RIO DE JANEIRO -- U.S. womens water polo coach Adam Krikorian shook his head in disgust after an ugly turnover in the third. He put in five new swimmers after China scored in the fourth, and then clapped his hands at his bench as if trying for a late wake-up call.And it hardly mattered. The United States was in complete control right from the start, never in danger of losing to overmatched China. It turns out winning isnt the only thing for the defending world and Olympic champions.Were more concerned with how we play and trying to be as consistent as possible, Krikorian said after the United States 12-4 victory on Thursday. I dont think I saw that in the second half and when you play every other day, theres no reason to rest. Were getting plenty of rest on our off days and we just got to keep it into a high gear there.The United States improved to 36-2 in 2016 with its 18th straight victory, rolling to titles on three continents before beating Spain 11-4 in its Olympic opener on Tuesday. It has scored in double figures 17 times during its win streak, totaling 231 goals overall and outscoring opponents by an average of seven goals.Captain Maggie Steffens dismissed any notion of complacency as the U.S. tries to become the first country to win consecutive Olympic titles in womens water polo.Each game is a gold-medal game, Steffens said. Each game is an opportunity for us to represent the USA, and thats the motivation.Steffens scored three of her four goals as the United States jumped to a 7-1 lead at the break. The team grew more careless with the ball as the game went along, including the third-quarter turnover during a rare 6-on-4 power play that prompted Krikorians exasperated reaction.We had too many turnovers that game, U.S. attacker Kaleigh Gilchrist said. China capitalized on a few, but they could have capitalized on a lot more, and knowing as we go ahead opponents are going to try to look to do that, so we have to tighten a few things up.The United States only two losses so far this year are to Australia, 5-4 on May 26 in California and 5-4 on May 31 in China. The Aussie Stingers lost 8-7 to Italy on Thursday, a potentially costly result that could force them into a semifinal matchup with the United States.Australias Rowie Webster tied it at 7 with 2:37 to go, but Roberta Bianconi had a power-play goal for Italy with 34 seconds remaining.I think the game was won and lost in the extra-man goals that they scored and we potentially missed, Webster said.Australia faces winless Brazil on Saturday on the final day of the preliminary round. Italy, which leads Group A with four points, takes on Russia, Spain plays against China, and the United States faces Hungary. The quarterfinals begin Monday.Italys Giulia Gorlero, splashing the water at times in celebration or frustration, had 10 saves in the victory over the Aussies.Our match is very important for us, Golero said through a translator. But thats not enough. ... Our tournament starts in the quarterfinals.Also Thursday, Ekaterina Prokofyeva and Evgeniya Ivanova scored three goals apiece to lead Russia to a 14-7 win against Brazil, and Judith Forca Ariza scored in the fourth to help Spain hold on for an 11-10 victory over Hungary.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Pedro Castellano Jersey . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Quinton McCracken Jersey . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Todd Helton Jersey . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. The promotion boasts 14-straight years of business and is operated by MFC president Mark Pavelich, who is often overlooked in this country for the foundation hes established for MMA in Canada. Custom Colorado Rockies Jerseys . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. For almost as long as she can remember, Callie duPerier Apffel was bouncing from rodeo to rodeo across the U.S. and Canada, chasing a dream. DuPerier Apffel, 23, grew up on trail horses and began barrel racing when she was 13. For her, riding and racing fit like boots and jeans -- despite the fact shes allergic to both horses and hay and has to take medication because of it.I probably went to thousands of races as kid, she says. I cant even count how many times Ive gone to a barrel race or how many times Ive ridden around barrels.From the moment she was introduced, she was hooked. I love horses, so being able to do that on your horse, I thought it was really cool, she says. The adrenaline rush she felt was more intense than from any other sport.Racers go as fast as possible in a cloverleaf pattern through three barrels -- trying hard not to knock over a barrel (a five-second penalty). Races usually last between 13 and 20 seconds.DuPerier Apffel started a few years later than most girls but learned quickly. As a high school senior she won the Womens Professional Rodeo Association junior world title. After three years in college, she set her sights on one goal: to win the National Finals Rodeo world title.Trip duPerier has traveled the country with his daughter, helped her strategize before races and bought her the horses -- a wide variety -- that helped teach her to ride. He says Callie is humble and calm -- but shes also extremely competitive and athletic. She dont look it on the outside, but she and me both, we do not like to lose, he says, laughing.He recalls how she played volleyball, basketball, ran track and was a cheerleader at little Medina High School outside San Antonio. He says in one hurdles race, she fell down on the second-to-last hurdle, but got back up and won. At one point, when she injured her knee and couldnt run, she entered the shot put -- and made the state championship. She went out for basketball for the first time as a senior, scored a bunch of points and even pulled off a reverse layup without ever having practiced the shot.Everybody was saying, Where did she come up with that? Trip says.At the same time, she was competing in high school rodeo. With her dad in her corner, many weekends were a blur. There would be times when he would pick me up from school or pick me up from a volleyball tournament and Id sleep the whole way to the rodeo, and then hed wake me up and Id hop on and run.She was torn between playing college volleyball and going on the rodeo circuit after high school, but decided to play volleyball at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter did well -- she ranks No. 3 on the schools list for most points in a season -- but suffered a shoulder injury that prompted her to leave college and pursue rodeo after three seasons.Her quest became to qualify for National Finals Rodeo and win the world title. To do that, shed have to crisscross the country, entering rodeos here, there and everywhere to earn enough money to be among the top 15 earners invited to the annual NFR event in Las Vegas.Its a tough and expensive task, but Callie and Trip were committed to it. It meant long drives and plane rides, sometimes trailering two horses at a time (they hired a driver) so theyd have horses at different venues at the same time, and the support of shoers, veterinarians, other riders and the whole duPerier family.dddddddddddd Callie might have to be in Oakdale, Utah, one night and St. Paul, Oregon, the next. A victory could be worth a few hundred dollars or several thousand. It was a marathon.Wed be like in Tupelo, Mississippi, and in 16 hours youve got to be at the southern tip of Florida, and youre driving 75, 80 the whole way and you step out of your trailer, you saddle your horse and theyre calling your name, Trip recalls.Her first full season of 2014 she competed in 85 events and finished 25th in earnings. But she was No. 3 among Womens Pro Rodeo Association rookies. In 2015, she entered 100 events and was No. 1 in money earned -- and qualified for Vegas.Going into the 10-round, three-day NFR competition, Callie and Trip had a plan: be consistent, dont hit barrels and keep advancing and winning money. She decided to focus on each race without thinking about cumulative times or earnings. I was like, Yeah, I can make 10 clean runs on [my horse] Dillon. And thank goodness it happened, she says.At the end of 10 runs, her aggregate time was 140.41 seconds, .34 less than the next rider. That gave her the average title for that competition and $67,269 in prize money, which vaulted her to the top of the season money list at $303,846. She had become world champion.I got to do a victory lap because I had won the average, but I had no idea that I had won the world, she says. So I did my victory lap and was waving and got off and they were talking to me and telling me congratulations, and I still thought Id just won the average. Then when I was about to do an interview, they said something about winning the world, and I was like, Wait, I won? ... I started crying and said, I have to tell my dad. Being a numbers guy, Trip already knew, even if she didnt. He also knew that the long run to a championship was both satisfying and expensive. I bet it cost us about 150 [thousand dollars] to make 300, he says.After winning that title last year, duPerier Apffel decided 2016 would be the perfect time to rein in the pro career. She had a wedding to plan in May and moved to Galveston, Texas, where her husband, Kaleb, operates a lumber yard. Instead of spending months on the road and galloping around barrels, shes organizing and decorating their home and hunting and fishing with Kaleb. For once, she has free time.She has competed in several events of the new Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) League of Rodeo Champions, even winning the first one in Oregon in April and taking second at the next stop in Idaho. Yet she admits shes not all-in the way she has been in the past. She has other priorities, like staying close to home and maybe starting a family. She has no desire to live out of a suitcase anymore. But its hard to keep a world champion barrel racer out of the saddle.When shes asked if rodeo -- perhaps on a smaller scale -- might always be a part of her life, she says yes. I dont plan on fully quitting, because its fun, she says. I love it. I like the rush of riding. ' ' '