Gäste Forum » championship.We saw Brooke Henderson earn her LPGA

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Gabby Douglas tried to block out the criticism when national team coordinator Martha Karolyi named the reigning Olympic champion to the 2016 gymnastics team last month despite a so-so performance at trials.Emphasis on tried.Yes, Douglas wasnt crisp on beam either night in San Jose. Yes, there were a handful of other athletes Karolyi could have chosen instead with minimal effect on the Americans chances of steamrolling their way to gold in Rio. And yes, Douglas understands everything she does now will be compared to that euphoric summer four years ago when she rapidly morphed from prodigy to superstar.Yet Karolyi chose her anyway, confident there was nothing wrong with Douglas that a little quality time at the Karolyi Ranch in the southeast Texas woods couldnt fix. The second-guessing on social media came anyway. Douglas heard it loud and clear.I mean everyone makes mistakes and after trials it was hard because there was a lot of negativity, but whatever, Douglas said Thursday after finishing a solid round of podium training inside the Olympic Arena. I feel like shutting it all the way (down) and I have to prove myself.Funny, but the poised and professional gymnast that always seems to turn it on when it is absolutely necessary was back just three days before team qualifying.There was Douglas working the beam Thursday evening without so much as a wobble. There was Douglas gliding over the uneven bars. Its a testament to how much Douglas has improved over the last month -- much of that time spent under Karolyis close, personal supervision -- that shes assured of a spot in the all-around with three-time world champion Simone Biles while Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez are fighting for the third all-around spot even though both finished well ahead of Douglas at trials.Thats how quickly Douglas seems to respond when shes able to retreat into the sanctity of the ranch.She kind of has us in a little bubble, Douglas said. Its great we all get to go down there and she whips us into shape.Its exactly what Karolyi had in mind when she selected Douglas over alternates MyKayla Skinner, Ashton Locklear and Ragan Smith and 2015 world championship team member Maggie Nichols.It would be a stretch to call Karolyi sentimental, but shes uniquely attuned to what makes Douglas work. It happened last fall when Douglas struggled in training ahead of the world championships before coming alive once the team got to Britain, where she finished runner-up to Biles in the all-around and qualified for the bars final. Karolyi believes it can happen again.I know Gabby for many years, Karolyi said. Like I said, shes peaking a little bit later and she definitely needs organized and structured training system installed before competitions and she reacts well to that. She responds very, very well. I feel that she is ready to compete.Nowhere is her renewed confidence more visible than on beam. After hopping off once during both nights at trials -- mistakes that overshadowed largely clean routines elsewhere -- Douglas attacked it during training in the green-splashed arena. Podium training is basically a dress rehearsal, a chance for the gymnasts to get a feel for the equipment, the lighting and the energy. No wonder she looked so at home. Shes been here before.Its not really feeling any different (than in London), Douglas said. Weve done so many routines were kind of like on autopilot right now. Its go, go, go, go.Its a sense of urgency that Douglas has long thrived on. A pep talk with Christian Gallardo -- who took over as her full-time coach between U.S. Championships and Olympic Trials -- helped, too.The biggest thing we talk about is going out and doing her gymnastics, Gallardo said. Her gymnastics are beautiful, consistent, clean. She doesnt have to worry about anything other than going out and being Gabby Douglas.When she steps into the arena on Sunday, shell be the first reigning Olympic champion to return to the ensuing games since Nadia Comaneci in 1980. Its heady territory and despite her occasionally uneven route back to this point, Douglas is trying to enjoy it. That doesnt mean its easy. 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NBA Jerseys For Sale . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Recently Mariah Stackhouse was flipping through some old photos, and she came across a few of herself playing golf when she was just a little kid.And it dawned on her that even though shes making her debut as a professional in the Portland Classic, shed been working toward this goal for a long time.Just looking at that span and knowing how much Ive grown and how much has changed in my life, its pretty -- I guess `special is the word, she said, and I feel fortunate to have made it this far.The 72-hole Portland Classic gets underway on Thursday at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. The tournament, in its 45th year, is the longest-running non-major on the LPGA Tour.Stackhouse just wrapped her college career at Stanford, where she was a four-year All-American. She helped the Cardinal to an NCAA title in 2015 and to the team final against eventual winner Washington this year -- played just a couple of hours drive away in Eugene.The camaraderie Ive shared with my teammates the past four years, especially these last two with such good performances all the way through postseason, its a lot fun, the communications major said. I think those are the memories that Ill carry with me from my college golf experience.But Stackhouse was a prodigy well before her career at Stanford.When she was just 2 years old, father Ken recognized that she may have a talent for the game. She played in her first tournament at age 6 and tied for first, playing against 9-year-olds.In 2011, at the age of 17, she became the youngest African American woman to earn a spot in the field at the U.S. Open. In 2014, she became the first African American woman to make the Curtis Cup team, which the United States won that year.Ive been workiing hard and I recognize its another level.dddddddddddd Im just excited to go out here and play against the girls that Ive been wanting to play with for a long time now, she said about her pro debut.Stackhouse is playing in the Portland Classic on a sponsors exemption. Shes written asking for exemptions to other LPGA tournaments (shes allowed six) and may play in some Monday qualifiers. She says she wants to also play events on the developmental Symetra Tour.The Portland Classic will cap quite a month for Stackhouse. In addition to graduation, she signed with Sterling Sports Management, which also represents Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lincicome. She also landed a global endorsement deal with international professional services company KPMG, which also sponsors Lewis and Phil Mickelson.Brooke Henderson won last years Portland Classic by eight strokes after joining the field as a Monday qualifier. A year later, Henderson is ranked No. 2 in the world and has a major championship.We saw Brooke Henderson earn her LPGA status in Portland last year and look forward to seeing if Mariah can match that feat this year, said Tom Maletis, president of Tournament Golf Foundation, which runs the event.While shes already come a long way from that little kid with a sense for the sport, Stackhouse admits shes a little nervous for her first foray as a pro.You know, something that Ive worked on is definitely thinking about it as being the next step. But, yeah, there is definitely nerves, she said. Not the bad nerves, just this is a very exciting week. Its something that Ive looked forward to my whole life. ' ' '