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SPORTS NHL Russians want NHL deal, but stand firm on Radulov 8C FOR LIVE SPORTS SCORES OR STATS, SEND TEXT MESSAGES WITH TEAM NAME (i.e., Braves), PLAYER (i.e., Chipper Jones) to 44636 Also get live game scores stats online at tennessean.comsports I- A7.T.U UNITED STATES MEDALS COUNT 22 24 26 TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2008 Opinion BMX racing arrives at Games MORE OLYMPICS A soccer encore A tie, then a loss U.S. women have new Tiebreaker system drops stars but still advance to Nastia Liukin to silver in soccer final. On Page 4C uneven bars. On Page 5C For up-to-the minute coverage, including medals counts, search OLYMPICS at tennessean.com None of the U.S. riders Donny Robinson of Napa, Calif, is the third male rider and Seattle's Jill Kintner is the only American in the women's field have raced in two months.

Bennett said they've stayed sharp with mock competitions at the USOC's Chula Vista track in California Robinson likened the inclusion of BMX to the Summer Games to the addition of half-pipe, snowboarding and short-track speedskating to the Winter Games. "It's going to add some edge and youthfulness," he said. "I circled (the date) about a month after they announced it," said Mike Day, of Santa Clarita, Calif, winner of the Olympic trials on a track modeled after the Beijing venue. "That's when I got a coach." BMX makes its Olympic debut Wednesday morning (tonight in the United States, with primetime coverage on NBC) with individual seeding races. The 32-rider men's field and the 16-bike women's field will then be cut in half through a series of heat races with the top finishers moving on to Thursday's final motos.

Fleeing teams create a dent in city's image Riders'excitement has been building for past five years By KEVIN BAXTER Los Angeles Times BEIJING BMX bicycle racing has taken Kyle Bennett all over the world, so it was nothing special when he climbed aboard a flight for China last week. But it was something special when he got here. "Once that plane landed and TIMELINE OF LOST TS-C j.i;- F5 I I. n. I JoeBiddle Training took years for Phelps I'm not sure the average sports fan appreciates how much work goes into winning an Olympic gold medal.

Certainly swimmer Michael Phelps is the only person who knows the sacrifices he made to become the world's most recognized Olympian in his sport. You just don't show up on the pool deck in your sleek Speedo and churn out eight gold medals. Unlike Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games, Phelps had to swim semifinal heats to make the final field. That meant 17 races over nine days. No wonder one of the first things Phelps did after coming up for air was to woof down a "big fat cheeseburger and French fries." If one tiny thing had gone wrong, Phelps would not have emerged as the most decorated swimmer in history.

Amazing feat John Morse swam with Nashvillians Amy and Tracy Caulkins at the University of Florida. Tracy won three gold medals in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, but almost certainly would have won more had the U.S. participated in the 1980 Moscow Games. Morse has been Nashville Aquatic Club's head coach for 25 years. 'To do what Phelps did is incredible in any era, but in this era you have such good competition throughout the world," Morse said Monday.

"Some of Michael's races were decided by one-hundredth of a second. It truly is an amazing feat. I don't mink it's something we'll ever see again in our lifetime." Phelps also had to rely on his teammates during three relay races. If one of them has a bad hair day in the pool, Phelps doesn't walk away with eight gold medals. Phelps put swimming on the map for almost two weeks.

Two of his races were shown live after Orioles and Ravens games in his hometown of Baltimore. People who never learned to swim were glued to their flat screens watching Phelps cut through the water like a human Jet Ski. Extreme dedication How long will Phelps' fame last? With college and professional football season starting it's doubtful his feats will occupy our thoughts for long, although we're sure to see him on TV, endorsing a litany of products. Morse predicted there would be an increased interest in competitive swimming across the country. Somewhere there is a 9-year-old who wants to be the next Michael Phelps.

It takes thousands of hours of pool time to develop into a world-class swimmer, getting up at 4 in the morning to make a 5 am. practice two or three or more days a week, then returning for an afternoon session after school five days a week and twice more on Saturday. "The purity of the competition attracts people," Morse said. "You're not relying on anybody else when you get up on the block. It's whoever gets to the wall first wins." Phelps was first to leave his handprint on the Water Cube wall eight times.

