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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Like a lot of Olympic hopefuls, Korey Thieleke needed a way to pay help for his training. Things as basic as shoes add up for track athletes who dont have endorsement deals.Thieleke, a promising sprinter who wanted a shot at the 400 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, figured hed try raising funds online, which was hailed as a self-starting solution after the 2014 Winter Olympics. If he was able to raise enough, he could focus solely on pursuing his dream.He found that online fundraising can be just as challenging as more old-fashioned methods.A lot of athletes who were training for the Olympics did start one, but they werent always successful. You definitely appreciated the support, even if it was just a few thousand dollars, like ours, Thieleke said. But we saw people who were asking for like $10,000, and thats enough where you can pay for plane tickets to meets and hotels, you can take care of all of that. But not everybody gets there.The U.S. Olympic team is not supported by the government, like many of the teams from other nations. As a nonprofit organization, the U.S. Olympic Committee depends on private donations and sponsorships to support its sports and athletes.Hopefuls can get stipends, which also are distributed by the national governing bodies for individual each sports, but in many cases only the top athletes -- those most likely to medal -- receive them. Other forms of support, like health insurance or access to facilities, are also available, said Jon Mason, associate director of communications for the USOC.Elite athletes, like swimmings Michael Phelps and tracks Allyson Felix, also have lucrative endorsement deals. Others arent so lucky -- especially those athletes in sports that dont get much national attention outside of the Olympics. The Santa Clara Aquamaids club, which has sent scores of synchronized swimmers to the Olympics, runs its own bingo hall to financially support its competitors.Crowdfunding became a promising avenue for athletes in the months leading up to the Sochi Games. Athletes turned to general sites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter, while other sites, like RallyMe and Pursu.It , focused only on fundraising for athletes and teams.Speedskater Emily Scott saw the stipend from her federation cut from nearly $2,000 to $600, and the situation became so dire she applied for food stamps. But after she went public with her plight, she raised $48,000 via GoFundMe in seven days.Some athletes headed going to Rio have seen similar success. Freestyle wrestler Kyle Snyder has raised more than $25,000 through his GoFundMe appeal to help his family travel to Rio, $5,000 more than his goal. Snyders campaign is unusual in that hes a student at Ohio State, so under NCAA rules he cant accept gifts from professional sports organizations, agents and school boosters.Ive been really lucky, Snyder said. I have a big family, my mom is one of 11 siblings, and my dad knows a lot of people, so I think spreading the word helped. And using social media correctly helped as well. I have a pretty decent amount of Twitter and Instagram followers so I was able to tweet it and Instagram it and there were a lot of people who shared it. And Facebook, too, I was able to get a lot of support that way. And then Ohio State -- a lot of people support the university. So it was kind of the perfect storm.This week the 94 GoFundMe campaigns aimed at training or travel to Rio by athletes and their families -- contained in a Road To Rio group on the site -- have raised just under $420,000. The numbers include athletes who compete for other nations.Broken down, thats only about $4,500 per athlete.Those in the industry agree that athletes need a compelling story to reach potential donors. Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad has raised more than $10,000 to help send her family to the games . Shes drawn attention as the first Muslim-American Olympian to compete for the United States in a hijab.For the vast majority, its a tough road, Mason said about crowdfunding. But he points to the success of RallyMe. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association reports that member athletes and clubs from around the nation have collectively raised more than $1 million via the site.Bill Kerig, founder and CEO of RallyMe, said athletes need to understand that crowdfunding doesnt mean donors will instantly come rushing to their aid. Success depends on a lot of factors, including the time and effort that an athlete puts into it.There is no magic. They (athletes) have to think of it from a business perspective. They have to raise an army thats with them year in and year out. Its not just, `Hey, its an Olympic year, lets go raise money, he said.Thieleke wasnt at the level where he qualified for a stipend or a companys endorsement.He was a basketball player for the University of Portland, but as a fifth-year senior, he was surprisingly successful at the 400 meters, breaking school records and qualifying for the NCAA championships and the U.S. championships after just a few months of training. Coaches suggested