Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Thursday 21 February 2019

Romania’s Simona Halep celebrates after she defeated
Ukraine’s Leisa Tsurenko during a match of the Dubai Duty
Free Tennis Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019.
Associated Press
Kvitova, Halep advance

In this Feb. 11, 2019, photo provided by Bill Kerig, Great Coach Founder and CEO Bill Kerig works
as a volunteer hockey coach for the Salt Lake City Lady Lightning U19 hockey team, in Salt Lake at Dubai Championships
City.
Associated Press
Coaching site builds list of DUBAI, United Arab Emir- then was broken twice to
ates (AP) — Former cham-
trail 4-0 — double-faulting
pions Petra Kvitova and twice in each of those ser-
those banned from U.S. Olympics Simona Halep overcame vice games.
windy conditions to reach But the two-time Wimble-
the quarterfinals of the don champion saved two
By EDDIE PELLS ed on the lists and whether day, stood at 986 names, all Dubai Championships on break points in the first
AP National Writer those lists were made pub- of which can then be sort-
An advocacy group has lic, and those rules varied ed by sport, by state and Wednesday. game of the decider be-
The second-seeded Kvito-
fore breaking the Ameri-
published a first-of-its- widely between organiza- by specific names. Kerig va beat American Jennifer can’s serve to take a de-
kind comprehensive list tions. said his website’s list, which Brady 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 despite cisive lead. “The wind was
of coaches banned from In 2017, the SafeSport cen- contains some names the struggling with her serve, just terrible today, to be
Olympic sports, creating a ter opened and began SafeSport site does not, is while No. 3 Halep ousted honest. It was really difficult
database of nearly 1,000 publishing a list of banned still a work in progress, and Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine to find a way with it,” Kvi-
people no longer allowed coaches, but that list was is only as good as the vari- 6-3, 7-5. A day after Naomi tova said. “I couldn’t really
to work in the U.S. Olym- restricted to those who ous lists used to compile it. Osaka lost her first match serve well today at all. It’s
pic system because of sex- had been banned since When Kerig launched the since moving up to No. 1 been big struggle for me.”
abuse allegations, doping the center’s opening. More website late last year, it was in the WTA rankings, fifth- Halep had fewer prob-
positives and other criminal recently, the center has not his plan to incorporate seeded Angelique Kerber lems in earning her second
activities involving minors. begun incorporating back- a banned list. He still wants was also upset in a 5-7,6- win over Tsurenko in two
The staff at greatcoach. dated lists from the NGBs. the site to become a place 4,6-0 loss to Hsieh Su-Wei weeks, after beating her
com compiled the list us- “As you might imagine, for coaches and parents of Taiwan. Kvitova, the at the Qatar Open as well.
ing information from the there are a lot of legal is- to interact — so parents 2013 champion in Dubai, Although she did have to
U.S. Center for SafeSport, sues related to putting can learn more about the struggled badly in the sec- break back when Tsurenko
the U.S. Anti-Doping Agen- people’s names out there” adults they’re leaving their ond set when she failed to served for the second set
cy and the more than 50 on a banned list, said Dan children with, and coach- convert four break points at 5-4, winning the final 12
national governing bod- Hill, the spokesman for the es can share their experi-
ies that oversee individual SafeSport center. ences with each other and in the opening game and points to seal the victory. q
sports, most of which feed Kerig said his group was in with parents.
a different position than Kerig, who founded and
into the U.S. Olympic team.
The website, designed by the SafeSport center and eventually sold the web- Top seeds Thiem
former pro moguls skier Bill USOC, which allowed it to site rallyme.com and also
Kerig, was originally started curate information already coaches youth hockey in and Fognini upset
to help families find certi- available and format it in a Utah, said he was shocked
fied coaches who are best user-friendly way. that almost every parent at Rio Open
qualified to work with their “We’re a nimble, private he talked to at the prac-
kids. The SafeSport center enterprise, and we don’t tice rink said they had not RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Top Argentina Open on Sun-
and U.S. Olympic Com- exist to serve multiple mas- taken the relatively simple seeds Dominic Thiem of day, was also eliminated
mittee have struggled to ters,” Kerig said. “We exist step of conducting an on- Austria, and Italy’s Fabio by Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene
publish this sort of com- because I want to make line search about their chil- Fognini and Marco Cec- 7-5, 7-6 (1).
prehensive list, even as youth and amateur sports dren’s coaches. chinato were ousted in the Fifth-seeded Joao Sousa
the fallout from the Larry better and safer. I don’t “I even said to the parents first round of the Rio Open of Portugal defeated Ar-
Nassar sex-abuse scandal have sponsors. And we of the kids I coach, ‘Have clay-court tournament on gentina’s Guido Pella 6-4,
has left both organizations have really good technol- you Googled me? I think Tuesday. 3-6, 6-4. Dusan Lajovic, the
vulnerable to lawsuits over ogy.” Because of legal and I’m having an impact on No. 1-seeded Thiem lost to No. 6 seed, lost to Britain’s
allegations they didn’t do logistical concerns, the your kid’s life,’” Kerig said. Serbia’s Laslo Dere 6-3, 6-3, Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-1.
enough to protect athletes SafeSport website provides “You should know as much while the second-seeded Argentina’s Diego
under their purview. a database searchable by as you can about me, or Fognini was defeated by Schwartzman, who is the
For years, the USOC let the name, state or sport. The any coach you’re going to Canadian Felix Auger Alias- fourth seed and defending
NGBs operate under their Great Coach website starts drop your kid off with for 10 sime 6-2, 6-3. Third-seeded champion, had his match
own rules about who land- with its list that, as of Tues- to 20 hours a week.”q Cecchinato, who won the suspended by rain.q