Plauderecke » of the second set and produced another double-fault

One of Jean-Luc Brassards most memorable moments of the Sochi Olympics came in the hours long after an event, in a darkened, empty stadium.The Olympic moguls champion was consoling an athlete and his family after a disappointing performance. Seeing in their eyes the disappointment that they had, and trying to find the right words, knowing that you dont try to hide the truth, you try just to digest that moment, Brassard said. And then you tell them that in a few days, or maybe the following day, you will remember the entire process that brought you there. So much fun and great memories.Its not only about a single result, its about the entire process to become an Olympian.Brassard was named Canadas chef de mission Thursday for the 2016 Rio Olympics. His experience in Sochi, as an assistant to Canadian chef Steve Podborski, convinced him that no matter the sport, winter or summer, an Olympian is an Olympian.They speak the same language, its an Olympian language, Brassard said. And at the end of the day, that made me agree to go for Rio, even if its a summer Games. Its not so much about the technicality of the sports. Theres no more liaison between a bobsleigh guy and a short-track skater, than a bobsleigh guy and a 100-metre runner.Brassard competed in four Olympic Games, capturing gold in 1994 in Lillehammer to become Canadas first ever male Olympic champion in skiing. Four years later, he carried Canadas flag into the opening ceremonies of the 1998 Nagano Olympics, where he finished fourth.He capped his Olympic career at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.The Canadian Olympic Committee made the announcement at Brazilian-themed restaurant in Montreal.The native of Grand-Ile, Que., spent most of the Sochi Games at the Krasnaya Polyana mountain cluster of venues, where I kind of belonged.It was great to remember my past, as an athlete, to try to apply that to find the right words to talk to the actual athletes, he said in a phone interview. The great thing at the time is I think I had no desire to be an athlete anymore, its long gone for me, in my mind. That case is done. But I still want to help the young kids, and I want them to have the opportunity to feel exactly the great feeling that I experienced when I was an athlete, so I tried to find the right words to talk to them. And surprisingly, you dont really take care of the winners, because communications grabs them after the race and they reappear the next morning after they went through all the media. But you spend a lot of time with the people that didnt achieve the result that they wanted.Since the two-time world champion retired in 2002, hes been a full-on freelancer, working as a television host, commentator, and writing articles on skiing and mountaineering.He said feels the same thrill watching Canadian athletes compete as he did when he stepped into the moguls starting gate.Im way more emotional, he said. I dont have a child, but I can imagine its a bit like how a parent looks at their child. You really wonder how a kid can achieve something so amazing, being by himself on the top of the run, and they have to do the job. And at an age that most students are in school, they dont even know what theyre going to do in life. The only thing that they care is having a beer at night with their friends. But youre asking these athletes to make the performance of their life.I get very very emotional. Every time that I see one of these athletes at the bottom, stepping up on the podium, it brings tears to my eyes. I had the chance in my life to be successful and to feel that, and Im totally thrilled for them now when they can do it too.And I know that theyre going to be amazing role models after that. Im at an age where I find that this is important too.One of Brassards first tasks will be getting to know some of Canadas summer athletes. Some 200 of them will gather next week in Gatineau, Que., as part of a pre-Rio symposium.I dont want to walk into the place in my big boots, saying Hey, here I am. I want to do that very slowly, he said.Hell then choose an assistant chef for the Games, which run Aug. 5-21, 2016.Mark Tewksbury was chef de mission of the Canadian team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Damian Lillard Blazers Jersey . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. Brandon Roy Blazers Jersey . Despite Barcelona showing the same vulnerability in defence, Messis best performance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff ensured that his side bounced back from a defeat by Valencia in the previous round. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Gary-Trent-Jr-Blazers-Jersey/ .ca contributor Grant McCagg provides a look at some risers and fallers on the prospect watch. Zach Collins Blazers Jersey . The above paragraph could be rewritten, verbatim, with Marcus Stromans name in place of Romeros. After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey . -- Aaron Rodgers isnt out for revenge in Green Bays season opener. OSTRAVA, Czech Republic -- The Czech Republic took a commanding 2-0 lead over defending champion Italy in their Fed Cup semifinal Saturday after Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova won the opening singles matches in straight sets. Safarova gave the Czechs a 1-0 lead by upsetting Sara Errani 6-4, 6-1, and Kvitova used her powerful serve and forehand to follow up with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Camila Giorgi to put the hosts one win away from the final against Australia or Germany. The reverse singles and doubles are planned for Sunday. The sixth-ranked Kvitova dominated the hard-hitting Giorgi and didnt face a break point until in the final game when she saved two and needed four match points to seal the victory. "I played a solid game and my serve helped me a great deal," said Kvitova, who hit 11 aces. Kvitova broke the 54th-ranked Giorgi in the opening game and went on to serve out the first set with an ace. The match had to be interrupted for 20 minutes in the first set with Kvitova leading 4-3 due to a problemm with the lights in the CEZ Arena.dddddddddddd Giorgi double-faulted twice in the opening game of the second set and produced another double-fault to go 5-2 down. Earlier, the 26th-ranked Safarova converted her first match point with a return winner to complete the victory over her 11th-ranked opponent. "Its an important victory for our team," said Safarova, who improved to 2-1 against Errani. The Czech played aggressively from the start on the fast indoor hard-court at the CEZ Arena, hitting 33 winners to Erranis four. The opening set saw both players losing their serve twice in the first five games. Errani then double-faulted in the ninth game to lose her serve for the third time and Safarova clinched the set with a service winner. "I was nervous at the beginning and made some mistakes," Safarova said. "But then I managed to focus on my game. I went aggressively for the points." Errani continued in the same fashion in the final set, losing her three service games. ' ' '