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RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Americans invented beach volleyball.Brazil made it a passion.But theres another country making waves at the Copacabana venue during the Olympics, one with little tradition of beach volleyball -- or even a lot of sun-splashed beaches, for that matter.Canada.Yes, Canada.The ice hockey and curling power is one of only four countries to qualify the maximum four teams -- two mens and two womens -- for the Rio de Janeiro Games. Although Canada has won only one medal in the sport since it joined the Olympic program in 1996, this contingent is hoping it can change that.Canada is a competitive nation, said Ben Saxton, whose father was on the Canadian indoor volleyball team that ended up fourth at the 1984 Olympics -- its best finish ever. All of us want to win at every sport we play. Just because we cant play during the winter doesnt mean we arent resourceful enough to find a way.More often associated with ice and snow -- and sports played upon them -- than with the Summer Games, Canada has had its share of success in events like track and rowing and swimming. But the beach has been barren since John Child and Mark Heese took bronze in Atlanta.True, its hard to compete with countries where the athletes can train year-round. Yes, the lack of volleyball history itself makes it difficult to convince young Canadians to put down their hockey sticks and hit the beach. And Canadas population of about 35 million is smaller than Californias alone, not to mention Brazil.You take a couple of cities in Brazil and youve got more than the whole country, said Steve Anderson, Canadas head beach volleyball coach. You cant compete with the population. You cant compete with the history. People come to Brazil and the U.S. to immerse themselves in the culture because you cant get that anywhere else.But when Anderson took over the countrys beach volleyball program, he decided the problem was the mindset of Canadians who just didnt think they could compete with the sports powers.Anderson, an American who coached Australian Natalie Cook to the beach gold medal in 2000, called the Canadian players together and asked them: When was the last time you got off the plane expecting to win an event?The comment was, `Thats a bit arrogant. Thats not how Canadians think, Anderson said in an interview at the Copacabana venue on Tuesday.But I dont know any hockey player that gets off a plane just to show up, he said. How do we change that environment?Since London, Canada has seen enough success on the world professional tour to hit the country quota of two teams in each gender in Rio.Saxton and Chaim Schalk reached the podium five times on the FIVB tour; Josh Binstock, a 2012 Olympian, and Samuel Schachter have four top-three finishes since 2014. On the womens side, Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan were No. 5 in the Olympic rankings and Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas were 13th.Only three other countries hit the maximum: The United States and Brazil, which have combined to win 20 of the 30 total medals since the sport was added to the Olympic program in 1996, and the Netherlands.So far, the Canadians have had mixed success.Bansley and Pavan are 2-0 and atop their pool after beating Switzerland 21-18, 21-18 on Tuesday. Broder and Valjas, who lost to Germany, are 1-1 with one game remaining in group play. On the mens side, Schalk and Saxton are 1-1 and Binstock and Schachter are 0-2.Were going to find out at these Olympics: What is Canadian volleyball? Anderson said. Thats what were going to find out.Steve Bartkowski Youth Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Steve Bartkowski Womens Jersey . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Tony-Gonzalez-Jersey/ . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Julio Jones Womens Jersey . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Julio Jones Youth Jersey . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss.In theory, the NFLs current collective bargaining agreement was supposed to do away with those long contract impasses that kept rookies from attending the start of training camp. In theory, it was supposed to make life easier for teams and agents by slotting players salaries based on where they were drafted. In theory, it was supposed to do away with the art of the deal, because there was nothing of significance to be negotiated.In theory, otherwise known as famous last words.The contract impasse between the San Diego Chargers and first-round pick Joey Bosa is so, well, San Diego Chargers. This is an organization that fed on contentious contract negotiations with high draft picks under the previous CBA.Flash back to 2001, when running back LaDainian Tomlinson, taken fifth overall, missed 30 days of camp. Or 2002, when cornerback Quentin Jammer, selected fifth overall, sat out 50 days. Or 2004, when quarterback Philip Rivers, taken fourth overall, was out 25 days. Or 2005, when linebacker Shawne Merriman, the 12th pick, missed seven days.Thats four players and 112 missed days -- five players and 125 days if you count Bosa, whose 13-day impasse is the longest of any NFL player since the current CBA was adopted in 2011.?This should not be the case in Bosas situation, of course. Both sides know -- and, for the most part, accept -- what the final dollars will be. The sticking point is contract structure.The Chargers are demanding offset language, which allows them to recoup monies owed to Bosa if he were released and signed by another team, and partial deferment of the signing bonus into next year. The Bosa camp is agreeable to one or the other, but not both.Caught in the middle are Chargers fans, who struggle with memories of a painful past when rookie standoffs were common. A holdout now is just not the same as it was even 10 years ago.In 2001, the late John Butler and sidekick (and successor as general manager) A.J. Smith joined the Chargers from Buffalo and quickly announced that agents would play by their rules ... or else. In one negotiation after another, they held their ground and got deals to their liking, even if it hurt the team in the short term.Now comes GM Tom Telesco. Hes not as brash as his predecessors, but he wants you to know hes just as tough. Agents are going to play by the teams rules ... or else. Every contract the Chargers have done since 2011 has included offset language and deferred money, and theyre noot going to break precedent for Bosa, a defensive end/outside linebacker taken third overall.ddddddddddddt some point its fair to ask, when is enough enough? Owners complained that rookies were making too much money under the previous CBA, so the league successfully fought for a rookie wage scale that dramatically slashed the guaranteed dollars when players entered the league. Instead of being content with that victory, however, owners now want to recoup monies if they cut the player and he signs elsewhere. In other words, they want the player to assume some of the financial risk for bad personnel decisions, an attitude that speaks to their arrogance and sense of entitlement. Whats next, injured players returning game checks when theyre unable to suit up? But owners demand such things because players allow them to get away with it.Thats why Bosa should point the finger of blame at his fellow players as well as at Chargers management. On multiple occasions the NFL Players Association has strongly discouraged agents from agreeing to contracts that include offset language, particularly in rookie deals, but each year the number of deals featuring that (and deferred money) increases.For instance, none of the 12 players selected with the second, third or fourth picks in the 2012-15 drafts agreed to deals that included offsets and deferments. However, this year, the picks immediately before and after Bosa -- Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz at No. 2, and running back Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4 -- signed deals with both provisions. Not surprisingly, the Chargers are arguing that Bosas contract should feature that same framework.There is nothing in the CBA that says a player must agree to offsets or deferments, yet players are willingly doing such deals. Each time they do, its more leverage and a bigger hammer for teams to swing in negotiations.A part of me hopes that Bosa holds his ground, even though history says players almost always will blink first in a contract stare-down. Its tiresome listening to players complain about what they dont have when they consistently give away their leverage and show no willingness to stand collectively and fight for change. In theory, if they stood as one, they could regain some of the power theyve surrendered. But you know what they say about in theory.Famous last words. ' ' '