Pirate Galaxy » long fight with leukemia.Rivers was a busines

Heading into the 2016 Rio Olympics, you wrote about the depression Allison Schmitt experienced after the 2012 London Games, and what she has done to seek help and eventually share her story. How do you approach the reporting for such an intensely personal and challenging subject like an athletes mental health??Ive wanted to write about post-Olympic depression for a long time. Athletes reference it a lot, and there are stories about it around every Games, but I found most of those pieces dealt in generalities and were very predictable. The suicides of Olympic athletes Ive covered have made me heartsick. I wanted to drill deep into one athletes story in a way that could touch others.?I didnt know much about Allison except that shed won a bunch of medals at London 2012 and trained with Michael Phelps. Id been around her only in large group situations where she always seemed guarded. I was very surprised at the content of the initial interviews she did with the Associated Press and The Baltimore Sun in the spring-summer of 2015, after her cousins suicide. I covered the Pan American Games in Toronto that July and watched her demeanor on the pool deck. She seemed more open.?Sometimes I go on pure intuition when I approach someone to be a central figure in a story, and this was one of those times. I spoke to Allison briefly at Pan Ams, and made her agency, Octagon, aware of what I wanted to do. Then I arranged a casual meeting alone with her at USA Swimmings annual awards dinner in November (where she received an award for her advocacy). We spent about 15 or 20 minutes together, and I was very clear about what I had in mind:?I wanted to go beyond where she had gone in other interviews and would ask her to revisit some painful times in detail. I also told her Id like to see her in a couple of different environments over the next few months, and talked about timing for posting the story. I think that transparency helped me build trust with Allison. She was fully on board from the start.?I also was able to introduce myself to Allisons father, Ralph, and her aunt, Amy Bocian, at that dinner. Having the familys confidence and commitment was crucial.?I spent time with Ralph and Gail Schmitt and their oldest daughter Kirsten at home in Michigan in February 2016. On that same visit, Allison made an appearance before a large gathering of high school athletes. Her words that day were raw and moving.?Allison and I sat down one-on-one in Arizona (her training base) in mid-April. It was as intense an interview as Ive ever done, but we were both ready. She went straight to some of the most difficult parts of her journey. Shortly afterward, I spent an evening with Amy and Tim Bocian at their home in the Pittsburgh area. I re-interviewed Amy and Allison at the Olympic trials in Omaha. I cant say enough about the courage of everyone concerned to delve into some very rough topics.?The key to this reporting process -- a year from start to finish -- was that I had time to build slowly and not just start slinging intimate questions at people??You bring such empathy to your feature writing, and youre also adept at crafting sharp analysis off the news. How do you strike the balance between those impulses??Im a very restless writer and one of the ways I keep myself happy is by roving between analysis, feature work and investigative reporting. They do overlap. Every great feature requires some basic investigative skills. Every great investigation requires the feature-y skill of getting people to open up. Both require good analysis, and good analysis requires good reporting. The biggest adaptation for me has been writing strong opinion on individuals and entities I cover. I was brought up old-school in journalism and conditioned not to do that because it can burn bridges. On the other hand, Im at a point in my career where I feel as if I have a lot to offer in the way of cumulative observation.?You wrote about how some Olympians have had to wait for their medals while performance-enhancing drug cases are resolved. Where did that story begin and how did you see it unfold??I was searching for an original way to approach the impact of doping and the dysfunction in the current anti-doping bureaucracy. An Olympic medal is going to be in the first line of an athletes resume and the first line of their obituary. For most of them, a medal, depending on the color of that medal, can have a significant economic impact. Yet the quasi-legal system often allows re-allocation of medals to get held up in the pipeline for years even when theres a doping bust at the competition. Re-testing is a great deterrent on paper, and it absolutely should be done, but theres no transparency about the way its done -- which sports are tested, which nations, which athletes, when and why. By the time the rightful medalist gets upgraded, financial and emotional benefits have evaporated, the athlete who cheated has reaped the spoils, and theres no mechanism for compensation. Everyone keys on the podium ceremony. I knew these athletes stories would be accessible both to people who follow doping issues closely and people who dont.?The foundation of the story had to be data-driven, and there was no accurate information clearinghouse or list of medals that had been stripped. I envisioned a user-friendly graphic that would give people, in one glance, an idea of how many athletes had been denied their moment. Investigations editor Chris Buckle worked with our research staff to make that happen. We started months before the piece ran, and it was incredibly labor-intensive. We picked the year 2000 as a starting point because that roughly corresponds with the founding of the World Anti-Doping Agency and the current system of anti-doping jurisprudence.?I knew there were some strong personal stories out there that had visual storytelling potential as well, and that led to collaboration with Outside the Lines and my frequent reporting partner T.J. Quinn. He and producer Andy Lockett focused on two athletes -- Canadian cross-country skier Beckie Scott and American shot-putter Adam Nelson -- and I broadened the lens to others in my digital piece. It was important to me to include non-U.S. athletes in the story. I didnt want it to have a nationalistic tone, because there are plenty of American athletes who have been caught doping, sometimes years after the fact.?I was happy with the piece. Unfortunately, I dont see a solution to this issue coming any time soon.?You have