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ekansekans's blog: "df"

created on 10/29/2012  |  http://fubar.com/df/b351055

TORONTO -- Stunning negligence in course design and safety features led to the "entirely avoidable" death of a Canadian skicross racer at a World Cup event in Switzerland last month, his family argued Wednesday. In calling for a thorough, independent inquiry into the death of Nik Zoricic, his family disputed the official position that he was killed in a "freak" accident. "The finish line was a death trap," family lawyer Tim Danson said. "It is unacceptable that an elite athlete like Nik Zoricic can make a perfect landing, barely miss the finish line by one metre, and be killed for it." Citing four reliable sources, Danson alleged that race authorities had been warned beforehand that the course was unsafe. No one did anything, he said. "These concerns were apparently ignored," Danson said. "As a result, Nik is dead." In skicross, several racers hurtle down a mountain at the same time, making jumps and taking slight curves on the way. Zoricic, 29, who grew up in Toronto, had raced on the World Cup circuit for more than three years and was competing in his 36th event in Grindelwald. He was killed at the finish line of a tight three-way race. A frame-by-frame video shows he was doing about 80 or 90 km/h when he veered to the right after the final jump. He appeared to nail his landing about a metre to the right of the official course line. However, he touched down in a what skiers call "crud" just off the course rather than on a groomed shoulder, snagged safety netting, and tumbled into hard-packed snow, smashing his head. His father Bebe Zoricic, a veteran ski coach, said the poor design of the finish steered skiers to the right, the safety netting was of the wrong type, there was no "spill zone" and the mound of cement-like snow should not have been there. The family said it had no plans for legal action provided a proper inquiry is done, saying the aim is to avoid a repeat of the tragedy. "It is devastating to look at this," the racers mother Silvia Zoricic said. "Every cell in my body hurts, but knowing that this could have been avoided makes it into an agony." The family did express dismay that no one from the International Ski Federation -- known as FIS -- had contacted them to offer any form of condolence. Sarah Lewis, secretary general of the federation, said the organization has tried to follow procedure in terms of respecting an investigation by Swiss police and other authorities. "The authorities are evaluating the situation and then they will give their verdict on what has happened," Lewis said. Preliminary results of the probes would likely come next month or in June, the federation said. Lewis also said the federation had "of course" sent its sympathies to the family by asking Alpine Canada, the sports national governing body, to pass them on. "Whether or not that happened in the course of all the hundreds and thousands of notes they received, it is difficult to know." The federation has previously labelled the crash a "terrible, tragic accident." It said race organizers were experienced and the venue and course were well established on the World Cup circuit but a formal safety review of freestyle skiing was in the works. Danson said the sources -- he would not say if they were Canadian -- were afraid to come forward for fear of ruining their own careers, but said an open inquiry would allow them to tell their stories without fear of reprisals. In a statement from Calgary, Alpine Canada president Max Gartner said it shared the familys desire to learn from the accident, adding Swiss police and state authorities were probing the tragedy. He said Alpine Canada was working with the FIS to try to prevent similar accidents and would actively participate in the FIS skicross advisory group that will be reviewing skicross rules, specifications and processes. Danson said the lack of answers from Switzerland has raised "red flags." "No other course would ever be designed this way," Danson said. Wholesale Jerseys China . -- Canadian Daniel Nestor and partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus advanced to the final of the Sony Ericsson Open with a commanding 6-2, 6-4 victory over Indias Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna on Thursday. Wholesale NFL Jerseys From China . Francona, who managed the Red Sox from 2004-11, chatted with several players in the locker room before Saturdays game against the New York Yankees while preparing for his job as a broadcaster for Sunday nights game on ESPN. http://bloodcopy.org/wholesale.html . Then Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis ranged well to his left, made the stop and tossed to pitcher Vinnie Pestano covering first. "I was running like heck with my head down so I couldnt really tell," Avila said. DENVER -- Chris Nelson wasnt sure he had hit the ball hard enough for a homer. When he saw the