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Ski champ Svindal injured while playing soccer

By WTOP Staff

ERIC WILLEMSEN
Associated Press

VIENNA (AP) — Downhill world champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway will likely miss the entire ski season after tearing his Achilles tendon while playing soccer.

The Norwegian ski federation said that Svindal sustained the injury in Austria on Saturday — eight days before the men’s World Cup season starts with a giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier in Soelden, Austria.

The season also includes the world championships in Vail and Beaver Creek in February, where Svindal was set to defend his downhill title.

“I was out for a little run with the rest of the team,” Svindal wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. “We ended the session playing around with a ball. Just holding it up in the air between us. Suddenly I felt something snap in my leg and I knew right away that something was wrong. Achilles.”

Svindal said he was brought to a hospital in Innsbruck and underwent surgery shortly after.

“A real injury and extremely bad timing just as the season is about to start,” the Norwegian said. “Nobody can say 100 percent sure how long the recovery will take, but I’m ready for the weeks that are coming.”

Svindal added he planned to stay in Austria “for a while” before travelling to Oslo.

“He is probably out of the whole season,” spokesman Claes-Tommy Herland of the Norwegian ski federation told The Associated Press in a phone call.

Svindal clinched the overall title in 2006 and 2009, and last season became the closest challenger of Marcel Hirscher on the Austrian’s way to a third straight overall title. The Norwegian won the crystal globes for leading the season’s downhill and super-G rankings, raising his number of World Cup discipline titles to nine.

“It’s a giant loss for next season,” Hirscher told the Austria Press Agency, adding he had texted Svindal his best wishes. “Aksel is a true hero of our sports. He leaves behind a huge gap and his spirit will be missed.”

Svindal isn’t unfamiliar to staging a comeback from injury after missing almost the entire 2007-08 season following a serious crash in training on the Birds of Prey downhill course in Beaver Creek. Svindal landed in the safety nettings and broke bones in his face and suffered a laceration to his groin and abdominal area.

Svindal returned and won his second overall title the next season, including gold in the super-combined at the 2009 world championship in Val d’Isere.

The 31-year-old Norwegian has won 11 medals at major championships, including three at the Vancouver Olympics, where he won gold in super-G, silver in downhill and bronze in GS.

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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