covered almost every sport and event around the world. What was the most challenging and why??They all have their own challenges. The Olympics are exhausting, and the last two -- in Sochi and Rio -- had some arduous aspects, and the interview mixed zone is not an ideal workspace, but we get to sleep in the same bed every night. World Cups (and World Cup qualifiers) feature interesting travel and stadium situations. I once covered a qualifier in Jamaica where we were seated at a table on the track around the pitch with no electricity or monitors, and we would caucus after every shot or important sequence to decide what had happened. Fortunately it was a day game and we could go back to the hotel to write. Ive covered the Tour de France 12 times - eight of those start to finish and four of them solo -- and nothing is as logistically difficult as driving yourself around a three-week bike race. Endurance sports as a whole are an interesting category because you cannot see everything that happens in a marathon or a triathlon or a bike race or a 10-kilometer open water swim, and you have to stitch together a lot of the narrative from various interviews afterwards. Ive always liked that. No matter what the working conditions are, if you have strong relationships going in from your pre-reporting, and decent access, you can do your job.?How did covering the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings affect you??I was locked down in a hotel near the finish line for several hours and of course felt the same anxiety, horror and sorrow as anyone who was there. But on the day, that was mixed with my intense frustration that I couldnt get out and report from the street. I had to breathe, compose myself, think about what I COULD do from where I was and stay away from speculating on things I?couldnt see,?which is a pretty important lesson for any reporter. That initial experience drove me to find other ways to tell meaningful marathon-related stories for days, weeks, months and years afterwards. It also reconnected me with family in the area who were at the race and personally affected.?I spent a lot of time in Boston earlier in my life. I still love the city and cherish my memories, but its a place of reflection for me now in a way that it was not before. When I go back, I make a point of retracing my steps from race day and thinking about loss, generosity, heroism, achievement and gratitude.?Plus-1: ?The best advice I ever got was _____________.?Show me, dont tell me. I think of it nearly every time I write a longform piece.Manuel Margot Padres Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Garrett Richards Padres Jersey . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. http://www.padressale.com/padres-jose-pirela-jersey/ . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Hunter Renfroe Padres Jersey .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Tony Gwynn Padres Jersey . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter.MIAMI -- Turns out, DeAndre Jordan does more than catch lobs. Sometimes he grabs offensive rebounds and scores to clinch games for the Los Angeles Clippers.And that was a most fitting ending on Friday night.Blake Griffin scored 20 points, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick each added 17 and the Clippers held on to beat the Miami Heat 102-98 for their fourth consecutive win. Jordan had a putback of a missed free throw by Paul with 7.7 seconds left to seal the win for Los Angeles.Thats what he does, Paul said. Rebound, get buckets, make shots.Jordan had 12 points and 19 rebounds, his big night coming a day after Heat center Hassan Whiteside said Jordan just catches lobs -- a comment he would insist Friday was misconstrued.I just wanted to come out here and get a win, Jordan said.Goran Dragic had 21 points and 11 assists, Justise Winslow scored 15 and Wayne Ellington added 13 points before leaving injured for Miami.Whiteside had 11 points and 17 rebounds, and wasnt on the floor for Jordans final rebound. Miami was going with a small lineup, guessing that Paul wouldnt miss from the line and trying to set up what it figured would be a 3-point shot for a tie.DJ took advantage of the size and then made the shot, which was even better, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.The Clippers led by 16 in the first half. Miami got within six before Los Angeles went up 16 again in the third quarter -- then had to hang on.We lost this game in the first half, Dragic said.A three-point play by Josh Richardson with 13.2 seconds left got Miami within three, and the Heat forced a turnover on the Clippers ensuing inbounds pass. The Clippers didnt want to give up a 3 and fouled Dragic, who made both to make it 99-98.A terrific second half against a team thats obviously a championship-caliber team, Heat coacch Erik Spoelstra said.ddddddddddddBut you have to play 48 minutes.TIP-INSClippers: Los Angeles had 60 points in the first half, 42 in the second. ... It was Pauls 800th regular-season game. No one in NBA history had as many points, assists and steals through 800 games, and only John Stockton, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson had more assists at this point in their careers. ... Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder) missed his second consecutive game.Heat: Tyler Johnson (illness) did not play. ... Ellington left in the third quarter with a right hamstring strain. ... Miami made 10 of its first 17 shots, then four of its next 17. ... Winslow met up with U.S. soccer star Jozy Altidore postgame, chatting and posing for photos.SAGER TRIBUTEThe Heat had a pregame tribute video and moment of silence to honor the life of broadcaster Craig Sager, who died this week after a long fight with leukemia.Rivers was a business partner of Sagers for about nine years in a sports bar called Jocks & Jills.I didnt get any profits -- I think Craig enjoyed himself quite a bit, Rivers said.Spoelstra called Sager a pillar of greatness and character.PIERCE IN MIAMIPaul Pierce didnt get in for the Clippers on Friday, meaning hes probably played for the last time in Miami. He has more regular-season points (1,205) against Miami than anyone in history, and no one has more than his 79 combined regular-season and playoff appearances against the Heat. Pierce has said he will retire after this season.UP NEXTClippers: Visit Washington on Sunday, their last road game against an East team until Jan. 23.Heat: Host Boston on Sunday, the second and final time the Celtics visit this season. ' ' '