. A ventilation panel on the back is possibly to blame for taking in air, which hinders skaters from achieving the deep squatted stands required to deliver the ultimate stride. Then there is the U.S. training facility. American skaters have been preparing for Sochi in a building that hosts the fastest ice on the planet in Salt Lake City. The oval is on altitude which ensures fast conditions. However, the Adler Arena in Sochi is on sea level and its properties are completely different. The ice is considered slow where skaters need to rely less on technique and finesse and more on stamina and sheer determination. Team Canada trains on altitude in Calgary and perhaps it is not a coincidence that Denny Morrisons memorable silver moment is the only Canadian medal in Sochi so far. Time is running out for the U.S. long track team - and for Canadas - with only six medal events left at these Games. Both countries have slim medal hopes in the mens 10,000m and the womens 5,000m. The 1,500m - often considered the crown jewel of long track - is wide open but other than that, medaling at the team pursuit is needed to prevent historic lows. Custom Chargers Jerseys . The Raptors two leading scorers were never able to co-exist the way they hoped or the team had envisioned, but individually DeRozan was thriving, in the midst of a career season. Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys Outlet . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. http://www.cheapchargers.us/ .cas NHL Play of the Year showdown continues today with a man whos spent most of his career on highlight reels and a goalie actually "reaching back" for a save. Stitched Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys . Icardi is living with the ex-wife of former teammate Maxi Lopez, and the Sampdoria forward refused to shake Icardis hand before kickoff. Walter Samuel and Rodrigo Palacio also scored for Inter while Lopez had a penalty saved. Authentic Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys . Its like being on Broadway, everything you do matters. Id want to be good though! I couldnt play here if I wasnt very good. #83217388 / gettyimages.OAKLAND, Calif. -- With his team down 16 points in the second quarter and headed for another blowout loss at home, Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson yelled out to his players to keep shooting and keep fighting on defence. Did they ever. Stephen Curry finished with 34 points and nine assists, Klay Thompson scored 22 points and the undermanned Warriors rallied to beat the Chicago Bulls 102-87 Thursday night. "Youve got to be able to handle trials, tribulations and adversity," Jackson said. "Thats part of the process. Simply put, dont let go of the rope, keep on fighting and good things will happen. And thats exactly what they did. They didnt quit." With big men Andrew Bogut and David Lee sidelined with injuries, Golden States streaky backcourt tandem found its shooting stroke after the Warriors fell behind 34-18 in the second quarter. Curry finished 13 of 19 from the floor and Thompson was 8 of 16 to give the Warriors raucous fans a reason to cheer after losing five of their previous seven at home. "We were just trying to stay positive. No point in sulking and pouting. Nobodys really got time for that during the game," Curry said. "We were talking to each other, trying to figure out what was going on, what we needed to do differently, and it worked out. Just intensity and sticking to the game plan and being physical and not having any mental lapses to get over that hump. And then we were able to come out in the second half and repeat that." Taj Gibson had 26 points and 13 rebounds filling in as a starter after Carlos Boozer strained his left calf during warm-ups, and Kirk Hinrich scored 15 points as Chicago dropped to 2-3 on its road trip, which ends Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors shot 48.2 per cent, including 50 per cent from three-point range, and got 11 points apiece from reserves Harrison Barnes and Jordan Crawford. Golden State went ahead 91-77 with 4:54 remaining, but Chicago still gave Golden State a brief scare late. Tony Snell and Jimmy Butler each hit a 3, and Butler followed with a pair of free throws that brought the Bulls to 91-85. Then Crawford rattled in a three-pointer, and Butler and Curry traded baskets to keep the Warriors in control. Joakim Noah finished with a career-high 11 assists to go with 10 rrebounds and seven points, and Butler scored 14 for the Bulls, who outrebounded Golden State 45 to 39 but committed 17 turnovers.dddddddddddd. Chicago (24-25) shot 41.6 per cent. "I thought it was a winnable game down the stretch and we didnt get it done," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. The Warriors seemed to hit a low point during a 91-75 home loss to Charlotte on Tuesday night in which they shot just 31.2 per cent from the floor -- the franchises lowest mark since November 2004 -- and often looked lost and lethargic. Despite Jacksons best efforts to keep calm, optimism seemed to dwindle even more when he revealed just 90 minutes before facing the Bulls that Bogut (shoulder stiffness) and Lee (sprained left shoulder and strained left hip) would not play. Lee also will sit out Saturday at Phoenix, Jackson said. The Warriors (30-20) still managed to match their record through 50 games last season, when they finished 47-35 to earn the Western Conferences sixth playoff seed. They were no doubt helped when the Bulls announced just minutes before tipoff that Boozer would be out with a strained calf, which Thibodeau said "was a freaky sort of" injury that occurred during warm-ups. Even still, the battle-without-big-men went Chicagos way at the start. The Bulls built leads of 29-16 after the first quarter and 34-18 early in the second behind a swarming defensive effort that swallowed up Golden States prolific shooters. But Chicagos inconsistent offence, prone to long scoring droughts without Derrick Rose, repeatedly stalled and allowed the Warriors to get out in transition. Curry captured the momentum by scoring 16 points in the second quarter, including a three-pointer that gave Golden State a 50-46 halftime lead and had him roaring with the announced sellout crowd of 19,596. "He was lighting it up," Gibson said. "It was like a video game, thats how hot he was." NOTES: New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game, a night after visiting Sacramento. He did not speak with reporters. ... Jackson became the sixth coach in Warriors history to win 100 games. He is 100-98 in two-plus seasons. ... Chicago won both meetings against Golden State last season. The Bulls and Warriors meet one more time this season on Feb. 26 in Chicago. 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