return.His method apparently left trustees confused. Bridge

VAL DISERE, France -- A group of American skiers are taking it all off in an effort to raise some money.Five female and six male ski racers have joined together to pose in a nude calendar they hope will help them overcome high costs -- and scarce funding -- on the professional ski tour.Called Under the Suit: The Bodies of the Ski Team, the calendar features the skiers in naked action shots: Either on the slopes or mountain biking in Chile and New Zealand, or pumping iron at their local gym in Park City, Utah.Skiers below A team level pay their own travel costs, ranging from $15,000 to $35,000 each season. The original idea for calendar came from Brennan Rubie, who is racing at C team level.Its tough for us because we have to raise a bunch of cash, the 25-year-old Rubie told The Associated Press. Weve all reached out to our parents, our parents friends.Athletes should get up to $4,000 each from sales, which Rubie says is a big chunk of money that can really take some stress off.Jacqueline Wiles, a member of the B team who is also unfunded, features on the calendar taking off into the air -- naked except for a ski helmet, gloves and boots. Teammates Breezy Johnson and Alice McKennis are also in the calendar.I think the target is raising around $110,000, Wiles told the AP recently at the French resort of Val dIsere. They want to get all the calendars out before Christmas ... to be a stocking stuffer.Even though they are funded, two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety and Olympic super-G silver medalist Andrew Weibrecht have helped out.Its cool to see everyone come together, Weibrecht said.Wiles and McKennis are a long way from enjoying the success of four-time overall World Cup winner Lindsey Vonn and Olympic slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin -- who have won 99 World Cup races between them.The 27-year-old McKennis won a downhill in the Austrian resort of St. Anton in January 2013 -- her only podium -- and Wiles has one top-10 finish.Many are struggling behind them.Athletes are being more and more unfunded, having to find our own means. So this summer we tried to be creative, Wiles said. The mens team did a bunch (of photos) in Norway. We did some in Chile, New Zealand -- and in the gym in Park City.Aside from raising money, Wiles said the photos showcase athletes bodies in a tasteful and strong way. She has received positive feedback from mothers with concerns over anorexia, fearful that their daughters feel pressured to follow very slim role models.I think everyone really likes the idea of displaying our bodies in a very athletic, powerful position, Wiles said. We work hard to be physically fit for our sport, and I think its really cool to show our fans and family what our bodies go through.One of the most sensitive issues when doing the photos was passers-by.In New Zealand, we did it at a ski resort and there were other people hiking a different ridge. They could see me, McKennis said. When Jacqui (Wiles) and I went off the downhill jump in Portillo (Chile), there were definitely a few creepy spectators. One of our coaches, helping drive us in a snowmobile, actually stopped and yelled at them.While not opposing the calendar, the U.S. ski federation has been very hands off with the whole project, McKennis said.Just because it is something that they saw as something risky, that athletes are showing their naked bodies to the public, McKennis said. They were just like `We dont want to be involved. If youre going to do this, you need to do it separately.Putting the calendar together ate into what little spare time the competitive skiers have.Were racing, were training. Its hard to be as proactive as we want to be with it, McKennis said. Evenings, whenever we can, we just try and fit it in. It can be really challenging.---http://www.alpine-aspirations.com/---AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in La Villa, Italy, contributed to this report. Cheap Chicago Bears Jerseys China .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. 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Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- University of Louisville trustees on Wednesday accepted the resignation of embattled President James Ramsey, whose long tenure was dogged by scandal.The action at a special meeting of the schools board signaled the end of an era. Ramsey, a former state budget director, has led the university for 14 years.After six hours of closed-door deliberations, the board announced late Wednesday that Ramsey will be paid $690,000 and will resign immediately, with an agreement not to sue the school.Ramsey was credited with raising academic standards and boosting the school from a commuter campus to a distinguished research institution. But he came under increasing fire for embezzlement scandals and a string of other embarrassments, including an FBI investigation of top university officials for alleged misuse of federal money and an NCAA investigation into whether a university employee paid women to strip and have sex with basketball players.The controversies boiled over in the past two years. The Courier-Journal reported last year that the board of trustees challenged Ramseys salary of more than $600,000, with millions more in deferred compensation paid by the university foundation.Then, in October, an escort named Katina Powell released the book Breaking Cardinal Rules, which alleged a basketball team employee hired her and other dancers to entertain players and recruits at sex parties at the mens basketball players dorm. The NCAA launched an investigation, and Ramsey announced in February that the team would not play in postseason tournaments.Dozens of professors signed a letter to him complaining about the drumbeat of crises and some trustees attempted a no-confidence vote to have him ousted in the spring. Ramsey said at the time that he would not resign.But Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin dismantled the former board of trustees last month. Ramsey wrote the governor a letter offering to tender his resignation to the newly appointed board, launching a bumpy series of meetings that led to his eventual ouster late Wednesday.The afternoon began with an agreement seemingly far more generous for Ramsey: He would collect his salary for a year as he served as interim president while the school searched for a new leader. Ramsey sat silently at Wednesdays board meeting, then left for his office upstairs.But the boards closed-door negotiations stretched hours into the night. Chairman Pro Tem Ulysses Junior Bridgeman left several times to visit Ramseys office, where the president was working with various advisers, he said.The board announced just before 11 p.m. that Ramsey would be out immediatelly.dddddddddddd. University Provost Neville Pinto, who is on vacation, will serve as temporary leader until a new president is selected.In the end, it was just the decision on both sides, what everyone thought was best, Bridgeman said of the final resolution. He said it was a sad moment in the universitys history despite the controversies that have colored Ramseys tenure. He pointed to the presidents accomplishments, improving graduation rates and the universitys footprint in the city.Dr. Ramsey is always going to be a gentleman, he said about Ramseys reaction to the final decision. Hes always going to talk about whats best for the university. And that was the discussion. It wasnt any more than that.The boards actions will have no bearing on Ramseys status with the University Foundation, a separate board where Ramsey is paid more than $300,000 in addition to his salary as president. Bridgeman would not speculate on what that board will choose to do about his employment.The trustees also voted to immediately begin its search for a new president.The decision ends weeks of unrest and confusion about Ramseys status.Shortly after Bevin dismantled the old board and appointed new members, Ramsey read his letter offering to resign as the board met in a private session at its first meeting earlier this month. Ramsey then left the meeting, walked directly to his office and didnt return.His method apparently left trustees confused. Bridgeman told reporters that Ramsey had not offered his resignation. A day later, Bridgeman said Ramseys letter had amounted to an offer to step down. Trustees met for a second time last week, reviewing budget and tuition issues but taking no action on Ramseys status.They scheduled a meeting to discuss his resignation for Tuesday morning, abruptly canceled it, then rescheduled it for Wednesday afternoon.Now, even with Ramseys immediate departure, the schools leadership remains uncertain.Democratic state Attorney General Andy Beshear is challenging Bevins authority to disband the schools former board and appoint a new one, saying the reorganization was illegal.During a hearing last week, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said Bevins action replacing Louisvilles board was problematic, because it put the schools independence in jeopardy. His ruling is pending. If Shepherd rules against Bevin and finds the current board invalid, its unclear whether the boards decisions will stand, including Wednesdays negotiations over Ramseys departure. ' ' '