saw ball disappear over the fence as he rounded first base, out came a celebratory fist pump, and a day marked by frustration at the plate and in the field turned noticeably bright. Nelson had his go-ahead, three-run home run in the seventh inning, and the Colorado Rockies overcame a career-best six RBIs by Chase Headley to beat the San Diego Padres 11-10 on Sunday. "I was hustling out of the box, but I got it pretty good and I was thinking triple out there," said Nelson, who was still fuming over his strikeout in his previous at bat as well as what he considered his sloppy fielding of a grounder to third base that Cameron Maybin beat out for an infield hit in the Padres three-run fourth. "The day wasnt going the best for me, just wasnt going well, and it all came out at once," Nelson said. "Ive had a couple (of game-winning homers) before but none like that one. Its a great feeling, a great feeling to be up at the plate with guys in scoring position and to get them all in." Tyler Colvin and Ramon Hernandez also homered and Dexter Fowler had three hits and two RBIs to help the Rockies win two of three to snap the Padres string of three consecutive series victories. "Everybody is just doing their job. Everybody is doing what they need to do to get the win at the end of the day," Nelson said. Headley drove in at least one run with each of his four hits, including his 23rd homer of the season, a two-run shot in the first inning. Alexi Amarista had a career-best five hits for the Padres, who had a season-high 20 on the day. "I was swinging good. I found some holes, hit a couple of balls hard, hit a couple not as hard and was able to find the holes today," Headley said. "I had a lot of opportunities with guys on base. It makes my job a lot easier when there is a lot of pressure on the pitcher." With San Diego leading 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh, Tommy Layne hit Carlos Gonzalez with a pitch, Jordan Pacheco singled, and one out later Nelson homered to straightaway centre against Brad Brach (1-4). It was Nelsons seventh home run of the season. "I was trying to throw a slider down and away and out of the zone," Brach said. "I left it up, he made a good swing on it and hit it out." Rockies manager Jim Tracy said Nelson has been swinging the bat well recently. "The ball has been on the barrel of his bat regularly lately," Tracy saaid of Nelson, who has had at least one RBI in four of his last five games.dddddddddddd Colorado added a run in the eighth, with help from a two-base throwing error by Brach that allowed Charlie Blackmon, aboard with a walk, to advance to third. Fowler drove him in with his third hit of the day and second RBI single. Guillermo Moscoso (1-1) retired the only batter he faced to close the seventh, and Rafael Betancourt gave up three consecutive two-out hits in the ninth -- including an RBI single by Amarista -- before getting Chris Denorfia to ground out for his 27th save. The Rockies recovered to get the win after giving up a four-run lead following a seven-run third inning. San Diegos Casey Kelly, who pitched six scoreless innings to beat Atlanta in his major league debut last Monday, was roughed up when the Rockies sent 11 men to the plate in the third. Fowler singled to drive in the innings first run for the Rockies and after a two-out, ground-rule double by Gonzalez, Pacheco hit a two-run double to tie the score at 3-all. Colvin followed with a drive into the right-field seats for his 17th home run of the season and second in two games. After Nelson singled, Hernandez connected for a two-run shot, his first homer since April 27, ending a drought of 121 at-bats. Staked to the 7-3 lead after trailing 3-0 early, Rockies starter Jeff Francis couldnt get out of the fourth inning. He allowed six runs on 10 hits in 3 2-3 innings, including Headleys two-run homer in the first and RBI single in the third. Headleys two-run single in the fourth helped the Padres pull to 7-6, finishing Francis and bringing on reliever Adam Ottovino. After Amarista doubled in the sixth and scored on Logan Forsythes single, Headley hit his third run-scoring single of the day and the Padres went in front 9-7. NOTES: Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki, on the disabled list since May 30 with a groin injury, was slated to play 5- and 7- innings Sunday and Monday at Triple-A Colorado Springs as part of a minor league rehab assignment. Hell be re-evaluated on his return. ... The Padres move on to Los Angeles, where LHP Andrew Werner (1-1) will pitch the opener Monday against the Dodgers RHP Joe Blanton (9-12). ... Colorado heads to Atlanta and RHP Tyler Chatwood (4-3) is set to start against the Braves RHP Kris Medlen (6-1). ... Pacheco extended his hitting streak to 11 games. ... The Padres previous season high was 18 hits on May 24 against the New York Mets. ... Amaristas five-hit game was the first by a Padre this season. ' ' ' 

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