on Cole, and had Speight speaking to the Wolverines in the long line. Then, the W

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.NFL Jerseys USA . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Wholesale Jerseys Outlet .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. http://www.jerseysnflcheap.us/ . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. Cheap NFL Jerseys . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. China Jerseys NFL . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015.ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jourdan Lewis leaped, fully extended his right arm, squeezed the point of the football into his palm and pinned it against his hip.No. 4 Michigan needed the spectacular play to seal its latest victory, the first one that wasnt a rout this season.Wilton Speight threw a tiebreaking, 46-yard touchdown pass to Amara Darboh midway through the fourth quarter and Lewis made his spectacular play near midfield with 2:15 left, helping the Wolverines hold on to beat No. 8 Wisconsin 14-7 on Saturday. The interception was reminiscent of a one-handed reception famously made by a New York Giants receiver.Ive seen Odell Beckham do that, Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said. The most impressive thing about it was he jumped a little early.The Wolverines (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) beat a top-10 opponent for the first time since a Rich Rodriguez-coached team rallied to beat the ninth-ranked Badgers in 2008. And it was a defensive struggle throughout.Wisconsin (4-1, 1-1) had the ball at its 8 with 2:59 and no timeouts left with a chance to beat a third team ranked in the top 10. The Badgers went for it on fourth-and-10 from its 8, and Alex Hornibrooks deep pass was picked off by Lewis. Lewis leaped to snatch the ball out of the air reminded some of a one-handed interception Charles Woodson made in 1997 at Michigan State.Its a great feeling to be compared to someone so great, Lewis said. Its humbling.Hornibrook , in his second start, threw three interceptions. The freshman quarterback did throw a game-tying, 17-yard TD pass to Dare Ogunbowale midway through the third quarter. Hornibrook finished 9 of 25 for 88 yards and the Badgers were held to just 71 yards rushing.We couldnt really get any drives going, he said.Wisconsin was 1 of 6 on third down in the fourth quarter and earned a first down on just 3 of 15 third downs.We didnt convert, Badgers coach Paul Chryst said. We didnt get anything consistently going in the run game.Michigan had chances to have a bigger cushion, but Kenny Allen missed two field goals and his replacement, Ryan Tice missed a field goal.ddddddddddddo win championships, youve got to make field goals, said Harbaugh, adding the two will compete during practice for the job.THE TAKEAWAYWisconsin: The Badgers have impressive wins against then-No. 8 Michigan State and then-No. 5 LSU, but could not overcome the turnovers made by Hornibrook.Michigan: The Wolverines suddenly have some serious woes on special teams. Allen is just 4 of 8 on field goals this season, and got benched. Highly touted freshman Quinn Nordin, who had Harbaugh sleep over at his house during a recruiting visit, is not an option because hes injured. The Wolverines were also plagued by penalties on punts.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Wolverines will likely stay right where they are in The Associated Press poll . The Badgers will probably move down a few spots because the next highest-ranked team to lose was No. 12 Florida State.ALL ABOARDIn a unique formation, Harbaugh called for nine players to be directly behind center Mason Cole, and had Speight speaking to the Wolverines in the long line. Then, the Wolverines got into a traditional, tight formation to pave the way for DeVeon Smith to run up the middle for 5 yards against the Badgers to set up Hills TD run. Harbaugh said his son, Jay, an assistant coach, installed the unique formation during a recent practice. Maybe it has a future, Harbaugh said with a grin.UP NEXTWisconsin: The Badgers run of games against top-10 teams extends to three with a home game against No. 2 Ohio State. The seasons only going to keep getting harder, said Corey Clement, who ran for 68 yards on 17 carries.Michigan: Finally, the Wolverines hit the road. They play at Rutgers, which is coming off a 58-0 loss at Ohio State to fall to 2/3 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. ' ' '