that he had a realistic shot at the Olympic A standard, which would qualify him for the Rio Games if he were to place in the top three at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.Thieleke started an online campaign but raised just $2,680, far less than his modest goal of $6,500. He tried to balance training, working and fundraising, but it wasnt working. His times werent improving.So he recently took a full-time job with Nike. While he hasnt given up totally on track, for the moment hes thrown himself into his new career. Hell be at the Trials next week with the company.Yeah, thats ironic, isnt it? he said. Im still going to Eugene but it wont be like I thought it would be. Cheap Nike Shoes Australia ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Wholesale Shoes Australia . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. https://www.shoesaustraliaonline.com/ . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. Cheap Shoes Australia Free Shipping . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Buy Shoes Australia . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. The weekend is here, and with it we get a decent Saturday slate. Its a little light on top, with only two hurlers qualifying for elite status, but there are multiple options in the middle and lower tiers worth building around. Only five games are eligible for late-slate action, so if you dont like playing short slates, youll want to focus on the early or all-day contests.PitchingEliteSaturdays slate is anchored by Max Scherzer, who draws a favorable road matchup against the Mets. The right-hander has whiffed 10 or more batters in four of his past five starts, and he has a good chance to make it five of six against a Mets team that strikes out at a 23 percent clip. Hes also allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his past 11 outings. In other words, the Mets, who are middle-of-the-road at best against right-handed pitching, will find themselves in an uphill battle Saturday. Scherzer will cost a premium, but you get what you pay for.Lets get it out of the way: Jon Lester was bad his last time out. Really bad. Eight-earned-runs-while-getting-only-four-outs bad. Dont let one awful outing cloud your judgment, though. Lester is still a stable DFS play. That said, a road tilt against Pittsburgh will present its challenges. While the Pirates 24 percent whiff rate versus lefties makes them a high-upside opponent, they are also an above-average offense against southpaws (108 wRC+) and have been on a roll, winning seven of their past eight. Lester has handled the Pirates well this year, posting a 1.97 ERA in three starts. Still, Id rather roster him in GPPs than cash games Saturday.SolidCarlos Martinezs matchup against Milwaukee is enticing, to say the least. Not only are the Brewers punchless against righty pitching (88 wRC+), but they strike out at a whopping 26 percent clip against righties, by far the worst mark in baseball. Martinez hasnt been a strikeout machine this season, netting a K/9 rate of just 7.0. However, he has a history of missing more bats (9.2 K/9 in 2015), and he whiffed a season-high eight hitters (to go along with eight scoreless innings) when he last faced Milwaukee in late May, so theres still decent upside here. With Scherzer pitching in the evening, Carlos Martinez, who owns a 1.46 ERA in his past seven starts, should be one of the early slates more popular cash-game options.Danny Salazar gets a home date with the Yankees. Its a matchup with limited upside considering the Yanks strike out just 18.5 percent of the time versus righties. However, its also a matchup with limited downside, as the Yankees have largely been dormant against right-handed pitching this season (88 wRC+). While much of Salazars value comes from his strikeout potential (10.3 K/9), he owns a 2.05 ERA at Progressive Field this season, and, more importantly, hes been able to hold his walks in check at home (2.6 BB/9, compared to 5.3 BB/9 on the road).Jose Quintana frequently makes this list as a quality cash-game play when his turn in the rotation comes up, and thats certainly the case Saturday when the Braves come to town. The Braves have arguably the worst lineup in baseball. Its particularly brutal against left-handed pitching, as the teams 67 wRC+, .273 wOBA and .090 ISO all rank either worst or second-worst in baseball. Quintana is coming off a rough June (5.51 ERA), but he twirled seven innings of one-run ball his last time out and owns a 2.92 ERA at home this season. He should have little trouble carving through this Braves lineup.Theres been lots of discussion recently about how long Aaron Sanchez will remain in Torontos starting rotation, as the Blue Jays want to keep his innings in check. Hes still in the rotation now, though, and thats what matters to DFS players. Saturdays matchup against Detroit is far from ideal, as the Tigers feature a dangerous lineup that has done plenty of damage to right-handed pitching this season (.331 wOBA). Then again, its hard to ignore what the 24-year-old righty has done of late. He sports a 2.45 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his past seven starts, and that includes starts at Coors Field (1 ER