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CALGARY - When Wolfgang Staudinger looks over his lugers heading into a World Cup on their home track, the coach can see a cloud from Sochi still hanging over them.Its normal for athletes to feel a letdown in the season after an Olympic Games, but the Canadian luge team has been working through something akin to grief.The roller-coaster emotion of finishing fourth three times and falling just short of Canadas first Olympic medal in the sport wasnt easy to shake off over the summer.Alex Gough finished fourth among the women, Tristan Walker and Justin Snith were fourth in mens doubles and along with Sam Edney, they all finished fourth in the new team relay event in Sochi, Russia.They take little solace in what was by far Canadas best performance in Olympic luge.They suffer the Olympic hangover, which was hard and heavy, Staudinger said Wednesday after a training session. It has to do probably having to deal with the disappointment over the summer and waking up in reality because life goes on.The disappointment was big for not winning that medal. That still catches up on us.World Cup luge returns to Calgarys Canada Olympic Park on Friday and Saturday after a three-year hiatus. The women and doubles race is Friday, followed by the mens event and a new sprint race Saturday.Gough won womens gold the last time it was in Calgary in 2011.She will compete Friday against international competition for the first time since Sochi. The 27-year-old Calgarian skipped the first two World Cup races of this season to concentrate on first-year engineering studies at the University of Calgary.Canadas most decorated athlete in the sport with a pair of world championship medals and 17 career World Cup medals wrote exams this week while preparing for her first race of the winter. Im going to go out there and slide the best I can and see what happens, Gough said. Its always tough when you come in partway through the season or even the first race of the season, which is usually in Austria, I have no idea where Ill sit.It makes it kind of unnerving in some ways, but its good in some ways. I have no idea where I should sit so all I can do is focus on myself and get the best out of it that I can.Gough says shell take a lighter course load next semester, which will allow her to compete in the remaining World Cups and world championship.Calgarys Kim McRae, who finished fifth behind Gough in Sochi, is also one to watch in Calgary. The 22-year-old opened the season with a pair of top-10 results in Innsbruck, Austria, and was 11th in Lake Placid, N.Y.Edney will also compete in an international mens race for the first time since Sochi. The three-time Olympian has been dealing with a sports hernia that kept him out of the first two races.The 30-year-old Calgarian hopes he and his teammates have mentally cleared their post-Olympic hurdles to perform well at home.I almost see it as waves amongst the team. There are moments where we feel that energy of We were so close. Lets keep it going, and then there are those days where its like Shoot, we were that close, and it brings you down, Edney explained.Its a weird feeling. Seeing them now after some races, its like that energy is back there. I feel like the team is pretty energized right now.But Calgarys Snith and Walker, from nearby Cochrane, Alta., are not happy with the start to their season. They crashed in their season-opener in Innsbruck and were ninth last week in Lake Placid.Both of us can agree were not sliding anywhere near our capability, Snith said.Added Walker: Our expectations are definitely a lot higher. Thats what makes it all the more frustrating not sliding that well.All this adds up to some frustration for Staudinger, a German who has coached the Canadian team since 2007.He doesnt like tempering his expectations for the home race of this World Cup season, given the sliding talent Canada now has.For Sam and Alex, its more an orientation race. I wouldnt expect too much right now, Staudinger said. I feel like were not really in a position where we need to be athletically.I dont like my situation. I dont like the position were in. I watched the Germans and for them, theyre back to normal performance I dont see any reason why were different because we are not.We still have a bit of catching up to do and that has to do with the Olympic hangover. When you go out drinking, it hurts.The relay was an Olympic event for the first time in Sochi. The Canadians welcomed its arrival because they say it is exciting to race.Theyre underwhelmed by the introduction of the sprint race, which will be run in Calgary instead of a relay, to the World Cup circuit.The sprint is the same as a regular race except the clock starts after the first turn and the fastest to the finish wins. The top 15 in each of the other three World Cup races qualify to race a sprint.People keep asking me what the sprint race is, Walker said. Its a normal run like we would do in the race with the only difference the start line is the first curve and they tell you your speed going down.I understand the idea of trying to put in a new event like in downhill skiing with super-G. This ones just not a winner. They definitely found a winner with the relay.Its fun, exciting and people like watching it. Its got great numbers on viewership. I think we should do one every week. A.J. Brown Youth Jersey .9 million deal Thursday. The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. Amani Hooker Womens Jersey .Y. -- Scott Chandler is returning to Buffalo, where he spent the past three seasons establishing himself as the Bills top pass-catching tight end. http://www.authentictitanspro.com/Curley-culp-titans-jersey/ . LOUIS -- The Tampa Bay Rays have placed right-handed pitcher Joel Peralta on the 15-day disabled list with an undisclosed illness. Amani Hooker Jersey .com) - Nino Williams posted 18 points and seven rebounds, as Kansas State edged No. Jurrell Casey Womens Jersey . In their first meeting for six years, the Frenchmen dropped serve twice in the first set, but Giquel broke Simon two more times in the second. Gicquel moves on to face sixth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen of Finland, who advanced with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) win against wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert, despite the Frenchmans 23 aces. SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum struck out 11 in his best start of the year, Tyler Colvin backed him with a home run and go-ahead, two-run triple in the seventh inning and the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 on Monday night. Lincecum (3-2) left to a roaring standing ovation after pitching a season-high 7 2-3 innings in his first start of eight getting past the sixth. B.J. Upton hit a tying solo homer in the fifth, then was caught stealing on replay review as the potential go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Upton hit a one-out double and was ruled to have stolen third on a slide below a reaching Pablo Sandoval. Giants manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call by third base umpire Dana DeMuth, and it was overturned in 2 minutes, 7 seconds. San Francisco, coming off a 7-3 road trip to Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, won for the sixth time in seven home games. Atlanta had won three in a row. Lincecum struck out 10 or more for the 36th time in his career and first since last July 28 against the Cubs. He retired Chris Johnson on a swinging strikeout to end the sixth with runners on first and second. Promoted from Triple-A on Saturday, Colvin splashed a solo homer into McCovey Cove beyond the right-field arcade in the second -- the 65th Giants homer to reach the water. Brandon Crawford had the other this season, on April 13 against Colorado. Giants leadoff man Angel Pagan produced his fourth three-hitt game of the season.dddddddddddd Javier Lopez surrendered Freddie Freemans ninth-inning splash homer, then Sergio Romo finished for his 13th save. It marked the first game with two splash homers since Barry Bonds did it by himself on May 18, 2002. Gavin Floyd (0-1) remained winless after his second start of 2014. Floyd struck out eight over 6 1-3 innings in his first outing against the Giants since 2008. The right-hander was 2-0 against the Giants and won in his only previous appearance at AT&T Park while with the White Sox. Braves left fielder Justin Upton returned after being held out Sunday. He bruised his lower back Saturday when hit by a pitch from Chicagos Jeff Samardzija. NOTES: The Braves dont have to face former Atlanta pitcher Tim Hudson this series, and thats fine with manager Fredi Gonzalez. "Its not all bad. Id like to say hi to him and hug him," Gonzalez said. ... Giants 1B Brandon Belt has opted to undergo surgery on his broken left thumb to have two pins inserted. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Tim McAdams on Tuesday at Stanford. Michael Morse made his first start at 1B since last July 31 at Boston while with Seattle. He made a fielding error in the sixth. ... San Francisco reinstated LHP David Huff from the 15-day disabled list and optioned OF Juan Perez to Triple-A Fresno. ... The Giants are in the middle of a 17-day stretch without a day off. ' ' '