Canadian skip Cheryl Bernard feels she could still compete at an elite level for the next year or two. Arnaldo Hernandez Jersey . Shes just unsure whether she could still do it for a four-year Olympic cycle. That was one of the reasons why she announced her retirement from competitive curling on Tuesday, ending a career highlighted by four appearances at the national championships and an Olympic silver medal at the Vancouver Games in 2010. "When youve been there, thats really all you want is to get back," she said from her hometown of Calgary. "Its a funny thing, so I realize that." Bernard, 47, said she started to seriously consider retirement after losing the Alberta provincial final to Val Sweeting last January. "I really had to sit down and think," she said. "We came so close and that was a heartbreaker. Funny, Ive lost a few of them. And that one was without a doubt the worst because it would have just been a really neat way to maybe end the year and at least have a couple more years to look forward to." Bernard skipped Team Alberta at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 1992, 1996, 2007 and 2009. The best result for the Grande Prairie native was a runner-up finish in 1996 at Thunder Bay, Ont. One of her most memorable victories came over a decade later as she defeated Shannon Kleibrink in the final of the Olympic Trials in 2009 at Edmonton. At the Games, Bernard and her team of third Susan OConnor, second Carolyn Darbyshire (now McRorie), lead Cori Bartel (now Morris) and alternate Kristie Moore took top spot in the round robin at 8-1. They defeated Switzerland in the semifinal before dropping a 7-6 decision to defending champion Anette Norberg of Sweden in the final. Bernard had the final throw in the extra end but couldnt knock the two Swedish rocks out of the house and settled for second place. "I tried to really look at the positive that came out of that," Bernard said. "I really wanted to go through my life looking at it like our team won a silver and we didnt lose a gold." Both competitions provided lasting memories. "(The Trials) are kind of the pinnacle for Canada because its all the Canadian teams and its all your peers," she said. "Theyre both so up there in my memory and in my mind. Being able to stand on the (Olympic) podium in your own country. Ill never forget that, that was pretty neat." Now that shes retired, Bernard plans to spend more time with her family and continue her charity work and public speaking endeavours. She usually brings her silver medal along during her talks and the gold-medal game is a frequent discussion subject. "I relive it a lot," she said. "I talk about that and I have realized that sometimes youre lucky enough to win and sometimes youre lucky enough not to win. Because I think the things you get from a loss can sometimes be more educational, they can be more life-changing than the things when you win. "I think you look at a lot of different things after a loss and I think you can actually do a lot of good with that knowledge and see some really great life lessons. I really try to look at that as some great lessons I learned. I learned some amazing things about my teammates and about my family. You learn a lot when something doesnt maybe go exactly like you hoped." Bernard is excited to tackle some new challenges. She recently completed her first marathon and plans to work with World Vision and climb Mount Kilimanjaro to help children in Third World countries. "The marathon was something I really wanted to do and I trained the last five months for it," she said. "I absolutely loved focusing on a different sport. It felt so amazing to win a (participation) medal at a marathon. It was a nothing medal -- it was a completion medal, and it just felt so good. "I just thought, You know, Im missing trying to push myself at other things. So thats the next step." After a run of over two decades in the sport, Bernard is also quite proud of the friends she made along the way. "I always look back so much at the players," she said. "I look at the accomplishments of course and the highlights of winning the Trials and winning a silver medal and playing in an Olympics in Canada. I dont know if you can ever beat playing in an Olympics in your home country. "But I really look back at the people and the relationships that youve developed and the people youve influenced. I think those things maybe more make my career than the hardware." Ryan McBroom Jersey .ca. Hi Mr. Fraser, When I was watching the Heritage Classic in Vancouver there was a play midway through the third where Ottawa crashed the Canucks net and it came off its moorings. Bubba Starling Jersey .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. https://www.cheaproyals.com/867a-jeff-montgomery-jersey-royals.html .com) - Ryan Johansens creative moves and hometown appeal highlighted Team Folignos successful night at the NHL All- Star Skills Competition. CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. -- Billy Horschel needed less than a week to give himself a second chance. If he keeps playing this well, his next shot at closing out a tournament wont be nearly as stressful as the last one. Horschel made a 32-foot birdie putt Saturday to wrap up his bogey-free third round at 7-under 63 and take a three-shot lead over Ryan Palmer heading into the final 18 holes of the BMW Championship. On Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship, Horschel had a 6-iron in hand on the 18th fairway and a chance to win or force a playoff, but he chunked the shot, made bogey and settled for a disappointing second-place tie. "It happened," said Horschel, who stands at 13-under 197. "Its not a big deal. Just a bad swing at the wrong time. You cant dwell on things like that." Five days later, he gave himself a cushion at the third of the four FedEx Cup playoff events, rolling in a 22 footer for birdie on 14, then an 8-foot birdie on 15 to vault into the lead. He closed it out with the long one on 18 -- the uphill, par-4 477-yard closing hole that is the third toughest on the course and has surrendered only 18 birdies all week. Horschel had one of 14 rounds of 67 or better at mile-high Cherry Hills, where soaking rains and cool weather over the last two days have softened the course and chipped away at some of its defences. There were 15 67s or better through the first two days. The course played 1.7 shots easier Saturday than it did Thursday. "The greens are so much more soft than the first day," said Morgan Hoffman, who briefly flirted with 59 but had to settle for an 8-under 62. "You can really throw it at the flags and keep it there." Masters champion Bubba Watson shot 66 to draw into a third-place tie at 8 under with U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, who made seven birdies over the last 12 holes to shoot 64. "Should have been eight," said Kaymer, who three-putted from inside 20 feet on the par-5 17th and settled for par. Wasnt the worst display on the greens, though. Rory McIlroy made a 60-footer on the fourth to get into a brief tie for the lead but gave all that back and more with a four-putt from inside of 5 feet on No. 12 -- bringing gasps from the crowd. It was McIIlorys first triple-bogey or worse since the first hole of last years BMW Championship. Yordano Ventura Jersey. . "I completely misread the first one," he said. "Then, just hit a bad put the second, and then the third one, I was just going for a tap-in and just lost concentration." The worlds top-ranked player shot 2-over 72 and goes into Sunday nine shots off the lead. Second-round leader Sergio Garcia also struggled. He lipped out a 4-foot par putt on No. 7 -- the hole he eagled on Friday -- and closed out his round with an approach shot that struck a fan in the grandstand. His 2-over 72 left him seven off the lead. Playing in the same group with those two stars was Palmer, who shrugged it off and shot 3 under, closing with a 30-foot birdie on 18 to pull within three of Horschel. "Rory, hes No. 1 in the world, and Sergio has been up there for years," Palmer said. "So, for me to come out and hang in there and play well, Im taking the next step in my career, I think." Palmer came into the week at 37th in the FedEx Cup standings and a good finish will put him in the 30-man field for next weeks Tour Championship, where a $10 million bonus is at stake. He had a share of the lead most of the day, until Horschel started going off during the last 90 minutes. "I was watching (the scoreboard) and yelling at him from the fairway to stop, but it didnt work," Palmer said. Theyll play together Sunday, in the final group along with Kaymer. On the sideline Sunday will be Phil Mickelson, who withdrew after finishing the second round 14 shots off the lead, and Keegan Bradley, who made the difficult decision to withdraw because he didnt feel right about a drop he made near the 18th green on Thursday. "Its eating me alive," Bradley said. The decision could be costly. Bradley came into the week ranked 28th, and depending on how Sunday goes, he could lose his spot in the top 30 and a chance at the $10 million. Right now, Horschel looks like as good a bet as any to win it. He came into the week ranked 20th. "There were a lot more positives from last week to take than just one bad swing on the last hole," Horschel said. "So, I knew coming in that I was going to play well." ' ' '