in 8 IP), Cellular Field (2 ER in 6 IP) and Camden Yards (1 ER in 6 IP), three of the most hitter-friendly venues in baseball. Its also worth noting that Sanchez hurled eight innings of two-run ball with a season-high 12 Ks when he faced the Tigers in early June. There are other pitchers in this tier that I prefer over Sanchez, but the Toronto righty at least deserves some consideration.Start-to-start consistency has been an issue for Adam Conley this season. However, a quick glance at his game log shows that hes generally had success against weak opponents, and his opponent on Saturday, the Reds, certainly qualify.dddddddddddd. Cincinnati has not been much of a threat to southpaws this season (87 wRC+), and they strike out a healthy 23 percent while not generating many walks (7.1 percent). That sets up nicely for Conley, who misses a decent number of bats (8.4 K/9) but can get in trouble with free passes (3.8 BB/9). The left-hander is in the conversation as a cost-effective SP2.StreamersThe Rays have hammered left-handed pitching this season. But right-handed pitching? Not so much. They currently sport an 88 wRC+ versus righties with a bloated 25 percent strikeout rate. That puts Rick Porcello in a nice spot Saturday.Jake Peavys 5.14 ERA is ugly. His 2.45 ERA in his past eight starts, however, shows why theres some streaming appeal here for his home matchup against Arizona. The Diamondbacks are below-average against right-handers and dont make a ton of contact (23 percent whiff rate), so this is a favorable spot for the veteran righty to continue providing value. Hes available in 82 percent of ESPN.com leagues.Brandon McCarthy thrived in his first start of the season after returning from elbow surgery, tossing five shutout innings against the Rockies while striking out eight and walking one. He gets an even more favorable matchup Saturday, as he squares off against a Padres team thats one of the worst in baseball against right-handed pitching (82 wRC+, 24 percent K rate). McCarthy is currently owned in only 20 percent of leagues.With the As coming to town, Lance McCullers finds himself in a very appealing spot. The As dont strike out much, but they also dont generate much offense, as they rank worst in the American League with an 84 wRC+ against right-handers. For his part, McCullers sports elite strikeout (11.2 K/9) and ground ball (58 percent) rates, and his ERA in his past five outings sits at 2.78. Yes, McCullers 5.1 walk rate is an issue, but it helps that the As sport the second-lowest walk rate in the AL (6.9 percent). Hes still a free agent in nearly half of ESPN.com leagues.AvoidMatt Moore has looked good of late, holding a 2.43 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in his past five starts. With a matchup against Boston coming up, however, it might be best to give the left-hander a breather and stick him on the bench. The Red Sox have mashed lefties this season, putting up a .349 wOBA against them. It also doesnt help that Moore has posted a 6.43 ERA away from Tropicana Field this year.HittingLeft-hander Matt Boyd will have his hands full Saturday. Not only has he allowed a career .375 wOBA to right-handed bats, but hes heading to Toronto to face the right-handed heavy Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Although you wont be able to afford them all, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and Devon Travis are all highly desirable.John Lamb has had a tough go of it this season. He holds a 5.43 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 12 starts, hes been hit hard by both right- and left-handed hitters, and hes really struggled away from home (8.51 ERA). Giancarlo Stanton, who has rediscovered his groove, is an elite play, while righties Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto are top plays, as well.Cardinals hitters are a popular target in this space, and thats the case again Saturday with right-hander Chase Anderson on the mound. Anderson has shown reverse splits in his career, and thats been even more amplified this year, as righty swingers have battered him to the tune of a .418 wOBA. Take a long look at Aledmys Diaz, Matt Holliday, Stephen Piscotty and Jhonny Peralta in this one.With Joel De La Cruz drawing his third career starts for the Braves, White Sox hitters should be on the radar. The 27-year-old was underwhelming at Triple-A this year (4.68 ERA), and hes looked overmatched at the big leagues so far, allowing 11 extra-base hits, including three homers, in just 12 innings. All White Sox bats are in play here regardless of platoon advantage.Kendall Graveman has been drilled by lefties this year, allowing a .368 wOBA against them along with a 4.5 walk rate. With the Astros on the schedule, Colby Rasmus, Luis Valbuena and even rookie A.J. Reed are in play.Most likely to go yard: Giancarlo StantonStanton is crushing again, and lefty John Lamb, sporting a 17.1 percent HR/FB, figures to be his next victim.Most likely to swipe a bag: J.T. RealmutoWere doubling up on Marlins here, as Lamb also has trouble keeping baserunners honest. Hes allowed 10 stolen bases in 12 starts. Realmuto, who leads the team with seven swipes, will be off to the races if he gets the chance. ' ' '