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Some high school students face a certain difficult decision when they graduate: go to college and (possibly) play an NCAA sport or serve in the military. Laura Madaio and the team at Athletes of Valor are working to end the false impression that they cant do both.Athletes of Valor is a start-up based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, whose mission is to provide veterans, active duty military personnel and transitioning servicemen and women the resources and platform to go from the military into college sports. Although the NCAA has a rule that says that student-athletes have five years to complete their four years of eligibility (and their clock typically starts ticking one year after high school graduation), servicemen and women are exempt, meaning they retain their eligibility.What Athletes of Valor has been trying to do is make military personnel aware they have this opportunity once they complete their service. Its platform is in place to streamline the process, allowing servicemen and women to publish profiles with their information and videos, then connect with college coaches who also use the platform.Every coach weve talked to, hands down, wants to recruit veterans, wants to recruit active duty military, said Alex Stone, a former Marine sergeant who left his job at Under Armour to found Athletes of Valor. Theres not one coach whos ever said, No, Im not interested. And thats a tribute to what these men and women can accomplish both on and off the field.Although the NCAA, according to a spokesperson, does not track the number of veterans competing in college sports, Athletes of Valors numbers are already in the hundreds despite only existing for a few months and having a staff of just four (plus an intern). But Madaio, its marketing manager whose responsibilities range from social media and editing to public outreach and finding prospective student-athletes, wants the number to be in the thousands by the end of 2017.Madaio, 25, a former two-sport athlete at Western New England University, previously worked with the Pawtucket Red Sox, 98.5 The Sports Hub, Wheaton College and IDG. But once she discovered Athletes of Valor, It was really a no-brainer.Here is Madaios story, in her words.A taste of humble pieI think being here for the Marine Corps birthday and for Veterans Day has definitely been top of mind as far as really bringing me back down to earth and realizing what were doing, the impact that its making. Even in this small office, people are very familiar with what were doing, and having people come out of nowhere into the office to say Happy Veterans Day and Happy Marine Corps Birthday to Alex and director of sales and business development Jay Blydell and realizing that I work for some really great people. And I know that, but I think it never hurts to get a reminder like that, have someone come in and say that these guys are our heroes.Family tiesI think I just grew up very pride-filled and very appreciative. Both my grandfathers served. I have two uncles that were Marines, one that was in the Air Force. My dads cousin was titled one of the most decorated Vietnam veterans in Massachusetts. So Ive grown up listening to these stories. When I got to talk to my uncles about all of this and talking to my grandpa, they were just so thrilled and excited that people are still making strides toward veterans affairs. Ive obviously been super passionate about being a woman in sport, and the fact that I can now aid women in sport while now working in sport is super exciting for me. If we can help anyone, I think weve done our job if we can help one person.More than footballI think theres definitely the misunderstanding that we just want male college football and lacrosse players on the platform. Of course thats gonna be a huge population for us, but what is most exciting is seeing the female athletes sign up and get involved, and knowing that type of word of mouth on a story that comes out about a female that is a former Army Ranger who went on to row -- or whatever that story is in college -- and then having that light bulb go off in someones head thats either active duty or veteran coming home and thinking, Oh, I can do that. All we really need is for these men and women to have that light bulb go off and say, Im competitive, I can do that.Not a charity caseRight now, we have coaches either reaching out to us and signing up or coaches reaching out to us and asking questions about how they get involved. Its been really exciting to see the response weve gotten from coaches. Coaches are understanding that this is not a charitable thing. This is not put a veteran on your team for good PR and to make you feel good about yourself. This is put a veteran on your team because you know theyre gonna make a difference, and you know that theyre gonna compete, and you know that theyre gonna be the guy in the locker room thats rallying everyone up and the guy thats out on the field giving his absolute all.Finding camaraderieIn a lot of our research, veterans are finding themselves feeling individualized and almost alone on campus unless they have some great veteran services to aid them in that type of transition. The sports structure is bringing that again. Its sharing your water with guys on the field. Its having meals -- a lot of sports teams eat breakfast together, or dinner -- taking long rides together, getting to know people again. They just align quite well the more you think about the day-to-day structure in the military and in sport.Then, from what weve seen, a lot of the times, a lot of college athletes need leadership and they need brotherhood, and these veterans have stories, amazing stories and experiences, in explaining to us that theyve provided that for students. A 26-year-old veteran who shows up to his college dorm and realizes hes rooming with 18-year-old freshmen on his baseball team, hes gonna provide that maturity and that cultured type of persona in their lives and on that team.Reading the commentsI run our social media accounts, and Im getting notifications nonstop. ... When I check my phone and see that an active-duty Marine commented on our Instagram and said, This is great, Im signing up, or I see someone, a mom or a girlfriend tag their son or daughter or significant other and say, Check this out, thats incredibly exciting for me not because I think that our ad is working; its because I think our story is resonating with people, and thats probably the most exciting thing. Bernie Parent Flyers Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Robert Hagg Flyers Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. http://www.nhlflyersproauthentic.com/michael-raffl-hockey-jersey/ . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Carter Hart Flyers Jersey . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Bill Barber Flyers Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Two teams coming off road losses 24 hours prior meet Friday night at the Prudential Center, where the New Jersey Devils host the St. Louis Blues.The Devils dropped a 5-2 decision to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, a game which will be best remembered for irate Montreal goaltender Carey Price pummeling New Jersey forward Kyle Palmieri following a goal-mouth collision late in the first period.Its a hockey play, Palmieri told the teams web site following the game. It is what it is. (Price) was protecting himself. It happens.Though the loss was only New Jerseys first in the past three games, the Devils have struggled the past three weeks. They are 3-8-3 in eleven games since bolting out to a 9-3-3 record to start the season.Thursday marked the eighth time in the last 10 games that the Devils allowed four goals or more, a major reason for their current woes. Goaltending and solid team defense was New Jerseys calling card a year ago, and early this season when the Devils surrendered more than three goals only twice in the first 16 games and held opponents to two or fewer ten times in the same stretch.Cory Schneider gave up five goals on a whopping 49 shots in Thursdays defeat. Keith Kinkaid will get the start in goal Friday when the Devils return home where they own an 8-0-2 mark at the Prudential Center, so far. New Jersey is the NHLs only club not to have lost a single game in regulation on home ice this season; and that 10-game run is the longest in franchise history without a defeat on home ice.Theres a lot we all can do better, Schneider said Thursday. At the same time, we need to regroup and face a good St. Louis team (Friday).Taylor Hall, who scored a goal and added an assist in Montreal, is set to appear in his 400th National Hockey League contest Friday night. In his first season with the Devils after spending thee first six years of his career with the Edmonton Oilers, Hall is averaging better than a point per game (8 goals, 11 assists in 18 games), buoyed by seven points over his last three matches.ddddddddddddew Jersey will host a Blues team that was defeated 3-2 by the surging New York Islanders in Brooklyn on Thursday. However, the Blues have lost only three times since Nov. 15, skating to an 8-2-1 record in their last 11 games.Robby Fabbri continued his recent strong play for the Blues by netting his sixth goal of the season, to go along with an assist, against the Islanders. Fabbri, who went 12 games without a goal to start the season, has recorded five points (2-3-5) in his last five games.We need more from our top-end guys, we cant keep relying on guys like Fabbri and (Jaden) Schwartz to carry the day, Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock said after losing to the Islanders. We need more from other people. Thats the bottom line.Fabbris goal Thursday was assisted by Vladimir Tarasenko, who now has 28 points on the season, tops on the Blues and tied for third-most in the NHL. Kyle Brodziak also scored for the Blues, tying the game, 2-2, in the second period. However, the Blues ultimately fell when New Yorks Anders Lee scored his second goal of the night midway through the third period to break the tie.We left the game to chance, said Brodziak. We didnt really do enough to gain control of the game. Theyre a good team thats playing well, playing with confidence. We have to find a way to gain control earlier in the game and not leave it 50-50 like that.Fridays meeting will be the first this season between the Blues and Devils, who will conclude their season series in a rematch next Thursday in St. Louis. ' ' '