As we bid farewell to winter sports for the year, some athletes are wrapping club seasons all over the place.
People who read this blog probably know all about soccer and maybe basketball. But how about volleyball? Dozens of U.S. athletes are overseas — many of them making money that soccer players are not.
An NYT story on overseas volleyball introduced me to a neat site helping athletes share information and support. Athletes Abroad is a nice simple WordPress site that lets athletes connect and share stories, with other athletes and with fans. And yes, they’ve already spoken with the ubiquitous Yael Averbuch.
Best and worst from the week, mostly overseas …
Best recent success for a new rugby player: Kelly Whiteside catches up with bobsled medalist Elana Meyers as she tries her feet at rugby. A lot of running is involved.
Sharpest commentary: Snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler calls out Sochi for its environmental impact, particularly on birds, salmon, trout and bears.
Best speedskater: The Netherlands’ Ireen Wüst confirms it yet again, winning three of the four distances at the World Allround Championships. (Yes, she won the overall title.)
Best moguls skier: Hannah Kearney, for the fourth straight season, this time in dramatic fashion.
Biggest surprise: Switzerland beat Canada to win the women’s curling world title in a match that swung wildly in the eighth end, when Rachel Homan seemed to have hit a brilliant shot but watched her shooter spin away from the center back toward the front of the house. Switzerland’s Binia Feltscher converted her shot for three, then stole three when Homan missed a difficult shot in the ninth.
Best farewell: We biathlon fans will miss you, Andrea Henkel and Tora Berger.
Best U.S. finish:
Closest finish:
Best name to watch for 2016: Triathlete Katie Hursey was second in her first race of the season, then first this weekend.
Worst news: No more biathlon to watch this season. And yet it might snow at my house. That’s wrong.
Duresport.com 