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Alex Naddour stops himself in mid-thought, his brain tapping the brakes so he can stress that hes aware his spot on the 2016 U.S. mens Olympic gymnastics team is not simply the result of the force of his considerable will.Im the luckiest guy I know, Naddour said.Let him count the ways.Theres his infant daughter, Lilah, whose arrival earlier this year gave the 25-year-old a perspective while sanding away the rough edges to his intense personality.Theres his wife, two-time world champion Hollie Vise, who knows a thing or two about the sacrifices it takes to compete at the highest level in an uncompromising sport.Theres his father, Mike, who came out of retirement to help his son become more than the one American whose grace makes pommel horse look like a good time, something to be enjoyed instead of endured.Maybe thats why the tears came so freely after Naddour heard his name called as part of the five-man group that will head to Brazil next month with the hopes of getting the U.S. back on the podium after flaming out in the finals in London four years ago. Maybe thats why he pounded his right hand over his heart at the end of his pommel horse routine on the final night of Olympic Trials.It took a lot of people to get to this point, he said.An alternate in 2012, Naddour never lacked belief he would make it even as he saw other teammates bask in the kind of attention that seemed to elude him.There were banners outside national championships, and Im not on them, he said. There were promos, I wasnt in them.There was the embarrassment of the 2013 world championships, when he was held out of the all-around competition despite finishing second behind Sam Mikulak at nationals.Nearly three years later, the snub still stings. Yet it provided more fuel to an internal fire that has long led Naddour to go his own way. He left the powerhouse program at Oklahoma in fall 2011 after clashing with coach Mark Williams over workload. Naddour wanted to focus all his attention on getting to the 2012 Olympics, something he doesnt believe he could have done if he stayed with the Sooners. Concerned over the potential workload of competing in the all-around during a collegiate season, Naddour headed back home to Arizona to train with his father.While he didnt make it to the floor in London -- watching from the stands as the Americans slipped from the top of the leaderboard in qualifying to fifth in team finals -- Naddour has no regrets, pointing out hes nearing a degree in business management at Arizona State. And because he didnt have to worry about retaining his amateur status following those games, Naddour was able to turn the paychecks he received for participating in the post-Olympic tour into a down payment on a house.I know (leaving) was the right choice, said Naddour, who dabbles in real estate to help pay the bills.So was the decision to press forward with a family. He found a kindred spirit in Vise, who won a pair of gold medals at the 2003 world championships. They were married last May and she pointed to a narrow window in which they could get a jumpstart on parenthood before training for Rio overtook Naddours life.Lilahs arrival in late winter would have signaled an abrupt lifestyle change in most marriages. Not for the Naddours, who upgraded to a one-story ranch to make it easier for Lilah (and they hope, one day, the rest of their kids) to get around. Hollie gave give Alex the master bedroom so he could get some regular sleep while mother and daughter moved to the other side of the house.Maybe some other wives would get frustrated but she gets my training, she knows how bad I want it, Naddour said. She takes care of Lilah in the morning so I can sleep and nighttime when I can sleep. Without her being in the sport and knowing what it takes, that would be difficult.A typical day for Naddour includes training at the gym from 11:30-4. Hollie then arrives at the gym -- where she runs the womens program -- and leaves Lilah with one of the grandparents before Naddour takes over from 4-8. Then its dinner and a little quiet time. When Hollie and Lilah head off to bed, Naddour heads outside for cardio.Ive got some payback to do as soon as all this is over, Naddour said. Im on daddy duty probably indefinitely once my career is over.Theres no telling when that day will come. Naddour built his reputation as one of the few Americans who excel on pommel horse -- a 45-second battle between gravity and the lactic acid in your arms and legs that few Americans win. Its a pretty quick way to get the attention of U.S. national team officials, yet after just missing out on London, Naddour realized he needed to become a more complete gymnast.When we didnt get to compete (in London) it was like: `Why? What happened? he said. Then we looked at the scores and while we contribute on pommels, it wasnt enough. With a five-man team, you need other events. Everyone knows it, I didnt at the time.Now he does. While Naddour won pommel horse easily during trials, he was also third on rings, sixth on floor exercise and eighth on vault, performances that made him a lock for Rio, while other teammates were relegated to alternate.Its a role he respects, but one hes happy not to fulfill this time around. Dwight Gooden Jersey . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Walker Lockett Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/160l-howard-johnson-jersey-mets.html . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. 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ATLANTA -- The kickoff to the monthlong bowl season is more than just another game.For that matter, its goes far beyond the two teams taking the field at noon Saturday.This is a chance to honor the legacy of all those historically black colleges and universities that played such a vital role in the growth of college football, giving African-Americans a place to play when they didnt have anywhere else to turn.Call this a well-deserved celebration, which is why there is no more aptly named postseason game than the Celebration Bowl.We wouldnt be able to do what were doing today, said John Grant, executive director of the game that will be played at the Georgia Dome, if not for what they did yesterday.Indeed, in the days of Jim Crow, HBCUs were a lifeline for African-Americans in the South.Unless they had the means and opportunity to continue their athletic careers far from home, outside the reach of segregation, blacks were limited to schools such as Grambling State and North Carolina Central, which will meet in this years Celebration Bowl.Grambling, in particular, built a powerhouse program under longtime coach Eddie Robinson, sending countless players to the NFL after they were denied the opportunity to attend whites-only universities such as Alabama and Clemson, which are part of this years College Football Playoff.Of course, those schools now rely heavily on Africa-American athletes. Much like the Negro Leagues in baseball, HBCU athletic programs were hit hard by the collapse of the color line.The best high school prospects are understandably drawn to the schools that offer the biggest stadiums, the best resources and training facilities, the opportunity to play on national television almost every Saturday, the clearest path to the NFL.Yet, its worth noting that the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the league that North Carolina Central won to claim its spot in the Celebration Bowl opposite Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Grambling State, had three players go in the NFL draft this past spring.Grant wants to ensure the legacy of the HBCUs is preserved, while also highlighting all the important things theyre still doing today -- on and off the field.A game that will be nationally televised by ABC, as well as broadcast around the world on the Armed Forces Network, is a huge step in that direction.There are good players attending and participating at these universities, Grant said. The relevance of these programs is still very strong and viable. Its our intention to showcase that to the nation.As if to show how much this game means to the MEAC and the SWAC, those conferences passed up a chance to send their champions to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Instead, theyll play for whats billed as the HBCU national championship, and its hard to argue with the logic.A year ago, the inaugural Celebration Bowl attracted more tthan 35,000 fans to the Georgia Dome, as well as a television audience of some 14.dddddddddddd6 million viewers, according to Grant.An athlete chooses a school to go to because he wants to be seen, he said. Now, we have two conferences that have exactly the same platform on national television as every other bowl team. Now, coaches can go out and recruit with the same type of tool that the other schools have, the tool of visibility.But this isnt about putting Grambling on a level playing field with Alabama. Thats never going to happen. The Celebration Bowl is focused on an even bigger goal -- ensuring the viability of HBCUs in a time of ever-shrinking government funding and declining enrollments.Grant said the teams that played in last years game, North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State, both received a boost in applications and admissions for the current school year.Having a viable athletic program that brings visibility to a school is one of the best student recruiting tools you can have, he said.Heres hoping the Celebration Bowl succeeds where two others have failed. The Pelican Bowl matched the MEAC and SWAC champions in the 1970s, but low attendance doomed that game. The Heritage Bowl came along in the 1990s, but it failed to survive largely because teams could choose to take part instead in the I-AA playoffs, which would leave a leagues second- or even third-best team for the bowl game.The players seem to realize whats at stake.This game is really important for the history of HBCUs, said Darius Spruill, a senior defensive tackle at North Carolina Central. Most people in the world arent really focused on HBCUs as much as they should be. I feel like this game brings much-needed exposure to the HBCU football history.Grant is focused just as much on the future.He wants this to be a game that stretches beyond the African-American community. He refers to HBCUs as some of the most diverse campuses in the country, with growing numbers of white and Hispanic students. For instance, North Carolina Centrals enrollment of 8,155 students is 12 percent white and nearly 2 percent Hispanic.Historically black colleges and universities contribute to the fabric of our nation, Grant said. These institutions are critical in ensuring this country is producing quality individuals and access to higher education for everyone, access that is not just at the highest levels.Now thats something worth celebrating.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---AP Sports Writer Charles Odum contributed to this report.---For more AP college football coverage: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '