I want to tell you a story about a friend of mine. Political correctness says Im not supposed to call her special, but thats what she is to me. Special. Her name is Olivia. Shes a runner and shes a fighter and shes a champion at both.Olivia ran like the wind, past the prejudice and doubt that accompanies autism for so many and with a fundamental perspective as vibrant as the New York skyline she so loved. Her spirit nourished all within her garden. All the while, she fought cancer and uncertainty without yield, by example, without complaint.That was Olivias fightin style: graceful.In the past 18 months she redefined bravery for me and for millions of people across the globe.Its difficult to articulate spiritual depth, passion and compassion. The measurability and impact of those emotions is subjective. No two people react precisely the same way by a single action. But when we are all moved emotionally to some degree, and when we all recognize that emotion to be deeper than we can define, it is unique and rare.And it is an awakening. It is a unifying force.That was the joy with which Olivia infused all whom she met -- and scores she would never meet -- since July 2015. Olivia had autism, but autism didnt define her. Not for me, anyway. Shed long been told by healthcare providers shed never live alone or hold a job. Neither she, nor her parents, Judy and Dan, would suffer those fools.Olivia achieved both, by the way.Joy, compassion, boundless love and indomitable will are the traits that comprise Olivias legacy. She lived those traits. And she taught us to live them, too.Olivia Quigley, 25, died in the early morning hours of Nov. 8, 2016. The breast cancer shed so tirelessly battled spread and finally took her body.Her soul and the lessons it provided are eternal. Few individuals display their souls while theyre here. Olivia had that rare gift. She was a human unifying force. And she shared that gift with me.I met her in the University of California Riverside track stadium on a hot July day last summer. She was sitting on an aluminum bench, stretching her legs. She was bald and seated alone, and I was intrigued. So I walked over and sat with her and asked why she was over there all by herself.She explained that she was exhausted. Perplexed, I asked why. And how. Practice for the Special Olympics World Games had only just begun.She said one word: chemotherapy. Time stopped. Shed battled Stage IV breast cancer for months, but she wouldnt be denied the opportunity to run at the World Games. Nothing short of death would deny her that. So she quit chemo and got on a plane from Wisconsin to Los Angeles.Thats where our friendship began. During the week that followed that chance meeting she won two gold medals. On her shoulders she carried years of emotion from her peers with every stride, though she didnt know it. She gave a voice and a face to what those with intellectual disabilities can do.When she reached the finish line each time she nearly crumbled in exhaustion, the smile on her face masking years of frustration at being told, cant. Olivia didnt believe in cant, and I adore her for that. I always will. Above that, I adore her for her treatment of others.Her intentions were always genuine. Her perspective was always just and sweet. Olivia knew no judgment of others. She was not superficial. We did not small talk or feel each other out or search for reasons why the conversation mattered.It just mattered. We can all learn a lot from that.Theres a George Strait song entitled I Saw God Today. Its premise is a musical reminder of how much wonder there is all around us, all the time, provided were open-hearted and open-minded enough to recognize it and accept it and appreciate it.Theres an adage about beauty in simplicity, and gracious is it accurate and powerful. Olivias mother, Judy, shared that concept with me about her daughter: Olivias perspective was so simple, and therefore, in a fractured world, so profound.Olivia is the consummate example of the Special Olympics power and impact. Judy once told me there were times when Olivia was very frustrated in life, and that her experience at World Games helped quell that. It infused her with self-confidence. And in turn it enabled the Quigleys to speak as adults. Thats the power of sports. Thats when sports matter. Sports helped improve a familial dynamic.Grace is omnipresent, but it demands awareness. Maybe its a smile from a stranger that improves your mood. Maybe its a guy letting you into traffic that offers the precious moments needed to arrive on time. Maybe its help changing a tire or watching the kids while you run out for an errand or forgiveness for stupid mistakes.Maybe its a simple hello. All of that is grace. And its God.Judy sent me a note Tuesday morning regarding Olivias passing. She wanted me to know that Olivia considered me a good friend, and that shed created a brief last will. Within that will, there were instructions to send her 100-meter gold medal to me.I weep every time I think about her considering that.Olivia was completely devoid of preconceived notion or political gain or self-absorption. She was a spitfire. Genuinely. And when I sat down on that bench that day, I saw God.And Ill take that with me for all my days. Chris Mullin Warriors Jersey . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Jordan Poole Warriors Jersey . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. 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RENTON, Wash. -- The aftermath of the first NFL tie since 2014 became a study in the delicate psyche of kickers, and how they are handled by their coaches.Last Sundays 6-6 tie between Seattle and Arizona was remarkable from many aspects. One of the lasting memories were the reactions from Arizona coach Bruce Arians and Seattle coach Pete Carroll to a pair of short missed field goals in overtime that could have won the game for either team.Arizonas Chandler Catanzaro had a 24-yard field goal clang off the left upright, and minutes later Seattles Steve Hauschka pulled a 28-yard attempt wide left . Then came the reactions, and a study in how two coaches seeking the same goal took differing tones.Arians was gruff, Carroll was supportive.Arians on Catanzaro: Make it. This is professional, this aint high school, baby. You get paid to make it.Carroll on Hauschka: He made his kicks to give us a chance, and unfortunately he didnt make the last one. Hes been making kicks for years around here ... but hes gonna hit a lot of winners as we go down the road here. I love him and hes our guy.Two divergent reactions, all with the same goal of getting their kickers to be better.It means a lot to me, Hauschka said this week. Coach is incredible. He is the reason that this team is so good and why this whole atmosphere up here in Seattle is so positive. And it all starts with him. I couldnt ask for a better head coach.With such a unique role on the team, and such a specific skill in stark contrast to the rest of the roster, kickers really only have their peers who can relate to their highly visible and deeply scrutinized mistakes. How coaches handle those mistakes can be all over the spectrum.Back in 2009, then Seattle coach Jim Mora unloaded on kicker Olindo Mare immediately after he missed 34- and 43-yard field goals in a 29-25 loss to Chicago.Were not going to fight our (tails) off, and have a field goal kicker go out there and miss two field goals and lose a game. Its not going to happen, Mora said.A day later, Mora apologized for his harsh assessment.There was no such recanting from Arians. Catanzaro was already drawing the ire of his head coach before his overtime miss Sunday. A bad snap helped led to Catanzaros missed field goal that would have beaten New England in the season opener.And while Arians said he still fully supports Catanzaro, he expressed it in an acerbic way.The kicker just needs to kick it through the two poles and wed be 5-2, he said.ddddddddddddMinnesotas Blair Walsh didnt watch the game Sunday night, but he sure knew how Catanzaro and Hauschka were feeling afterward. Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal last January that kept the Vikings from beating the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs.Those are two great kickers, and theyll be fine, Walsh said. I know both of those guys will have great years, and they shouldnt worry.The fraternity of kickers is tight. Catanzaro had a similar reaction after seeing Hauschka miss.I never pull for another kicker to miss, Catanzaro said. It was tough. My reaction the other night, I wanted another shot to win it for the team because they deserved for me to put that through. But I hated to see Hauschka go out there and miss it. Hes a great kicker and hell come back from it.Being a kicker puts them in a glaring spotlight. Walsh knows that all too well after last seasons miss.From the suburban first-graders who wrote him sympathy cards the day after the game to the teammates who consoled him in the locker room, Walsh has experienced more support than backlash -- despite the predictable social media trolling from upset fans. He has some inspirational quotes hanging in his cubicle at the teams practice facility, motivation passed on by one of his high school teachers.Walsh, though, has been unable to put the gaffe out of the public discussion. He missed two field goals and an extra point in the season opener, shanked another extra point two weeks later, and missed another field goal the game after that. The Vikings won all of those games comfortably, but while they havent brought in any free agents for competition, theyve clearly lost some patience.We need to make those, or its going to bite us in the rear end, coach Mike Zimmer said after Walshs last miss on Oct. 3.Zimmers public stance on supporting Walsh has fallen somewhere between the reactions of Carroll and Arians, though tilting more toward Arians lately.Were going to need Blair down the stretch and need him to play well for us, special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said, and hopefully thats what hell do.---AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell and AP freelance writer Jose Romero contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '