2012 » arger role. The rookie was playing in just his second

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Technically, there are five spots available on the U.S. Olympic womens gymnastics team that will be unveiled on Sunday night at the end of Olympic Trials. But not really. And Ashton Locklear knows it.We all do the math in our heads, Locklear said. I think you kind of have to. You need to know whats going on around you.Barring injury or a catastrophic drop in form, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez are heading to Brazil next month.That leaves one position open -- maybe -- the one Locklear and good friend Madison Kocian will try to convince national team coordinator Martha Karolyi theyre worthy of during what may be the most important 48 hours of their athletic lives.No pressure or anything.I definitely need to prove myself, Locklear said. I definitely need to show consistency.Its a testament to the depth of the powerhouse program Karolyi has built that the only real lingering drama with less than a month to go before the games centers around who will serve as the anchor on uneven bars. The top choices are the fluidly elegant Locklear -- who helped the U.S. to team gold in the 2014 world championships -- and the precise Kocian -- who won gold on her favorite event at the 2015 world championships.Both provide compelling arguments. Locklears cumulative uneven bars score during the two preliminary meets leading up to Olympic Trials was 0.3 better than Kocians total. Yet Kocian provides Karolyi with flexibility in the all-around, heady territory considering she broke the tibia in her left leg just above the ankle at the end of February.I didnt really think it was going to be fractured or anything, Kocian said. I went to doctor, he told me it was fractured. I melted down. I broke into tears. I didnt know what that meant for me.What it meant for the 18-year-old Texan was two weeks in a cast, another two on crutches while wearing a protective boot and six-plus weeks of limited training while most of the crowded elite field -- really, if the U.S. were allowed to field two five-woman teams it would turn the race for gold into an intramural -- kept pressing forward.I drove myself crazy in the beginning, Kocian said. It was really hard. I had to stay off bars 3-4 weeks, Id never stayed off that long.In a way, it may have been a blessing. Sure, sitting for the better part of two months was difficult. It also gave her a chance to recharge mentally, no small thing in a world where the relentless grind of training can wear occasionally wear down bodies and motivation in equal measure.Kocian believes shes more focused than ever, buoyed by her strong performance at the U.S. championships two weeks ago, where she finished fifth in the all-around thanks in part to a floor routine she and her coaches basically threw together on the fly.It was important for her to prove besides being a bars specialist she is a steady competitor on floor and beam, Karolyi said.Kocian was planning on vaulting at Olympic Trials but was told by Karolyi not to bother out of fear it may affect her still tender ankle.She told my coaches she didnt want to take any risks, Kocian said. She knows its not really worth it right now. Its not really going change my position on the team.Kocian isnt sounding presumptuous, but she knows her best shot at making an impact on a team heavily favored to defend the gold it won so easily in London four years ago is on bars, beam and floor. The vault will be there in case the U.S. should need it.Thats not the case for the 18-year-old Locklear, whose career path was altered when she fractured her L4 vertebra in 2013. She spent months in a brace and when she was finally cleared soon realized floor exercise and vault werent exactly ideal ways for someone with lower-back issues to spend their free time.So she focused on bars and beam, figuring the extra practice time would give her an advantage. It was a risky strategy, the gymnastics equivalent of a high school senior applying to just one college in hopes of getting accepted.Locklear is well aware that Karolyi has five women in mind and can name four of them pretty easily. Its that last one, though, that will be tricky. Maybe its Locklear. Its more likely its Kocian. At least, at the moment. And thats where things can get stressful.Its hard because were really good friends and we both want each other to do their best, Locklear said. Im pretty sure she watches me too. Were competitive with each other but were best friends too.The friendship will be tested this weekend, though in the big picture the decision will hardly impact the Americans chances of standing atop the podium after team finals on Aug. 9.The difference between Locklear and Kocian can be measured in small fractions. The U.S. won the 2012 Olympics and 2014 and 2015 world championships by at least five points. Whoever makes the team will likely come home with a gold medal -- possibly more than one -- in their suitcase.Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Cheap Baseball Jerseys Authentic . 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A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak.SAN DIEGO -- Colin Kaepernick began the game by taking a knee during the national anthem. The veteran quarterback ended it with reason to hope hell have more games with the San Francisco 49ers.Kaepernick passed for 103 yards after kneeling in protest alongside teammate Eric Reid during the national anthem in the Niners 31-21 preseason victory over the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night.Kaepernick and Reid, a starting safety who wasnt playing, declined to stand for the anthem before a preseason game dedicated to military appreciation by the Chargers. Kaepernick has decided not to stand this season to draw attention to American racial injustice, minority oppression and a litany of additional concerns ranging from police brutality to military veterans rights.The message is that we have a lot of issues in this country that we need to deal with, Kaepernick said. We have a lot of people that are oppressed. We have a lot of people that arent treated equally, that arent given equal opportunities.Kaepernick then played a solid first half in his competition for the 49ers starting job, going 11 for 18. The veteran didnt have an interception or a touchdown pass, missing on two potential scoring throws in the waning seconds of the half. He also rushed four times for 38 yards.Less than four years after leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl, Kaepernick is in competition for the starting job with Blaine Gabbert, who didnt play in San Diego after getting extensive playing time in the first three preseason games for the Niners (2-2).Kaepernick hopes to be the 49ers starter, but he is likely also in competition for a roster spot after a disappointing 2015 season during which he lost his starting job and had extensive injury problems. Although Kaepernick realizes he still could be released, hes hopeful of a future with the Niners.This is a phenomenal organization, and Ive had great conversations here, Kaepernick said. Ive had great memories here, and this team has given me the opportunity to become the man I am today. Im grateful for that. Im thankful for that, and San Francisco has become my home.Niners coach Chip Kelly wouldnt say whether Kaepernicks play had improved his chances to win the starting job -- or to avoid being cut.Well make those decisions when we watch the film, Kelly said. That goes for everybody on the football team, not just Colin.Kaepernick didnt play in the current preseason until last week against Green Bay, when his refusal to stand for the anthem firstt gained attention.ddddddddddddaepernick got only scattered boos before the game and during the anthem, but Chargers fans serenaded him while he led a 16-play, 85-yard scoring drive to open the game capped by DuJuan Harris 1-yard TD run.Christian Ponder passed for 101 yards and rushed for the go-ahead touchdown for San Francisco with 3:08 to play, improving his own chances for a prominent job in the Niners fluid quarterback picture.Marcus Rush got his fifth and sixth sacks of the preseason in the second half of a standout performance by the San Francisco linebacker. After Rush forced a fumble that led to Ponders TD run, he intercepted a deflected pass.Kelvin Taylor sealed the Niners win with a 10-yard TD run with 1:55 left.Kenneth Farrow rushed for 63 yards and a third-quarter touchdown for the Chargers (1-3), who rested their stars. Isaiah Burse caught a 17-yard TD pass from Mike Bercovici in the third quarter during strong performances by both roster hopefuls.Chargers fullback Chris Swain, a rookie from Navy, also scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter.Farrow excelled in his competition for the third-string running back job, breaking off a 44-yard run on a third-quarter drive. He is hoping to secure a role after Branden Oliver was lost for the season with an Achilles tendon injury.I definitely had to step up tonight, being that there is a hole in the room, Farrow said. I feel like I did a good job, and well see what happens.ROOKIE WATCH49ers: QB Jeff Driskel threw interceptions on his first two passes of the third quarter, certainly damaging his hopes of winning a job from Ponder or Kaepernick.Chargers: DE Joey Bosa was on the sideline, but didnt play. The first-round pick staged a 31-day holdout before signing Monday. ... Bercovici passed for 75 yards with two interceptions.POSITION BATTLES49ers: CB Will Redmond appeared to have an inconsistent game in his attempt to earn a larger role. The rookie was playing in just his second preseason game after a knee ligament injury.Chargers: Burse looked sharp in his attempt to earn a job, catching five passes for 63 yards and returning kicks.INJURY UPDATE49ers: No apparent injuries.Chargers: LB Nick Dzubnar left the field slowly in the third quarter with medical personnel accompanying him. He returned to the game later.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '