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Rowsell wins track pursuit, England leads in golds

By WTOP Staff

DENNIS PASSA
AP Sports Writer

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Track cyclist Joanna Rowsell helped England break New Zealand and Australian domination of the individual pursuit at the Commonwealth Games on Friday.

While Scottish comedian Billy Connolly watched with Chris Hoy — in the velodrome named after the retired Scottish Olympian –Rowsell finished a second ahead of Australian Annette Edmondson.

New Zealand had won the event four times and Australia twice.

In an all-Australian final in the men’s individual pursuit, Jack Bobridge won his second gold medal in two days when he beat Alex Edmondson, Annette’s younger brother, in the individual pursuit.

Bobridge, who returned to the track after a year with a Dutch road racing team, won gold in the team pursuit Thursday. He plans to remain on the track to compete at the 2016 Olympics.

New Zealand won its second gold medal in cycling — and fifth overall — when Sam Webster beat England’s Jason Kenny, a three-time Olympic champion, in the men’s sprint. It ended Australia’s 44-year winning streak — the country hadn’t lost a race in the sprint since 1970.

Later Friday, Connolly moved over to the games’ swimming pool to watch Katerine Savard become the first Canadian to win the 100-meter butterfly since 1978, breaking the Commonwealth record in the process.

England leads the overall gold medal count with 12.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Achieving success at the games is all about intense preparation? Maybe not. England judo competitor Danny Williams was only called up as an injury replacement the week before competition started in Glasgow.

“I was eating a fairly large spaghetti bolognese with wholemeal garlic bread when I found out I got the Commonwealth Games call-up,” Williams said. “I swiftly put that meal to the side and went back down the gym.”

The next time Williams is at home he’ll be able to eat with a gold medal around his neck, after beating Adrian Leat of New Zealand to win the Commonwealth title in the under-73 kilogram division.

“I wasn’t anywhere near within weight in all honesty,” he said. “It has been a very hard six days. I don’t think people see that part of the sport — if you don’t make weight, then you don’t fight.”

TEEN WEIGHTLIFTER: Sixteen-year-old Chika Amalaha of Nigeria became the youngest female weightlifter to win Commonwealth Games gold. In the 53-kilogram class, she broke the previous record of 188 kilograms to total 196. Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea won silver and Santoshi Matsa of India earned the bronze.

FOG DELAY: At Carnoustie, heavy fog disrupted the full-bore shooting pairs on the first day of qualification. All 19 teams will complete the remainder of their first-stage shots at the 600-yard range before moving on to the stage 2 targets of 900 and 1,000 yards.

BINDRA WINS AGAIN: Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra went out a winner during his last Commonwealth Games, taking gold in the 10-meter air rifle at Carnoustie, an event he also won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “It feels good winning in my final games and finishing off with an individual medal,” said the 32-year-old Bindra, who has five games gold medals since 2002 in Manchester. “It’s been a long time … and I have to hand it over to young Indian talent.”

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AP Sports Writer Rob Harris contributed to this story.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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