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When British heptathlete Jessica Ennis won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, the stadium walls shook with the roar of fans. At the same Olympics, American Ashton Eaton won a gold medal in the decathlon and is heading to Rio as the world-record holder. Fitness empire CrossFit and shows like American Ninja Warrior have revered the sportswomen and men who tackle a variety of events with competitive vigor, morphing many sofa slugs into backyard fitness freaks, one burpee at a time.By many measures, it should be a golden era for track and fields multi-eventers -- the women who tackle seven events in the heptathlon and the men who compete in 10 events in the decathlon. Yet in America, these mind-blowing athletes struggle to get fan attention or sponsor love.There arent crowds for the multis, said Alex Gochenour, a heptathlete at Arkansas who competed at the U.S. trials. Most people dont know much about it.Could the 2016 Rio Olympics be a breakthrough for the brutal and curious events?The decathlon was designed for men in the modern Olympic Games with a mission that was somewhat superhero- and military-inspired. The female counterpart, introduced in 1984, is not much different; its essentially a Wonder Woman contest, with a reward for the single person who can do a variety of disciplines -- the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin and 800 meters -- better than anyone else. The renaissance woman of the Olympics.Notoriety of the heptathlon in America surged when Jackie Joyner-Kersee won gold medals in 1988 and 1992. Her high score of 7,291 is still the world record.Which brings us to the big challenge for viewers both in the stands and on television: How do you keep score? The highest score at the end of the two days wins, but many fans complain that tracking the point system is difficult.Calculator difficult.The scoring system has a standard for each event that earns 1,000 points, and there are different formulas that calculate scores for the three different groups of events: running, jumping and throwing. Because 1,000 points is only a benchmark, not the maximum, a heptathlete can earn more than 7,000 points. Whats more, only a handful of spectators even know the seven different standards for earning 1,000 points per event, such as running the 200 meter dash in 23.8 seconds or throwing the shot put 17.07 meters. U.S.A. Track and Field even offers an online tool to spare coaches, athletes and fans the algebra, but figuring out who is ahead as the competition rolls on can make even the most astute of math brains feel lost.Gochenour, who has competed in a variety of multi-events since she was in middle school, said that some of the heptathlons fizzle may also be because for a long time, the pipeline was discouraging, as athletes can feel overwhelmed trying to learn a variety of events at elite levels while trying to not blow out their bodies. Equipment can also be a headache -- athletes often tote several different pairs of shoes with them, each intended for a different event, plus a track teams worth of equipment.Were always those people who are a problem at airports when they use the X-ray machine, Gochenour said.Theres also something of a lag in athlete development, Gochenour said, because many American heptathletes dont begin competing until college: Theres such a learning curve. A lot of times, as Americans, were just behind, and by the time you start to figure everything out, your body gives out on you. Theres a give-and-take of learning the techniques without destroying yourself. The reverse may also be true, as some athletes start as one-event specialists, and then add events on and find their talents carry over to a variety of disciplines.Ironically, the versatility can be criticized by spectators who may prefer to watch a specialist in a particular event rather than a heptathlete attempt the same feat. Fans may see the part rather than the whole.I joke a lot and say, Im pretty good at a lot of things, but not one specific thing, said Annie Kunz, a heptathlete at Texas A&M who also competed at the U.S. trials. But thats what I love about it, that it gives you so many opportunities to do well. Nobody can really PR [personal record] in every single event.The heptathlon also can make for strange camaraderie not often seen on television. The athletes who compete against each other for titles, records and medals also spend two days, more or less, hanging out with each other on the field. Its not unusual for them to cheer for each other or offer feedback or support as they compete against each other for a spot on the podium.They regularly talk about trying to beat their own scores rather than each others in a way thats more evocative of weekend warriors tackling a half-marathon than Olympic contenders.The morale with the heptathlon is so different, Kunz said. All the competitors get to know each other and really uplift each other. You know that some people are better at one specific event than another and cheer each other on. If you PR and someone else beats you, you still have a good day. Its a different morale. We all hang out, we joke, we have fun. You have to keep it light and happy because its easy to get down.Over the two days of U.S. trials last month, the heptathletes faced some steady rain and strong wind but were often seen on the track laughing together and exchanging hugs and high fives. Heather Miller-Koch, who finished second, seemed undeterred, more excited about having such a large crowd. It was just great that we were able to put up such big scores considering head winds yesterday and rain today, she said. Its pretty awesome.Ultimately, the trials win went to Barbara Nwaba, a heptathlete with the Santa Barbara Track Club who had finished fifth at the 2012 trials and was the 2016 American pentathlon champion. Shes joined in Rio by fellow Americans Miller-Koch and Kendell Williams. Nwaba is expected to contend for a top podium spot with Ennis and Brianne Theisen-Eaton of Canada (who is married to Americas Eaton), among others.Its definitely going to be an amazing competition at the Games, Nwaba said. But these are girls that Ive competed with, so Ive gotten to know these girls and know what their talents are.Air Max 97 Womens Sale . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Vapormax 2019 Cheap . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. http://www.nikeshoesoutletwholesale.com/nike-shox-sale.html . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Nike Air Max Plus Wholesale . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Vans Old Skool Clearance . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach.I grew up playing tennis with my father down the block from our summer house in Atlantic Beach, New York. Id often wake up to find him in his tennis whites, long legs stretched out while he read the New York Times. After his doubles game, when he would hit a few with my sister and me, he seemed just as happy when we made a good shot as when he hit a winner.Wanting to keep playing tennis motivated him when he was recovering from two heart surgeries. He died a year before I was diagnosed in 2003 with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer.Throughout my treatment, which included chemotherapy, a subsequent stem cell transplant and recovery -- which I wrote about in the New York Times -- I walked, then ran, and played tennis. During those hospital stays at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, under the care of doctors from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Id look at a can of tennis balls on my windowsill when I felt well enough to ride an exercise bike in my room. That can was a reminder that one day I would be back to the game that was a staple of my youth -- the game that connected me with my father. I am a worrier, but when Im on the court I focus on the ball, savoring the simple joy of hitting it well. If my game is off, Im even more eager to play again.Between chemotherapy sessions, breathing fresh air and playing tennis brought a sense of normalcy. I had a double-lumen Hickman catheter implanted in my chest, but I managed by tucking the tubes (one for medicine and the other for blood samples) into my sports bra. I leaned on my extended tennis family, especially when things got even more difficult before my final round of chemo before the transplant, when I developed a fungal pneumonia -- pulmonary aspergillosis -- and needed lung surgery.I got the surgery, I got the transplant, and I got stronger again. My doctors said I had an advantage because I had gone into the treatment in good physical shape. I returned to work at the newspaper where I was a reporter and to my tennis team, which had helped see me through those scary times. I passed the two-year mark, after which the chance of relapse decreases substantially.On an August weekend in 2007, I won in first doubles at a district?tournament with the captain of my USTA team. That Monday I went to the clinic to get the result of a bone marrow biopsy, the painful diagnostic test for leukemia. My doctor had shocking news: I had relapsed.He said I would get another transplant with stem cells from a donor he would find from a national registry, but first I would need more chemotherapy. I got the transplant, but six months later, the donor cells disappeared -- a complication called graft failure. Since it was considered a fluke and the donor was a good match, he agreed to donate again, for which I was grateful. More chemo and transplant No. 3 followed. Six months after that, I relapsed again.I was afraid it was the end, but my doctor offered a fourth transplant with a new donor. (Ive since learned that while two transplants for leukemia are not uncommon and three are given occasionally, four is extremely rare.) I told my social worker I hoped the new donor was a woman (I knew it didnt really matter, but I was buoyed by the thought of that bond), and I joked that it would help if she was a tennis player with a good backhand. Of course, you dont acquire any characteristics other than blood type from a donor, but the thought made me smile at a time when I was feeling beat up, and that helped.ddddddddddddThe new donors cells entered my bloodstream through my catheter in January 2009 without incident. But about two weeks later, I developed multiple life-threatening infections and went into a coma resulting from kidney failure. One night my doctor called my family in and said I might not make it.I woke up after about a week, confused and unable to speak. My legs were swollen, my face black and blue. I went to dialysis every day. For weeks I was unable to get out of bed. When I first got out and into a chair, I could barely lift a leg for the exercises a physical therapist wanted me to do. After that I progressed to trying to walk along part of the nurses station. Even holding onto a nurse or my sister, I nearly fainted. But gradually I got stronger.After about four months, I returned home and started to walk around the lake where I used to run. I was so wobbly that someone had to stay by my side to keep me from tipping over. Once I fell backward and hit my head, earning a trip to the emergency room.I went to physical therapy. I did chair yoga. I kept asking my regular doubles partner and friend, Donna, Is it time? -- wondering if she thought I was ready to hit tennis balls with her. The first few times we rallied, she made me promise not to move more than one step in either direction. Pros from our club brought me back as they had before, first hitting the ball softly, directly to me. Gradually they moved me around and hit with more pace. I squeezed a hand grip to build strength. I couldnt lift the racquet so I served underhand. I got stronger and steadier.Today, I am back on a team and playing three, sometimes four days a week, for hours at a time. I work on my slice, the shot that sustained my father into old age: 45-degree angle, arm straight. I win some and lose some, but I figure Im winning by being there.When a kidney doctor once told me upon discharge that he would see me in four months, I was surprised he thought I would live that long. I was afraid to plan anything. Then, two years ago I hit a milestone: five years in remission, when you are officially cured. I met my donor, who did turn out to be a woman, and also a friend of a childhood friend of mine -- so we really did have a connection. Not a tennis player, but she gave me the biggest gift of all, the gift of being alive and well.And so, I make plans. They include an annual bus trip Donna and I take from our club in Enfield, Connecticut, to watch the US Open. This year will mark our fourth trip, and Im looking forward to all of it, starting with printing out the schedule of play and feeling the buzz of excitement when we get on the bus, where we compare notes with our tennis friends about which practice sessions and matches well watch.I cant wait to get in as much as we can in one day. And as we rush back to the bus at the end of it -- a dash of at least 15 minutes because the buses park a good distance from the tennis center -- you can bet Ill be thinking about how far tennis has brought me.Advances in leukemia treatment, my doctors and my bone marrow donor got me to where I am. But tennis proved to be powerful medicine too.Ronni Gordon lives in Western Massachusetts, and her work has appeared in The New York Times magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among others. Follow her on Twitter @Ronni_Gordon. ' ' '