Erika Brown remembers very little about her first Olympics. [url=http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-ryan-kalil-pa

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Erika Brown remembers very little about her first Olympics. Ryan Kalil Jersey . After all, it was 25 years ago -- and she was only 15. "I remember the opening ceremony, marching, bits and pieces of the competition," Brown said of her time at the 1988 Calgary Games, "but not a heck of a lot, actually." Now 40, Brown has earned the chance to relive the Olympic experience. On Saturday, she was skip of the rink that swept the playoffs in the U.S. curling trials in Fargo, N.D., to claim a place at the Sochi Olympics in Russia. "Twenty-five years later is bit hard to swallow," Brown told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "I can barely believe I have been alive that long." Brown, who also represented her country at 1998 Nagano Games, said this will be her last Olympics. But for a fierce competitor with curling in her blood, somehow its hard to believe her. Her parents, Steve and Diane, both curled for the U.S. and own a big curling store in Madison, Wis. Steve, who coached Erika at the 1988 and 1998 Games, will coach the U.S. wheelchair team in Sochi. Even Erikas younger brother, Craig, is into curling and competed at the mens trials in Fargo. "Its been a family thing since we were little kids," Erika said. "My mum wasnt sure what to do after I was born, so she took me to watch my dad curl when I was 7 days old. Id probably had only two trips to the doctor by then." Brown has managed to maintain her motivation and desire to practice curling despite having a day job as a physicians assistant in Ontario, where her patients range from newborns to 90-year-olds, and being a mother of two. If she wraps up her morning appointments, she tries to squeeze in about 30 minutes of curling during her lunch hour at a curling club a short distance from work. That will change in the run-up to Sochi. "I am going to be taking a leave of absence from work, probably in January," Brown said. "That should allow me to have more relaxed practices, where I can be a little more deliberate and take my time." Brown certainly didnt appear underprepared in Fargo last week, clinching victory over Allison Pottingers team at the Scheels Arena with a draw into the four-foot with the final stone of the game. Her teammates -- Debbie McCormick, Jessica Schultz and Ann Swisshelm -- are all former Olympians and Browns rink should contend for a medal in Sochi. "We just found a great combination with this team about three years ago when we got together. Our goal was to make it back to the Olympics and we have," Brown said. "I think anyone who has been to the Olympics once has some pretty built-in motivation to go back. Its such a privileged experience to be part of Team USA, wearing your nation on your back. That experience alone has been a pretty big motivator for the past 25 years." When Brown took time away from school to compete in Calgary, curling was only a demonstration sport. It was again in 1992 before returning to the Olympic program in Nagano. The U.S. rink didnt get past the round-robin stage then, and an Olympic medal remains the thing missing from Browns resume that includes world and national titles. "Olympic gold?" Brown said. "That would be a pretty sweet one of sew it all up with." Kawann Short Jersey . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. Wes Horton Jersey . Pistorius denied the allegation that he said to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-russell-shepard-panthers-jersey/ . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley. PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins acknowledge theyve been getting by more on talent than discipline recently even as theyve soared to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The perpetually rebuilding Florida Panthers have no such luxury. On Monday night, the Panthers hard work made up the difference. Drew Shore scored twice for the first multi-goal game of his career and the Panthers ended Pittsburghs club-record 13-game home winning streak with a 5-1 victory. "It was a big game," Shore said. "We kind of treated it like a playoff game. We only had a couple more games until the (Olympic) break so we wanted to make a strong push." Jonathan Huberdeau, Dmitry Kulikov and Shawn Matthias also scored for the Panthers, who won in Pittsburgh for the first time in five years. Scott Clemmensen stopped 35 shots in his first start in three weeks as Florida ended a two-game losing streak. "I asked them for 60 minutes and 200 feet," Florida coach Peter Horachek said. Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma received neither. Matt Niskanen scored the only goal for the Penguins as Pittsburgh lost at home for the first time since Nov. 13. Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves but fell for only the fourth time in his past 37 starts at Consol Energy Center. "We were just awful," Niskanen said. "Bad execution. Bad work ethic. We just werent hungry enough to win the loose puck battle and they just beat the (stuffing) out of us." Pittsburgh defenceman Paul Martin played 20 minutes in his return from a broken leg, clearing the way for him to play for Team USA in the Olympics. Forwards James Neal, Chuck Kobasew and Jayson Megna also returned from injuries as the Penguins -- already with a comfortable 13-point cushion in the Metropolitan Division -- continue to get healthy with the Olympic break looming. While it may take a game or two for the Penguins to adjust to the familiar faces, they dont necessarily view it as an excuse. "Were assimilating players back into our lineup ... but thats not a new challenge for this group," Bylsma said. "Its not a new challenge for our team." Neither is winning in Pittsburgh for the Panthers. But Florida beat the Penguins for the second time in three meetings behind Clemmensen, a resurgennt penalty kill that has gone a franchise-record 10 games without allowing a goal and some unlikely offensive contributions. Vernon Butler Jersey. "I dont think we got lucky tonight," Clemmensen said. "I think we just willed it a little bit. It doesnt always go your way obviously. You stick with it and nights like tonight happen." Shore entered with just four goals in 54 career games and has spent most of this season in the American Hockey League. Still, he scored twice in less than 20 minutes to stake Florida to an early lead that was more than enough to end Pittsburghs two-month run of perfection. The Penguins entered the night having trailed barely 10 per cent of the time at home since their streak began. A significant chunk came in last weeks 4-3 comeback victory over Washington, when they rallied from a goal down three times to escape. It was the kind of game thats popped up frequently since Christmas, where Pittsburghs high-powered offence was able to overcome some uncharacteristic lapses at the other end of the rink. The miscues finally caught up with them. A rare breakdown by the leagues top power-play unit gave Shore the chance to stake Florida to an early lead. Clemmensen stopped Evgeni Malkins shot, then passed to Shore to spark a two-on-one that ended with Shore flicking a wrist shot over Fleurys shoulder 15:46 into the first period. The Panthers had three opportunities in the second to double their lead only to let three straight power plays go to waste before Shore struck again. Huberdeau stripped a Penguin behind the Pittsburgh net, slid the puck to Jesse Winchester, who found a streaking Shore down the slot. The wrist shot caromed off Fleurys shoulder and into the net to make it 2-0 at 13:34 of the second. Kulikov pushed the Florida lead to 3-0 by taking a long bounce off the end boards then beating Fleury just 1:17 into the third. Niskanens seventh goal of the season 5:11 into the period briefly gave the Penguins some energy, but it faded when Huberdeau and Matthias scored 12 seconds apart to send the Panthers to the upset. NOTES: Pittsburgh went 0 for 3 on the power play. ... The Panthers have killed 31 straight penalties. ... Florida is 10-0-1 when leading after two periods. ... Pittsburgh hosts Montreal on Wednesday. ... The Panthers play at Buffalo on Tuesday. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '