Join us » three birdies in a row and then a

Ski jumpers will have to don better helmets and could be required to wear body armour as part of a determined bid by authorities to make the sport as safe as possible, a top official said. "Its an outdoor sport, its a risky sport. We were able over the years to make it safer... we could make it (even) safer," said Walter Hofer, the ski jumping race director at the International Ski Federation (FIS). Spectacular crashes are fairly common in jumping. Three-times Olympic gold medallist Thomas Morgenstern of Austria has ended up in hospital twice in the last two months after crashes where he suffered a broken finger as well as face and head injuries. "The next goal must be to make safer helmets with higher standards. Maybe we can do something for the protection of the body," Hofer told reporters high up on the normal hill late on Monday night as women jumpers whistled by at 90 kph (60 mph) at the Sochi Olympics. "Whatever is available on the market we will try." Hofer noted that Alpine ski officials had spent a long time studying jackets that contain small air bags to help cushion the impact of falls. "When they get something up there we will use it. At the moment I am preparing to use some protection for certain parts of our body, mostly the backbone," he said. Tougher helmets will be introduced into Alpine skiing and ski jumping authorities want to adopt the same standards. In recent years the FIS has taken a series of sometimes unpopular steps it says will make the sport fairer and safer. The federation imposes minimum body mass index requirements to weed out jumpers which it says are too light. Jumpers have to wear body tight suits with low aerodynamics, much to the irritation of athletes such as four-times Olympic gold medallist Simon Ammann of Switzerland. New hills have been redesigned to make the in-run smoother, a development which some jumpers say make takeoffs harder. A complex new system to compensate skiers for wind conditions will be used at the Sochi Games for the first time. Hofer, who has been at FIS for 22 years, said he began trying to make the sport safer some 20 years ago after he saw a series of bad falls. "I started to talk to experts and they told me Are you crazy? If you make ski jumping safer nobody will watch. It isnt right," said the ebullient Austrian. "I would like to attract parents to deliver their children to our beloved sport in a way they know it is a sport where athletes are cared for." As well as improving safety, Hofer - who notes that "when you release an athlete at 100 km/h from the takeoff, you cant take him back - is particularly keen to address rapidly changing wind conditions that have wrecked many a competition. Headwinds help athletes soar further but if they are too strong they can produce dangerously long jumps. Conversely, tail winds cut flying distances. In the past, officials would either scrap competitions altogether or restart them halfway through to take into account changing winds, which Hofer said frustrated spectators. Jumpers used to be judged on distance and style. Under the new system, they now can also gain or be docked points to take wind conditions into account. The calculations are made by a series of computers linked to seven sensors along the in-run. "The athletes performance is removed from the influence of external conditions," said Hofer, pointing to a screen which showed the wind strength and direction from each sensor. The challenge for audiences is that the athlete who jumps the furthest does not always win. Alexander Pointner, head coach of the Austrian team, told Reuters that spectators should not have "to think What is this, that guy jumped so far but hes only fourth, whats that? Our sport should not be so difficult". Hofer has no intention of changing his mind. "Whatever makes ski jumping safer and fairer is worth it, even if sometimes you have to take something (away) from the transparency. People will understand sooner or later," he said. FIS is looking at whether it would be possible to shine a blue laser line on the snow to show the public exactly where a jumper has to land to take the lead, he added. Twins Jerseys 2020 . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs have trade offers on the table for the 26-year-old, but none have been deemed acceptable by the team. Minnesota Twins Pro Shop . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. https://www.cheaptwins.com/432t-nick-gor...rsey-twins.html. Patrik Bartosak turned away 50-of-52 shots for the Rebels (28-26-4), who halted their losing streak at seven games. Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes of play, Feser forced overtime with his second goal of the game at 5:35 of the third period. Zack Littell Jersey . Pistorius mindset when he stood on his stumps in a bathroom and pulled the trigger on his 9 mm pistol in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013 remains the crux of the South African trial that has captured worldwide attention and is about to start its seventh week of globally televised proceedings. It was initially scheduled to run for three weeks. Kent Hrbek Twins Jersey . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges.IRVING, Texas -- Natalie Gulbis plays with tape wrapped around her achy left wrist. She has an appointment with a specialist next week to finally figure out what is causing the pain she has dealt with for much of the season. In the meantime, Gulbis is contending for her first LPGA Tour victory in seven years. Gulbis was tied with Texan Stacy Lewis at 7-under 135, putting the Americans a stroke behind leaders Meena Lee of South Korea and Caroline Masson of Germany after two rounds in the North Texas LPGA Shootout. With a 65 on Friday, Gulbis had her first sub-70 round this year. "I havent played a lot this year, and I havent played very well in the events Ive played in, so it felt really good to get a good round in the 60s and to get around making some birdies," Gulbis said. "It felt more like how I played at the end of last year, which I hadnt seen yet this year." Masson, who led after the first two rounds of the inaugural North Texas event last year before tying for 15th, had five birdies and a bogey for her second 67. Lewis, the No. 3 player in the world, had a bogey-free 64 to match Lee for the best second-round score at Las Colinas Country Club. Lewis had four consecutive birdies before finishing with seven straight pars, and Lee played her first nine holes -- the back nine -- without a par. "I didnt really do anything really crazy different from yesterday other than I putted a lot better, but just played really solid," said Lewis, who had her sixth runner-up finish last week in San Francisco since winning the Womens British Open in August. " I felt nice and relaxed out there, so it was a nice day." After her round, Lewis was headed to hit some balls with her 3-year-old nephew wearing a shirt that read, "My aunt is a better golfer than yours." In the last five LPGA events, Gulbis has a 67th-place finish while missing three cuts and withdrawing from the Hawaii tournament two weeks ago. The newlywed has completed only 17 rounds this season while dealing with the baalky wrist.dddddddddddd "I had a really great off-season. I had a lot of time to work on my game and I felt really good coming into the season, and then I got hurt in like the second or third event of the year and took some time off, so thats been a bummer," Gulbis said. "But I had a really nice off-season, so Ive been trying to fall back on the work that my coach and I did." Christiana Kim (69) was alone in fifth at 6 under, one stroke better than first-round leader Suzann Pettersen (71) and four other players. Pettersen had a birdie at the par-5 third hole before consecutive bogeys and then a steady string of pars until a closing birdie. "I gave myself a lot of good looks for birdies, just couldnt make much. Good conditions," said Pettersen, in her only second tournament since missing a month with more back issues. "All good, no complaints." Also at 5 under were Julieta Granada (66), Dewi Claire Schreefel (66), Cristie Kerr (70) and Dori Carter (70). Lee, who won the last of her two LPGA Tour titles in 2006, started Friday with an eagle-3 on the 510-yard 10th hole. She followed with a bogey, consecutive birdies, another bogey, three birdies in a row and then a bogey on the par-5 18th. Her scorecard for the front nine was much cleaner, with birdies on Nos. 3-5 and only pars aside from that. She started the tournament Thursday with a double bogey on the very first hole. "Im happy to be done with the second round. Im really happy," said Lee, who has her best 36-hole score this season. Top-ranked Inbee Park, the defending champ in North Texas, was 3 under after a 68. Michelle Wie was 2 under after rounds of 67 and 73. She won the Hawaii tournament. Lexi Thompson, the 19-year-old American playing for the first time since become a major champion the first weekend in April, followed her opening 70 with a 71 to reach 1 under. Seventy-four players made the cut, which was 2 over. There will be a second cut after Saturdays third round to the top 50 and ties. ' ' '