Joe Biddle's column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Reach him at 615-259-8255 or Search BIDDLE for a video commentary. To world champion from Conroe, Texas, and his three U.S. teammates have been pointing for since the sport was added to the Games schedule in summer 2003. 0 pulling off the perfect punt takes talent, athleticism and years of practice.

Hentrich has had to develop a strong leg, a stance to handle any snap low, high or wide as well as a consistent stepping pattern and the ability to quickly square his hips. He has to have an inner anemometer to gauge the wind and an internal alarm clock set between 1.9 and 2.1 seconds to get the punt away unblocked. "If it was easy I would have tried to be a punter," Titans return man Chris Carr said. I got off and there's some camera crews," Bennett said, his voice trailing off. "It kind of hit me then.

This is it." This is the Olympics, something Bennett, a three-time SPORTS 2007 2005 2004 2002 2001 Leave Young alone Center Kevin A Mawae says wJ criticism of Vince Young is premature. On Page 3C sailing off his right foot to a target way down the field. It's not easy. While many football fans perceive a punter as what Hentrich calls "a necessary evil" a borderline athlete who spends most of his time chilling on the sideline 1 2006 I IRL continues Nashville's trend of losing events By DAVID CLIMER Senior Writer When IndyCar racing took its last lap at Nashville Superspeedway on July 12, it became the latest casualty in the local sports marketplace. In the past few years, Nashville and the surrounding area also have lost two professional golf tournaments, the Arena Football League twice, and an American Basketball Association team although the ABA is scheduled to return this fall.

Beyond that, there has been a near-death experience. The Predators were on thin ice last year before a group of local businessmen headed by David Freeman purchased the NHL team from Craig Leipold. Likewise, the long-term viability of the Sounds is uncertain because of stadium issues. When pro teams are on the block or sporting events are discontinued, it hits a city right where it hurts in its image. "When you get past a list of a few select American cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, one of the first things people relate to about a city is the sports franchises that are there," Freeman said.

"When you think about Denver, you might think of skiing. But my mind immediately goes to the Broncos, the Nuggets and the Avalanche. Sports teams tend to identify a city more to the outside world than to the people who live in the city." Certainly, losing a team or an event can have some economic impact although most economists say that loss is often vastly overstated. All about the drop About 90 percent of a great punt, Hentrich said, is in the drop. The angle and direction at which the ball hits the foot affects how far, how high and where it travels, in addition to whether it spins.

"I constantly work on it," Hentrich said. "After 32 years of kicking footballs I have been kicking since I was 5 years old I still work on something as simple as dropping the ball." The perfect drop for Hen "Perception is not always reality. But I don't think there's any getting around that losing a major event or losing a team casts some type of doubt on a particular market." Cliff Hawks, vice president and general manager of Nashville Superspeedway The real hit comes in how a city is perceived. "Perception is not always reality," said Cliff Hawks, vice president and general manager of Nashville Superspeedway. "But I don't think there's any getting around that losing a major event or losing a team casts some type of doubt on a particular market." When he was maneuvering to buy the Predators and ramp up season-ticket sales last summer, Freeman often spoke about the importance of keeping the NHL team in Nashville in order to protect the city's image.

"If we lose our NHL team, it would impact the way Nashville is perceived by people outside our city," Freeman said in one impassioned interview while he was trying to buy the Preds. "As a city, we can't afford to lose the Predators." John Vrooman, an Please see EXITS, 7C trich: ball level or tilted slightly up, with the nose at 11 o'clock. This allows him to hit the ball's sweet spot, creating the best turnover and the least wind resistance. If the ball is dropped too far to the inside Hentrich's body, the right-footed punt has to cut his leg across the ball, pulling it left. If it is too far to the outside, the punt will be a shank right.

An inch or two affects not only direction but also intensity. Please see TfTANS, 4C Wm NFL punters must develop an intricate routine for kicks Hentrich receives only 2.1 seconds By JESSICA HOPP Staff Writer What can you do in less than 2.1 seconds? Blink Snap your fingers. Sneeze. In less than 2.1 seconds, Titans punter Craig Hentrich can catch a football snapped from a distance, gauge the wind, assess the defensive coverage, take 2lA steps, drop the ball perfectly and send it reach sports: Phone: 259-8010 Fax: www.tennessean.com E-mail: tnsportstennessean.com Sports Editor: Larry Taft, 259-8352 Deputy Sports Editor: Mike Jones, 259-8013.